OCR Text |
Show 1f HILL TOP TIMES Ffidoy, March 16, 1984 'THe 16) If I I t$A Kr X' h&j I l bJi Hlf 1 H Link Aviation Devices, Inc., March 19, I 1 JLf 1935. Cf (Courtesy Photo) FDn By Jean Williamson Office of Public Affairs .25-ce- nt Ed Link has flown high and fast for 50 years and never left the ground. He did it all in his "Blue Box," the first aircraft trainer designed in 1929, forerunners of today's highly complex digital simulators managed here by the Training Devices Program Management Division, Directorate of Materiel Management. Link's Blue Box had its beginning in the basement of his father's piano and organ company in Binghamton, N.Y. When he began flight lessons in the '20s, flying was considered a dashing and daring hobby, one limited to daytime hours. And, it was expensive, $50 for an hour of loops and spins without being able to touch the controls. But Link learned and enjoyed it enough to eventually leave his father's factory and devote full time to flying. He envisioned a future with pilots flying by instruments and not being restricted by weather conditions. - J wan v Link had difficulty selling his early models which usually went to amusement parks, minus the conride that felt like trols. Patrons loved the flying. Two key events occurred in 1931 which gave Link's efforts a needed boost. First, the Navy purchased a trainer for their pilots; and second, Link married a journalist, Marian Clayton. She organized his material and thoughts into the first manuals written on how to fly. The aviation trainer really "got off the ground" when the Army started flying the U.S. Mail. In 1934 on a foggy day not fit for flying Link piloted his personal plane to a meeting with the U.S. Army Air Corps to discuss problems they were having flying the mail in bad weather. He explained he had learned instrument flying in his Blue Box. The Army was impressed and bought six of his trainers; ; and, so on June 23, 1934, a new multimillion dollar industry was born. World War II brought orders for about 10,000 of the Blue Box pilot trainers, and an estimated half million military pilots took some of their first flights rooted to the ground. The phrase "Link time" became common among military pilots. The trainers were so realistic that g it is alleged that during a practice of fuel over ruggone out student nearly mission, ed terrain at night leaped from the trainer and broke his ankle on the floor three feet below. The U.S. Air Force saw a bright future for air crew training devices as many years of manpower and money shortages led to their wide use and proved that trainers were efficient, economical, and could be used in place of operational equipment. A new systems program office for training devices was created by the Air Force at Wright-Patterso- n AFB, Ohio, in May 1973, and a Training Devices Program Management Division at Hill AFB in November 1978. After getting organized, the division felt it needed its own trainer. A logistics manager was ap nerve-rackin- 7 i52 s 0 ' ! F I pointed, Harry Thiros, and many enthusiastic volunteers responded. After numerous hours spent 8 instrumentation calling and writing, an AN-Ttrainer was found at a Civil Air Patrol field in Oregon City, Ore. This was an early Link trainer with several parts missing and badly needing repair. The trainer was carefully packaged and shipped to Ogden Air Logistics Center where it was determined that restoration would require total renovation. The fuselage had many holes, the fabric and bellows at the base were rotten, and corrosion abounded. New parts had to be found for repair. The logistics manager and volunteers again sent out a call for help and searched every available lead. Finally, the various parts were found all over the country. Volunteers used breaks and lunch periods to make repairs on their trainer nicknamed, appropriately, the Blue Box. The frame had been made with plywood and d joints, most of which had to be replaced. The only plywood available having the correct thickness was from packing crates. The trainer was completely disassembled, and the parts sandblasted and painted. Thinly cut masonite was used for the windows. Instrumentation was completely dismantled and totally overhauled. The base had to be replaced. The trainer had devices added to simulate air turbulence and motion to make it more responsive to the pilot's needs. When completed, the Blue Box was restored as close to the original configuration as possible. Since 95 percent of the material used was original, this restoration of the Blue Box makes it the only authentic trainer of its kind in the United States Air Force. The Blue Box is presently located in Bldg. 1209. Since its restoration the Blue Box has been "piloted" by many VIPs, including Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier. 4 metal-reinforce- vavnw V1 iliiiiilliliP JUL . AS Harry Thiros "flies" one more time with friendfwthe Blue Box. an old v I - Project Warrior. I m; 1 - i (Courtesy Photo) Link's Blue Box assembly line during the early years. (U.S. Ajr Force Photo by Brent T. Agutrre) |