Texas Raiders
Encyclopedia
The Commemorative Air Force
’s Gulf Coast Wing
"Texas Raiders" group maintains and flies the former PB-1W / B-17G Flying Fortress named "Texas Raiders", which is based at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
(KDWH) in Tomball, Texas
.
had built a total of 6,981 B-17s. The Douglas Aircraft Company
and the Vega Aircraft Corporation
(a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company) together built another 5,745 B-17s under license from Boeing
.
“Texas Raiders” was built in 1944 by the Douglas Aircraft Company
at their Long Beach
, California
plant. Built under contract number AC-1862, she was one of the last 20 B-17s built by Douglas and was delivered on July 12, 1945 to the U.S. Army Air Corps as B-17G-95-DL 44-83872. Her fuselage number was 2987, and factory number was 32513. Victory in Europe Day
(VE Day) had past, and the USAAC did not have a need for more of the heavy bombers, so on July 21 of 1945, all 20 of these Douglas B-17s were transferred to the U.S. Navy to serve as PB-1W Patrol Bombers. B-17G #44-83872 was assigned the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics
Number (BuNo) 77235.
’s (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory
or “Rad Lab
”, worked closely with the Naval Research Laboratory at NAS Anacostia in Washington, D.C.
Together, they demonstrated the ability to place RADAR
in an aircraft, and send the video image via an FM TV data link to the navy surface fleet’s Combat Information Center
(CIC) for assessment and reaction. The test bed was a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, modified with a belly-mounted RADAR housing, and redesignated the TBM-3W. Due to the signal’s range issues, it was determined that command and control needed to be aloft with the airborne sensors. The Grumman AF-2W Guardian would later replace the Avengers in the fleet.
and patrol
, airborne enemy threat detection, electronic countermeasures
, anti-submarine warfare
, and hurricane hunter capabilities into a single aircraft. Instead of sending the intelligence to a ship’s CIC
, the aircraft would have its own CIC on board, making it a flying command center. The Navy had developed the first AWACS aircraft.
Squadron 101 (VPB-101) in the spring of 1946, the Navy was to eventually have a total of twenty two out of thirty one Navy owned B-17s in their inventory fully upgraded to PB-1Ws. Late in 1946, VPB-101 would move to NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island
, and be redesignated Airborne Early Warning Development Squadron Four (VX-4
).
The Naval Air Material Center’s Naval Aircraft Modification Unit (NAMU) at Johnsville, Pennsylvania
modified the B-17s to PB-1W specification by sealing up the bomb bay doors and installing 300 gallon drop tanks on each wing, in addition to the “Tokyo Tanks” mounted in the outer wings to give her longer range and loiter times on station. The 3,400 gallons of fuel gave the PB-1W the endurance of 22+ hours of flight time. She was not immediately painted, but was waxed to prevent corrosion. Later in her career, she would have her armor and guns removed, and also be painted gloss Navy blue.
The one-megawatt AN/APS-20 Seasearch S-band Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR
) manufactured by Hazeltine
/General Electric
, was then ventral-mounted in a bulbous housing below what used to be the bomb bay. The RADAR relay transmitter, an advanced version of Identification, Friend or Foe
(IFF), Radio direction finder
(RDF), instrument landing system
(ILS), and long range navigation (LORAN
) was also installed at that time.
In the nose of the PB-1W, the chin turret and Carl L. Norden
Company bomb sight were removed, while the auto pilot remained. The Bombardier’s station itself remained for a look out post while on anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) or airborne search and rescue
(SAR) missions, and the navigator’s position was left unchanged. In the Cockpit, the top gun turret and armor were removed. The bomb bay had 2 RADAR
Consoles on either side of the walkway with the operators facing aft, and their backs against the cockpit bulkhead. The CIC Officer's position was at the right rear of the bomb bay and the left contained electronic and radio equipment. In the Radio Room, the radio operator's table was turned so that the operator faced outboard. The waist guns and ball turret were removed, and bench seats were installed at the waist windows for observers. Floating smoke markers were carried to be dropped during ASW or SAR missions. A latrine and kitchen area was included in the waist section. The tail guns and armor were removed, leaving room for extra parts, or cargo to be carried.
The U.S.A.A.F. B-17 bomber crew was usually 10. After the PB-1W conversion, the navy flight crew consisted of 6 officers, (Pilot in Command, Second in Command, Navigator, CIC Officer, and 2 RADAR Operators/Controllers) and 5 enlisted men (Plane Captain, 2nd Mechanic, Electronics Technician, and 2 Radio Operators).
