The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Capt. Glen Edwards and The Flying Wing (1946 - 1949)

Ya, I agree.

Top of the morning to you all in The Foxhole!

Great AirPower thread. I spent some temporary duty at Edwards AFB, CA. It doesn't look much different than it did in the 40's. I got to see the Space Shuttle land there once.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on March 17:
1473 James IV king of Scotland (1488-1513)
1578 Francesco Albana Italian painter (Mary's Ascension)
1777 Roger Brooke Taney Calvert MD, 5th Chief Justice (Dred Scott decision)
1780 Thomas Chalmers 1st moderator (Free Church of Scotland 1843-47)
1789 Edmund Kean London England, tragic actor (Shylock)
1804 James Bridger scout/fur trader/mountain man par excellence
1820 Patrick Edward Connor Brevet Major General (Union volunteers)
1828 Patrick Ronayne Cleburne the "Stonewall" of the West (Major General-Confederate Army)
1832 Moncure Daniel Conway US,clergyman/author/abolitionist (Life of Thomas Paine)
1832 Walter Quintin Gresham Brevet Major General (Union volunteers)
1834 Gottlieb Daimler Germany, engineer/inventor/auto pioneer-designed 1st motorcycle
1874 Kincsem horse that never lost a race
1874 Stephen Samuel Wise US, president of Zionist Organization of America
1895 Shemp Howard [Samuel Horwitz] Brooklyn NY, comedian/actor (3 Stooges, Bank Dick)
1899 Gloria Swanson Chicago IL, actress (Sadie Thompson, Killer Bees)
1902 Bobby Jones Jr Atlanta GA, PGA golfer (Grand Slam 1930)
1914 (Slinging)Sammy Baugh Temple TX, NFL hall of famer QB (Washington Redskins)
1919 Nat "King" Cole Montgomery AL, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa)
1927 Patrick Allen Malawi, actor (Roman Holiday, Dial "M" for Murder)
1930 James Benson Irwin Pittsburgh PA, Colonel USAF/astronaut (Apollo 15)
1936 Thomas K Mattingly II Chicago IL, Captain USN/astronaut (Apollo 16, STS-4, 51C)
1938 Rudolf Nureyev Russia, ballet dancer/choreographer (Kirov)
1941 Gene Pitney Hartford CT, rock singer (Town without Pity)
1942 John Wayne Gacy Jr Chicago IL, serial killer (32 boys)
1942 Paul Kantner rock guitarist (Jefferson Starship-White Rabbit)
1944 Danny DeVito Neptune NJ, actor (Louie-Taxi, Twins)
1944 John Sebastian New York NY, singer (Loving Spoonful, Welcome Back Kotter)
1948 William [Ford] Gibson Canada, sci-fi author (Neuromancer, Count Zero)
1949 Patrick Duffy Townsend MT, actor (Bobby-Dallas, Man from Atlantis)
1951 Kurt Russell Springfeild MA, actor (Thing, Overboard, Mean Seasons)
1954 Lesley-Anne Down London, actress (A Little Night Music, Moonraker)
1955 Gary Sinise actor (Apollo 13, Forrest Gump)
1955 Paul Overstreet Van Cleave MS, country singer (Daddy's Come Around)
1964 Rob Lowe Charlottesville VA, actor (St Elmo's Fire, West Wing, Wayne's World, Class)

