OCR Text |
Show estP OAS Getting Ready for Ships Reedy! After Rigid Shakedowns a Routine Bi Test Flight Mechanics9 Skill '. Prepares Planes For New Combat By Larry Evans One day in 1935 an army test pilot walked out on the ramp at Wright Field, Ohio, climbed into a big plane and commenced revving up the f I SlA '.mm.. one was a of the first to roll off Boeing assembly lines. He was testing it for the army air forces for the first time. engines. , It B-1- 7, That flight was his last. Maybe the his number was up.on Maybe it. Experts plane had his name later attributed the crash to faulty 7 rudder assembly, Today the is one of the greatest alrf1""1" the world. But it took guts torto.11 the kinks in thewas Major "oyer test pilot's name R Hill. Hill Field is named for B-1- ' him. 14 of Rlfht test a the slickest, A FEW TURNS OF THE BIG PROP . , .,To force excess oil out of the cylinders and the big Liberator bomber pictured above will be ready for Its first test after negotiating the 4 line here. Each ship repaired is flight tested anywhere from one to four hours to insure its being absolutely ready for whatever assignment might be B-2- pilots who of Into pair eral foreman of the flight test ever slipped are stationed at Hill Field. Perry G. Boren, who hangar is bigfrom idea that when came San Antonio in here If you've had an off the end of January, 1942, to get flight test a 4 is pushedand out on the going, and has been here ever line the repair to get rid since. He is a former World War s fly. all it ready apron it In those days tliey just cut of it. Maybe it is and maybe forces aI pilot. air army the bottom of the fusethe But in hole isn't and dropped the bombs out ''doesn't go for "maybe." To say lage on is certainly no reflection that me by hand. is d oa Una anH eneine repair an expert mechanic Boren as well as know chanics. They and insists on having himself tell cant that you in the next fellow nothing but genuine mechanics a cake from the recipe. his hangar. "If there's one place on a repair depot where they re alCheck and Double Check most When it comes to sending indispensable it's right here," back to combat, back to he says emphatically. the hands and brains and courage Must Know Maintenance of American pilots and crews,andit Flieht test personnel, most or becomes a matter of check are nattily attired In white whom check. double check and triple must be acquainted with coveralls, test Thats' the reason they have of airplane maintephase every has pilots. That's why Hill Field nance. They receive the plane a production inspection its emergence from the line to put the glass on every ship after and immediately proceed with the rehabilitated in OASCs giant 'shakedown . If they dont una shops whatever flaws remain the test pi Is lot will and it may be too late Every one coming off the line flown anywhere from one to four then. before It hoars, more if necessary, knocked on wood when And heBoren Is pronounced "O. K. to fly said this, but he pointed out a after that write when they that in 1943, in fact ever since aircraft number, it's backed flight test a began here, theyve thou6lane's several of y the reputation never lost plane or a pilot. Masand mechanics at this station. jor Clarke says that's not entirely The bulk of actual inspection is due to the pilots themselves who. test hangar, a he believes, are as fine a bunch of .done in the flight immediately flyers as you'll find anywhere. He gigantic cracker-bo- x that it s the result o( east of the engine repair building. for air- explains efficient mechanics teamwork Flight test is responsible at all and good pilots. repair planes coming in for times other than the period Capt. Wells will never let a 4 or new pilot take a plane quired to negotiate the relatively other repair lines. for testing unless a more ex up Careful Inspection perienced partner is along. Before After a meticulous "shakedown" a test pilot at Hill Field can act sleuths test Inspection by flight as first pilot on a hop he must and screwdrivers armed with have at least 100 hours behind wrenches, couple of test pilots him. It's for his own safety, Capt. and mechanics take the ship "up- Wells adds. stairs" for an initial check of conThe pilots have a certain swashtrols, instruments, electric system, air about them. Getting buckling radio. and landing gear second lasting ready to take off they look cool, During a flightmost confident. Boren says a good one innearly two hours in have a little bit of "mule" is automatic stances, the pilot travel should to be really good. MI don't him in ed. Usually eight persons mean he adds hasti carelessness," When one. this on with the ship "but Just a little of the devil la it's finished everything on that ly, pres him." airplane from