Quonset Point
, a base both on the front lines of anti-submarine warfare
and on the cutting edge of research in airborne RADAR
and electronics systems. Her first missions were flying patrols off of the east coast to extend the coverage of the “Pine Tree Line” along the 50th parallel. VX-4 flew in conjunction with the first two cold war-era RADAR networks known as "Lashup" and "Permanent
", and was also an important component within the nationwide Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system. VX-4 flew with the tail code “XD”.
relocated to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland
in 1948. While at “Pax River”, VX-4 was redesignated as Airborne Early Warning Squadron Two (VW-2) where she still supported the Atlantic fleet
. This is where BuNo. 77235 spent most of her Navy Career. In June 1953, she was once again overhauled, this time at the Naval Air Material Center (NAMC) at NAS Norfolk, Virginia and then transferred to VW-1 in February 1954 to replace BuNo 77240, another PB-1W that had transferred to NAS San Diego.
. Ironically, the base was originally built in 1938 by the Japanese Imperial Navy as Emperor Hirohito's Naval Air Base to oppose the threat of American bombing raids. Besides AWACS missions, the Navy had flown missions for the Joint Hurricane Warning Service since 1943, providing airborne weather data gathering on tropical cyclones in the Pacific. BuNo 77240 took her turns at these flights as well. While assigned to VW-1, she was assigned the new tail code of “TE” and was aircraft number 12 (callsign: TE-12). It is from there that BuNo. 77235 flew her only combat patrols, supporting the forces fighting in the Korean War
.
. In January 1955, VW-1 phased out PB-1W operations for the new Lockheed PO-1W, a Lockheed
749 Constellation, which was later redesignated the WV-1. The follow on aircraft to the WV-1 was the WV-2, based on the Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation airframe. “Whiskey Victors”, as the aviating sailors called them, were much more comfortable for long range patrols, although the PB-1Ws were considered much more favorable to fly by the pilots. The Connie would carry a crew of 22, 6,500+ pounds of electronic equipment, and it was alleged to have been able to power a small city.
, until officially stricken from the books on July 10, 1956. She was one of the last B-17s left in U.S. service at the time, and said to be one of only 3 PB-1Ws saved from the scapyard or scavenging, and is currently the only flyable example of the type. She mustered out having 3257 hours flying time accrued on the airframe.
bought BuNo 77235 for $17,510.00 on October 1 of 1957. U.S. NAS North Island, California
is listed on the C.A.A. Bill of Sale. She was civil registered as N7227C, classified as restricted by the F.A.A., and used as a high altitude aerial surveying platform.
At different times, N7227C had laser equipment, Doppler radar
, a sensor pressure reference unit, blue spectrograph
, Fairchild
KC-4, T-11, and Wild RC-8 type 35mm cameras, a Bell and Howell 11Q strip camera, a gyroscopic camera mount, a magnetometer
with a trailing cone probe, a Zenith
photometer
, and an airborne profile recorder probe in the nose installed. A large cargo door was installed on the port side of the aircraft, along with cargo flooring. Aero Service Corporation was bought by Western Geophysical
, a company that specialized in using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum. Western Geophysical
was later sold to Litton Industries
.
Even though it had changed owners twice, Aero Service Corporation, renamed ASC Inc., but still based in Philadelphia, sold N7227C to the Confederate Air Force on September 2, 1967.
paid Aero Service Corporation $50,000 for N7227C. At that time, she was white on top with gray undersides and red striping and she also had a large United States flag on the tail. A Confederate States of America
Battle Flag was added to it after the CAF purchase. She was repainted olive drab with a dark green camouflage pattern. It was decided that they would not choose to commemorate a single particular aircraft that flew during World War II, so she was named "Texas Raiders" during her first CAF restoration in the 1960s. Nose art was later applied, consisting of the Texas
flag and “Texas Raiders” in white block lettering.
’s plane "hull number" D. The actual aircraft that was KY-D during WWII was 42-30650, commanded by Lt. Verl Fisher. The 305th flew out of USAAF Station 105 Chelveston
, England
and their squadron callsign at the time was “Grubby”.
