To All,
Good Saturday day morning December 2, 2023
I hope that you all have a great weekend. Clear and cool here for the next two days. No unwanted visitors for a few days.
The item at the end is the story of an exceptional Man Dr. Bird. No pictures but what a story from Dr. Rich….skip
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
1891 New York (CA 2) launches. In 1911, it is renamed Saratoga and renamed again in 1917 to Rochester. Rochester serves as the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet from 1932-33 and is decommissioned in 1933.
1908 Rear Adm. William S. Cowles submits the report prepared by Lt. George C. Sweet recommending to the Secretary of the Navy the purchase of aircraft suitable for operating from naval ships on scouting and observation missions.
1944 USS Sea Devil (SS 400) attacks a Japanese convoy in the East China Sea and sinks merchant tanker Akigawa Maru and passenger-cargo ship Hawaii Maru, while USS Gunnel (SS 253) evacuates 11 rescued aviators from Palawan, Philippines and turns over all available stores to Filipino forces ashore.
1944 In order to halt resupply and reinforcement of troops on Leyte, Destroyer Division 120 leaves to attack a Japanese convoy escorted by destroyers Take and Kuwa. After midnight during the Battle of Ormoc Bay, USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Cooper (DD 695) sink Kuwa, but USS Cooper sinks from a torpedo.
1965 USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) and USS Bainbridge (DLGN 25) become the first nuclear-powered task unit used in combat operations with launch of air strikes near Bien Hoa, Vietnam.
1941 – Yamamoto ordered his fleet to Pearl Harbor. A special code order "Climb Mount Niitaka" is transmitted by Japanese naval headquarters to their carrier force bound for Hawaii. This order confirms that negotiations have broken down and the attack on Pearl Harbor is to proceed.
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Today in World History
December 2
1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of France in Notre Dame Cathedral.
1805 Napoleon Bonaparte celebrates the first anniversary of his coronation with a victory at Austerlitz over a Russian and Austrian army.
1823 President James Monroe proclaims the principles known as the Monroe Doctrine, "that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by European powers."
1863 General Braxton Bragg turns over command of the Army of Tennessee to General William Hardee at Dalton, Ga.
1864 Major General Grenville M. Dodge is named to replace General William Rosecrans as Commander of the Department of Missouri.
1867 People wait in mile-long lines to hear Charles Dickens give his first reading in New York City.
1907 Spain and France agree to enforce Moroccan measures adopted in 1906.
1909 J.P. Morgan acquires majority holdings in Equitable Life Co. This is the largest concentration of bank power to date.
1914 Austrian troops occupy Belgrade, Serbia.
1918 Armenia proclaims independence from Turkey.
1921 The first successful helium dirigible, C-7, makes a test flight in Portsmouth, Va.
1927 The new Ford Model A is introduced to the American public.
1932 Bolivia accepts Paraguay's terms for a truce in the Chaco War.
1942 The Allies repel a strong Axis attack in Tunisia, North Africa.
1944 General George S. Patton's troops enter the Saar Valley and break through the Siegfried line.
1946 The United States and Great Britain merge their German occupation zones.
1964 Brazil sends Juan Peron back to Spain, foiling his efforts to return to his native land.
1970 The U.S. Senate votes to give 48,000 acres of New Mexico back to the Taos Indians.
1980 A death squad in El Salvador murders four US nuns and churchwomen.
1982 Dentist Barney Clark receives the first permanent artificial heart, developed by Dr. Robert K. Jarvik.
1993 NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavor on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
1999 UK devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive, the administrative branch of the North Ireland legislature.
2001 Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, one of the most complex bankruptcy cases in US history.
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Thanks to Jack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qo7JTyt-W8
Skip, one correction to the video. I commanded Ike when Sadam Hissein did his thing. We were ordered through the Suez on 2 August and began operating in the Red Sea. Mike Luecke and his air wing beat Independence to the fight by a few days.
Respy, quail
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
COMMANDO HUNT … WEEK THREE OF THE HUNT… 27 NOVEMBER TO 3 DECEMBER 1968…
Skip… For The List for the week of Monday, 27 November through Sunday, 3 December 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT I-VII (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post of 26 November 1968…
A different kind of air war…Directed Air Support with fearless FACs in control…
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
Another loss of many due to low visibility, rain and mountains
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Friday 1 December and Saturday 2 December
December 1: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=349
December 2: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=354
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature.
https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
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Thanks to YP and Dr. Rich
Fwd: Key to Israel's survival as a nation -- back in May, 1948 - More
Thanks to YP ...
The aircraft were NOT BF-109's. They were the Czech built Avia-S199, which was a BF-109 airframe with a scabbed on Jumo engine (same as Heinkel 111-they had run out of Daimler Benz power plants) with a massive three bladed paddle prop up front. It was a horrid combination that killed almost as many of the fledgling pilots as it did the enemy. The Czech's called it "Mule" for its bad habits. Nonetheless, their first mission was against the Egyptos about 20 miles short of Tel Aviv. They didn't do much damage, but it scared the Egyptos into pulling back.
Robert Gandt's ANGELS IN THE SKY tells the full story of fledgling mish mash of aircraft and volunteers that did the fighting. Highly Recommended.
YP
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Thanks to Newell
https://theacru.org/2023/11/30/betrayal/
BETRAYAL
by Allen West
November 30, 2023
I pray everyone had a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving with family. It is imperative that we take time out to count our many blessings, and not just for one day, but every day.
However, there are some things for which I do not give thanks, and that is betrayal of the men and women who serve us in uniform. I do not get caught up in too much social media excitement, but a recent video posting grabbed my attention. I also wanted to ensure that it was real and not just a hoax. Well, it is real. And it is really appalling.
Perhaps you saw the video of the young US Army Specialist assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg NC — sorry woke jerks, it will always be Ft. Bragg to those of us who served there — emotionally discussing being charged some $3,500 for gear he was told to leave behind in Afghanistan. The soldier was out-processing from the Army and was doing so under Honorable Discharge. One of the things that happens when you arrive at a new duty station, you sign for personal gear that must be turned in upon your permanent change of duty station (PCS) or End and Termination of Service (ETS). You sign what is called a "hand receipt" listing all your items and equipment. As well, based upon your duty position in your unit, you may also sign for specific pieces of equipment, such as vehicles, tools, communications gear, weapon, and other duty-related items.
What appears to have happened to this soldier is that upon the highly disturbing exit from Afghanistan, ordered by the Biden administration — no, Biden himself — troops were told to leave gear and equipment behind. We have learned that over $80B of US military equipment was left behind in Afghanistan, mainly at Bagram AB, a highly strategic base. The Taliban were so courteous to verify this by making videos of the abandoned equipment, and using it in their "triumphant" 20th remembrance parade of 9-11 through Kabul. Now, the Army has ordered this soldier to recoup the cost of the equipment that he was ordered to leave behind, which a terrorist organization now has in its possession. There have been reports that some of that equipment left behind in Afghanistan somehow has made its way to Gaza into the hands of Hamas and other Islamic terrorist organizations.