Deaths which occurred on March 17:
0180 Antonius Marcus Aurelius [Marcus Verus], Emperor of Rome, dies at 58
0461 St Patrick patron St of Ireland, dies in Saul (according to legend)
1040 Harold British King (1035-40), dies
1516 Giuliano de' Medici monarch of Florence, dies at 37
1653 Johan van Galen Admiral (battle of Livorno), dies in battle at 48
1806 David Dale industrialist & philanthropist, dies
1853 Christian Doppler physicist, dies
1863 John Pelham US Confederate artillery major, dies in battle at 24
1915 Walter Crane English painter/cartoonist/illustrator, dies at 69
1941 Joachim Schepke German commandant (U-100), dies in battle
1956 Fred Allen comedian (Colgate Comedy Hour, Fred Allen Radio Show), dies at 61
1961 Suzanna Salter 1st US female mayor/temperance leader, dies at 101
1962 Frank Orth actor (Boston Blackie, The Brothers), dies at 82
1965 Almos Alonzo Stagg football coach (University of Chicago), dies in California at 102
1965 Quentin Reynolds newscaster (Its News to Me)/author (FBI), dies at 62
1989 Merritt Butrick actor (Shy People, Wired to Kill), dies of AIDS at 29
1990 Capucine [Germaine Lefebvre] actress (Rendez-Vous de Juillet, Curse of the Pink Panther), commits suicide in Lausanne Switzerland at 57
1990 Rick Grech rocker (Blind Faith, Traffic), dies at 44
1992 Grace Stafford Lantz cartoon voice (Woody Woodpecker), dies at 87
1993 Helen Hayes actress (Airport), dies of congestive heart failure at 92
1995 Ahmad Khomeini youngest son of Iran ayatollah Khomeini, dies at 48
1995 Ronnie Kray English gangster (The Firm), dies at 61
1995 Sunnyland Smart jazz/blues singer/pianist (Delta Blues), dies at 87