At some point, a scantily clad cowgirl with six-guns in hand, next to a Texas
flag replaced the original nose art. A United States Air Force
Rockwell
B-1 bomber later copied the name and loosely copied the nose art as well. Texas Raiders has undergone many changes to put her back to the B-17 G model configuration that flew with the United States Army Air Corps
in the European Theater of Operations
(ETO) under the "Mighty" Eighth Air Force
.
She was assigned to the Gulf Coast Wing
by the CAF
in 1972, and remains in their care today. In the early 1970s, she was based at Scholes Field (KGLS) at Galveston, Texas
before moving to Ellington Field
(KEFD) in Houston, Texas
. In 1977, the fully operational Sperry
ball turret, a partial top turret, and tail guns were installed. Texas Raiders underwent a $300,000 restoration and rebuild project from 1983 to 1986, which saw the cargo door and cargo flooring removed, original flooring replaced, as well as the bomb bay, operating bomb bay doors, and the bombardier’s chin mounted machine gun turret restored. A $180,000.00+ interior overhaul and new paint job was completed in 1993, with the current nose art being applied at that time.
The original B-17G coded VP-X was also a Douglas built aircraft, serial 42-37719 and named “Dinah Mite” for a time and then “Hellcat”. She was lost on January 11 of 1944.
The last VP-X was Boeing
B-17G serial number 43-39300, which retired back to the United States
in May 1945.
The 533rd Bomb Squadron’s callsign was “Tabby”, so these aircraft would have been known as “Tabby X-Ray”.
The 381st Bombardment Group was formed at Pyote Air Force Base
, Texas
which was nicknamed the “Rattlesnake Bomber Base” due to the amount of snakes in the area. After training in the U.S., the 381st was assigned to USAAF Station 167, Ridgewell Airfield in Essex, England, where they amassed a very impressive unit history.
's (FAA) Airworthiness Directive
# 2001-22-06, citing corrosion in the wings. TR was flown to south Houston's Hobby Airport (KHOU
) where she would be based for over 5 years.
After testing, it was determined that Texas Raiders did indeed have corrosion pitting, and cracks on the wing root hardware, so replacement parts had to be re-manufactured. It was further decided that since she would be out of service for an extended period that she should be completely refurbished. This project will have cost well over 500,000 dollars by the time the project is completed.
Texas Raiders returned to flight again on October 13, 2009, and then debuted at her "home airshow", Wings Over Houston later that month.
March 2010 found Texas Raiders relocating to a spacious hangar at the Tomball Jet Center in David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
(KDWH) in Tomball, Texas
.
Texas Raiders rejoined the air show circuit in 2010 in time to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the B-17. She has traveled to the world renown Experimental Aircraft Association
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow, where she was featured in AeroShell Square. She has also participated in the Gathering of 'Fortresses at the Thunder Over Michigan air show, and as a tribute to the unit that she memorializes, appeared at the 381st Bomb Squadron's reunion.
Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force , formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showing historical aircraft at airshows primarily throughout the U.S. and Canada...
’s Gulf Coast Wing
Gulf Coast Wing
The Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is a United States historical air display organization which includes two sub-groups that participate in the display of vintage aircraft and public military history education about military aviation during World War II and beyond.-"Tora! Tora!...
"Texas Raiders" group maintains and flies the former PB-1W / B-17G Flying Fortress named "Texas Raiders", which is based at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport is a public-use airport located near the city of Tomball in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. It is northwest of the central business district of Houston...
(KDWH) in Tomball, Texas
Tomball, Texas
Tomball is a city in Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 9,089 at the 2000 census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball. The city are named for local congressman Thomas Henry Ball, who had a major role in the...
.
History of the B-17
75 years ago, the Boeing Airplane Company designed the B-17 for a contract that called for 200 of the aircraft, and by the end of production, BoeingBoeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
had built a total of 6,981 B-17s. The Douglas Aircraft Company
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
and the Vega Aircraft Corporation
Vega Aircraft Corporation
The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II. The company was first formed in August 1937 as the AiRover Company to produce a new lightplane design...
(a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company) together built another 5,745 B-17s under license from Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
.
“Texas Raiders” was built in 1944 by the Douglas Aircraft Company
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
at their Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
plant. Built under contract number AC-1862, she was one of the last 20 B-17s built by Douglas and was delivered on July 12, 1945 to the U.S. Army Air Corps as B-17G-95-DL 44-83872. Her fuselage number was 2987, and factory number was 32513. Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
(VE Day) had past, and the USAAC did not have a need for more of the heavy bombers, so on July 21 of 1945, all 20 of these Douglas B-17s were transferred to the U.S. Navy to serve as PB-1W Patrol Bombers. B-17G #44-83872 was assigned the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics
Bureau of Aeronautics
The Bureau of Aeronautics was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for Naval Aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" for the design, procurement, and support of Naval aircraft and related systems...
