This original design, the QT-2 (Quiet Thruster), eventually morphed into the production version, the YO-3 Quiet Star, which went on to gather intelligence for the U.S. military in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam and then had a second act catching wild game poachers in the Mississippi Delta. 

Modified general aviation aircraft have been pressed into military service for a very long time. The Piper L-4 Grasshopper, Cessna O-1 Birddog and later the Cessna O-2 Skymaster all saw extensive action as artillery spotters, forward air controllers and liaison aircraft. 

However, in 1966, the U.S. Navy had a unique request. It had been tasked with finding and interdicting traffic in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Lieutenant Leslie Horn, himself a private pilot, grew tired of the dangerous work of searching the canals in a riverboat with a set of binoculars and a starlight scope. So, he asked, what if a very quiet airplane, undetectable from the ground, could orbit over the delta for long periods of time and look for the enemy in relative safety? 

Surprisingly, the powers-that-be agreed, and soon the Lockheed Space and Missile Division had a U.S. Army contract in hand to develop a high-lift, low-noise, stealthy reconnaissance aircraft. The company, which had already been at work on a similar project, asked engineer Stanley Hall, a noted sailplane designer, to head up the project. 

Hall’s first effort, the QT-2 (Quiet Thruster Two Seats), consisted of the venerable Schweizer 2-32 glider airframe with a Continental O-200 engine mounted on top of the fuselage, just behind the pilots. To reduce propeller tip noise, a large, slow-turning wooden propeller was connected to the engine by a driveshaft that ran over the pilots’ heads. This ungainly looking arrangement was driven by a series of rubber belts to reduce gear noise. And, of course, the final stealth modification was the addition of the aforementioned 1958 Buick muffler. 

Once flight tests began, it was immediately apparent that the QT-2 was virtually undetectable on dark nights at altitudes greater than 800 feet AGL. To be sure, the QT-2 was not completely silent. However, the combination of ambient background noise, the soft, gentle surf-like sound of the large, slow-turning propeller, and the fact that the boats traveling on the river would produce their own noise made it a very stealthy platform. 

Pleased with the two prototypes’ performance, the company modified both airframes into a combat-ready airplane named the QT-2PC (Prize Crew), which was soon shipped to Vietnam. Lt. Horn, now a Lt. Commander, led a hardy band of pilots and maintainers and put the stealthy motor gliders to the test. The results were a mixed bag. The QT-2PCs were as stealthy as advertised. They managed to average 10 hours in the air each night, flying below 1,000 feet while identifying enemy traffic on the Delta, all while undetected. On the other hand, these heavily modified gliders were a handful to fly. 

The large propeller was supported by a thick pylon immediately in front of the pilot. Unfortunately, this acted as a second rudder, well forward of the center of gravity. The result was a case of serious Yaw Roll coupling, a phenomenon previously seen in Mach 2 experimental planes. Thus, any unplanned yaw had the potential to develop into a severe roll response, a liability, especially close to the ground. QT-2PC pilots soon learned to limit the aircraft to straight and level and very gentle turns. 

Handling issues aside, the test was considered a success. So, Lockheed began work on a more practical successor, the YO-3A Quiet Star. It was also based on the Schweizer 2-32 airframe. However, it featured wing-mounted retractable landing gear, a conventionally mounted Lycoming IO-360, and a large, slow-turning wooden propeller driven once again by a rubber belt drive system. The Buick muffler was retired and replaced by a sophisticated 26-foot-long acoustic exhaust system. Because of these modifications to the original concept, the Quiet Star was a safer, more capable, if slightly noisier, aircraft. 

Of the 11 Quiet Stars constructed, nine operated in Vietnam from June of 1970 to September of 1971. While three were lost to crashes, none were lost to enemy action. All turned out to be very effective at identifying enemy supply/troop movements. To ensure their stealth before setting out on their nightly missions, Quiet Star crews flew over the ramp area while the ground crew listened for any unplanned whistles or humming noises. If any were heard, the pilots would immediately land while “duct tape” was applied, and soon they were on their way. 