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 BALDOCK FREDERICK C.---PITTSBURGH PA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1967 GOEDEN GENE WILLIAM---CORNELIUS OR.
1968 BARBER THOMAS D.---AURORA CO.
[LOST OVER WATER/SAR FAILED]
1968 BENSON LEE D.---SAN MATEO CA.
[SAR FAILED]
1968 COLLAZO RAPHAEL C.---GARDENA CA.
[REMAINS RETURNED 05/93]
1968 DOSS DALE W.---VIRGINIA BEACH VA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1968 HENSLEY THOMAS TRUETT---LAFAYETTE LA.
1968 HUBBS DONALD R.---PALMYRA NJ.
[SAR FAILED]
1968 NIGHTENGALE RANDALL J.---ONARGA IL.
[SAR FAILED]
1968 ROSS JLYNN JR.---DETROIT MI.
[REMAINS ID 14 JUN 96]
1968 SHUMAN EDWIN A.---MARBLEHEAD MA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1969 ARMISTEAD STEVEN R.---LOS ANGELES CA.
1969 DINAN DAVID T. III---NUTLEY NJ.
1969 FINNEY CHARLES E.---SALTVILLE MS.
[REMAINS RETURNED 03/15/00]
1971 BAUMAN RICHARD L.---COLUMBUS OH.
1971 DIX CRAIG M.---LIVONIA MI.
1971 HESTAND JAMES H.---OKLAHOMA CITY OK.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 96]
1971 HARRIS BOBBY G.---MISSION TX.
1971 LILLY LAWRENCE E.---LOS ANGELES CA.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0432 St Patrick, a bishop, is carried off to Ireland as a slave
0455 Roman senator Petronius Maximus becomes Emperor
1521 Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines
1537 French troops invade Flanders
1658 Pro-Charles II plot in England discovered
1672 England declares war on Netherlands
1722 Willem KH Friso appointed mayor of Drente
1753 1st official St Patrick's Day
1755 Transylvania Land Co buys Kentucky for $50,000 from a Cherokee chief
1756 St Patrick's Day 1st celebrated in NYC at Crown & Thistle Tavern
1762 1st St Patrick's Day parade in NYC
1766 Britain repeals Stamp Act
1776 British forces evacuate Boston to Nova Scotia during Revolutionary War
1800 English warship Queen Charlotte catches fire; 700 die
1804 Johann von Schiller's "Wilhelm Tell" premieres
1833 Phoenix Society forms (New York)
1836 Texas abolishes slavery
1845 Henry Jones, patents self-raising flour
1845 Rubber band patented by Stephen Perry of London
1847 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Macbeth" is produced (Florence)
1854 1st park land purchased by a US city, Worcester MA
1861 Italy declares independence; Kingdom of Italy proclaimed
1863 Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia (211 casualities)
1868 Postage stamp canceling machine patent issued
1870 Massachusetts legislature authorizes incorporation of Wellesley Female Seminary
1871 National Association of Professional Base-Ball players organized
1876 1st record high jump over 6' (Marshall Jones Brooks)
1876 General Crook destroy Cheyennes & Oglala-Sioux Indian camps
1886 Carrollton Massacre, (Mississippi) 20 blacks killed
1891 British Steamer "Utopia" sinks off Gibraltar killing 574
1894 US & China sign treaty preventing Chinese laborers from entering US
1897 Robert Fitzsimmons KOs James J Corbett in 14 for heavyweight boxing title
1898 1st practical submarine 1st submerges, New York NY (for 1 hour 40 minutes)
1905 Eleanor Roosevelt marries FDR in New York
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt uses term "muckraker"
1908 Quickest world heavyweight title fight (Tommy Burns KOs Jem Roche in 88 seconds)
1912 Camp Fire Girls organization announced by Mrs Luther Halsey Gulick
1917 1st exclusively women's bowling tournament begins in St Louis
1917 Tsar Nicolas II of Russia abdicates the throne
1919 Dutch steel workers strike for 8 hour day & minimum wages
1921 Dr Marie Stopes opens Britain's 1st birth control clinic (London)
1921 Lenin proclaims New Economic Politics
1921 Sailors revolt in Kronstadt (thousands die)
1926 Spain & Brazil prevent Germany joining League of Nations
1927 US government doesn't sign league of Nations disarmament treaty
1929 General Motors acquires German auto manufacturer Adam Opel
1929 Spanish dictator Primo de Rivera closes university of Madrid
1931 Stalin throws Krupskaya Lenin out of Central Committee
1932 German police raid Hitler's Nazi-headquarter
1934 Dollfuss, Mussolini & Gömbös sign Donau Pact (protocols of Rome)
1942 Belzec Concentration Camp opens-30,000 Lublin Polish Jews transported
1944 Actor Charlton Heston weds Lydia Clarke
1950 Element 98 (Californium) announced
1953 Bill Veeck says he will sell his 80% of St Louis Browns for $2,475M
1953 WBAY TV channel 2 in Green Bay WI (CBS) begins broadcasting
1953 WWLP TV channel 22 in Springfield MA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1955 Maurice "Rocket" Richard suspended, sparks 7 hour riot in Montréal
1957 Ramon Magsaysay, President of Philippines dies in a plane crash
1958 Navy launches Vanguard 1 into orbit (2nd US), measures Earth shape
1959 Australia & USSR restore diplomatic relations
1959 Dalai Lama flees Tibet for India
1960 Eisenhower forms anti-Castro-exile army under the CIA
1961 New York DA arrests professional gamblers who implicate Seton Hall players
1963 Bob Cousy plays his last NBA game
1963 Elizabeth Ann Seton of New York beatified (canonized in 1975)
1963 Eruptions of Mount Agung Bali, kills 1,500 Balinese
1966 US sub locates missing H-bomb in Mediterranean
1969 Golda Meir becomes Israel's 4th Prime Minister
1970 US casts their 1st UN Security Council veto (Support England)
1976 Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is retried
1986 Haemers gang robs gold transport in Belgium of 35 million BF
1987 IBM releases PC-DOS version 3.3
1988 Highest scoring NCAA basketball game: Loyola-Marymnt 119, Wyoming 115
1988 Iran says Iraq uses poison gas (SHOCK)
1989 Dorothy Cudahy is 1st female grand marshal of St Patrick Day Parade
1990 PBA National Championship Won by Jim Pencak
1991 Irish Lesbians & Gays march in St Patrick Day parade
1991 USSR holds a referendum to determine if they should stay together; 9 of 15 Soviet representatives officially approve new union treaty
1992 Islamic Jihad truck bombs Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires Argentina killing 29
1992 Russian manned space craft TM-14, launches into orbit
1993 86 killed by bomb attack in Calcutta
1994 It is announced there is no smoking in Cleveland Indians new ballpark
1995 Sinn-Fein leader Gerry Adams visits White House
1996 Mike Tyson beat Frank Bruno in 3rd round to gain Heavyweight title