There is only one word to describe this incident: betrayal.
When one watches the video of this young paratrooper you will hear in his voice the utter disdain he holds for having served. That should not ever be the case. He does not regret having to separate from the US Army, matter of fact, he admits to being glad that he is. This is what is happening all over our military as it has gone from focusing on its core mission to one of a leftist ideological woke agenda of cultural Marxism, gender dysphoria, murdering of unborn babies, and sexual deviancy. It is not just that recruiting is suffering, but retention is as well
Imagine this soldier being told that he must pay nearly $4,000 for equipment he was ordered to leave behind. Yet, he knows that illegals are being given tens of thousands of dollars in free benefits. He knows that we are sending billions of dollars to a foreign country, Ukraine, yet we refuse to secure our very own border. That there are young people in his age group who are being told that their college student loans will be paid off. But he has to fork over thousands of dollars for following orders, while deployed into a combat zone. Yeah, I know, Obama said combat operations were declared over. Well, the enemy has a vote and they did not get the memo.
If this is the way the progressive socialist leftists are going to treat members of our military, who would want to serve? Heck, pro-Hamas maniacs issuing threats all over our country get better treatment.
Can someone tell me why anyone would vote for those who betray our uniformed men and women, as well as our law enforcement officers?
Last week, I discussed how the Biden administration, the Pentagon, is now saying "Oops, my bad. We didn't mean to kick you out for not following our unconstitutional, unethical, immoral, and unlawful order to take the COVID jab." Yes, based upon this action, there are lawsuits being initiated for wrongful termination.
I want you to consider this: When you hear about 1-1.5 million illegal immigrant "gotaways" in America, that number is larger than our active-duty US Army and US Marine Corps. When you hear about 30,000 Chinese nationals, mainly single military-aged males, illegally crossing our border and being allowed entry, that is the equivalent of almost three US Army combat divisions.
There is only one word to describe this: betrayal.
Our US Constitution is our rule of law. If you are not following it, adhering to it, supporting and defending it, then you are betraying it, and the American people. The best description for those doing such is traitors. I do not say this lightly, but I affirm this with truth and facts.
The Committee to Support and Defend Action (CSD) was started to ensure we support those who support and defend our Constitution. And, we call out those who do not. It began so it could be a voice for those like the young Army paratrooper who was told to pay thousands of dollars for following the orders of his superiors. All who were following the orders of a Commander-in-Chief who betrayed them. Where are our senior military leaders, you know, those three and four star generals?
In Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah stood before the host of the Lord, and heard God say, "Whom shall we send, who will go for us?" Of course, Isaiah stood and replied, "Here am I, send me."
If we continue to betray our men and women in uniform, looking at watches when they are brought home for their final resting duty station, who will go for the US?
The Committee to Support and Defend will be there to speak up and support those we ask to give the last full measure of devotion. But first, we must show devotion to them, by removing those who betray them.
Steadfast and Loyal.
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
The first item ever sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer.
eBay is one of the world's largest online retailers, auctioning off nearly anything you can think of. While vehicles, jewelry, and electronics are some of the most commonly sold items today, there's one unusual purchase cemented in the digital storefront's history: a broken laser pointer.
Silicon Valley developer Pierre Omidyar launched eBay from his home in 1995, though originally it was called Auction Web. When it came time to test the online venture, Omidyar decided to list an inexpensive item he already owned, uploading an ad for a broken laser pointer. He had purchased the $30 device for presentations, but ended up using the laser to play with his cat. When the laser pointer broke after a few weeks, the eBay founder listed it online for $1, making sure to clearly label the device as inoperable. After a week, interest picked up, and a bidding war kicked off; the final, winning bid for the laser pointer topped out at $14.83.
Soon after, the online auction marketplace exploded in popularity, and within two years the company had rebranded to its current name and sold its millionth item — a Sesame Street-themed jack-in-the-box toy. However, it would take another two decades for Omidyar's broken laser pointer to resurface. Canadian Mark Fraser came forward in 2015 amid the company's 20th anniversary celebration, identifying himself as the very first eBay customer. A self-proclaimed "electronics geek," he purchased the discounted laser pointer with the hopes of repairing it himself. Although unsuccessful, Fraser held onto the tool for decades and more recently even considered re-listing the item on eBay to see what it would fetch.
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Thanks to Mike
This Air Force commando called in 688,000 pounds of bombs in one battle
Amazing story!
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-combat-controller-tora-bora-afghanistan/
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This Day in U S Military History
December 2
1775 – Congress orders first Navy officers commissions printed.
1775 – The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones. 1776 – George Washington's army began retreating across the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.
1942 – General Eichelberger, sent by General MacArthur to investigate the lack of progress at Buna, New Guinea, decides to relieve General Harding of command of the US forces there.
1942 – Enrico Fermi, the Italian-born Nobel Prize-winning physicist, directs and controls the first nuclear chain reaction in his laboratory beneath the bleachers of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, ushering in the nuclear age. Upon successful completion of the experiment, a coded message was transmitted to President Roosevelt: "The Italian navigator has landed in the new world." Following on England's Sir James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron and the Curies' production of artificial radioactivity, Fermi, a full-time professor of physics at the University of Florence, focused his work on producing radioactivity by manipulating the speed of neutrons derived from radioactive beryllium. Further similar experimentation with other elements, including uranium 92, produced new radioactive substances; Fermi's colleagues believed he had created a new "transuranic" element with an atomic number of 93, the result of uranium 92 capturing a neuron while under bombardment, thus increasing its atomic weight. Fermi remained skeptical about his discovery, despite the enthusiasm of his fellow physicists. He became a believer in 1938, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for "his identification of new radioactive elements." Although travel was restricted for men whose work was deemed vital to national security, Fermi was given permission to leave Italy and go to Sweden to receive his prize. He and his wife, Laura, who was Jewish, never returned; both feared and despised Mussolini's fascist regime. Fermi immigrated to New York City–Columbia University, specifically, where he recreated many of his experiments with Niels Bohr, the Danish-born physicist, who suggested the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction. Fermi and others saw the possible military applications of such an explosive power, and quickly composed a letter warning President Roosevelt of the perils of a German atomic bomb. The letter was signed and delivered to the president by Albert Einstein on October 11, 1939. The Manhattan Project, the American program to create its own atomic bomb, was the result. It fell to Fermi to produce the first nuclear chain reaction, without which such a bomb was impossible. He created a jury-rigged laboratory with the necessary equipment, which he called an "atomic pile," in a squash court in the basement of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. With colleagues and other physicists looking on, Fermi produced the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction and the "new world" of nuclear power was born.
