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Convair XF2Y Seadart Buno 135762 - sound barrier



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 21st 03, 04:31 PM
Chuck
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Default Convair XF2Y Seadart Buno 135762 - sound barrier

From http://www.staugustine.com (St. Augustine FL 21 Dec 2003)

By SUSAN PARKER
Historian

With this past week's centennial celebration of the Wright Brothers'
first flight, the focus on aviation pioneers has been both historical
and personal for me.

My uncle, Charles Eugene Richbourg, a son of St. Augustine, was the
first person to break the sound barrier in a seaplane on Aug. 3, 1954.
Three months later he was killed testing another version of that plane,
the SeaDart. His remains were returned to St. Augustine to be buried in
the National Cemetery.

Uncle Charlie, my father's younger brother, grew up on Milton Street,
near the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Other boys in the
neighborhood -- Frank and Hamilton Upchurch and Richard Watson, now with
their own distinguished careers -- have recalled for me my uncle's
passion for creating model airplanes in the workshop in the family
garage.

An alumnus of Ketterlinus High School and of MIT, Charles Richbourg
became a test pilot for Convair after four years as a Navy pilot in
World War II. He tested an experimental seaplane that would double as a
high-performance delta-winged jet fighter. In those days test pilots
were very involved in designing the planes in addition to
flight-testing. He knew Chuck Yeager and his name was included in early
discussions of astronaut candidates.
Uncle Charlie came from a flying family.

Over half of its six family members were pilots -- Charles, his father,
his older brother and his older sister. James W. Richbourg, his father
and my grandfather, established St. Augustine Flying Enterprises with
Lucius Rees in 1928, to run an airfield on State Road 16, train pilots
and service aircraft. Would it frustrate and puzzle them to know that I
swallow a tranquilizer before boarding a plane?

To me, Charles Richbourg was, first of all, my tall uncle since I was a
child when he died. It was years later that I realized the larger world
of his achievements. I see him now in a few scattered moments in my
memory. I recall one day when he squatted down to my own short size and
set me on his knee. I was the 3-year-old flower girl in his wedding, but
my memory's image of the event is mostly the flames flickering on the
tall candelabra at the end of the church aisle. He and my father
standing at the end of the aisle are shadows in my memory.

It was happenstance that CBS news cameras were filming what turned out
to be his final flight in early November 1954. [Life magazine also
featured photos].

Although I had already been told of the tragedy, I did not expect to see
Uncle Charlie wave good-by from the cockpit on the evening news. Then I
saw his plane explode, bursting apart in the air.

No one else has ever flown faster than the speed of sound in a seaplane.
---end St. Augustine Record newspaper article---

Chuck



HEAVY ATTACK COMPOSITE (VC-5,6,7,8,9) WEBSITE
http://community.webtv.net/charles379/USNComposite

FAIRECONRON ONE AND TWO (VQ-1/2) CASUALTIES
http://www.anzwers.org/free/navyscpo...r_AirCrew.html

  #2  
Old December 22nd 03, 10:51 AM
Legal Tender
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There was a Sea Dart over at NAS Norfolk back in April of 1968. Cockpit was
closed but no other protection on the Jet. There was also a "Pogo". Do not
know what ever happened to them..
Frank


"Chuck" wrote in message
...
From http://www.staugustine.com (St. Augustine FL 21 Dec 2003)

By SUSAN PARKER
Historian

With this past week's centennial celebration of the Wright Brothers'
first flight, the focus on aviation pioneers has been both historical
and personal for me.

My uncle, Charles Eugene Richbourg, a son of St. Augustine, was the
first person to break the sound barrier in a seaplane on Aug. 3, 1954.
Three months later he was killed testing another version of that plane,
the SeaDart. His remains were returned to St. Augustine to be buried in
the National Cemetery.

Uncle Charlie, my father's younger brother, grew up on Milton Street,
near the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Other boys in the
neighborhood -- Frank and Hamilton Upchurch and Richard Watson, now with
their own distinguished careers -- have recalled for me my uncle's
passion for creating model airplanes in the workshop in the family
garage.

An alumnus of Ketterlinus High School and of MIT, Charles Richbourg
became a test pilot for Convair after four years as a Navy pilot in
World War II. He tested an experimental seaplane that would double as a
high-performance delta-winged jet fighter. In those days test pilots
were very involved in designing the planes in addition to
flight-testing. He knew Chuck Yeager and his name was included in early
discussions of astronaut candidates.
Uncle Charlie came from a flying family.