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Boston MA : Evacuation Day (1776)
Ireland : St Patrick's Day/Irish National Day
World : World Maritime Day
US : Small Family Farm Week (Day 4)
US : Straw Hat Week (Day 4)
US : Daffodil Days (Day 4)
International Hamburger & Pickle Month

Religious Observances
Ancient Rome : Liberalia; honoring Liber, Libera
Christian : Commemoration of St Gertrude of Nivelles & Joseph of Arimathea
Roman Catholic, Anglican : Memorial of St Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland (optional)

Religious History
1734 Forty-two families of German Protestant refugees landed in the American colonies. Sponsored by the British Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK), the 78 religious pilgrims soon founded the town of Ebenezer, 30 miles from Savannah, Georgia.
1789 Birth of Charlotte Elliott, English devotional writer. An illness at age 33 left her an invalid her remaining 50 years, during which she devoted herself to religious writing. Of her 150 hymns, "Just As I Am" remains popular today.
1841 Birth of James R. Murray, American sacred music editor. A veteran of the American Civil War, Murray is better remembered today as composer of the hymn tune MUELLER, to which we sing the Christmas carol, "Away in a Manger."
1890 Birth of Julius R. Mantey, co-author (with H. E. Dana) of a popular intermediate biblical language grammar. Originally published in 1927, the "Dana & Mantey" New Testament Greek Grammar is still popular, and still in print!
1897 Emilie Grace Briggs became the first woman in America to graduate from a Presbyterian theological school, when she received her Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, in New York City.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"He is no lawyer who cannot take two sides."

Hallmark cards that never made it...
I'm so miserable without you ...
(inside card)
It's almost like you're still here.

New State Slogans...
Tennessee: The Educashun State

Male Language Patterns...
"It would take too long to explain," REALLY MEANS, "I have no idea how it works."

Female Language Patterns...
1. "Fine"
This is the word women use at the end of any argument when
they feel they are right but can't stand to hear you argue any longer. It means that you should shut up. (NEVER use "fine" to describe how she looks. This will cause you to have one of those arguments.)

The family settled near the town of Lincoln, a flat rural area in the fertile San Joaquin Valley.

I've been to Lincoln quite alot. I have considerable number of shirt tail family and a grandmother who live there still. It's not very rural anymore.

Nice shot of the YB-35 and a P-61. Look at all those round engines.

Howdy ma'am

G'morning Miss Feather.

I got to see the Space Shuttle land there once.

Man, I'm jealous. Back in 1987, when the B1 fleet was grounded, I drove by Edwards while on leave. There were two B1's flying in and around the canyons there at 200-300 feet playing follow the leader. Pretty neat to see.

Good morning Snippy. Happy Saint Patricks Day!

How the heck did the pilot see where he was going? It must have been fun leaning to one side or the other.

Good Morning everyone. Woke up to about 2-3" of new snow, very very pretty out. Gonna get back into the 30's today, and saying maybe in the low 50's by this weekend.

It's definitely that time of year where it can't decide if it's still winter, or if it should be spring.. ROFL!

I guess todays obvious choice would be the "grandchild" of the XB-35/49.

Air Power
B-2 "Spirit"

The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. Along with the B-52 and B-1B, the B-2 provides the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. Its low-observable, or "stealth," characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets. Its capability to penetrate air defenses and threaten effective retaliation provide an effective deterrent and combat force well into the 21st century.

The blending of low-observable technologies with high aerodynamic efficiency and large payload gives the B-2 important advantages over existing bombers. Its low-observability provides it greater freedom of action at high altitudes, thus increasing its range and a better field of view for the aircraft's sensors.

