Dark Eagles: A History of the Top Secret U.S. Aircraft

by Curtis Peebles

  The prototype XP-59A was ready to ship in September 1942. It was decided to send the fuselage to Muroc with the two I-A engines in place. This meant there would be no time lost removing the engines, then reinstalling them at Muroc. The problem was that jolts during the long train trip could damage the engines' bearings. It was decided to slowly spin the engines for the whole trip.

  The fuselage and wings were wrapped in fabric for the journey. A hole was knocked through the second-story wall, and the packages were lowered by a crane. They were then loaded in two boxcars at 2:00 A.M. on September 12, while army guards patrolled the rail yard. The train set out with three General Electric engineers and five army guards to watch over the plane. A gasoline-powered air compressor was used to keep the engines turning. The compressor's gasoline tank had to be refilled constantly — a difficult job on a moving railroad car. On the second night out, the compressor repeatedly failed due to contaminated gasoline, but the General Electric engineers were able to keep restarting it before the jet engines spun down.

  Finally, at 8:00 A.M., September 19, a full six days after leaving Buffalo, the XP-59A arrived at Muroc.

  The next week was spent getting the aircraft ready for its planned first flight on October 2. The first engine ground test runs were made on September 26. Both engines made three five-minute runs. The plane was judged ready for taxi tests. On September 30, Stanley made several high-speed taxi runs to check out the handling of the aircraft. Several times, the XP-59A lifted off the lake bed. Based on this, Stanley wanted to press on and make the first flight. It was late in the afternoon, however, and Larry Bell said it would be better to wait until the next morning.

  FIRST FLIGHT

  On October 1, 1942, a year to the day after the nonflyable W.1X engine and an incomplete set of drawings were sent to the United States, the XP-59A stood ready to try its wings. Given the technological unknowns, this was a remarkable achievement. It was also an indication of what Black development procedures could accomplish.

  On this morning there were the usual last-minute problems. The ignition wires on both engines had to be changed before they could be started. Once they were running, Stanley taxied about three miles downwind onto the lake bed. He then turned the XP-59A and ran up the engines. The first flight reached an altitude of approximately 25 feet, and landing was made using partial power without flaps.

  In all, four flights were made. In each case, the landing gear was left down and altitude did not exceed 100 feet.[12] For those who had worked on the project, who knew the secret and understood what had been accomplished, it was a remarkable experience. Ted Rogers, a General Electric engineer wrote, "What a strange feeling this seemingly giant bird gave us as it approached. There was dead silence as it passed overhead — then a low rumbling like a blowtorch — and it was gone, leaving a smell of kerosene in the air."[13]

  The following day, a second series of test flights was made. Stanley made the first two flights, reaching 6,000 and 10,000 feet. The day's third flight was made by Col. Laurence C. Craigie, chief of the Aircraft Project Section at Wright Field. Stanley told Craigie that the engines had only about a half hour left before they would have to be overhauled, then asked if he would like to fly the plane. Craigie was a program manager and was not even a test pilot. He had come to North Base only as an observer, but Craigie did not have to be asked twice. Later, he recalled, "I didn't get very high. I didn't go very fast. The most vivid impression I received, after a very long takeoff run, occurred at the moment we broke contact with the ground — it was so quiet."

  Thus, quite by chance, Craigie became the first U.S. military pilot to make a jet flight.[14] Stanley made the day's final flight.

  The two days of flights indicated the igniter wires, landing gear, and oil pressure gauges all needed modification. The two I-A engines were also replaced. All early jet engines had very low operating lifetimes — in the case of the I-A, a mere five hours.[15]

  The test procedures did not match XP-59A's sophistication. The test pilot would radio instrument readings to the ground or jot down notes on a knee board. Control stick forces were measured with a fish scale. The engine thrust was measured with an industrial spring scale attached to the landing gear and anchored to the ground. Testing the pressurized cockpit (the first on a U.S. fighter) was a constant problem. The cabin seals had to be checked and replaced frequently. To check them, Angus McEahem, a General Electric technician, would close the canopy, start up the engine, and pressurize the cockpit. He would then light up a cigar. The smoke would show any leaks.

