AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023 - 38

BRIEFING
AV I AT ION HISTORY /
Balloon buster
The recent balloon saga has history
BY IAN J. TWOMBLY
WHILE ADMITTEDLY HILARIOUS MEMES
were making the rounds soon after a
pair of F-22s from Joint Base LangleyEustis
successfully downed the Chinese
spy balloon off the South Carolina coast
in February, Thomas Paone was crafting
a fascinating history of the balloon-busting
prowess of one World War I aviator.
Paone is curator of the National Air
and Space Museum's lighter-than-air collection,
which no doubt makes him one of
the foremost balloon experts in the world.
Writing for the museum's blog, Paone
tells the story of Frank Luke Jr., a World
War I flying ace with an unmatched ability
to shoot down observation balloons.
Test Pilot /
BY BARRY SCHIFF
1 From reader George Shanks: True
or false? The world's first automatic
landing was made in London on
June 10, 1965, by a Hawker Siddely
HS-121 Trident, a British trijet with
the appearance of a Boeing 727.
2 What was the first airline to institute
a frequent-flier program?
3 From reader Brian Schiff: Where are
the following waypoints located?
CHPLN, ESTWD, FNNDA, GABBL,
MDLER, MCQWN, MNROE, and
NWMAN
4 State within 10 degrees Fahrenheit
the coldest temperature (exclusive
of wind-chill factor) ever recorded on
Earth in the free atmosphere.
5 What time zone is used at the North
Pole?
6 True or false? In 1941, a private pilot
was not allowed to fly more than
three miles beyond the departure
airport at night in a single-engine
airplane unless equipped with
certified landing flares to illuminate
a landing site in case of engine
failure.
7 The Northrop Alpha was a beautiful
all-metal, low-wing monoplane of the
1930s that carried six passengers
comfortably inside the enclosed
fuselage. Pilots, however, had to sit
in an open cockpit atop the fuselage.
What did the pilots think of this
configuration?
8 The pilot of a Cessna 172 is heading
directly into the sun on a true
heading of 096 degrees and notes
that the sun is 15 degrees above the
horizon. At the same time, the pilot
of a Piper Warrior is heading into the
sun on a true heading of 088 degrees
and notes that the sun is 10 degrees
above the horizon. The Cessna is
_____ of the Piper.
A. southwest
B. southeast
C. northwest
D. northeast
See Answers on p. 48
38
AOPA PILOT / May 2023
Apparently, the Germans used them extensively
along the front lines as a way to better
direct fire and scout troop movements. As
such, they were heavily guarded by groundbased
artillery and airborne escorts.
Despite the strong defenses, Luke, flying
a SPAD S.XIII French biplane, was able
to shoot down 14 balloons during his two
months in the war-most in a two-week
period-while protected by his wingman,
Joe Wehner. On one fateful day he downed
three balloons in 45 minutes, ultimately
paying the price by being shot down soon
after the last kill. For a total of 19 official
aircraft and balloon wins, Luke was one
of the war's most successful aces, and
the first pilot to win the Medal of Honor.
The Chinese balloon-popping F-22s used
the callsigns Frank01 and Frank02 during
their recent mission, and were based
with the 27th Fighter Squadron, a direct
descendant of Luke's 27th Aero Squadron.
Check out the museum's website to
read the full text of Paone's excellent post.
ian.twombly@aopa.org
airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/
honoring-balloon-buster-frank-luke
ABOVE: 944TH FIGHTER WING; BELOW: JOHN UELAND.
http://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/honoring-balloon-buster-frank-luke http://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/honoring-balloon-buster-frank-luke
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2023

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