This is where the story usually ends. Unique military aircraft concept is designed, achieves success, then is scrapped. But not so fast! As it turns out, the same technology that allowed the Quiet Star to sneak up on enemy transports in the Mekong Delta was just as effective at tracking game poachers in the Mississippi Delta. Two of the YO-3A Quiet Stars served the Louisiana Department of Fish and Game in this role for many years. Seeing this success, the FBI eventually acquired the aircraft and used them to track down its most wanted. NASA also acquired a Quiet Star. It used its YO-3A quiet flight characteristics to measure the noise signatures of other aircraft, from helicopters and tiltrotors to the SR-71s sonic booms. 

NASA’s Quiet Star remained in service until 2015 and then found a permanent home at the Vietnam Helicopter Museum in Concord, California. Happily, most of the surviving airframes are on display in aviation museums around the country, several in flying condition. So, long before stealth was cool, military necessity, a young naval officer with general aviation roots and a Lockheed engineer with a passion for designing sailplanes created this incredible plane! 

Learn about another Incredible Plane, the V-173 Flying Pancake.

The post Buick-Powered Stealth Plane? The Amazing Lockheed YO-3 Quiet Star. appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The P-80 was born of a confluence of opportunity, which included emerging intelligence reports on the Messerschmitt Me 262 twinjet, the availability of the British Goblin Jet engine, and a talented team of engi- neers led by the legendary Kelly Johnson. Unlike today, when aircraft contracts take years to develop and contain thousands of specifications, the P-80 program started on a handshake. The Army Air Forces asked Lockheed to develop an operational jet fighter to com- bat the German jet menace. One month later, Johnson and his team delivered a proposal for a single-engine day fighter and got the green light. The prototype was completed in 143 days, seven less than the contract required. That government contract, by the way, did not arrive at Lockheed until October of 1943, fully four months after construction had begun.

As there was no space available at Lockheed’s Burbank plant, Johnson erected a temporary facility out of engine packing crates around an existing shack and rented a circus tent to cover it all. Dubbed the Skunk Works (the name of the secret moonshiners shed in the Li’l Abner comic strip), it provided a secure place to work. Simultaneous design, development and production created a beautiful plane, even despite its spinach-green paint. The XP-80 prototype was nick- named Lulu Belle. First flight took place at Muroc Dry Lake on Jan. 8, 1944.

The XP-80 was a clean single-engine jet with split air intakes located in each wing root. The wings owe much to the Lockheed L-133, a 1939 Lockheed seat canard jet fighter design. The nose, sporting multiple machine guns, bears a strong family resemblance to the famous Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Unfortunately, the P-80 arrived too late to have an impact on the war in Europe. However, the Cold War and Korea were right around the corner. Over 1,700 P-80s were produced between 1945 and 1950. Although outclassed by the swept-wing MiG-15, the P-80 served as a very efficient ground attack aircraft and in the hands of U.S. pilots scored six MiG-15 kills.

Despite its laudable service in Korea, the P-80 is best known for its two-seat variant, the T-33 Shooting Star, which in that configuration served as the United States Air Force’s advanced jet trainer well into the 1960s. The last T-33 retired from USAF duty in 1997, and the Bolivian Air Force finally retired its last Shooting Star in 2017. Over 6,000 T-33s were built by Lockheed and other manufacturers under license and served all over the free world.

If you want to see this beauty at work today, the Shooting Star paces the Reno Air Races every year, keeping those unlimited thoroughbreds on a tight leash 77 years after its first flight. Lulu Belle is maintained by the National Air and Space Museum.

The P-80 Shooting Star is a story of urgency, ingenu- ity and a timeless design. The aircraft bridged the gap between pistons and jets. The T-33 gave pilots from around the world an education on high speed, high altitude and jet flight. And both met the spirit of Kelly Johnson’s notional 17th rule for the Skunk Works: “If it looks good, it will fly good!” PP

The post This Incredible Plane: The P-80 Shooting Star appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Overview: Back in the early 1950s, when the Lockheed C-130 Hercules (now the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules) was created, it was unlikely that anyone knew what a huge impact on aviation history this transport/jack-of-all-trades would have on aviation. Surely no one would have suspected that the new plane, a replacement for 10-year-old designs from World War II, would last more than 60 years throughout the jet age and still be going strong. But it is.

