Stable and Safe
AVA17239VNB1 – FA 704 – 1968

Reveals what frequently happens when pilots inadvertently fly into marginal or IFR weather and lose their visual reference, becoming dangerously disoriented. Describes the different types of stability augmentation systems available for use in general aviation.

National Archives and Records Administration

How to Fly the P-47: Pilot Familiarization

War Department. Army Air Forces. (06/20/1941 – 09/26/1947)

ARC Identifier 2770 / Local Identifier 18-AF-107A. Describes flight characteristics of the P-47 Thunderbolt, including service ceiling, speed, power, fuel consumption, turbosupercharger system, use of turbo and throttled landing gear and flaps, armament, and switch and control panel. Shows use of the P-47 cockpit trainer.

Made possible by a donation from Aleksandr Milewski.

National Archives and Records Administration

How to Fly the P-47: High Altitude Flight and Aerobatics

War Department. Army Air Forces. (06/20/1941 – 09/26/1947)

ARC Identifier 2772 / Local Identifier 18-AF-107C. Demonstrates the Thunderbolt in dives, loops, slow rolls, Immelman turns, spins, and recoveries, and half rolls. Stresses precautions and proper speeds for various altitudes. Also explains functions of turbosupercharger and water injection systems in high altitude flight.

Made possible by a donation from Alexsandr Milewski.

For a small city like Hattiesburg, having this nationally recognized icon within thier city limits was a newsworthy event.

Many thanks to the Good Year Corporation and Bobby Chain Airport’s Management for allowing me access to shoot this video for all to enjoy!

Specification CREW 8
ENGINE 8 x 400hp Liberty piston engines
WEIGHTS Take-off weight 24993 kg 55100 lb
DIMENSIONS Wingspan 30.00 m 98 ft 5 in Length 23.47 m 77 ft 0 in Height 9.24 m 30 ft 4 in
PERFORMANCE Max. speed 112 km/h 70 mph

Boeing’s Model 299, prototype for the military bomber aircraft, which duly became the B-17 Flying Fortress, was developed in parallel with a civil version of the same aircraft, which had the company designation Boeing Model 300. The Model 307, or Stratoliner, was a straight-forward conversion from the supremely successful B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. It employed the wings and tail surfaces of the B-17C Flying Fortress. The Boeing 307 was developed to start another era, that of pressurized comfort at higher altitudes than had been previously contemplated.

The aircraft was the result of considerable research in high altitude flying by “Tommy” Tomlinson, of TWA, who was estimated to have flown more hours above 30,000 feet, than all other pilots combined. With his recommendations, Boeing produced an airliner which could cruise at 14,000 feet.

The Boeing 307 first flew on December 31, 1938, and TWA put it into service on the transcontinental route on 8 July 1940, reducing the time to 13 hrs. 40 min., and cutting two hours off the DC-3′s time.

Three (S-307) Stratoliners flew on Pan Am’s South American routes; five (SA-307B) served with TWA, and a ninth (SB-307B) Stratoliner was supplied to Howard Hughes. One Boeing 307 (prototype NX 19901) crashed on March 18, 1939 during a test flight. Each aircraft cost $315,000 in 1937 when ordered. During World War II Stratoliners were employed as military transports (C-75s), flying principally to South America and across the Atlantic. In 1951 the ex-TWA machines, replaced the Four 900 hp (671-kw) Wright GR-1820 Cyclone radial piston engines, with Wright Cyclone 1,200 hp (894 kw) engines. The wings were replaced with B-17G wings. They were then sold to Aigle Azur in France, operating to French IndoChina. Here they became involved with the Vietnam War, worked with operators such as Air Laos and were still flying into the 1970s.

One example survives, The Flying Cloud, and is owned by the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. After a six year restoration by volunteer Boeing retirees, it was rolled out of the hangar on June 23,2001. Unfortunately, the plane was almost lost, when during a test flight, it ran out of fuel and ditched into Elliot Bay, just west of downtown Seattle. Luckily, the airplane did not suffer severe damage and it was recovered and repaired again. It is currently on display at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, at Washington/Dulles International Airport.

General characteristics
Crew: 5, including two pilots and flight engineer
Capacity: 33 passengers
Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.66 m)
Wingspan: 107 ft 0 in (32.61 m)
Height: 20 ft 10 in (6.34 m)
Wing area: 1,486 ft² (138.0 m²)
Empty weight: 30,000 lb (13,608 kg)
Loaded weight: 42,000 lb (19,050 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Wright GR-1820 radials , 900 hp (671 kW) each
Performance
Max Speed: 246 mph
Cruise speed: 222 mph (357 km/h)
Range: 2,390 mi (3,846 km)
Service ceiling: 26,200 ft (7,985 m)
Wing loading: 28 lb/ft² (138 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.09 hp/lb (140 W/kg)

This was my first editing attempt using Apple’s iMovie. I rode in the back seat of a T-6 with the canopy removed and my brother was in the fire truck. It was quite a thrill. The inside B-29 shots are from a flight I took in June of 1997. Note the Boeing 307 parked on the ramp as the B-29 taxis in. That was shot two weeks before that same Boeing 307 took a swim in Puget Sound. The 307 is on display now at the Smithsonian and the B-29 flies from Midland, TX.