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Posted on 09/11/2004 11:24:21 PM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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 Civilian Test Pilot Captain John Miller had what it took to fly the weird ones -- the autogiro and the Grumman J2F Duck. By Bud Walker John Miller gently advanced the throttle with his left hand. As the autogiro's 225-hp radial engine roared to life, the huge rotor blades began to sweep precariously close to his head. Suddenly, the aircraft began vibrating violently, and the massive rotor blades ripped through the tail section. The autogiro began to disintegrate around Miller. "It tore the aircraft to shreds," Miller recalled. "Pieces flew all over the airport. I just held on and tried to avoid getting decapitated. It was not a real healthy place to be!"  It was 1937, and Miller's string of accident-free test flights had been broken. So had his neck. The cracked vertebrae in his neck didn't deter Miller from completing the testing program, however. Three years later, the Kellett KD-1 Autogiro became the first wingless aircraft to obtain official certification from the Civil Aeronautics Authority. After seven decades and more than 35,000 hours in the cockpit, John Miller is now being recognized for his pioneering role as a test pilot for two of the most eccentric and innovative aircraft in history--the autogiro and the Duck. First developed by Juan de la Cierva, the autogiro made its first successful flight in January 1923 in Madrid. Dubbed the "flying windmill" by the press because of its oversized rotor blades, the autogiro looked like an airplane but flew like a helicopter. Unlike a helicopter, however, the autogiro's rotor was not powered in flight. The standard propeller provided forward airspeed, causing the rotor to turn. That enabled the aircraft to perform nearly vertical descents, but because the rotor was unpowered, the autogiro could not hover or take off vertically.  John Miller was the first individual to purchase a Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro, Serial No. 13, in 1931. That number had been offered to but turned down by Amelia Earhart. Two years later, Earhart received national recognition for making a transcontinental flight in an autogiro--although Miller had accomplished the same feat two weeks earlier. "I made it out and back," he mused after the flight. "She crashed it on the way out, then totaled it on the way back!" Miller honed his autogiro flying skills while performing incredible feats--such as loops and rolls--at airshows across the country, including the National Air Races in Los Angeles and the International Air Races in Chicago in 1933. "I was the only one who ever did loops and rolls at airshows [with an autogiro]," Miller declared. "Other pilots thought I was crazy. But I wasn't crazy--I was an engineer!" A 1927 graduate of Pratt Institute in New York City, Miller knew the autogiro could withstand the maneuvers, and he meant to prove to everyone that it was a safe aircraft. Wallace Kellett, president of the Kellett Autogiro Company, visited Miller in 1937 in Chicago, where he was stationed as a captain flying for United Airlines. He persuaded Miller, who by then was one of the most experienced autogiro pilots available, to finish the flight-test program for the world's first wingless autogiro.  The Kellett KD-1 was unprecedented in that it featured a perfected "direct-control" system originally developed by Cierva. It lacked wings, ailerons, elevators and rudder--all directional control for the KD-1 was provided through the unique tilting rotor head. This simplified a complex control system, enabling the pilot to use a conventional "stick" to tilt the rotor head for complete directional control. While Kellett was developing the wingless KD-1, Miller often accompanied him on trips to Washington, D.C., where they lobbied members of Congress to provide funding for an experimental rooftop operation to expedite mail delivery. "I'd land the autogiro in streets and parks throughout the capital, taking up senators and congressmen on flights all over the city," Miller remembered. "I even shuttled some of them to their golf courses. Only the White House was restricted. Everywhere else--no permission was necessary." Their efforts paid off, albeit sparingly. Miller recalled that he "leaned over President Franklin D. Roosevelt's shoulder as he signed a bill into law providing $63,000 for the rooftop mail operation. It wasn't much money even then. In fact, it was a very modest amount." Miller's reward was unemployment. The Kellett company did not wish to be an operator; it was strictly a manufacturer licensed to develop the wingless autogiro. Fortunately, Miller's lobbying skills bailed him out again. In early 1939, he convinced Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, then president of Eastern Airlines (and a decorated World War I flying ace), to take over the autogiro mail operation for publicity purposes.  