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Background: The impetus for the development of a new cargo/troop transport plane was the need for one that wasn’t as limited as the existing models at the time. Those included the Curtiss C-46 Commando, the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar and the Douglas C-47 (DC-3) Dakota/Skytrain. The Air Force’s new transport was to have more of everything: longer range, greater speed, increased lifting power and expanded troop capacity.

In order to do that, piston engines would need to be abandoned for a recent invention, the turboprop, which had been toyed with during World War II (and even before), but it wasn’t until after the war that it became clear that propellers still had a future and piston engines were a technology of the past.

There were 10 designs submitted for the competition, and Lockheed won with a design that was designated at the time for the Model 82 and, after it had entered the test flight phase, YC-130.

Its new-design powerplants were what made the C-130 possible. That first Hercules, universally known as the Herk, was powered by four Allison T56-A-9 turboprop engines, which were developed specifically for the C-130. This was no surprise. The design criteria wouldn’t have been possible with existing piston powerplants, and turbojet engines were still too fuel inefficient to hit the new transport’s range goal. With turboprop power, the Herk could carry around 70 troops, be able to fly with one of the four engines shut down, would have a rear hatch for accommodating large loads, including armored vehicles, and would be able to operate from rough strips.

Legacy: The first Herk was handed over to the Air Force in December 1956. Since then, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) has built more than 2,500 C-130s in 40 different flavors, including an early one on skis.

In addition to transporting troops and gear, Herks have served as military gunships, search-and-rescue platforms, Hurricane Hunters, aerial firefighters, aerial refuelers and environmental response tankers. There’s very little the Herk can’t be called upon to do.

Today, the C-130 stands as the oldest continuously produced military plane, with more than 60 years of factory-new Herks rolling out the doors. Everything on the plane has been updated, from engines to avionics. But it’s still the Herk. Will it ever be replaced? They’ve tried for years to do that, including with the C-17 Globemaster III, which instead replaced the C-141 Starlifter. There are plans for a new plane to start flying around 2030 in place of the C-130. The smart money is, by then, for the Herk to be just as hard to replace as ever.

The post This Incredible Plane: Lockheed C-130 Hercules appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

I popped the canopy, and immediately it was clear again. I looked out the left-hand side and there was a hole about the size of a saucer with a very intense fire, like a miniature afterburner, poking out the top of that cowling. I literally watched the scoop on top of the engine melt down. I immediately cut the fuel off; shutting the engine down, hoping the fire would go down. It did not.

Even if I found the airport, I wanted to belly-land in the grass. Dad always told me, ’If you ever have to belly this thing in for whatever reason, don’t do it on the pavement because there are six fuel sources [for draining fuel] right under your seat on the bottom of the gondola that would spark on the runway.’ I wasn’t about to put this thing up on the pavement. So the best choice was a cotton field immediately below me. The entire time, I’m wondering if I’m going to survive. I hit the ground hard, sliding along with a bunch of dirt being thrown in my face, mouth and eyes. It wasn’t long before it stopped. The fire was on my left, and I jumped over the right window and ran, wondering if it was going to explode. At that point, I’d survived and wanted the airplane to survive, too! Thankfully, the dirt had snuffed out the fire.”—Ladd Gardner, “An Interview With Ladd Gardner,” interviewed by Wayne Sagar, All Aviation Flightline Online, April 20, 2003.

Thus came the close of a long, successful chapter in the life of 25Y White Lightnin’, a world-famous Lockheed P-38 Lightning flown and raced by Ladd Gardner’s father, Lefty Gardner. Ever since she was purchased surplus in 1947, she has been something special, performing and racing for more than 55 years. Unable to raise the funds for restoration, however, the Gardners sold the damaged airframe in January 2005 to the Flying Bulls, Red Bull’s aviation division; it will be based at Hangar-7 (www.hangar-7.com), an aircraft museum and restoration facility in Salzburg, Austria. From the get-go, Red Bull set out to restore this aircraft to something special and unique, and they wanted it done as quickly as possible.

To take on this task, they turned to warbird restoration specialist, Nelson Ezell of Ezell Aviation (www.ezellaviation.com) in Breckenridge, Texas. If you didn’t know Nelson and then met him at the Reno Air Races (where he’s practically a legend), you’d get the impression of a nice, quiet guy who knows a lot about planes. After speaking further and learning about all of the aircraft on the racing line that he rebuilt and/or modified, you’d really be impressed. Then, as he politely excused himself to go strap into a Sea Fury for the next race, you’d wonder, “Who is this guy?!”