Over half of its six family members were pilots -- Charles, his father,
his older brother and his older sister. James W. Richbourg, his father
and my grandfather, established St. Augustine Flying Enterprises with
Lucius Rees in 1928, to run an airfield on State Road 16, train pilots
and service aircraft. Would it frustrate and puzzle them to know that I
swallow a tranquilizer before boarding a plane?

To me, Charles Richbourg was, first of all, my tall uncle since I was a
child when he died. It was years later that I realized the larger world
of his achievements. I see him now in a few scattered moments in my
memory. I recall one day when he squatted down to my own short size and
set me on his knee. I was the 3-year-old flower girl in his wedding, but
my memory's image of the event is mostly the flames flickering on the
tall candelabra at the end of the church aisle. He and my father
standing at the end of the aisle are shadows in my memory.

It was happenstance that CBS news cameras were filming what turned out
to be his final flight in early November 1954. [Life magazine also
featured photos].

Although I had already been told of the tragedy, I did not expect to see
Uncle Charlie wave good-by from the cockpit on the evening news. Then I
saw his plane explode, bursting apart in the air.

No one else has ever flown faster than the speed of sound in a seaplane.
---end St. Augustine Record newspaper article---

Chuck



HEAVY ATTACK COMPOSITE (VC-5,6,7,8,9) WEBSITE
http://community.webtv.net/charles379/USNComposite

FAIRECONRON ONE AND TWO (VQ-1/2) CASUALTIES
http://www.anzwers.org/free/navyscpo...r_AirCrew.html



  #3  
Old December 25th 03, 06:31 AM
Jdf4cheval
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Default

Coincidentally, I've just returned from a brief trip to San Diego, where I had
time to look at the SD Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park. Very professionally
done, and well worth working into any visit to San Diego. At the entrance are
two planeguards, an SR-71 and the first Sea Dart I've ever seen.

There was a Sea Dart over at NAS Norfolk back in April of 1968. Cockpit was
closed but no other protection on the Jet. There was also a "Pogo". Do not
know what ever happened to them..
Frank





  #4  
Old December 25th 03, 07:05 AM
Leanne
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Posts: n/a
Default

There was a Sea Dart over at NAS Norfolk back in April of 1968.
Cockpit was
closed but no other protection on the Jet. There was also a

"Pogo". Do not
know what ever happened to them..


Frank,

I don't know how many they built, but there is one outside the
EAA musem at the Lakeland Linder Airport in Forida.

Leanne


  #5  
Old December 25th 03, 02:24 PM
Tex Houston
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Leanne" wrote in message
...
There was a Sea Dart over at NAS Norfolk back in April of 1968.

Cockpit was
closed but no other protection on the Jet. There was also a

"Pogo". Do not
know what ever happened to them..


Frank,

I don't know how many they built, but there is one outside the
EAA musem at the Lakeland Linder Airport in Forida.

Leanne



With the EAA Museum located in Oshkosh, might you be talking about the
Florida Air Museum?

Regards,

Tex Houston


  #6  
Old December 25th 03, 02:43 PM
Bob McKellar
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Posts: n/a
Default



Tex Houston wrote:

"Leanne" wrote in message
...
There was a Sea Dart over at NAS Norfolk back in April of 1968.

Cockpit was
closed but no other protection on the Jet. There was also a

"Pogo". Do not
know what ever happened to them..


Frank,

I don't know how many they built, but there is one outside the
EAA musem at the Lakeland Linder Airport in Forida.

Leanne


With the EAA Museum located in Oshkosh, might you be talking about the
Florida Air Museum?

