BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- Exhibit Cases

VA -- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- Exhibit Cases:

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[1] AIRXC_170220_001.JPG	[2] AIRXC_170220_007.JPG	[3] AIRXC_170220_010.JPG
[4] AIRXC_170220_015.JPG	[5] AIRXC_170220_017.JPG	[6] AIRXC_170220_020.JPG
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. AIRXC_170220_001.JPG: Roscoe Turner, barnstormer, outfit
2. AIRXC_170220_010.JPG: Roscoe Turner's Flying Gloves
3. AIRXC_170220_015.JPG: Turner had this Irvin parachute made for Gilmore when the lion was a cub
4. AIRXC_170220_017.JPG: Bendix Trophy Turned won the 1933 Bendix Trophy competition of the National Air Races for flying from New York to Los Angeles in just 11 hours and 30 minutes. His record flight time stood for five years.
5. AIRXC_170220_020.JPG: MacRobertson Race Medal Turner placed third overall in the grueling MacRobertson Race of October 1934.
6. AIRXC_170220_024.JPG: Harmon Trophy Medal Turner won the Harmon Trophy in 1932 for his record-setting transcontinental flight of 12 hours and 33 minutes.
7. AIRXC_170220_027.JPG: Greenhouse Shoe Medal
8. AIRXC_170220_032.JPG: Thompson Trophy Plaque Turner won the Thompson Trophy closed-course pylon races at the National Air Races in 1934, 1938, and 1939.
9. AIRXC_170220_047.JPG: Japanese Balloon Bomb
10. AIRXC_170220_060.JPG: Buoyant Flight There are two basic ways to fly. An airplane relies on air moving past its wings to generate lift. A balloon or airship relies on buoyancy, the upward force that occurs when an object weighs less than the amount of fluid (air) it displaces. One way to make a flying machine buoyant is to heat the air inside a large, lightweight balloon envelope, which causes the air to expand and become less dense, and the balloon to rise until it reaches an equilibrium altitude. The other approach is to fill an airship envelope with a gas much lighter than air, such as hydrogen or helium. The basic principles and technology of buoyant flight are much simpler than those of heavier-than-air flight. As a result, human beings took to the sky in lighter-than-air craft long before the invention of the airplane.
11. AIRXC_170220_063.JPG: Montgolfier Balloon Jacques and Etienne Montgolfier, brothers from Annonya, France, sent the first human beings aloft on a free balloon flight from Paris on November 21, 1783. The original balloon stood 21 meters (70 feet) tall.
12. AIRXC_170220_069.JPG: Barometer During the Civil War, T.S.C. Lowe organized and led a balloon corps, which conducted aerial reconnaissance for the Union Army. He used this barometer with a sliding scale, circa 1860, during that period.
13. AIRXC_170220_075.JPG: Cup and Saucer Recovered from the Hindenberg
14. AIRXC_170220_077.JPG: Cup and saucer from Graf Zappelin
15. AIRXC_170220_090.JPG: Dinner Place Setting, Hindenburg Replica These items were produced for a motion picture about the Hindenberg.
16. AIRXC_170220_097.JPG: Wallet, ZR-2 Crewmember Craft caught fire and burned over the Humber River in England on August 24, 1921.
17. AIRXC_170220_104.JPG: Section of Gas Cell, Shenandoah Gold beater's skin was the material of choice for the manufacture of airship gas cells. Produced from the intestines of butchered animals, the material is thin and lightweight, yet relatively impermeable to hydrogen and helium.
18. AIRXC_170220_113.JPG: Fabric, Hindenburg
19. AIRXC_170220_118.JPG: Trapeze and Hangar Deck, USS Akron This cutaway model shows the hook-on trapeze apparatus that enabled specially equipped aircraft to be launched and retrieved by an airship in flight and stored on the airship's hangar deck.
20. AIRXC_170220_127.JPG: Alan Eustace's StratEx Suit On October 24, 2014, Alan Eustace wore this spacesuit and dangled from the attached Balloon Equipment Module to set the world record for highest altitude free-fall jump. A balloon lifted Eustace far above the clouds into the stratosphere (to 41, 419 meters/135,890 feet). Upon release, he skydived back to Earth. ...
21. AIRXC_170220_135.JPG: Walnut Chair French, 18th century The embroidery depicts the death of Pilatre de Rozier and Jules Romaine, the first people to die in a balloon accident, June 15, 1785.