1944 – Elements of the US 3rd Army reach Saarlautern. To the south, the US 7th Army advances to the Rhine river after the Germans have withdrawn across it at Kehl. The three available bridges are all demolished in the retreat.
1944 – Two-day destroyer Battle of Ormoc Bay begins. Vice Admiral James L. Kauffman had just reported as Commander, Philippine Sea Frontier and was under heavy pressure from General MacArthur to do something – anything – to interdict incoming Japanese reinforcements. On 27 November 1944, he did the obvious, ordering first that the Canigao Channel be swept of mines by minesweepers USS Pursuit (AM-108) and USS Revenge (AM-110). That night, the Fletcher-class destroyers USS Waller (DD-466), USS Pringle (DD-477), USS Renshaw (DD-499) and USS Saufley (DD-465) under Captain Robert H. Smith, with a Black Cat PBY Catalina doing the spotting, steamed into the bay at flank speed. The Destroyers raked the Ormoc dock area with main battery fire for about an hour when suddenly the PBY reported a surfaced sub entering the bay. USS Waller opened fire and the spunky sub returned the fire while at the same time fishtailing furiously. As the WALLER got into position to ram, the sub suddenly submerged, but for the last time – stern first. The next night, Kauffman ordered four PT boats (PTs 127, 128, 191 and 331) into Ormoc Bay. Visibility was excellent, and in the light of a full moon they sunk a freighter and a patrol craft. They had caught the enemy by surprise and the mission was "a piece of cake," in the words of PT skipper J.R. Chassee. The following day Captain Smith again took four cans into Ormoc Bay – USS Waller (DD-466), USS Cony (DD-508), USS Renshaw (DD-499) and USS Conner (DD-582). There was no sign of enemy shipping in the harbor, and curiously enough, no enemy fire, so he withdrew. Two days later, on the night of 1 December, DDs USS Conway (DD-507), USS Cony (DD-508), USS Eaton (DD-510) and USS Sigourney (DD-643) also found no shipping in the bay so they continued northwest around the San Isidro peninsula. At 0224 they made radar contact with an incoming transport, brought it under a withering barrage of shellfire and quickly dispatched it to the bottom. Many days action will follow but will involve no capital ships
1950 – In the Chosin/Changjin Reservoir Area, 1st Marine Division elements began the fighting withdrawal from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri. The subzero weather earned the area the title "Frozen Chosin" from the Marines and soldiers who fought there.
1992 – The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with five astronauts and a spy satellite aboard. Classified United States Department of Defense primary payload (possibly a Satellite Data System relay), plus two unclassified secondary payloads and nine unclassified middeck experiments. Some later reports say the primary payload was a U.S. Navy ELINT / Sigint satellite in the Advanced Jumpseat series. Secondary payloads contained in or attached to Get Away Special (GAS) hardware in the cargo bay included the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) the combined Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP).
1993 – The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on a mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope. With its very heavy workload, the STS-61 mission was one of the most sophisticated in the Shuttle's history. It lasted almost 11 days, and crew members made five EVA sorties, an all-time record. Even the spectacular Intelsat IV retrieval of STS-49 in May 1992 required only four. To be on the safe side, the flight plan allowed for two additional sorties which could have raised the total number to seven EVA's but the final two contingency EVA's turned out not be necessary. In order to bring off this exploit without too much fatigue, the five extravehicular working sessions were shared between two alternating shifts of two astronauts.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BARBER, WILLIAM E.
Rank and organization: Captain U.S. Marine Corps, commanding officer, Company F, 2d Battalion 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Chosin Reservoir area, Korea, 28 November to 2 December 1950. Entered service at: West Liberty, Ky. Born: 30 November 1919, Dehart, Ky. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Company F in action against enemy aggressor forces. Assigned to defend a 3-mile mountain pass along the division's main supply line and commanding the only route of approach in the march from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri, Capt. Barber took position with his battle-weary troops and, before nightfall, had dug in and set up a defense along the frozen, snow-covered hillside. When a force of estimated regimental strength savagely attacked during the night, inflicting heavy casualties and finally surrounding his position following a bitterly fought 7-hour conflict, Capt. Barber, after repulsing the enemy gave assurance that he could hold if supplied by airdrops and requested permission to stand fast when orders were received by radio to fight his way back to a relieving force after 2 reinforcing units had been driven back under fierce resistance in their attempts to reach the isolated troops. Aware that leaving the position would sever contact with the 8,000 marines trapped at Yudam-ni and jeopardize their chances of joining the 3,000 more awaiting their arrival in Hagaru-ri for the continued drive to the sea, he chose to risk loss of his command rather than sacrifice more men if the enemy seized control and forced a renewed battle to regain the position, or abandon his many wounded who were unable to walk. Although severely wounded in the leg in the early morning of the 29th, Capt. Barber continued to maintain personal control, often moving up and down the lines on a stretcher to direct the defense and consistently encouraging and inspiring his men to supreme efforts despite the staggering opposition. Waging desperate battle throughout 5 days and 6 nights of repeated onslaughts launched by the fanatical aggressors, he and his heroic command accounted for approximately 1,000 enemy dead in this epic stand in bitter subzero weather, and when the company was relieved only 82 of his original 220 men were able to walk away from the position so valiantly defended against insuperable odds. His profound faith and courage, great personal valor, and unwavering fortitude were decisive factors in the successful withdrawal of the division from the deathtrap in the Chosin Reservoir sector and reflect the highest credit upon Capt. Barber, his intrepid officers and men, and the U.S. Naval Service.
*JOHNSON, JAMES E.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company J, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Yudam-ni, Korea, 2 December 1950 (declared missing in action on 2 December 1950, and killed in action as of 2 November 1953). Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Born: 1 January 1926, Pocatello, Idaho. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a squad leader in a provisional rifle platoon composed of artillerymen and attached to Company J, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Vastly outnumbered by a well-entrenched and cleverly concealed enemy force wearing the uniforms of friendly troops and attacking his platoon's open and unconcealed positions, Sgt. Johnson unhesitatingly took charge of his platoon in the absence of the leader and, exhibiting great personal valor in the face of a heavy barrage of hostile fire, coolly proceeded to move about among his men, shouting words of encouragement and inspiration and skillfully directing their fire. Ordered to displace his platoon during the fire fight, he immediately placed himself in an extremely hazardous position from which he could provide covering fire for his men. Fully aware that his voluntary action meant either certain death or capture to himself, he courageously continued to provide effective cover for his men and was last observed in a wounded condition single-handedly engaging enemy troops in close hand grenade and hand-to-hand fighting. By his valiant and inspiring leadership, Sgt. Johnson was directly responsible for the successful completion of the platoon's displacement and the saving of many lives. His dauntless fighting spirit and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of terrific odds reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service.