thehasmanifold been noted. sure to the clock They call Cant. Robert G. Hod Job Just preparing son, 7 veteran of the European It's quite The pilot is tneaier, ana capt. Jacob (Jack) for the test take-of- f. Tokyo raider, the responsible for the preparation of Manch, 5 of the outfit. Hod-so- n proper clearance papers. lor nis "glamor boys" flew a 7 through 25 bomb nassencers. Anyone flying with him on the test hop must know ing missions over uermany or how to operate a parachute. If German-occupie- d territory and they don't, he's got to show them had three of the big ships practl before he leaves the ground. cally shot out from under him. When he lands he must fill out Manch piloted a roaring 5 . a flight test report containing Mitchell medium over Tokvo and about 50 different items concern- later bailed out, all six and a half ing the plane's performance oil feet of him, over China and nearpressure, head temperature, air ly scared the natives out of their temperature, vacuum, fuel analys- - Kimonos. en. indicator, altimeter, Corrections Necessarr Certain defects ahowln? Drakes, ailerons ana xietners. syn chronizer and a maze of others. Ing the test flight are handled by - Three Main Departments Duren nimseii. ror instance. If the Flight test activities here are right or left wing is heavy he likes into three main de- to correct it to be sure it's done partments operations chief, test right. An ineXDerienctti man pilot chief and flight test hangar. might unknowingly intensify the All test pilots are responsible to detect Which COUld romilt in a UaA the test pilot chief. At Hill Field accident. Boren has had years of he Is Major Robert G. Clarke, behind him. likeable production inspection sub- - experience Speaking ol accidents, Major . uivuton cnier. Each test pilot has Clarke sums it up like this: If a his own regular Job besides that knows his plane pilot really of putting d bombers there s little chance for accidents. paces. tneir uirougn And his own experience one day Operations chief ts cental CnL bears it out -wens. He plans the riichts jnur He was test piloting with a a haM LI. CoC. UCtsV nun snipe fledgling. The plane was only a hell-for-leath- 'er head-phon- in store. Twisting the giant propeller a few times are, left, F; Eggleton, mechanic, and Verl B. Pierce, mechanic. Looking on iafi background is Major H. K. B. Jemmott, test pilot, who will pit big bomber through its paces. If the kinks and snarls aren't dW ered during this flight, they may later be encountered in bate. t ' 1 es B-2- . war-plan- sub-dm-si- es B-1- B-2- B-1- B-2- sub-divid- ed . , newly-repaire- -- r mt1- - ' ' ' ' & res, i.. 7 "LA... on B-2- flight tV.V.V.' ...... 'I .....".in.,.,.,, JU? 11Mi.y , 'VT",, READY TO GO, BOYS . . . Above right, Major H. K. B. Jemmott,' ace test pilot, looks over a eoopiic officers from the OASC medical section to see" that they're plane-shaand ready for a spin wita It into the "wild blae yonder." Each passenger Is instructed by the pilot in the proper use of paradat Hope you don't have to use it. pe few hundred feet off the ground when it started nosing gradually down. The major nelped pull back on the stick. The youngster was getting scared. Then Major Clarke pushed the control in the opposite direction. The plane nosed up. A trim tab had been installed backwards. It was simply a matter of operating the control in reverse during that particular flight, but if Major Clarke hadn't had a lot of flight "know-how- " behind him they'd both probably have been dead ducks. Other test pilots are: Major H. K. B. Jemmott, 1st Li. Brian K. Moyers, 1st Lt L. V. Hawley. 1st Lt. Vera H. Mabbott, 2nd Lt. D. W. Mitchell, 2nd Lt S. J. Beplch, 2nd Lt W. A. Johnston, 2nd Lt R. B. Honec, 2nd Lt H. L. Garrigus and Flight Officer William Main. Before each flight Boren is responsible for rounding up a crew to travel with the pilot and copilot. He usually sends only an electrician and mechanic on the first flight On the second he'll assign about four of his mecharr-ic- s. After the second hop the plane receives another thorough "shakedown." Then it's turned over to the particular command to which it belongs. '- -, mX-k4- ' ".. sm Ik i f ,f Piano Concert Is Featured by USO WITH A FINE TOOTHCOMB . . . Flight test mecfealcs xa short piano concert featuring expert snrveillance of Perry O. Boren, former World War nnoaa vaun call will be pre- and mechanic extraordinary, administer "shakedown" Inspectl sented during the music appreciation hour at the USO, Convenant every plane repaired at OASC. Above, Boren stands House, 411 East South Temple Thnnderbolt whit wing, peeks under the cowling of a P---1.IM far.mlBi O! street, Salt Lake City, tonight at Sfarrvlta. Una hlr. Iafi mji n :3U p. m. "downstairs." ' I. A 5 47 |