Number (BuNo) 77235.
Project Cadillac
“Project Cadillac”, an inter-service committee, based at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
’s (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory
Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
or “Rad Lab
Radiation Laboratory
The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and functioned from October 1940 until December 31, 1945...
”, worked closely with the Naval Research Laboratory at NAS Anacostia in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Together, they demonstrated the ability to place RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
in an aircraft, and send the video image via an FM TV data link to the navy surface fleet’s Combat Information Center
Combat Information Center
The Operations Room is the tactical center of a warship or AWAC aircraft providing processed information for command and control of the near battle space or 'area of operations'...
(CIC) for assessment and reaction. The test bed was a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, modified with a belly-mounted RADAR housing, and redesignated the TBM-3W. Due to the signal’s range issues, it was determined that command and control needed to be aloft with the airborne sensors. The Grumman AF-2W Guardian would later replace the Avengers in the fleet.
Project Cadillac II
“Project Cadillac II” was tasked with combining long range scoutingScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and patrol
Patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...
, airborne enemy threat detection, electronic countermeasures
Electronic countermeasures
An electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
, anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
, and hurricane hunter capabilities into a single aircraft. Instead of sending the intelligence to a ship’s CIC
Combat Information Center
The Operations Room is the tactical center of a warship or AWAC aircraft providing processed information for command and control of the near battle space or 'area of operations'...
, the aircraft would have its own CIC on board, making it a flying command center. The Navy had developed the first AWACS aircraft.
The PB-1W is Born
The Navy decided to use the B-17 to modify into the PB-1W for use as the original Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. First delivered to Patrol BomberPatrol bomber
A maritime patrol aircraft , also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol roles - in particular anti-submarine, anti-ship and search and...
Squadron 101 (VPB-101) in the spring of 1946, the Navy was to eventually have a total of twenty two out of thirty one Navy owned B-17s in their inventory fully upgraded to PB-1Ws. Late in 1946, VPB-101 would move to NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, and be redesignated Airborne Early Warning Development Squadron Four (VX-4
VX-4
VX-4, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Four, , commonly referred to by its nickname, The Evaluators) was a United States Navy air test and evaluation squadron based at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California...
).
The Naval Air Material Center’s Naval Aircraft Modification Unit (NAMU) at Johnsville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
modified the B-17s to PB-1W specification by sealing up the bomb bay doors and installing 300 gallon drop tanks on each wing, in addition to the “Tokyo Tanks” mounted in the outer wings to give her longer range and loiter times on station. The 3,400 gallons of fuel gave the PB-1W the endurance of 22+ hours of flight time. She was not immediately painted, but was waxed to prevent corrosion. Later in her career, she would have her armor and guns removed, and also be painted gloss Navy blue.
The one-megawatt AN/APS-20 Seasearch S-band Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
) manufactured by Hazeltine
Hazeltine Corporation
Hazeltine Corporation was a defense electronics company which is now part of BAE Systems Inc.-History:The company was founded in 1924 by investors to exploit the Neutrodyne patent of Dr. Alan Hazeltine...
/General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, was then ventral-mounted in a bulbous housing below what used to be the bomb bay. The RADAR relay transmitter, an advanced version of Identification, Friend or Foe
Identification friend or foe
In telecommunications, identification, friend or foe is an identification system designed for command and control. It is a system that enables military and national interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the...
(IFF), Radio direction finder
Radio direction finder
A radio direction finder is a device for finding the direction to a radio source. Due to low frequency propagation characteristic to travel very long distances and "over the horizon", it makes a particularly good navigation system for ships, small boats, and aircraft that might be some distance...
(RDF), instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS), and long range navigation (LORAN
LORAN
LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....
) was also installed at that time.
In the nose of the PB-1W, the chin turret and Carl L. Norden
Norden
- Geography :* the Scandinavian name for the Nordic countries.* Norden, Lower Saxony: a town in Lower Saxony, Germany.* Norden Township, Minnesota: a township in Minnesota, United States.* Norden, Greater Manchester: a village near Rochdale, England....
