Monday, January 07, 2013

Carl Anson Cover 1893-1944





Carl Cover trained at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas and was commissioned Second Lieutenant, Air Service, during WWI.
Carl A. Cover wore two hats with Douglas Aircraft Company. He was vice-president of sales, and test pilot who was first to fly the following classic Douglas aircraft :-
DC-1 first flight on July 1, 1933
DC-2 first flight May 11 1934
DC-3 first flight Dec 17  1935
DC-4E first flight June 7, 1938
DC-5 first flight on 20 February 1939 He joined Bell Aircraft in September 1944 as vice president of Bell Aircraft Corporation and manager of the firm's Georgia division. Both Carl Cover and Max Stupar, Bell Industrial planning director, were killed in the crash of their twin-engine cargo plane at Wright Field in December 1944.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Allan Deacon 1932-1990



Allan Deacon was an ex Royal Navy pilot who had also flown at Boscombe Down. He was Chief Test Pilot for Shorts in Belfast until his death. He ejected from ZH203 Tucano Mk 51 off Rathlin Island, Mull of Kintyre on 22/2/1990.He suffered only minor injuries but was drowned in the rough sea conditions without getting into his dinghy,he was not wearing an immersion suit. The aircraft was the first one destined for the Kenyan AF and was doing high speed flutter trials with underwing stores when the tail came off because of the effects of the stores damping the wing oscillations

Sandford Bruce Fleming 1924-1996

Bruce Fleming was a Second World War and Korea fighter pilot. Bruce was a test pilot for Canadair and his last assignment was checking out the Challenger executive jet.

F/O S. B. Fleming was a veteran of World War II, having flown Beaufighters with No. 58 Sqn. RAF. He was attached to the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, based at Kimpo, where he joined the 334th Sqn.,While in Korea they were given verbal instructions to complete 50 missions and return home. This was not immediately confirmed in writing, nor was the USAF informed of the 50-mission limit, so Fleming went on to fly 82 missions on sweeps, escort duties, reconnaissance, and interceptions. On 13 May, in the course of escorting an RF-80, he spotted 16 MIGS preparing to attack. He led his element into the first four MIGs, scattering the enemy and sending a few running for Manchuria. He then attacked two MIGs which were firing on the RF-80 and its close escort of two Sabres. One MIG went down and was later assessed as "probably destroyed".
Fleming kept up the fight until the RF-80 had withdrawn safely, and then returned to base, low on fuel and out of ammunition. He also damaged two MIGs during his tour, one on 1 Apr. and the other on 21 May. In addition he scored hits on several ground targets while strafing, an unusual job for the Sabres, whose prime duty was running interference for the bombers and fighter-bombers. Subsequently, F/O Fleming was awarded the American DFC.

He joined Canadair in 1949 as a test pilot after leaving the RCAF. However, he rejoined the RCAF until 1957 when he re-joined Canadair's flight operations department as a test pilot, testing Sabre 6s, T-33s and CL-28s. He went on to test the CF-104 and was involved in an accident of CF-104 (12712) but baled out successfully.