🚔 National Police Week!!!
To our Security Forces Airmen and all other law enforcement, thank you for what you do! Thank you for your professionalism, courage, and commitment to protecting and serving others. We also honor and remember the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. 💙 #PoliceWeek ##securityforces
Visit the Security Forces memorial as part of National Police Week.
🧼✈️ Keeping History Pristine with more Aircraft Cleaning!
At the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, preserving aviation history is a nonstop mission! Our team works hard behind the scenes to clean and conserve the legendary aircraft on display, like the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor.
📸 Take a look at the process in action and see how we care for these incredible pieces of Air Force history.
#USAFMuseum #DaytonOhio #AviationHistory #MilitaryAircraft #FreeThingsToDo #AirForceMuseum #FamilyFun #ConservationInAction #avgeek #history
✈️ As we commemorate the anniversary of the final mission of the legendary Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle, we’d love to hear your memories and see your photos of this iconic aircraft through the years.
Whether you visited the aircraft at the museum, attended a special event, or captured a favorite moment during a past visit, share your stories and photos with us in the comments below! 📸
The aircraft on display, the famed B-17F Memphis Belle, became the first heavy bomber to return to the US after flying 25 missions over Europe. The Memphis Belle, which had been on loan from the Air Force to the city of Memphis, was relocated to the Museum in 2005, and after years of meticulous restoration, it was placed on public display in May 2018. #memphisbelle #AvGeek #history
Memphis Belle Anniversary Commemoration this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the WWII Gallery
Join us as we commemorate the anniversary of the Memphis Belle’s historic 25th and final combat mission, completed in May of 1943. One of the most iconic aircraft of World War II, the Memphis Belle became a symbol of the courage, sacrifice, and determination of America’s airmen during the air war over Europe. Although the Memphis Belle was damaged on several combat missions, the crew beat the odds and completed their 25th mission on May 17, 1943. The crew then returned home for a war bond tour across America.
Throughout the event, our volunteers will engage guests at the Memphis Belle exhibit with interactive trivia, historical discussion, and video presentations highlighting the aircraft, its crew, and the broader impact of the strategic bombing campaign during World War II. Guests will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn about the Memphis Belle’s wartime legacy, and gain a deeper understanding of the critical role airpower played in the Allied victory.
What to Expect:
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Volunteer-led historical engagement at the Memphis Belle exhibit
Memphis Belle trivia and guest interaction
Video presentations about the aircraft and crew
Informal conversations with museum volunteers about the Belle’s combat missions and WWII air operations
Chariots of the Rescue Service
In the early 1960s the standard USAF rescue helicopter was the light-lift Kaman HH-43B Huskie, used mainly for local base rescue. As hostilities increased in SEA in June 1964, two HH-43Bs deployed to Thailand for rescue support. However, early missions demonstrated that the current helicopters were not capable of operating over the hostile skies of Southeast Asia. Better aircraft were needed.
As a temporary solution, modified Huskies, HH-43Fs, with armor plating, larger self-sealing fuel tanks, and bigger engines, entered SEA in 1964. They served as the primary rescue vehicle until the arrival of the first two Sikorsky CH-3 helicopters in 1965.
Eventually, fifty improved CH-3s, called HH-3s, had more powerful engines, defensive armament, larger cargo capacity, rescue hoists, and aerial refueling capability. The aircrews called them the Jolly Green Giants. With watertight hulls, the HH-3s could land on water, and their large rear doors and ramps permitted easy loading and unloading.
HH-43s and HH-3s satisfied immediate rescue requirements. However, neither had the speed or range to rapidly reach Airmen downed in North Vietnam or Northern Laos.
To address this problem, Sikorsky introduced the first HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant for service with the ARRS in 1967. The biggest improvements were a larger cargo compartment, greater lift capacity, and more defensive capabilities. The aircrews nicknamed the aircraft “BUFF” for “Big Ugly Fat Fellow,” with “Fellow” often being substituted with an obscenity.
Capable of flying farther and in more hostile territory than its predecessors, the HH-53 became the ultimate rescue vehicle by the end of American involvement in SEA. Yet, it was the HH-43, the first rescue helicopter to arrive in SEA and the last to leave, that had more combat saves than any other USAF helicopter.