Company bomb sight were removed, while the auto pilot remained. The Bombardier’s station itself remained for a look out post while on anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
(ASW) or airborne search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
(SAR) missions, and the navigator’s position was left unchanged. In the Cockpit, the top gun turret and armor were removed. The bomb bay had 2 RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
Consoles on either side of the walkway with the operators facing aft, and their backs against the cockpit bulkhead. The CIC Officer's position was at the right rear of the bomb bay and the left contained electronic and radio equipment. In the Radio Room, the radio operator's table was turned so that the operator faced outboard. The waist guns and ball turret were removed, and bench seats were installed at the waist windows for observers. Floating smoke markers were carried to be dropped during ASW or SAR missions. A latrine and kitchen area was included in the waist section. The tail guns and armor were removed, leaving room for extra parts, or cargo to be carried.
The U.S.A.A.F. B-17 bomber crew was usually 10. After the PB-1W conversion, the navy flight crew consisted of 6 officers, (Pilot in Command, Second in Command, Navigator, CIC Officer, and 2 RADAR Operators/Controllers) and 5 enlisted men (Plane Captain, 2nd Mechanic, Electronics Technician, and 2 Radio Operators).
VX-4
May 1947 saw BuNo. 77235 assigned to VX-4, which was tasked with the development of airborne early warning systems at NASNaval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
Quonset Point
Quonset Point
Quonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place".Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air...
, a base both on the front lines of anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
and on the cutting edge of research in airborne RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and electronics systems. Her first missions were flying patrols off of the east coast to extend the coverage of the “Pine Tree Line” along the 50th parallel. VX-4 flew in conjunction with the first two cold war-era RADAR networks known as "Lashup" and "Permanent
Permanent
The permanent of a square matrix in linear algebra, is a function of the matrix similar to the determinant. The permanent, as well as the determinant, is a polynomial in the entries of the matrix...
", and was also an important component within the nationwide Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system. VX-4 flew with the tail code “XD”.
VW-2
VX-4VX-4
VX-4, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Four, , commonly referred to by its nickname, The Evaluators) was a United States Navy air test and evaluation squadron based at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California...
relocated to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1948. While at “Pax River”, VX-4 was redesignated as Airborne Early Warning Squadron Two (VW-2) where she still supported the Atlantic fleet
Atlantic Fleet
Atlantic Fleet may refer to:* Atlantic Fleet * Canadian Navy Atlantic naval units - see Maritime Forces Atlantic* United States Fleet Forces Command...
. This is where BuNo. 77235 spent most of her Navy Career. In June 1953, she was once again overhauled, this time at the Naval Air Material Center (NAMC) at NAS Norfolk, Virginia and then transferred to VW-1 in February 1954 to replace BuNo 77240, another PB-1W that had transferred to NAS San Diego.
VW-1
Her last military assignment was with VW-1 the "Typhoon Trackers" based at NAS Atsugi, located in the shadows of Mt. Fuji, on the main island of JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Ironically, the base was originally built in 1938 by the Japanese Imperial Navy as Emperor Hirohito's Naval Air Base to oppose the threat of American bombing raids. Besides AWACS missions, the Navy had flown missions for the Joint Hurricane Warning Service since 1943, providing airborne weather data gathering on tropical cyclones in the Pacific. BuNo 77240 took her turns at these flights as well. While assigned to VW-1, she was assigned the new tail code of “TE” and was aircraft number 12 (callsign: TE-12). It is from there that BuNo. 77235 flew her only combat patrols, supporting the forces fighting in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
The End of an Era
As electronic technology improved, the size of the electronics did not. Lack of scalability and lack of a pressurized cabin made the Navy look to the only aircraft that could logically follow in the steps of the “Queen of the Skies”, the Lockheed ConstellationLockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
. In January 1955, VW-1 phased out PB-1W operations for the new Lockheed PO-1W, a Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
749 Constellation, which was later redesignated the WV-1. The follow on aircraft to the WV-1 was the WV-2, based on the Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation airframe. “Whiskey Victors”, as the aviating sailors called them, were much more comfortable for long range patrols, although the PB-1Ws were considered much more favorable to fly by the pilots. The Connie would carry a crew of 22, 6,500+ pounds of electronic equipment, and it was alleged to have been able to power a small city.