22. AIRXC_170220_140.JPG: Vertical Flight
23. AIRXC_170220_144.JPG: "Aerial Navigation by mechanical means must depend on... vehicles.... capable of landing at any place where there is space to receive them, and of ascending from that point. They should likewise be capable of remaining stationary, or nearly so, in the air when required." -- Sir George Cayley, 1843 "The aeroplane won't amount to a damn thing until they get a machine that will act like a hummingbird. Go straight up, go forward, go backward, come straight down and alight like a hummingbird." -- Thomas A. Edison, 1905 "If a man is in need of rescue, an airplane can come in and throw flowers on him, and that's about all. But, a direct lift aircraft [helicopter] could come in and save his life." -- Igor Sikorsky, 1967 "[The helicopter] will never compete with the airplane, though it will have specialized uses, and in these, it will surpass the airplane. The fact that you can land at your front door is the reason you can't carry heavy loads efficiently." -- Orville Wright, 1942 These statements reflect both the value and limitations of the helicopter. Able to operate freely from nearly any place on earth, helicopters come closer than any other aircraft to achieving the birdlike freedom humanity has always envied. However, the same technology that makes this possible also prevents the helicopter from achieving the speeds and payload capacity of airplanes performing similar functions.
24. AIRXC_170220_145.JPG: Rotary Wings: The Challenges of Control: "Like all novices, we began with the helicopter, but soon saw that it had no future and dropped it. The helicopter does with great labor only what the balloon does without labor, and is no more fitted than the balloon for rapid horizontal flight. If its engine stops, it must fall with deathly violence for it can neither float like the balloon nor glide like the aeroplane. The helicopter is much easier to design that the aeroplane, but it is worthless when done." -- Wilbur Wright, 1909 Wilbur Wright anticipated the challenges of helicopter design, and almost three decades passed before designers and engineers could satisfactorily address them. He was wrong in several respects. The helicopter was much more difficult to design than the airplane, it could glide, and it would prove to be anything but worthless.
25. AIRXC_170220_153.JPG: Compensating for Unbalanced Lift: Blades advancing in the direction of flight move faster relative to the air than rearward retreating blades. This creates unbalanced lift. To equalize lift, reduce gyroscopic effects, and relieve blade stress, the blades must be able to flap. Retreating blade stall (disruption of lift) limits most rotorcraft to speeds less than 320 kilometers (200 miles) per hour.
26. AIRXC_170220_155.JPG: Compensating for Torque: As a helicopter engine turns the rotor, the opposing reaction force (torque) rotates the fuselage in the opposite direction. Helicopters typically either use even numbers or rotors or a tail rotor to counteract this rotation and control yaw (directional movement). Both solutions contribute to the complexity of helicopter design.
27. AIRXC_170220_160.JPG: Cyclic Control: Rotor blades are narrow wings that provide lift, propulsion, and directional control. They require complex mechanical interfaces to compensate for tremendous gyroscopic forces. The pilot controls the helicopter's direction and speed by cyclic control, which individually alters rotor blade pitch and causes the rotor disc to tilt and incline the lifting force in the desired direction.
28. AIRXC_170220_164.JPG: The Early Years
29. AIRXC_170220_167.JPG: The Autogiro Pioneering the Rotor: The Autogiro was the first successful rotary-wing aircraft. It pioneered a class of aircraft known as gyroplanes, which use unpowered rotors to provide most of their lift. Forward motion -- created by a propeller -- causes the blades to "autorotate," like a windmill in a breeze. A gyroplane can take off in a short distance, fly slowly, and make a near-vertical landing, but it cannot hover. Autogiros were popular air show attractions and banner-towing aircraft in the 1930s. They failed commercially because they were more expensive that comparable fixed-wing aircraft. Later advances in rotor design allowed small gyroplanes to reemerge in the 1950s as affordable kit-built sport aircraft.
30. AIRXC_170220_169.JPG: Cierva's C.4 Autogiro Takes Off: The Autogiro was pioneered in Spain by Juan de la Cierva, who flew the first successful rotary-wing aircraft, his C.4 Autogiro, in 1923. The Autogiro served as a laboratory to refine many components necessary for the practical helicopter, including effective rotor blades and their essential flapping and lead-lag hinges. It was also one of the safest aircraft types of its time. Airmail by Autogiro: John Miller takes off in a Kellett KD-1B from the Philadelphia Post Office roof during an experimental Eastern Airlines airmail service, which operated in 1939-40. In the mid-1930s, Autogiro designers introduced "direct control," exchanging airplane-style wings and control surfaces with tilting rotorheads for safer low-speed handling.