  It was clear from the start that the XP-59A required a new level of flight test data. As an interim solution, an observer's position was fitted into the nose section. A twenty-inch hole was cut in the upper fuselage, and a seat and instrument panel were fitted into the empty gun compartment. It resembled a World War I biplane cockpit. The XP-59A thus became the first two-seat jet (and the first open-cockpit jet aircraft). When test flights resumed on October 30, the observer's position proved highly successful. The first observer was E. P. Rhodes, Bell project engineer for the XP-59A.[16]

  Test flights of the XP-59A continued at a slow pace, due, in part, to the maintenance and modifications required of all new aircraft. The main problem was the I-A engines. They needed constant inspection and trouble-shooting. This was aggravated by slow engine production at General Electric. Delays in engine deliveries were a constant problem. Because of the short lifetime of each engine, the shortage interfered with early flight operations. What test flights were made indicated the engine bearings were overheating.

  The engine delivery problems also affected the second and third XP-59A prototypes. The second aircraft was sent to Muroc without engines. The wings arrived on December 27, 1942, with the fuselage following on January 4, 1943. Delays in the engine shipments pushed back the first flight until February 15. It was flown by Bell test pilot Frank H. "Bud" Kelly Jr., who had replaced Stanley in November. At takeoff, the cabin defroster failed, filling the cockpit with smoke. Kelly made a tight turn, cut the engines, and made a dead-stick landing.

  The third XP-59A arrived at Muroc on February 21. Again, the engines were not ready, so it was shipped without them. Due to the lack of engines and the press of modifications on the first two aircraft, it was not assembled until April. Adding to the engine delivery problems was the weather. In late January 1943, heavy winter rains flooded Rogers "Dry" Lake. While waiting for the lake bed to dry, the Bell and General Electric engineers worked on the bearings problem. They found it was caused by excessive tolerances.

  With more rain expected, it was decided to shift operations away from North Base temporarily. Hawes Field, near Victorville Field (later George Air Force Base) would be used. On March 10, the second XP-59A was towed thirty-five miles by road to the new site. The XP-59A was still classified Special Secret, however. The solution would create the most lasting image of the first Black airplane. To hide the telltale intakes and exhausts, the fuselage, from the nose to behind the wing's trailing edge, was covered in fabric during the move. Fitted to the nose was a four-bladed "prop" made by Joe Brown. Although crude, from a distance it would fool a witness. To make sure no one came close enough to see through the camouflage, the road was temporarily closed.

  Only one flight was made from Hawes Field before it was decided that the facility had inadequate security. About March 15, the XP-59A was again moved, this time to Harpers Lake. The site was some forty-two miles from North Base, and it soon proved difficult to transport personnel, supplies, and food to the area. By April 7, Rogers Dry Lake was again usable. The plane was flown back to North Base.[17]

  FLIGHT TESTS ACCELERATE

  April 1943 marked a turning point in the XP-59A program. Up to April 11, the first aircraft had made only thirty flights for a total of fifteen hours fifteen minutes of flight time. The second aircraft totaled twenty-four flights and thirteen hours forty-five minutes in the air, while the third aircraft had yet to fly. During April and May, the
pace of flight testing picked up. The third aircraft was flown, and the trio made sixty-seven flights to conduct glide tests, speed-power calibrations, landing gear tests, and performance checks.

  All those who flew the XP-59A noted its smooth and quiet ride. In fact the instruments often stuck due to the lack of vibration. To solve that problem, a two-dollar doorbell ringer was mounted on the instrument panel to provide the necessary vibration.