*LEISY, ROBERT RONALD
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Infantry, Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. place and date: Phuoc Long province, Republic of Vietnam, 2 December 1969. Entered service at: Seattle, Wash. Born: 1 March 1945, Stockton, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 2d Lt. Leisy, Infantry, Company B, distinguished himself while serving as platoon leader during a reconnaissance mission. One of his patrols became heavily engaged by fire from a numerically superior enemy force located in a well-entrenched bunker complex. As 2d Lt. Leisy deployed the remainder of his platoon to rescue the beleaguered patrol, the platoon also came under intense enemy fire from the front and both flanks. In complete disregard for his safety, 2d Lt. Leisy moved from position to position deploying his men to effectively engage the enemy. Accompanied by his radio operator he moved to the front and spotted an enemy sniper in a tree in the act of firing a rocket-propelled grenade at them. Realizing there was neither time to escape the grenade nor shout a warning, 2d Lt. Leisy unhesitatingly, and with full knowledge of the consequences, shielded the radio operator with his body and absorbed the full impact of the explosion. This valorous act saved the life of the radio operator and protected other men of his platoon who were nearby from serious injury. Despite his mortal wounds, 2d Lt. Leisy calmly and confidently continued to direct the platoon's fire. When medical aid arrived, 2d Lt. Leisy valiantly refused attention until the other seriously wounded were treated. His display of extraordinary courage and exemplary devotion to duty provided the inspiration and leadership that enabled his platoon to successfully withdraw without further casualties. 2d Lt. Leisy's gallantry at the cost of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 2, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
2 December
1908: Rear Admiral William S. Cowles, Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Equipment, submitted Lt George C. Sweet's report on aviation to the Secretary of the Navy with its recommendations for airplanes capable of operating from naval vessels on scouting and observation missions. Sweet also asked the Navy to buy aircraft to develop aviation for naval uses. (29)
1930: Ruth Nichols flew from Los Angeles, Calif., to New York, N. Y., to set a new women's cross county speed record of 13 hours 22 minutes. She made only one stop during the flight. (24)
1936: Boeing's YB-17 Flying Fortress made its maiden flight. (12)
1941: The Pacific Clipper of Pan American Airways made the first commercial world flight. It left San Francisco, Calif., and landed in New York City on 6 January 1942, after covering 31,500 miles in 209 hours 30 minutes flying time. (24)
1943: The Combined Chiefs of Staff asked the Allied Expeditionary Air Force to attack "Ski Sites" in the Pas de Calais and Cherbourg Peninsula areas. These areas were identified as V-1 missile launching sites. (4) The Navy accepted the world's largest flying boat, the 70-ton Martin JRM Mars. (24)
1949: First USAF Aerobee missile launched at Holloman AFB, N. Mex. Through 7 December, Thomas G. Lanphier set an around-the-world commercial transport record of 119 hours 47 minutes by flying 22,180 miles from La Guardia Field, N. Y., eastward.
(9) 1952: KOREAN WAR. Through 7 December, the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command increased from one to three the number of B-29s allocated for radar-directed bombing in front of IX Corps during the battle for Sniper Ridge north of Kumhwa. (28)
1954: The Air Force issued a requirement for the Thor intermediate range ballistic missile. (6)
1965: Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, the first Deputy Administrator of the National Air and Space Administration, died at the age of 67. He was an internationally renowned scientist-engineer, whose career began with the airplane. He was regarded as the man who guided the US into the space age.
1976: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfield authorized the USAF to begin B-1 production. Congress had restricted funding for the program to $87 million a month earlier in September. (1)
1979: TYPHOON ABBEY. The storm hit Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands, causing extensive damage. Over the next three weeks through 21 December, the Military Airlift Command flew 35 C-141 and 5 C-130 missions to airlift 250 relief workers and 650 tons of supplies, communications, and power systems to Majuro Atoll. The flights took off from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Andersen AFB, Guam, and several bases in the US. (2)
1983: The 571st Strategic Missile Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., became the first Titan II unit to inactivate under a deactivation program. (1)
1993: Through 13 December, the Space Shuttle Endeavour flew a mission to repair the $2 billion Hubble Space Telescope. Colonel Richard O. Covey (USAF) piloted the shuttle. (16) (26)
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Thanks to Dr. Rich…..the pictures do not come through the server but the words have no problem. This is a very unique individual…skip
Skip
DR BIRD
Especially for medical and aviation enthusiasts- thanks to Doctor Rich,
Forrest Bird: Life Is Fate, Time And Circumstance
• BY: AJ STAFF WRITER
• IN: NATIONAL
• ON: JANUARY 1, 2003
Recently, while looking around a collection of hangars in northern Idaho, containing 18 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, it became evident that Doctor Forrest M. Bird could say his life truly mimics his name.
Dr. Forrest M. Bird, shown in his 1968 Bell 47 (G3B-2), was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995, for his unique fluid dynamics. His aviation activities are his "medical escape."
Bird, who resides in Sandpoint, Idaho, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995, for his unique fluid dynamics, which he employed in the invention of cardiopulmonary medical respirators.
Born in Stoughton, Mass., on June 9, 1921, Bird introduced the world's first reliable low cost, mass produced respirator in 1958. Over the ensuing years, other Bird respirators were introduced, such as the Babybird, which reduced the death rate in low birthweight babies with respiratory problems from about 70 percent down to less than 10 percent, within a two-year period.
During the nineties, Dr. Bird introduced an advanced fourth generation of cardiopulmonary devices employing a novel concept called Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation (IPV)). This concept has reduced deaths among severely burned patients with chemical inhalation injuries, from over 60 percent down to between 10 and 15 percent. Additionally, his state-of-the-art breathing machines continue to save thousands of critical care patients, the world over. The respirators not only save lives, but also improve the quality of life in thousands of home patients with advanced heart and lung disease.
Bird, possessing a mechanical aptitude, was innovative from his boyhood, first designing and making homemade tractors from Model T Fords, to restoring aircraft, and then in advancing technology in medicine.
Dr. Bird's inventions include the Babybird and the fourth generation VDR (Volumetric Diffusive Respiration) Percussionator ventilator, shown above.
In 1935, at the age of 14, he was soloed by his dad in the family Waco. Typically, the GXE Waco didn't have brakes or a tailwheel, using a steel tailskid with rudder and elevators for directional control. Growing up in the Waco served to fascinate young Bird with anything to do with airplanes.
He obtained a job as a line boy at Canton Airport (after school) located near Boston, where many millionaires and their sons had magnificent airplanes of all types. Soon, he had made friends with many of the owners by keeping their airplanes spotless; this led to their allowing him to fly with them, further launching a life centered on aviation.