Mustered Out
January 1955, BuNo 77235 was placed in Flyable Storage Status at NAS Litchfield Park, ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, until officially stricken from the books on July 10, 1956. She was one of the last B-17s left in U.S. service at the time, and said to be one of only 3 PB-1Ws saved from the scapyard or scavenging, and is currently the only flyable example of the type. She mustered out having 3257 hours flying time accrued on the airframe.
From PB-1W to Aerial Surveying
Aero Service Corporation of Philadelphia, PAPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
bought BuNo 77235 for $17,510.00 on October 1 of 1957. U.S. NAS North Island, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
is listed on the C.A.A. Bill of Sale. She was civil registered as N7227C, classified as restricted by the F.A.A., and used as a high altitude aerial surveying platform.
At different times, N7227C had laser equipment, Doppler radar
Doppler radar
A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that makes use of the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by beaming a microwave signal towards a desired target and listening for its reflection, then analyzing how the frequency of the returned signal has been...
, a sensor pressure reference unit, blue spectrograph
Spectrograph
A spectrograph is an instrument that separates an incoming wave into a frequency spectrum. There are several kinds of machines referred to as spectrographs, depending on the precise nature of the waves...
, Fairchild
Fairchild Camera and Instrument
Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation was a company founded by Sherman Fairchild. It was based on the East Coast of the United States, and provided research and development for flash photography equipment...
KC-4, T-11, and Wild RC-8 type 35mm cameras, a Bell and Howell 11Q strip camera, a gyroscopic camera mount, a magnetometer
Magnetometer
A magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature...
with a trailing cone probe, a Zenith
Zenith
The zenith is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction opposite to the apparent gravitational force at that location. The opposite direction, i.e...
photometer
Photometer
In its widest sense, a photometer is an instrument for measuring light intensity or optical properties of solutions or surfaces. Photometers are used to measure:*Illuminance*Irradiance*Light absorption*Scattering of light*Reflection of light*Fluorescence...
, and an airborne profile recorder probe in the nose installed. A large cargo door was installed on the port side of the aircraft, along with cargo flooring. Aero Service Corporation was bought by Western Geophysical
Western Geophysical
Western Geophysical was a company founded in California in 1933 by Henry Salvatori for the purpose of using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum....
, a company that specialized in using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum. Western Geophysical
Western Geophysical
Western Geophysical was a company founded in California in 1933 by Henry Salvatori for the purpose of using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum....
was later sold to Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
.
Even though it had changed owners twice, Aero Service Corporation, renamed ASC Inc., but still based in Philadelphia, sold N7227C to the Confederate Air Force on September 2, 1967.
N7227C Joins the Confederate Air Force
The Confederate Air Force, based at Rebel Field in Mercedes, TexasMercedes, Texas
Mercedes is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,570 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mercedes is located at ....
paid Aero Service Corporation $50,000 for N7227C. At that time, she was white on top with gray undersides and red striping and she also had a large United States flag on the tail. A Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Battle Flag was added to it after the CAF purchase. She was repainted olive drab with a dark green camouflage pattern. It was decided that they would not choose to commemorate a single particular aircraft that flew during World War II, so she was named "Texas Raiders" during her first CAF restoration in the 1960s. Nose art was later applied, consisting of the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
flag and “Texas Raiders” in white block lettering.
305th Bomb Group Triangle G
In 1970 photos, Texas Raiders is shown with serial 41-24592, and flying in the colors of the "Mighty 8th" Air Force; 1st Bomb Wing/1st Air Division’s; 40th Combat Bombardment Wing; 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy) with the “Triangle G" tail code. Their motto was “Can Do”. The KY-D coding represented the 366th Bombardment Squadron366th Bombardment Squadron
The 366th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 305th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana. It was inactivated on 1 January 1970-History:...
’s plane "hull number" D. The actual aircraft that was KY-D during WWII was 42-30650, commanded by Lt. Verl Fisher. The 305th flew out of USAAF Station 105 Chelveston
Chelveston
Chelveston is a small village in Northamptonshire, England and is part of the East Northamptonshire district. To the south is the hamlet of Caldecott and the settlement of Chelston Rise which together comprise the civil parish called Chelveston-cum-Caldecott....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and their squadron callsign at the time was “Grubby”.
At some point, a scantily clad cowgirl with six-guns in hand, next to a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
flag replaced the original nose art. A United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Rockwell
Rockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate in the latter half of the 20th century, involved in aircraft, the space industry, both defense-oriented and commercial electronics, automotive and truck components, printing presses, valves and meters, and industrial automation....