A-1 Legacy and the A-X Program
The US Air Force learned many lessons regarding SAR and CAS from its A-1 Skyraider experience in Southeast Asia.
As early as 1966, the USAF anticipated the need for a specialized close air support aircraft and these lessons shaped the request for proposals sent to industry under the new A-X program.
As the US withdrawal in Southeast Asia progressed, the USAF transferred its remaining A-1s to the South Vietnamese Air Force in late 1972. In the interim, the LTV A-7D Corsair II, another modified US Navy aircraft, assumed the A-1’s SAR and CAS missions.
In 1973, Fairchild Republic’s prototype YA-10A proved to be an inexpensive design. Selected for production over the other A-X proposals, it nearly doubled the capabilities of the A-1.
A fitting successor, the A-10’s design echoes the Skyraider with its straight, low-slung wings, armored cockpit, exceptional radio suite, and multiple weapon pylons.
The USAF accepted the first A-10A Thunderbolt II in 1976, with many Skyraider pilots transitioning to it. The A-10 is still in service today, providing unmatched CAS and fulfilling the legacy of RESCORT as part of the world’s greatest combat rescue force. #avgeek #history #brrrrt
Sandy: Locate, Identify, and Protect
With its long loiter time, pin-point accuracy, and rugged construction, the A-1 Skyraider excelled at Rescue Escort (RESCORT) to recover downed aircrew.
The first USAF A-1s assigned to RESCORT duty came from the 602nd Air Fighter Squadron (Commando) in August 1965. Skyraiders rotated from Bien Hoa AB, South Vietnam to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand.
RESCORT required four A-1s. Two Skyraiders, known as Sandy Low, flew towards the downed aircrew, while the other two, Sandy High, rendezvoused with the rescue helicopters.
The ranking Sandy Low pilot assumed command of the rescue effort. Sandy Low aircraft located and identified the downed aircrew by radio and provided close air support if needed. Once the area was safe, the Sandy High Skyraiders escorted the helicopters to the site. All four A-1s protected the area during the rescue and once completed, escorted the helicopters to safety.
McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle (On display in the Air Park)
This F-15A (S/N 74‐0117) flew with Tactical Air Command units at Luke AFB, Ariz., and the Air National Guard at NAS New Orleans, La. Removed from the USAF inventory in 1991, it served as a maintenance trainer at Langley AFB, Va., before being delivered to the museum in 2013. It is painted to represent an aircraft of the 1st Fighter Wing.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Armament: One 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon, four AIM-7 Sparrow and four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, plus 15,000 lbs. mixed ordnance carried externally
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 turbofans of 25,000 lbs. thrust each
Maximum speed: 1,600+ mph (Mach 2.5)
#avgeek #f15 #jet #usaf #museum
Who else is in Columbus for Ohio Tourism Day? Let us know if you will be here and be sure to come see us and say hello! 🇺🇸📸 #ohio #America250 @am250ohio
The Need for Fuel
The 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recover Group determined that if a downed Airman could be reached within fifteen minutes, the chances of rescue were good. However, after thirty minutes or more, the survivor’s chances of being rescued drastically decreased.
Unfortunately, the US Air Force’s rescue helicopters, mainly the Kaman HH-43 Pedro and Sikorsky CH-3, lacked the range to rescue crews more from their respective bases without stopping to refuel.
This was not only due to the limited fuel capacity, but also because of the extra weight the fuel added. Due to the mountainous terrain of Southeast Asia, it was necessary to dump fuel in order lighten the helicopter to fly over the higher elevations.
In response to this limitation, the Air Rescue Service requested an air-to-air refueling capability for the CH-3 in 1964.
Photo caption: Designed to perform local base rescue and fire support, the HH-43 Pedro played a significant role in rescue operations in Southeast Asia. Here, USAF Captain Leo Dusard is hoisted into a HH-43 after ejecting over the South China Sea in 1968.
🚔 National Police Week!!!
To our Security Forces Airmen and all other law enforcement, thank you for what you do! Thank you for your professionalism, courage, and commitment to protecting and serving others. We also honor and remember the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. 💙 #PoliceWeek ##securityforces
Visit the Security Forces memorial as part of National Police Week.