  The circle of those with jet flight experience was expanding. On April 21, Capt. Frederick M. Trapnell, chief of flight test for the Bureau of Aeronautics, became the first navy jet pilot. Trapnell, who retired as an admiral, had mixed feelings about his flight in the first XP-59A. Many years later he recalled:

  In ground run-ups the jet was very impressive for its unusual nose and the "blow-torch" slipstream, but the aircraft was obviously a very gentle type of high-altitude fighter with low wing-loading. It was a great surprise to find that the thing was very quiet and smooth from the pilot's point of view. During takeoff the rattling of the landing gear was audible and the general impression was that of a glider. The XP-59A was comparatively low-powered and this was apparent from the shallow climb-out. Its performance was, at first, distinctly unimpressive — long takeoff and slow rate of climb.

  The Bell test pilots also underwent changes — Kelly left North Base and was replaced by Jack Woolams as chief pilot. Woolams set an altitude record of 45,765 feet on July 14, 1943. He broke his own record on December 15, reaching 47,600 feet. In September 1943, Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston joined the program. Tex Johnston took over as chief pilot at the end of the year. Soon after, R. J. O'Gorman was added to the flight test effort. One famous pilot who did not get a chance to fly the plane was Howard Hughes.

  He came to North Base to fly the XP-59A, but the crew faked an engine problem — they did not want him flying "their" plane just for fun.

  The number of aircraft was also growing. On March 26, 1942, a contract had been approved to deliver thirteen YP-59A service test aircraft. These were preproduction aircraft, more similar to operational aircraft. Unlike the three XP-59As, these aircraft would be armed with either two 37mm cannons or one 37mm cannon and three.50-caliber machine guns. The first two YP-59As arrived at North Base in June 1943, but problems delayed their first flights until August and September. Initially, they had to use the original I-A engines, as the more powerful I-16 engines were delayed. By the end of the year, more YP-59As had been delivered, and the airplane had been given its official name of "Airacomet," which had been selected from crew suggestions.

  LIFE WITH A BLACK AIRPLANE

  To enter the world of Black airplanes is to embark on a strange adventure. Tex Johnston was asked only if he wanted to be project test pilot on a secret airplane. He drove from Buffalo to North Base, arriving at lunchtime.

  He was about to sit down in the mess hall (called the "Desert Rat Hotel") when "there was a sudden swish and a roar overhead." He asked, "What the hell was that?" He went outside and, as he wrote later: "I spotted the plane coming in for another pass. As it swooshed by, I understood. No prop. I had just witnessed my first jet-propelled airplane."

  The XP-59A personnel (and their counterparts on later Black airplanes) were doing things no others had the chance to do or would even dream possible. But they could not tell any one about it. Captain Trapnell later gave a firsthand example of this: "I found myself in a group discussing rumors then emanating from Europe, of a weird and wonderful means of propulsion — without a propeller. The discussion became quite intense and very inaccurate, to say the least. I was supposed to be the most knowledgeable of those present but I had to sit silent and act dumb. I couldn't say that I not only knew about it but had flown one. I was forbidden to say a word."

  Life at North Base was rugged — the hours were long, living quarters spartan, and the weather ranged from extreme heat during the day to freezing cold at night. Such shared hardship creates a unity that people in nine to five jobs can never know. Such a brotherhood of experience finds expression in symbols. Woolams returned from a trip to Hollywood with several dozen black derby hats and some fake mustaches. He gave them out to the Bell personnel. The "Bell Bowlers" would wear the hats as symbols of jet service while drinking in bars such as Juanita's in nearby Rosamond. The army air forces personnel removed the propeller from their collar insignia. To those who were part of the group, the meaning was understood. To those outside the secret club, the symbols were meaningless.

  The airspace over North Base was restricted, and pilots training at South Base were told never to approach it. Being human, they sometimes tried to sneak a peek. In mid-June 1943, Lt. Royal D. Frey was flying near North Base when he saw a plane take off. It was silhouetted against the lake bed, and he noticed the shadow of a smoke trail from the aircraft. A few minutes later, the plane passed his P-38 in a steep rolling climb. During the brief

  "sighting," he saw it had no propeller. When he landed, Frey told the other student pilots but was disbelieved. After all, an airplane could not fly without a propeller.