By 1937, the Waco needed a complete restoration. This became a family project between young Bird's grandfather, who was an excellent woodworker, his dad, who enjoyed working on his aircraft, and a close WWI friend, Roy Keeley, an early CAA inspector. It was also a great learning experience for young Bird, leading toward an aircraft mechanics aircraft and engine license.
Soon, the magnificent yellow Waco GXE (NC901H), with a hand-rubbed finish, was admired at all the New England airports visited by Forrest Bird and his dad. With access to the Waco and many of the finest of aircraft, as well as flight instruction in exchange for work, Forrest Bird was soon on his way toward a commercial pilots license with an instructors rating. In the years leading up to WWII, he became a very experienced pilot for his age, with an academic background in aeronautics, along with an ROTC reserve commission, which prepared him for entry into the Army Air Corps as a technical air training officer in the Air Transport Command, flying the latest military aircraft.
Getting to this point in his history, Dr. Bird regresses to some of the cardinal points in what he calls a life of "Fate, Time and Circumstance."
"One cannot control when and to whom one is born, at what geographical location and/or the existing economic environment," he said.
Dr. Bird's inventions include the Babybird and the fourth generation VDR (Volumetric Diffusive Respiration) Percussionator ventilator, shown above.
Growing up on a 250-acre gentleman's farm in New England during the depression of the thirties, with a well-educated mother and father, young Bird had many advantages. However, his father advised him early on that although he would provide him with a good home and necessities of life, the rest would have to be earned.
Forrest Bird went to a private kindergarten and then on to public schools. Living in a rural area, he started school in a five-grade, single-room schoolhouse. By the time he was six, secondary to tutoring from his mother as well as his dad, he could read and write at a third-grade level. He started school in the second grade; during his first school year, he listened to what went on in the third grade row and was allowed to skip that grade; likewise, he skipped the fifth grade. Now three grades ahead for his age, it was fortunate he was a "tall beanpole," maturing to over six feet four inches by the age of 16.
With European unrest and increasing U.S. involvement, it was considered a matter of time before an all out war could occur. In an effort to advance mechanical aptitudes in young high school students, a very limited special Mass Educational (Mass Ed) academic program was advanced in the mid-thirties. This served to take young men with high academic standards and accelerate their last two years of high school, centered on the sciences and military discipline, with an early entrance into advanced college engineering type studies.
Bird spent his last years of high school at the Brockton Armory in special advanced classes of mathematics and physics. His college program centered on aeronautics involving mechanical engineering and physics. As a component of his formal education, the fourth year of college was directed toward receiving on-the-job training with one of three participating airlines. That was to result in an airline transport rating. However, because of the ROTC reserve status and the increasing military involvement in the airlines, Military Transport Training Divisions were created. Here again, Bird was accelerated because of his advanced knowledge, into the first MTD class at Eastern Airlines in Atlanta.
The WWII Years
Just after receiving his ATR, Bird was called to active duty, on Dec. 8, 1941. Assigned to the fledgling Army Air Transport Command, he was first sent to Buffalo, N.Y., for training in the Curtiss Commando C-46 transport aircraft. Upon his completion, he was sent to Morrison Field (West Palm, Fla.), where he started to fly from there to Belem, Brazil, and then down to Natal with cargo. He would bring back latex rubber balls from Belem from an Amazon supply of natural rubber trees.
In the 1960s, Dr. Bird converted a PBY amphibian to a four-engine airplane, with intercontinental fuel range. Shown at Palm Springs Airport, the "Bird Innovator" was set up as an air evac transport.
His next assignment was the central instructors school at Kelley Field, where he checked out in Martin B-26s, A-20s, B-25s, B-18s and a number of other aircraft.
From Kelley, he was sent to the Navy water school at Pensacola, where he checked out in N3Ns on floats, Grumman Ducks, Widgeons and Geese and PBY flying boats. From there, he was sent to Long Beach, Calif., where the sixth ferry base was being established, and where the nation's first ILS (instrument landing system), on runway 30, would later be installed.
He soon became the technical air training officer, establishing the ground training, which included the preparation of pilot flight manuals for each military aircraft, as they were introduced into service.
Bird was able to prepare for his training manual preparation by ferrying (delivering) new model aircraft from the factories to various war zones. Early on, Bird became a class 5P pilot, which meant he was qualified in all military aircraft, including trainers, fighters, observation, bombers and transports.
"I should have paid them; it was fantastic," he said.
Bird's wartime ferrying would include flying Commandos and the early C-54 over the Hump, and the experience of flying B-25 Mitchell bombers, specially equipped H models, the only aircraft at that time set up with state-of-the-art ILS, to Hastings in southern England, for an assignment that involved strikes on locomotives in May and early June of 1944.
At that time, the temporary airfield at Hastings was the only one in Europe that was all weather with an ILS; it had a steel mat runway set up with full ILS. Given P-47 fighter drivers as copilots, Bird and the other pilots were tasked with working up the railroad tracks along the French coast. Unlike the P-47 pilots, who had been going in perpendicular to blast the locomotives, they would now strike head-on.
"The Germans had put 50-caliber guns in their coal cars behind the engines, and were knocking these guys out of the air," said Bird.
The B-25s they were flying were equipped with a manual-loading recoil-less French 75 canon in the nose, as well as 50 and 30 caliber machine guns. To interrupt small arms fire, the bombers had armor-plated bellies.
This 1938 Piper J3C-65 (N26044) once belonged to Dr. Bird's father. Bird Space Technology has rebuilt the aircraft twice.
"If an engine was coming towards us, we'd fire the French 75 right into the boiler," Bird said. "Most of the time, we'd work inland, probably up to 150 miles, and then we'd come out over Dunkirk. If anyone were after us, we'd pull up in the clouds. Then we'd go back home to the ILS."
On one particular day when at least three locomotives had been hit, Bird recalls it being "busy as hell" and the best weather they had to date. He also recalls that over Dunkirk, his ship took small arms fire, but was still flyable. Returning and crossing the Channel, he noted an increase in air and small boat traffic. He would later find out it had been to mislead the Germans regarding the Normandy invasion.
"We went back and landed, and people came running up, saying, 'Tell us about the invasion,'" he said. "We didn't know about the invasion at the time we went in, but, of course, it was the invasion."
The locomotive endeavor, he said, was very effective.
"We had 15 airplanes and probably got 30 to 40 locomotives, and we only lost one airplane," he said. "The Germans had been getting maybe one out of five P-47s."
Up until that period, most of his flights were across the North Atlantic, starting with Lockheed Hudson Bombers, then into the four-engine B-17s and B-24s.
Bird was one of the first Army helicopter pilots checked out in the Sikorsky R-4 with a 165-hp Warner engine. Additionally, he flew the Bell Aircomet P-59 (the first U.S. military jet).