31. AIRXC_170220_172.JPG: Amelia Earhart in a Pitcairn PCA-2: Harold Pitcairn developed a line of Cierva-licensed Autogiros in the United States. They were popular sights at aeronautical events throughout the 1930s. Amelia Earhart set an altitude record in this Pitcairn PCA-2 and flew another coast-to-coast in 1931. The PCA-2 cost $15,000 at the height of the Great Depression -- 30 times more than a typical new car.
32. AIRXC_170220_175.JPG: The First Helicopters
33. AIRXC_170220_184.JPG: Helicopters of the Third Reich: In the late 1930s, Germany led helicopter development with the Focke Fw 61 (top) and Flettner F1 265 (middle). Their performance convinced the German military that helicopters had operational applications. The Focke Achgelis Fa 223 (bottom) was the largest helicopter deployed during World War II; it could carry more than half a ton. Allied bombing curtailed its production. A handful entered service but had only limited success.
34. AIRXC_170220_187.JPG: The First Successful American Helicopter: The Sikorsky VS-300A: Igor Sikorsky was the most influential helicopter pioneer. His VS-300A became the first successful cyclically controlled, single-rotor helicopter when it flew on December 31, 1941. Sikorsky did not invent the helicopter, but he transformed it into functional forms, convinced the public and government of its value, and then mass-produced it.
35. AIRXC_170220_190.JPG: The First Helicopters: The first three decades of the 20th century yielded helicopters that could fly -- but only marginally. The first pioneers had little understanding of the complex factors involved in creating a practical helicopter, especially in terms of control. Initial efforts focused mostly on finding engines with suitable power-to-weight ratios. Most early rotor designs were very inefficient; the first helicopters could rise no more than a meter. Fully functional helicopters did not appear until designers could incorporate lessons learned from Autogiro development, such as efficient rotor blades and flapping hinges. Advances in engine design and lightweight structures also proved crucial. A Step Up: The First Controlled Helicopter Flight: On January 11, 1922, in Spain, Raul Pescara made what can be regarded as the first free and controlled helicopter flight. The design incorporated both cyclic and collective pitch control, making it the most advanced of the early helicopters. Although a milestone, its awkward "biplane" rotors, limited power, and severe vibrations made it impractical. A Step Forward: The Breguet-Dorand Helicopter: On June 26, 1935, in France, Louis Breguet's Gyroplane made its first flight and quickly outperformed all previous helicopters. The first helicopter capable of sustained, controllable forward flight out of ground effect (ground-induced air cushion), it demonstrated that practical helicopters were indeed possible.
36. AIRXC_170220_193.JPG: Military Helicopter Operations
37. AIRXC_170220_196.JPG: Military Helicopter Operations The Helicopter Goes to War In 1940 the US Army Air Corps contracted for the Sikorsky XR-4. Although underpowered, it showed that the helicopter could perform such missions as medical evacuation and antisubmarine warfare. By 1944 the United States surpassed Germany in helicopter development and use, with more 1,000 helicopters on order. About a third (nearly all Sikorsky models) were delivered by war's end. The helicopter's most significant use during World War II was the ferrying of aircraft parts from repair depot ships to airfields in the Pacific. Army Air Forces helicopters, known as "Eggbeaters" or "Windmills," also evacuated about 125 commonly injured personnel. These accomplishments proved essential to encouraging further helicopter development.
38. AIRXC_170220_198.JPG: An Early US Effort: The Platt-LePage XR-1: German helicopter development generated concern in the United States as war loomed. The Army Air Corps shifted a 1938 congressional appropriation, designed to save the Autogiro industry, to helicopters. Its first contract funded the XR-1, which was inspired by the German Focke Fw 61. It flew in 1941 but performed poorly. A Sikorsky YR-4B Hoverfly, 1st Air Commando Group: The helicopter was introduced into combat in April 1944, when a YR-4B flown by Lt. Carter Harman (back row, left) rescued 21 allied personnel from the impassable jungles of Burma. This "service test" proved the helicopter's value in the field.
39. AIRXC_170220_201.JPG: The Helicopter Proves Its Worth: The most successful helicopter exploit of the 1940s occurred on Luzon in the Philippines in June 1945. Sikorsky R-4Bs and R-6As from the 5th and 7th Aircraft Repair Units (Floating) lifted 70 wounded soldiers from frontline positions inaccessible to other forms of medical evacuation. Here, an R-4B flown by Lt. Louis Carle (top) and an R-6A flown by Lt. John Noll (bottom) perform medical evacuations.