  Frey was more fortunate than another group of Muroc pilots. They were flying in formation when an XP-59 pulled up alongside. Their shock at seeing an airplane flying without a propeller was considerable. A bigger shock came when they saw the pilot was a gorilla wearing a black derby hat and waving a cigar! It was Jack Woolams in a Halloween mask and the Bell trademark hat. The "pilot" then tipped his hat and peeled off. It is reported that throttles were bent and vows of abstinence taken by several pilots in that fall of 1943."

  But sometimes the secrecy of a Black airplane asked a great deal. On September 24, 1943, Woolams was flying a photo mission with another airplane. After they took off, a sandstorm swept in, covering North Base with a blanket of blowing dust. The chase plane flew on to Burbank for a landing. Woolams did not have that option — he had to land at North Base.

  Whatever the circumstances, the XP-59A could not be seen. Woolams made a risky instrument landing in the midst of the storm.[18]

  THE END OF THE P-59

  It was not until January 6, 1944, that the existence of the P-59 program was revealed. The joint U.S. Army Air Forces-Royal Air Force announcement gave a brief history of jet propulsion and limited details such as the date of the first flight. It did not say where the test flights were made, the name of the aircraft, or did it include a picture. This set the pattern for later announcements.

  The lack of official information did not stop the press from speculating, however. Typical quotes included, "Speed of the plane was placed at between 500 and 600 mph," and "Its top speed has been estimated by ground observers to exceed 500 mph." This, too, would become typical of later Dark Eagles.

  In February 1944, operational tests were conducted at Muroc by army air forces test pilots to determine the production YP-59's tactical suitability.

  Three YP-59As with the more powerful I-16 engines were used. The results were disappointing — in mock dogfights with P-47Ds and P-38Js, the YP-59As were outclassed in both performance and maneuverability. The P-47s and P-38s could break off combat at will by either diving away or going into a full-power climb.

  As the suitability tests were being conducted, Bell's North Base operations were being brought to an end. The final days were spent giving rides to Bell mechanics in the observer's cockpit of the first XP-59A. By February 18, 1944, the aircraft and equipment were turned over to the army air forces. On February 27, Bell flight operations at North Base were formally closed. The three XP-59As and six YP-59As had put in 242 hours and 30 minutes of flight time without a mishap.

  The shortcomings of the P-59 were reinforced in April 1944 when a YP-59A underwent gunnery tests. Using its three.50-caliber machine guns, the plane made firing runs at speeds between 220 and 340 mph. The tests showed poor directional stability at speeds above 290 mph. The army air forces concluded"… it is not believed that the P-59 airplane is operationally or tactically suited for combat nor is it believed that any modification to this aircraft, sho
rt of a completely new design, would improve its combat suitability…"

  It was still felt the P-59A had a useful role:

  … although the aircraft is not suitable for combat, there is a requirement for a limited number of subject aircraft to be utilized for jet training and for general Air Force familiarization. The Army Air Forces Board is further of the opinion that use of jet propelled aircraft will become widespread in the immediate future and that the P-59

  … is an excellent aircraft for purposes of conducting research on jet power plants and pressure cabins. The P-59 will also make an excellent training ship in that its low wing-loading makes the airplane very safe for transition flying and the fact that it has two engines is an added safety factor.

  Due to its planned role as a jet trainer, only limited P-59 production was undertaken. The operational aircraft incorporated a number of modifications first tested on the YP-59As. The wing tips and rudder were reduced in size to improve maneuverability, and a vertical fin was added to improve spin recovery. The aft fuselage was strengthened, metal flaps and ailerons replaced the original fabric-covered ones, and the main landing gear was modified. After twenty P-59As were delivered, fuel tanks were added to the outer wings. These final thirty aircraft were redesignated P-59Bs. Most of the aircraft were operated by the 412th Fighter Group. In July 1946, less than a year after the last P-59 was delivered, they were retired. One YP-59A and three P-59As were also provided to the U.S. Navy. They were operated for several years in a test role, introducing that service to the jet age.[19]