A Captured German Aircraft Leads To First Invention
On one of his European B-17 deliveries to Europe, he received orders to ferry a captured German Junkers Ju-88 from the British RAF back to the states for study. This was to have a major impact on Bird's future. Aboard the special high altitude version of the Ju-88 was an advanced demand oxygen breathing system. U.S. aircraft were still using the A3A free flow oxygen system, into a BLB facemask. This restricted airmen to 28,000 feet, because of the inability of the free flow oxygen systems to maintain adequate arterial oxygen, a major limitation since the P-38s, B-17s and B-24s had Minneapolis Honeywell Turbochargers, allowing the aircraft to fly above 30,000 feet.
One of two 1938 Piper J3C-65s owned by Dr. Bird, this one (on Edo straight floats) made the first flights using "Smartplugs" catalytic ignition system instead of electrical engine ignition.
During the flight across the North Atlantic from Preswick, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and Labrador, and on to Ohio, Bird became well acquainted with the German demand oxygen system. It fascinated him to the point where he removed the aft system and carried it back to Long Beach with him.
The basic problem Bird discovered with the German demand regulator was that the "work of breathing" to release the oxygen during spontaneous breathing was excessive. Bird set out to redesign it. With the help of his flight surgeon, he ended up with an advanced pressure breathing system employing revamped Mine Safety Appliance Gas Masks, etc.
In order to test his new pressure demand system, he first used the chambers at March Field, but they only went to 25,000 feet. This led to using B-17s and B-24s to climb to altitudes above 30,000 feet.
"We would start out at 10,000 feet and write our names on paper, then up to increments of 5,000 feet then back to 10,000 feet," Dr. Bird said. "If we were hypoxic, our writing would become increasingly less legible. Soon, we were going to 35,000 feet, with perfectly legible handwriting, which proved we were not hypoxic."
It was a major accomplishment, and obviously, they were excited, but what would they do with their discoveries? The answer came from Dr. Hulsey, a retired internist over 60 years of age. By that time, he had been to the Navy Submarine School of Medicine at New London and the Army School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field.
"He suggested I visit Dr. Armstrong at the School of Aviation Medicine and report what we had done directly to him," Dr. Bird said.
Because of military protocols, this would have to be unannounced.
"One morning I received orders to ferry a P-51 to Newark, N.J.," he said. "That morning the weather on the northern route was not good. This gave me an excuse to fly the southern route through San Antonio."
Modifications of this "push-pull" 1979 Cessna T337H Skymaster (N181RD) include upgraded instrumentation and avionics, Horton STOL, aerodynamic spoilers, Flint wingtip fuel tanks and large-area empennage fairings.
Bird arrived at Randolph Field early in the morning and boldly went unannounced to Dr. Armstrong's office. He was greeted by, "What you have to say must be very important to arrive in my office under these pretenses."
"I then briefly explained what we had done and showed a prototype to him," Bird said. "Then, he asked me how I tested the device, and I told him about our B-17 and B-24 revelations. He remarked that either I was a damn fool or I knew something he did not. My reply was, 'Probably a little bit of both, Sir.'"
Over the next few hours, Dr. Armstrong called in several of his visiting consultants, including two noted physicians, Dr. Cournand and Dr. Barach, who were very knowledgeable in these areas.
During the revelations, Dr. Armstrong, after setting up and breathing on the regulator, said, "This is nothing but a demand breathing regulator–but a damn good one."
"I then advised him I had an aneroid in the device that would progressively start pressure breathing over 25,000 feet," Bird said. "Then, I had an interesting visit with Dr. Cournand, who suggested I enter into biomedicine as he had done; he described human physiology (how the body works) as God's engineering in the body."
Bird's reply was that he was a "flyboy," and most likely would either stay in the military or return to an offered position with Eastern Airlines.
"After my revelations at Randolph, I flew up to Newark with my P-51, arriving in the wee hours of the morning," he said. "That afternoon, I was on my way from Republic to Oakland, Calif., with a new P-47."
Some weeks later, Bird received a number of test books on physiology, which spiked a lifelong learning experience on the subject. Over the next few months, his Randolph visit and his pressure/demand regulator faded away, as he continued his normal activities.
This 1980 Cessna TU206G (N98IRD) on Edo 3500 amphibious floats has modifications including a Soloy Conversions Allison 250-C20 turboshaft engine installation and STOL modifications.
"Then, Dr. Hulsey and I received orders for TDY (temporary duty travel) at the School of Aviation Medicine," Bird said. "Upon arrival, much to my surprise, I found that our crude prototype had been advanced into a highly efficient pressure/demand breathing system with a wonderful fitting mask. Obviously, we were very pleased. Within a few months, the updated regulator was produced by Bendix and Aero, increasing human altitude to tolerances under combat conditions."
After the allied invasion of the European continent, Bird's duties shifted into the Pacific. For months to come, he picked up B-24s at Fairfield Suisan Airfield (now Travis) and ferried them through Honolulu, to Christmas and Canton islands, and then on to Brisbane, Australia
"After delivery, we would be flown back to San Diego, retracing our route aboard Consair (Consolidated) Airlines, in modified B-24s called C-87 transports," Bird said. "We would sleep in sleeping bags most of the way back. Within several days, we would repeat our crossing."
He delivered many B-24s before starting on B-29s.
"The early B-29s had major engine cooling problems on their massive 3350 Wright engines," Bird said. "I learned to change my own cylinders, carrying spares on board. Gradually, factory technicians and spares were at our fuel stops and they would repair our aircraft as we rested."
After WWII
Dr. Bird recalls the day the Japanese surrended. He was in Brisbane with a C-54, flying back to the U.S. with a load of returning soldiers.
"We arrived off the Golden Gate Bridge early on a beautiful clear Sunday morning on the way into Fairfield," he said. "I decided to fly under the Golden Gate Bridge as countless Navy pilots out of Alameda Naval Air Station had done before me." As they flew under the bridge, he announced, "Welcome home," to his half-asleep passengers.
After WWII, Bird elected to remain in the Air Force, after a lengthy permissive leave of absence, during which he was able to build up a substantial "nest egg."
Modifications on Dr. Bird's 1981 Piper PA-18-150 Supercub (N88IRD) include installation of a 180-hp Lycoming O-360 engine and Wipaire 2100 amphibious floats.
"During my military leave, I entered into a business of selling and modifying transport aircraft, mostly C-47s and C-54s, and Grumman Geese amphibians, for overseas airlines and civilians," he said. "I would use veterans priorities to bid on C-47s and C-54s ahead of the foreign air carriers. I would then modify the aircraft in a hangar on the Long Beach Airport, employing 'moonlighting' Air Force sub depot employees."
At one time, he purchased 48 P-38 M and L model surplus aircraft from Kingman, Ariz., for $1,250 each, since they had the first APN-4 four channel VHF transceivers.