“Nelson has forgotten more about bending sheet metal than most people will ever know” says race pilot Stewart Dawson, a longtime customer for whom Nelson completed the Sea Fury Spirit of Texas, which sports a beautiful paint scheme designed by Nelson’s son, Chad, about four years ago. “It’s simply amazing what he does turning perfection from nothing,” Stewart praises.

Nelson Ezell’s passion for detail and innovative approach to problem solving is evident in his P-38 restoration project for Red Bull. Many parts had to be fabricated from scratch, and all of the plumbing was replaced with stainless steel. Still, Ezell completed the restoration in just over three years. The finished warbird is immaculate and truly a polished work of art. Red Bull is shipping 25Y to its new home at Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria.

Growing up in Florida, Nelson recalls looking up to see a flight of B-36 bombers overhead when he was five. “What a huge noise and vibrations those six engines made,” Nelson remembers. Well, the impression was made and, along with building and racing hot rods, he went to trade school and got his A&P license. After serving in Vietnam, he moved back to Florida to work as a mechanic.

One day, he got a call from the local airport that a Corsair had landed and was in dire need of repairs. After fixing the Corsair, the owner, who was continuing on to Texas, asked Nelson to inspect a T-28. A friend of the Corsair owner then asked Nelson to come to Texas to repair his Sea Fury. Whether he knew it or not, Nelson was getting into warbirds! Soon he was spending more time in Texas than in Florida, so in 1982, he packed up the family and moved to Breckenridge, Texas.

Nelson’s passion for detail and innovative approach to problem solving has earned him and his family a reputation as master rebuilders—indeed, it seems they get more work than they can handle. Dude, Nelson’s wife, runs the office and keeps the boys organized. Chad, the artist of the group, researches paint schemes and historical data for each restoration project.

Son Ashley is an aspiring engineer and works on manufacturing the hard parts, and Nelson, along with running the shop, does most of the sheet-metal work. In addition to the boys, Nelson has two daughters, Anna and Alanna, who are both in college.

“Safety is our first priority,” says Nelson about the Ezell business philosophy. “Next, it’s satisfying the particular mission a customer has for the restoration. Some people want it completely stock, that is, how the aircraft came out of the factory,” he explains, “but some want it modified for ease of maintenance and/or operation.”

Red Bull wanted a unique, easy-to-fly airplane built as close to perfection as possible with the best systems available—and they wanted it fast. With the amount of detail and prefabrication needed, the project should easily have taken more than six years. The Ezells completed it in a little over three.

The rebuilt aircraft is immaculate. Though Ladd did a great job of landing White Lightnin’ with minimal damage, all of the belly surfaces were destroyed and there was severe fire damage on the left boom. Many parts also had to be fabricated from scratch, and all of the plumbing was replaced with stainless steel. Two new Allison engines were installed, and all of the surfaces were refurbished with highly polished aluminum (with the exception of the bottom of the wings), so while work was being done in and around the aircraft, the surfaces needed to be protected from scratching and dents. The cockpit is updated with Garmin avionics and even has an S-TEC autopilot!

This past April, the Ezells had a bit of a scare. With 98% of their masterpiece completed, a tornado ripped through their airport, destroying multiple aircraft and causing the hangar’s back wall to collapse. Everyone held their breath, but with only slight damage to the elevator, amazingly, 25Y survived in great shape. The first test flight came on June 2, 2008, and she flew perfectly with only minimal adjustments needed.

The P-38, restored by the Ezell family (above), has a wartime compact cockpit with modern-day navigation. The row of lights on the top of the panel is set up for immediate warning of any problem.

At this writing, 25Y is in the process of being shipped to her new home in Salzburg where she’ll be displayed in Hangar-7, itself an amazing piece of architecture. Maintaining the aircraft’s mirror-like exterior in its gleaming glory will be a phenomenal task, but what better caretaker is there than Red Bull? Thanks to Red Bull, the Gardners and Ezell Aviation, 25Y will perform for new audiences all over Europe.

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