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<-- 1951 1952 Aircraft Photo Gallery. Last updated 21 August, 2007 1953 -->
• Aircraft Fire-Control System Mk 16 released to the Fleet.
• Opening of Randsburg Wash Test Activities for fuze testing.
• The 2.75-inch FFAR (Mighty Mouse) declared operational.
• July 10 -- U.S. Navy LCdr. John E. Darden lost his life when his F2H-2 Banshee (125503) crashed.
• September 03 -- NOTS, Inyokern, fired the first fully configured Sidewinder air-to-air missile, thereby initiating an extensive period of developmental testing.
• Oct. 09 -- U.S. Navy ABAN Raymond J. Irons lost his life during a catapult gear test.

AD-4 Skyraider BuNo 123920, Sidewinder 1 missile, China Lake, 03 January 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F4U-4 Corsair BuNo 97061, B-1 emergency strip, China Lake, 17 January 1952.

Photo and comment from pilot S. Joel Premselaar... note /1

Armitage Field, P2V-2 Neptune BuNo 122464, PB4Y-2 Privateer BuNo 59896, unknown F-84, JD Invader BuNo 77149 & AJ Savage BuNo 122592, 7 February 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

Gunline with Target suspension tower in the background, Randsburg Wash Range, China Lake, March 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

NAF/NOTS F8F-1 Bearcat BuNo 94759, China Lake, circa 1952. Photo and comment from S. Joel Premselaar.

note /2

AD-4 Skyraider, BuNo 123920, Sidewinder 1, China Lake, 14 May 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-86D Super Sabre s/n 50-0574, firing 2.75" FFAR's, circa 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-86D Super Sabre s/n 50-0577, FFAR salvo, 16 May 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-94C Starfire s/n 50-0970 with twelve 2.75" FFAR's in the wing pod, circa 1952.

Official USAF photo.

TV-2 Seastar, BuNo 126598, JATO takeoff, 02 Jun 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-94C Starfire s/n 50-0957, 10 Jul 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-2 Skyraider, BuNo 122239, DOA camera, China Lake, 01 Aug 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

Nakijima 97 model, Argus fuze, RWTR, 18 August 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

Nakijima 97 model, Argus fuze, RWTR, 18 August 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

Douglas Aircraft supersonic pilot escape module, SNORT, China Lake, September 1952.

Naval Aviation News photo.

Douglas Aircraft supersonic pilot escape module, SNORT, China Lake, September 1952.

Naval Aviation News photo.

Douglas Aircraft supersonic pilot escape module, SNORT, China Lake, September 1952.

Naval Aviation News photo.

JD-1 Invader BuNo 77149, China Lake, 09 September 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123757, Sidewinder 1 missile, China Lake, 25 Sep 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-2Q Skyraider, BuNo 122373, APQ 46-XN2, China Lake, 16 Oct 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-2Q Skyraider, BuNo 122373, APQ 46-XN2, China Lake, circa 1952.

photo ©Global Air Image

PB4Y-1 Privateer, BuNo 59920, China Lake, 29 Oct 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AJ Savage, BuNo 122592, China Lake , 29 Oct 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

Johnsville XBT2D-1 Dauntless II BuNo 9089 arrested landing, China Lake, 04 November 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight BuNo 123757, Sidewinder missile, China Lake, 05 November 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123757, Sidewinder 1 missile, China Lake, 06 Nov 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

TV-2 Seastar, BuNo 126598 & F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123755, China Lake, 06 Nov 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123757, Sidewinder 1 missile, China Lake, 11 Dec 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123757, Sidewinder 1 missile, China Lake, circa 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

VX-5 F2H-2 Banshee, BuNo125030, XE-14, with 5" Holy Moses rockets, 16 Dec 1952.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

/1 forced landing on the B-1 range emergency strip 7 mi. NW Armitage Field after a 2.75" FFAR misfired from an experimental launcher. The rocket tore a 15" x 4" piece from one prop blade and damaged two others causing severe engine vibrations that required the engine to be shut down. The B-1 strip was 4,000' long by 70' wide, 1500' blacktop and 2,500' hard pack leveled dirt at 2256' elev. Joel was a 31 year old Ltjg at the time.

/2 about one foot or so of each wing tip was designed to break off (I believe they used primer cord to blow it off) if the F8F-1 exceeded nine "Gs." Discontinued because on several occasions only one would go, the consequence of which is not hard to imagine. It also had a large black hemispherical pull-out control knob to engage a two-stage two-speed supercharger in the R-2800 engine. Trouble was--no matter how much you tightened the friction on it, the mass of it would cause the control to move aft on a catapult shot and over-boost the engine. The F8F-2's supercharger was barometrically controlled to engage at 10,000'. They were so erratic that when flying formation at about 9,000', we'd spread out as we never knew whose supercharger would kick in first. All F8F's had hydraulically operated dive recovery flaps that were required to recover from a dive at & above .76 Mach. Longitudinal surges after departing from steady flight along any axis was due to poor fuel tank baffling.