Regards,

Tex Houston


From: http://www.coastcomp.com/av/pres/prest.htm

Convair XF2/YF2 Sea Dart


XF2 137634 Garber Facility - Smithsonian
(Prototype)
YF2Y-1 135763 95 San Diego Aerospace Museum(CA)
YF2Y-1 135764 JUL94 Willow Grove (PA) NAS
YF2Y-1 135765 APR97 LAKELAND (FL) Sun and Fun MUSEUM

Bob McKellar



  #7  
Old December 25th 03, 04:01 PM
Ogden Johnson III
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Default

Bob McKellar wrote:

From: http://www.coastcomp.com/av/pres/prest.htm

Convair XF2/YF2 Sea Dart


XF2 137634 Garber Facility - Smithsonian
(Prototype)
YF2Y-1 135763 95 San Diego Aerospace Museum(CA)
YF2Y-1 135764 JUL94 Willow Grove (PA) NAS
YF2Y-1 135765 APR97 LAKELAND (FL) Sun and Fun MUSEUM


Thanks for the info. But it brings two questions to mind.

Does anyone know the present status of that XF2? [The page shows last
edit in May of 2003.] If restoration is complete, could it have been
moved to the new NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located at
Washington Dulles International Airport? Last location shown on the
Smithsonian pages is G22 at the Garber Facility. [From
http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/air_space.cfm et seq]

The XF2's full designation shown on the NASM pages is XF2Y-1. I note
that its BuNo is 137634, nearly 2000 numbers beyond the YF2Y-1s. From
what I learned while serving, the Xs usually preceded the Ys in the
typical development spectrum. Whassup with the Sea Darts that they
went out of order?
--
OJ III
[Email sent to Yahoo addy is burned before reading.
Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast]
  #8  
Old December 25th 03, 04:15 PM
Bob McKellar
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default



Ogden Johnson III wrote:

Bob McKellar wrote:

From: http://www.coastcomp.com/av/pres/prest.htm

Convair XF2/YF2 Sea Dart


XF2 137634 Garber Facility - Smithsonian
(Prototype)
YF2Y-1 135763 95 San Diego Aerospace Museum(CA)
YF2Y-1 135764 JUL94 Willow Grove (PA) NAS
YF2Y-1 135765 APR97 LAKELAND (FL) Sun and Fun MUSEUM


Thanks for the info. But it brings two questions to mind.

Does anyone know the present status of that XF2? [The page shows last
edit in May of 2003.] If restoration is complete, could it have been
moved to the new NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located at
Washington Dulles International Airport? Last location shown on the
Smithsonian pages is G22 at the Garber Facility. [From
http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/air_space.cfm et seq]

The XF2's full designation shown on the NASM pages is XF2Y-1. I note
that its BuNo is 137634, nearly 2000 numbers beyond the YF2Y-1s. From
what I learned while serving, the Xs usually preceded the Ys in the
typical development spectrum. Whassup with the Sea Darts that they
went out of order?
--
OJ III
[Email sent to Yahoo addy is burned before reading.
Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast]


When in doubt, check with Joe Baugher!
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f7.html

The "Preserved List" is updated sporadically and randomly, usually in the
dead of winter[1] when there is nothing much else to do.

[1] Not that "winter" around Savannah would impress a lot of you

Bob McKellar

  #9  
Old December 25th 03, 04:19 PM
Tex Houston
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Ogden Johnson III" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know the present status of that XF2? [The page shows last
edit in May of 2003.] If restoration is complete, could it have been
moved to the new NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located at
Washington Dulles International Airport? Last location shown on the
Smithsonian pages is G22 at the Garber Facility. [From
http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/air_space.cfm et seq]


OJ III


I checked the UHC list at:

http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarh...ifacts_air.cfm

and they have no Convair aircraft listed. May very well still be in
storage.

Tex Houston





  #10  
Old December 25th 03, 04:34 PM
Ogden Johnson III
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Posts: n/a
Default

Bob McKellar wrote:

Ogden Johnson III wrote:


When in doubt, check with Joe Baugher!
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f7.html

The "Preserved List" is updated sporadically and randomly, usually in the
dead of winter[1] when there is nothing much else to do.


They weren't life or death questions, just random curiosity on a slow
morning [we have done XMas at New Years for years - since all the kids
are out of everyone's house].

[1] Not that "winter" around Savannah would impress a lot of you


It would me - if I had the good fortune to be living there. I loved
it the few months we spent there when I was a kid and dad was going to
a school at Ft Gordon before hieing off to the Korean War. Then
pulled regular weekend liberty there the few times I was TAD to MCAS
Beaufort. *The* nicest place I've ever spent time in - and that
includes 2 years as a military brat in Hawaii.
--
OJ III
[Email sent to Yahoo addy is burned before reading.
Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast]
 




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