Miller was at the controls on the morning of July 6, 1939, for the first flight. "We had a one-year contract to fly the mail from the rooftop of the Philadelphia Post Office to Camden Airport in Philadelphia (and later, Philadelphia International Airport)," Miller said. "I guaranteed Captain Rickenbacker that I would make at least 75 percent of the scheduled flights. The operation was flawless, performed with a perfect safety record." Miller exercised an option in his contract to stay with Eastern at the completion of the one-year mail contract. At the outbreak of World War II, Igor Sikorsky successfully hovered his newly developed VS-300 helicopter, a development that led the military to drop the autogiro. Miller, meanwhile, was still flying full time for Eastern and, on his days off, operating Miller's Machine Works from his basement. Applying his engineering skills, Miller manufactured small parts for the Columbia Aircraft Corporation, located near his home on Long Island. They say history repeats itself, and in late 1941 the president of Columbia Aircraft asked Miller to lead the test-flight program for another strange-looking hybrid--the Grumman J2F Duck, originally developed by aviation pioneer Grover Loening. Part airplane, part boat, the Duck was as agile in the air as it was comfortable in the water. The Navy Department had requested Grumman to free its facilities for the manufacture of vitally needed F6F Hellcat fighters, and to transfer the production of 330 J2F-6 Ducks to Columbia Aircraft.  The amphibious Duck not only was capable of taking off and touching down on land or water but also was sturdy enough to be used with an arresting gear for aircraft carrier landings. Its wheels and struts retracted upward by means of chains and sprockets into a single huge float faired directly into the lower fuselage. The Duck was powered by a 1050-hp supercharged, 9-cylinder radial engine. Miller recalled that although engine failures during flight testing were infrequent, "they always seemed to occur at the worst possible time." One such incident occurred as Miller was flying 16,000 feet above Long Island, above a solid cloud overcast. Reaching down into the cockpit, Miller switched the fuel flow from the auxiliary tank. The engine suddenly died. With a 400-foot ceiling, Miller was forced to make a dead-stick instrument approach through the cloud cover. Miraculously, he was able to land safely at Floyd Bennett Field, a former naval base in Brooklyn. Columbia's contract was canceled at the end of the war. That placed the Duck, and subsequently Miller's test-piloting career, on the brink of extinction. However, four Ducks can be seen today in museums across the country. In addition, two planes Miller flew during his commercial career are now displayed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.  "They've got a Boeing 247D that I flew with United, and a DC-3 that I captained when I was with Eastern," Miller pointed out with his customary dry wit. "I figure when I croak, they'll freeze-dry me and put me in one of them. It'll have to be in the DC-3 because I didn't save my United Airlines uniform."  Miller embarked on another aviation excursion after his mandatory retirement from Eastern at age 60. He started his own helicopter air charter service, flying a Bell 47G three-seat helicopter. Miller sold the charter service in 1971 and retired (again), but he remains active within the aviation community. Currently he is serving his seventh term as president of the United Flying Octogenarians (UFOs). Billed as "the most exclusive organization in the world," this unique aviation group recognizes active pilots age 80 and above. The club was founded in 1982 and has more than 120 active members. In addition to his leadership role with the UFOs, Miller lectures regularly and attends numerous airshows and conventions each year.  During the past few years, Miller has received several awards for his material role in the development of rotary wing aircraft. He was awarded the annual Sikorsky Award for his part in the evolution of the helicopter, and received a Certificate of Honor from the National Aeronautic Association for his contributions to aviation. Another signal honor for Miller was his honorary fellowship in the Society of Test Pilots, for having "promoted the moral obligation of the test pilot to the safety of the aerospace world." Miller joins an elite group of past recipients, including General Jimmy Doolittle, Howard Hughes, Charles Lindbergh and Igor Sikorsky. Miller views the awards with his normal self-deprecating style: "I think it's just that these organizations were looking at the history of the helicopter, and said, 'Gee, this guy Miller is getting kinda old. We'd better give him some awards before he kicks!'" ![](http://images8.fotki.com/v107/photos/1/133612/1319707/JOHN_MILLER-vi.jpg") New museum member, 97 year-old pilot John Miller, a contemporary of Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Doolittle, renews his acquaintance with our KD1A, an aircraft that he flew in the 1930's. Pondering his own remarkable flight through the chapters of aviation history, Miller is comfortable with an epilogue that simply records his legacy of hard work and dedication to the advancement of aviation: "I didn't go after records or the publicity. I just went out and did the work."      |
Smooth! Thanks for the music.
I think you're right. As soon as I've had more coffee I'll check my files. :-)
Sounds familiar though.
Miller has a quote up above that's similar, but more like "Held on for dear life".
I hate brain fog!
Makes the memory go flaky.
And by Archerfish sinking the Shinano,about 58,00tons, the Archerfish made the top ten of submarines in tonnage sunk. IIRC Archerfish only sunk two or three other ships.