"I sold the APN-4s for $2,500 to the foreign airlines and the P-38s as low as $300 each," he said. "How would you like to have those today? Also, I purchased three P-63Fs for $900 each, which had the APN-4s. I kept one of these for several years. It was a great low altitude performer when compared to the P-51."
After returning to the new Air Force, Bird was first sent to Carswell for B-36 transition, which was a great learning experience. His next assignment was aerial refueling at Boeing in Wichita, which he found fascinating. Finally, it was settling down to B-36 Russian perimeter flights out of March Field, up through Alaska and returning, which amounted to a 33-hour duty flight with ample time off between flights.
The Development Of A Pilots Anti G System
As turbine aircraft were coming into inventory, the jet fighters could pull ever-increasing loads, but black outs were of increasing concern.
"It amounted to having equal aircraft and pilots with the variance being the time of useful consciousness, which could determine the winner," he said.
Bird set out to develop a pilots anti g system.
Dr. Bird's 1977 Bell IFR 412 (N38IRD) has been an important testbed in his pioneering aeromedical research.
"Dr. Hall at Duke University had earlier made a practical pressure suit, but it did not address anti g considerations," Bird said. "I developed a foot-to-chest suit having three chambers, one for the calves of the legs, the next for the thighs and the other for the stomach area below the naval. I developed a magnetically controlled regulator that would respond to a calibrated g load. As the valve opened, it would progressively pressurize the suit with compressed nitrogen, starting at the calves and finally the abdominal areas, which effectively prevented blood from draining away from the cerebral circulations. Thus, a 4 g load could be reduced to about a 2 g load. This simple but effective system became the forerunner of anti g suit systems."
In the process of testing his anti g suit system, Bird was injured during the evaluation on a centrifuge, when a seat failed during a positive g load, near instantaneously going to a negative high g sustained pressure upon his cerebral circulation. He suffered hemorrhages in his eyes, which blinded him then as well as causing continued loss of sight that would gradually return.
"I saw my life go up in smoke," he said.
Bird was removed from flight status during a long period of time, in which he obtained a medical education.
"I became associated with human factors at Muroc (Edwards)," he said.
That education, said Dr. Bird, was not acquired because he wanted to "hang up a shingle and practice medicine," but because he simply "wanted to learn medicine and have the same education as a physician–and better."
Bird was not back on flight status until near the end of the Korean War, and then assigned to transport only, mostly C-124s from Travis, to Clark Field in the Philippines, flying wounded soldiers home. This introduced him to air evacuation, and the realization that there was a need for a breathing machine to breath for patients with chest and lung injuries.
"This new air evacuation interest led toward developing a medical respirator," he said. "Little did I realize that the magnetic clutches I had developed in the pressure suit regulator would serve as the basis of an efficient universal medical respirator.
Dr. Bird's 1940 Boeing B75N1 Stearman (N2803D) was restored in 1990 and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine. Other modifications include enclosed canopy, a smoke system and updated instrumentation and avionics.
By the time the Vietnam War had started, Dr. Bird had a low cost universal "cradle-to-the-grave" medical respirator, Bird(r) Mark 10, in about every hospital in the world.
Dr. Bird's work in this field would be partially motivated by a personal factor. Following WWII, he married. His wife Mary was a triplet, all of whom suffered from emphysema and died relatively early of pulmonary disease. (Mary lived until 1986).
For his prototype respirator, he converted his pressure suit regulator by "turning it in a different position and modifying it."
"That became the Mark 7," he said.
The earlier respirators sold for $375, a price every hospital could afford.
During the Vietnam War, Dr. Bird started air evacuation with helicopters equipped with intensive care transport facilities, using the respirators. No longer was the transporting vehicle just a traveling bed.
"We could actually stabilize patients in flight," he said.
Bird Corporation and Bird Space Technology
After the Vietnam War, many active Air Force soldiers were offered a type of active reserve outside of the National Guard with reduced duty times.
"This I selected, which allowed me to spend increasing time in furthering my cardiopulmonary developments," he said. "I still was able to keep up my flying. In fact, I had flown about all the century series of aircraft before my military flying was over."
In the sixties, Bird had converted a PBY amphibian to a four-engine airplane, with intercontinental fuel range. The aircraft was set up as an air evac transport for up to seven paralyzed patients, becoming the matrix for future military transports used for air evac such as the DC-9 "Nightingale," etc.
The North American AT-6 (NC901H) is mostly original, except for a few modifications required to obtain a civil airworthiness certificate, and installation of modern instrumentation and avionics.
"I flew this airplane around the world for over 25 years for both military and civil teaching of air evacuation procedures," Bird said. "Interestingly, during the Cold War, the Russians and Chinese were among those military and civil institutions using my respirators."
By 1978, Dr. Bird had created a major medical organization, Bird Corporation, which he totally owned, debt free. He merged the Palm Springs-based organization into the 3M Company on Jan. 11, 1978, but retained Bird Space Technology, which remains his aeromedical research division. Over the next few years, he gradually relocated his R&D facilities to his expanding Idaho facilities, some 50 miles below the Canadian border on Lake Pend Oreille.
His fourth generation of cardiopulmonary devices has taken over a decade to prove themselves, and is now a major component of cardiopulmonary medicine.
An Award For Success
During the nineties, Dr. Bird built up a unique non-commercial aircraft operation around an airfield on his ranch, which is surrounded by "some of the world's most spectacular scenery."
"This has been my medical escape," he said. "When I look back on my life, I realize that without my aeronautical qualifications, I could not have excelled in my various pursuits. The time spent on aviation projects has always been my reward for succeeding in my medical projects."
The pilot has about 20,000 combined flying hours, with about 5,000 military and 1,000 airline. He also has more airplanes than most. When asked what he does with them all, he has a simple answer.
"I fly them one at a time," he says, adding that he uses "airplanes like most people use automobiles."
And, he isn't the only Bird that flies them. His wife, Pamela Riddle Bird, who founded and is president and CEO of Innovative Product Technologies, and who is constantly on the look out for patent-worthy consumer products, flies a little. His daughter Catherine also flies
This 1974 Bell 206B (N581RD) JetRanger has been modified to the configuration of a 206BIII and outfitted as a critical care transport ship.
A member of the Flying Physicians and Quiet Birdmen, Bird also enjoys taking up visiting retired physicians and military pilots, besides using various aircraft for search and rescue efforts and to give bi-annuals.
As evidenced, he doesn't like to leave "well enough" alone. There doesn't seem to be an airplane in his stable that he hasn't modified to some extent, such as a 1940 Boeing Stearman, 1979 Cessna Skymaster and 1956 de Havilland Chipmunk.
Bird's helicopters include his 1968 Be11 47 and 1974 Bell 206B JetRanger, which has been modified to the configuration of a 206BIII, primarily by installation of a 250-C20B engine, and has been outfitted as a critical care transport ship. Bird also has a 1977 Bell IFR 212 (N38IRD), which, with under 600 hours total time in service, is "undoubtedly among the cleanest and lowest-time 212s in existence." It has been an important testbed in Bird's pioneering aeromedical research, and has enough soundproofing that "a stethoscope can be used during the flight." It's equipped for single-pilot IFR operation.