B-1 bomber later copied the name and loosely copied the nose art as well. Texas Raiders has undergone many changes to put her back to the B-17 G model configuration that flew with the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
in the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO) under the "Mighty" Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
.
She was assigned to the Gulf Coast Wing
Gulf Coast Wing
The Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is a United States historical air display organization which includes two sub-groups that participate in the display of vintage aircraft and public military history education about military aviation during World War II and beyond.-"Tora! Tora!...
by the CAF
Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force , formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showing historical aircraft at airshows primarily throughout the U.S. and Canada...
in 1972, and remains in their care today. In the early 1970s, she was based at Scholes Field (KGLS) at Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
before moving to Ellington Field
Ellington Field
Ellington International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston— southeast of Downtown. Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when...
(KEFD) in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. In 1977, the fully operational Sperry
Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century...
ball turret, a partial top turret, and tail guns were installed. Texas Raiders underwent a $300,000 restoration and rebuild project from 1983 to 1986, which saw the cargo door and cargo flooring removed, original flooring replaced, as well as the bomb bay, operating bomb bay doors, and the bombardier’s chin mounted machine gun turret restored. A $180,000.00+ interior overhaul and new paint job was completed in 1993, with the current nose art being applied at that time.
381st Bomb Group Triangle L
Texas Raiders is currently painted in the combat colors commemorating the U.S. Army Air Corps’ 8th Air Force, 1st Bomb Wing/1st Air Division; 1st Combat Bombardment Wing "triangle"; 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy) “L", 533rd Bombardment Squadron's "VP" plane "hull number" "X". She now retains her proper original Douglas factory serial number, 44-83872.The original B-17G coded VP-X was also a Douglas built aircraft, serial 42-37719 and named “Dinah Mite” for a time and then “Hellcat”. She was lost on January 11 of 1944.
The last VP-X was Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
B-17G serial number 43-39300, which retired back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in May 1945.
The 533rd Bomb Squadron’s callsign was “Tabby”, so these aircraft would have been known as “Tabby X-Ray”.
The 381st Bombardment Group was formed at Pyote Air Force Base
Pyote Air Force Base
Pyote Air Force Base was a World War II United States Army Air Forces training airbase. It was on a mile from the town of Pyote, Texas on Interstate 20, twenty miles west of Monahans and just south of U.S...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
which was nicknamed the “Rattlesnake Bomber Base” due to the amount of snakes in the area. After training in the U.S., the 381st was assigned to USAAF Station 167, Ridgewell Airfield in Essex, England, where they amassed a very impressive unit history.
Current status
Texas Raiders has finished a lengthy and costly main spar replacement project, started in 2001 due to the Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
's (FAA) Airworthiness Directive
Airworthiness Directive
An Airworthiness Directive is a notification to owners and operators of certified aircraft that a known safety deficiency with a particular model of aircraft, engine, avionics or other system exists and must be corrected....
# 2001-22-06, citing corrosion in the wings. TR was flown to south Houston's Hobby Airport (KHOU
William P. Hobby Airport
William P. Hobby Airport is a public airport in Houston, Texas, located from Downtown Houston. The airport covers and has four runways. Hobby Airport is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary air terminal until the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969...
) where she would be based for over 5 years.
After testing, it was determined that Texas Raiders did indeed have corrosion pitting, and cracks on the wing root hardware, so replacement parts had to be re-manufactured. It was further decided that since she would be out of service for an extended period that she should be completely refurbished. This project will have cost well over 500,000 dollars by the time the project is completed.
Texas Raiders returned to flight again on October 13, 2009, and then debuted at her "home airshow", Wings Over Houston later that month.
March 2010 found Texas Raiders relocating to a spacious hangar at the Tomball Jet Center in David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport is a public-use airport located near the city of Tomball in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. It is northwest of the central business district of Houston...
(KDWH) in Tomball, Texas
Tomball, Texas
Tomball is a city in Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 9,089 at the 2000 census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball. The city are named for local congressman Thomas Henry Ball, who had a major role in the...
.
Texas Raiders rejoined the air show circuit in 2010 in time to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the B-17. She has traveled to the world renown Experimental Aircraft Association
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow, where she was featured in AeroShell Square. She has also participated in the Gathering of 'Fortresses at the Thunder Over Michigan air show, and as a tribute to the unit that she memorializes, appeared at the 381st Bomb Squadron's reunion.