But it wasn't the Archerfish that sunk the autogyro carrier, I don'r recall the name of the sub now. The Japanese autogyro carrier was on par with the US CVE's, and it had a Maru name, I will dig around and see if I can find it.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Here ya go SAM
Akitso Maru class auxiliary escort/assault aircraft carriers
Displacement: 11,989 tons standard
Dimensions: 471.5 x 74 x 25.5 feet/143.7 x 22.5 x 7.8 meters
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 4 boilers, 2 shafts, 7,500 shp, 20 knots
Crew: ??
Armor: none
Armament: 2 3 inch AA, 2 3 inch bombardment guns
Aircaft: 20
Concept/Program: Merchant ships acquired, converted and operated by the Army as minimal aircraft carriers to support amphibious operations in the Western Pacific and East Indies. They were intended to assist in the defense of amphibious convoys, transport aircraft to landing areas, and fly aircraft off for defensive and assault-support roles. They could fly off conventional aircraft but not land them, however, they did operated autogyros, which could land aboard. Little is known about these ships service histories.
Design/Conversion: Converted passenger liners, taken over before completion. An extremely simple conversion. A lightweight, relatively short flight deck was built above the hull, on top of the superstructure. There was no hangar, but aircraft could be stored below the flight deck on the original main deck. The funnels and bridge were relocated to the starboard side, and several small cranes were fitted. There was no arresting gear. They retained their original cargo capabilities.
Departure from Service/Disposal: Both sunk by submarines in 1944.
Akitsu Maru
Built by Harima. Laid down 17 Sept 1939, launched 24 Sept 1941, completed 30 Jan 1942. Sunk by submarine Queenfish 15 Nov 1944.
Nigitsu Maru
Built by Harima. Laid down 6/1941, launched 1942, completed 3/1943. Sunk by submarine Hake 12 Jan 1944
Link to site
http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/ijn_cv.htm
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
On a roll today, here is the Shinano data,
Displacement: 71,890 tons full load
Dimensions: 840 x 119 x 34 feet/256 x 36.3 x 10.3 meters
Extreme Dimensions: 872.5 x 131 x 34 feet/266 x 40 x 10.3 meters
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 12 boilers, 4 shafts, 150,000 shp, 27 knots
Crew: 2400
Armor: 8.1-15.7 inch belt, 7.5 inch armored deck
Armament: 8 dual 5/40 DP, 145 25 mm AA, 12 28-barrel AA rocket launchers
Aircraft: 47 (120 maximum)
Concept/Program: A large battleship hull of the Yamato class taken over for conversion to a carrier. The ship was intended to operate as a support, supply and repair base for the fast fleet carriers. She would have carried a mid-size air group of her own, plus spare aircraft, parts and supplies for the fleet carriers, enabling those ships to resupply without returning to Japan. She was the largest carrier prior to 1960.
Design/Conversion: Single-level hangar built above the main deck, armored flight deck, large island. The battleship hull was unchanged.
Departure from Service/Disposal: Never became operational; sunk prior to fitting out. When lost she had no functional damage control facilities.
That's it for now, y'all have a great day
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
kerry is a good example of a bad samaritan.
He, like all democrats accuse us of doing exactly what they are doing to take the focus off themselves and on us..
Yeow! Hi Sam. You can't insure an autogyro in Minnesota.
This is true. They always accuse us of their dirty deeds.
Thanks for the DUCK photos. We have one here in the Tillamook Museum.
Ol' Glory waving SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The wind blows the U.S. flag over the top of the DC-10 rotator aircraft that brought the first wave of air and space expeditionary forces to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing here Sept. 1. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Shaun Withers) Death from above sized
I've never thought about aerobatics in an autogyro. WOW!
Heh heh heh. That's the, until now, secret motto of the Engineer's Club.
Oh what a sweetie!!!!!! LOL Just love her!!!
Thanks for making the picture for us. Msdrby loves it.
You're most welcome. I love do to baby photos.
I made a young Marine whole month this morning. At church Fr. John motioned for somebody to come forward. A young Marine, Pvt. Tom, came forward for a special blessing. He is heading for camp Al Phabet, in the Fallujah area, in 3 weeks.
After the service, Msdrby and I spoke with Tom, to thank him for serving. He is a avionics/electronics mechanic. His eyes got as large as saucers when I pulled my Hobbit Hole knife out, and gave it to him. I pointed out the website, and asked him to check it out. He was stunned to hear there are about 300 of the knives out and about in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is the second time I've found a Marine (oo-rah) to hand off to!
Msdrby has handed off her second knife to another so'jer too, a shirt tail cousin, at a family gathering last week. He's already back in the Sandbox.
Hmm, I'm seeing a pattern here. The Lord is wonderful indeed.
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