All of Bird's helicopters have been used in fire prevention, and, speaking of fires, Bird also has his own fire trucks.
"We're way out here in the woods," he explains.
Unlike most of Bird's aircraft, his 1993 model American Champion 8KCAB "Decathlon" (N267R) is largely unmodified, except for the installation of a second airspeed indicator, visible from the rear seat in order to facilitate dual instruction, and a glider tow system.
As for his 1958 Grob G-109B (N113DB) motorglider, it's rumored that Bird tends to forget to come home early when he's spending time in the craft of all-composite construction, with a Volkswagen engine and composite propeller.
Then, Bird has two Alon A-2s, one (N21DB) of 1967 vintage has modifications including extra fuel capacity and folding wings. Completely restored in 1991, it can be trailered with the wings folded, and can be set up for flight in just a few minutes. Unlike the early Ercoupes from which it evolved, it has independent three-axis flight controls and yields performance numbers comparable to airplanes of much greater horsepower, while retaining its docile handling qualities. A 1965 model (N103DB) completely restored in 1988 is equipped with a 150-hp Lycoming engine, fuselage fuel tank, digital engine instrumentation and Unison Industries Lasar ignition system.
Dr. Bird holds seminar at the Bird AirLodge, in Idaho, which has facilities for housing seminar attendees. His house is shown to the right. His helicopter hangar is adjacent to the lodge.
Bird also has a 1972 Schweizer SGS-2-333A (N1179S) sailplane, 1947 Republic RC-7 "Sea Bee" (N781RD) and a Cessna 421C, which is the flagship of his fixed-wing fleet. It has been highly modified for cross-country use.
"I can go anywhere with it," Bird said. It's faster than my King Air 200 was."
Visiting one of four hangars, you'll see a 1980 Cessna TU206G (N98IRD), North American AT-6 (NC901H), 1981 Piper PA-18-150 Supercub (N88IRD) and the 1938 Piper J3C-65 (N26044) that once belonged to his father. It was in that airplane that Bird received his first commercial test flight and his CAA instructors rating. Bird Space Technology has rebuilt the aircraft twice.
Bird says he's soloed about 50 people in it, including his daughter Catherine, who received her first FAA rating in it, in the mid-sixties. She also has an instructor rating.
Dr. Bird's unique non-commercial aircraft operation around an airfield on his ranch is surrounded by spectacular scenery. Eighteen helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are housed in four hangars on the property in northern Idaho.
Bird also has a second Piper Cub ((N28IRD), which is on Edo straight floats. It spends the summer on Lake Pend Oreille and the winter suspended from the ceiling in Bird's helicopter hangar, and made the first flights using "Smartplugs" catalytic ignition system instead of electrical engine ignition.
Besides the ones he has today, Dr. Bird's had numerous aircraft over the years. Two of his previous aircraft were acquired from an acquaintance of his father from back in his "Roosevelt Field days." A frequent visitor to Palm Springs, where he and his wife Moya had a home, Bill Lear often kept his aircraft at Bird's hangar at Palm Springs Airport, where he delighted in fooling around Bird's radio shop.
Besides buying one of the early Lears, a 23 Model, which Bird said was just like flying the military jet fighters he had flown, he later acquired a 24 Model.
Bird loves Lockheeds and has had a number of Lockheed Lodestars. A fan of Dee Howard's, Bird has owned two Howard 500s, including one converted from a Ventura PV-I bomber that made its last exciting flight in October 1967, when Bird "rode it in on fire."
Flying out of Palm Springs that Saturday morning, Bird was at first "feeling smug, for a few seconds" when he realized it had caught fire.
Extensive modifications on this 1947 Republic RC-7 Sea Bee (N781RD) include installation of a Lycoming GTSIO-480 engine, reversing propeller, lengthened wingspan, extended ailerons and modern instrumentation and avionics.
"We'd just put in an expensive radio installation, and the night before, we had checked the fire bottles," he said. "I figured it was just a matter of pulling a lever, and bingo, we'd put the fire out, but that wasn't to be the case."
Bird went for White Water Canyon Golf Course, north of the field, thinking he would just slide in on the golf link.
"I'd never seen anybody on that course, but that morning there was a tournament on, and there were a million people," he said. Bird pancaked it in.
"I sheared three or four telephone poles down before that thing stopped," he said. "That's how strong that airplane was."
However, the over-the-seat belts weren't that strong. Both broke, sending Bird and his copilot/radioman into the glare shield, knocking them out.
"I came to first," said Bird. "I reached over, got a hold of Larry, and pulled him out. I really bruised him up."
While all this was going on, Mary Bird was at home with a visiting friend of the couple, an anesthesiologist in the Air Force, when it came over the radio that he had been killed.
Dr. Bird's 250-hp airboat is often utilized by the local sheriff's office to zip to the aid of those facing water hazards, such as an unexpected plunge through winter ice on the lake.
"The fire department was burning an old house out there for practice," he said. "This black smoke was going up, and they figured it was me. I had smoke, but not that much smoke."
After that, Bird acquired his second Howard 500, after the Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee decided to buy a new Grumman G-1 instead of the aircraft in which they had invested an estimated $80,000 to $90,000.
"The turbines had come in and the market was gone," Bird explained. "I bought that airplane for something like $20,000. I traded in a Lockheed I had."
Keeping Proficient
The man who has spent most of his life saving lives is a strong believer in keeping proficient. He says there's a cliché in the medical industry: "A physician can kill one at a time; a pilot can kill a whole bunch at a time."
Knowing that staying current keeps pilots and others alive, besides flying his actual planes several times a week, Bird has invested in sophisticated simulators, including one that he's downloaded on his computer, which he uses daily.
At about $1,000, he says the Elite system is "just like flying your own airplane." Each morning, he sets up a one-hour flight plan, for different places.
"If I'm flying into New York, I fly my approaches before I go," he said. "I think just about every pilot who is out flying gauges, especially a businessman who is not going to fly every day, should have that. It's a phenomenal contribution. It keeps pilots alive, and current. You owe it to yourself and your family to keep proficient."
Bird says he dreads the inevitable day when he'll stop flying. He also doesn't seem too interested in stopping his work with respirators.
"I've enjoyed doing all of this," he said. "If you just did one thing all the time, it would be dull. I enjoy respirators; I enjoy flying. It's just a good life."
Obviously, Bird is as busy as ever. However, his cumulative inductive experiences allow him to accomplish things in weeks that would have taken years during his earlier pursuits.
"It is too bad that our greatest level of knowledge occurs as we genetically run out of time," he says.
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