Four General Electric F118-GE-100 non-afterburning turbofan engines (each delivering approximately 19,000 lbs. of thrust) drive the airplane to a maximum speed described as "high subsonic," and to altitudes near 50,000 ft. They also provide an unrefueled range of approximately 6,000 nautical miles. A single aerial refueling extends this to some 10,000 miles and multiple visits to air tankers stretches the range indefinitely.

The B-2's low observability is derived from a combination of reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures. These signatures make it difficult for the sophisticated defensive systems to detect, track and engage the B-2. Many aspects of the low-observability process remain classified; however, the B-2's composite materials, special coatings and flying-wing design all contribute to its "stealthiness."

The B-2 has a crew of two pilots, an aircraft commander in the left seat and mission commander in the right, compared to the B-1B's crew of four and the B-52's crew of five.

The B-2 is intended to deliver gravity nuclear and conventional weapons, including precision-guided standoff weapons. An interim, precision-guided bomb capability called Global Positioning System (GPS) Aided Targeting System/GPS Aided Munition (GATS/GAM) is being tested and evaluated. Future configurations are planned for the B-2 to be capable of carrying and delivering the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.

B-2s, in a conventional role, staging from Whiteman AFB, MO; Diego Garcia; and Guam can cover the entire world with just one refueling. Six B-2s could execute an operation similar to the 1986 Libya raid but launch from the continental U.S. rather than Europe with a much smaller, more lethal, and more survivable force. Using the rotary launcher assembly, all B-2s are capable of employing 16 Mk 84 JDAMs, 16 JSOWs, or 8 GBU-37/BLU-113s (to be replaced by EGBU-28).

Specifications:
Primary function: Multi-role heavy bomber.
Primary Contractor: Northrop Grumman Corp.
Power Plant: Four General Electric F-118-GE-100 engines - Thrust: 17,300 pounds each engine
Crew: Two pilots
Unit cost: Approximately $2.1 billion [average]
Date Deployed: December 1993
Inventory: Active force: 21 (planned operational aircraft)

Dimensions:
Length: 69 feet (20.9 meters)
Height: 17 feet (5.1 meters)
Wingspan: 172 feet (52.12 meters)

Performance :
Speed: High subsonic
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,152 meters)
Takeoff Weight (Typical): 336,500 pounds (152,635 kilograms)
Range: Intercontinental, unrefueled - Approx 11,508 miles (with one aerial refueling)
Payload: 40,000 pounds (18,000 kilograms)

Armaments:

NUCLEAR
16 - B61
16 - B83
16 - AGM-129 ACM
16 - AGM-131 SRAM 2

CONVENTIONAL
80 - MK82 [500lb]
16 - MK84 [2000lb]
34 to 36 - CBU87
34 to 36 - CBU89
34 to 36 - CBU97

PRECISION
80 - GBU 30 JDAM [500lb]
16 - GBU 32 JDAM [2000lb]
8 - GBU 27
8 - EGBU 28
8 - GBU 36
8 - GBU 37
8 to 16 - AGM-154 JSOW
8 to 16 - AGM-137 TSSAM

All photos Copyright of Global Security.Org

Male Language Patterns...
"It would take too long to explain," REALLY MEANS, "I have no idea how it works."

Ruh Roh, the secret is out.

Morning steveegg.

My first memory of the Flying Wing was in "War of The Worlds" it was the bomber that drops the Huke onm the Martians.

Thanks StayAt HomeMother for remembering the Irish contribution to our country's history.

The New York Irish units have a long and distinguished history.

There were two B1's flying in and around the canyons there at 200-300 feet playing follow the leader

A couple years ago, I was in Wisconsin, near Volk Field, and the Air Force came to visit the ANG group there.

Saw many planes that week, the best was a B-1 and two F-16's, in formation, flying overhead.

Way cool.

Morning E.G.C.

We've had a beautiful week, they are predicting rain by Friday but for now I'm just loving it.

It's easy to forget that our military bases are more than just a name pulled out of a hat. They're named after real people for a reason. It was a good idea to look further into some of them.

Good Morning Mayor.