40. AIRXC_170220_204.JPG: U.S. Military Helicopters 1947-1953 In 1943 Congress criticized the Navy for neglecting the helicopter as a potential antisubmarine weapon and ordered the development of naval helicopters. The Navy initially passed that responsibility to the Coast Guard. However, within five years the Navy and Marine Corps led the world in developing helicopter technology and doctrine. In the Korean War, helicopters from all the military services removed any doubt about their utility by rescuing about 25,000 United Nations soldiers and Koreans, supplying forward positions, and flying covert missions deep into North Korean territory. The war would ensure the survival of the struggling American helicopter industry.
41. AIRXC_170220_207.JPG: Marine Piasecki HRP-1 "Flying Bananas," 1949
42. AIRXC_170220_209.JPG: Sikorsky H-19A and HO3S-1, Korea, 1951
43. AIRXC_170220_212.JPG: Army Bell H-13D, Korea, 1953
44. AIRXC_170220_214.JPG: Navy Piasecki XHJP-1, 1948
45. AIRXC_170220_216.JPG: Vietnam The Helicopter War
46. AIRXC_170220_219.JPG: Vietnam The Helicopter War During the Korean War and insurgencies in former British and French colonies, the helicopter emerged as an invaluable tool of "limited" warfare. However, it was not until US involvement in Vietnam, from 1961 to 1975, that the helicopter provided it was indispensable in medical actions. The earlier French defeat on the same impassable terrain in the Indochina War showed that only helicopter-borne airmobile forces could effectively combat the Viet Cong guerillas. By the late 1950s, new advances in helicopter design had increased performance. Chief among them was the application of the gas turbine engine, which proved critical for maintaining the power-to-weight ratios needed to transport militarily useful loads in the hot and humid conditions of Southwest Asia.
47. AIRXC_170220_221.JPG: Air Force Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant
48. AIRXC_170220_223.JPG: Marine Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight
49. AIRXC_170220_227.JPG: Army Bell AH-1G Cobra
50. AIRXC_170220_230.JPG: US Helicopters in Southeast Asia
51. AIRXC_170220_233.JPG: Commercial Helicopter Operations
52. AIRXC_170220_237.JPG: Commercial Helicopter Operations Initial Efforts: During World War II, some manufacturers anticipated a postwar civil helicopter boom. However, high operating costs caused most early commercial helicopter operations to fail. The industry continued to rely on the military to foster innovation and provide large production contracts. Thus, most civil helicopters were modified military models. Initially, civil helicopters were used mainly in the exploitation of natural resources and for crop spraying. Today they also fill niches in utility maintenance, wildlife/livestock management, aerial firefighting, policing, medical evacuation, news gathering, VIP transport, sightseeing, film production, and as flying cranes.
53. AIRXC_170220_242.JPG: Deliver by Helicopter to Your Door
54. AIRXC_170220_244.JPG: New York Airways Vertol 44B over Manhattan, 1958
55. AIRXC_170220_247.JPG: Airliner-Style Comfort in a Helicopter
56. AIRXC_170220_253.JPG: The First Commercial Helicopter Operation
57. AIRXC_170220_256.JPG: Modern Rotorcraft
58. AIRXC_170220_259.JPG: Modern Rotorcraft Helicopter configurations have not changed significantly since the Vietnam War. Many models are modifications of decades-old airframes. However, notable innovations have occurred in engines, rotor systems, torque compensation, and noise reduction. Modern rotors with elastomeric bearings (flexible materials that can substitute for hinges) and flextures (flexible hubs) evolved out of earlier experiments with "rigid" rotors. They require less maintenance, reduce vibration, and are more responsive, allowing helicopters to perform maneuvers not previously possible. Shrouded tail rotors and the ducted-air NOTAR (No Tail Rotor) system have resulted in quieter and safer helicopters.
59. AIRXC_170220_262.JPG: Eurocopter EC-120, Baltimore Police Aviation Unit
60. AIRXC_170220_268.JPG: Kamov Ka-32, Vancouver Island Helicopters
61. AIRXC_170220_271.JPG: The World's Largest Operational Helicopter
62. AIRXC_170220_274.JPG: Agusta MH-68A Stingray, US Coast Guard
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