Friends,
Bought these pictures on e-Bay of unknown Tow Target pilot at Biggs Field/Ft. Bliss, El Paso, Texas which I would like to share with you all.
Our young Lieutenant mounting up on Douglas O-38E. I wish that there was another picture of this old bird showing the star & bars insignia.
Squadron mates with two Woman Airforce Service Pilots. This picture was my first guess that the location was Ft. Bliss by WASPs and the Franklin Mountains in the background. I think the blond WASP on the left is Emma Coulter who was assigned to Biggs AAfld. By the dirt field and the predominate mountain landscape I think that this an auxiliary at Ft. Bliss that the tow target squadron stages out of for the target drone mission.
More squadron mates with a Beach C-45 and a Culver PQ-14.
A Culver PQ-8 and a PQ-14 at the “Hanger” note that it is just graded dirt for the field.
A dusty take-off of a drone and its controller with the Franklin Mountains in the background.
A Cessna UC-78 controller getting ready to go. It looks to me that the controllers were pair to the drones the UC-78 to the PQ-8, the C-45 to the PQ-14 and the Harvard to the OQ-14.
In flight with the fixed-gear PQ-8
Exiting the C-45 controller.
Looks to me like a check flight with the faster PQ-14.
Very up close picture of the PQ-14 with the mountains in the background.
Some CriticalPast.com stills that verify the Ft. Bliss location and showing the procedures with the Raidoplane OQ-14
The C-45 controller/camera plane with the Franklin Mountains in the background.
The Harvard IIB control plane which is the first Lend/Lease Noorduyn AT-16-ND built for the British. All Lend/Lease planes have army or navy serial numbers or bureau numbers and army or navy designations. Since they were technically U.S. equipment they have U.S. manuals derived from flight test, which may explain the AAF serial number. It looks like after testing, which was probably just checking to see if was the same as a AT-6, it was assigned to Biggs.
Assembling the OQ-14
Checking the 22 hp Righter/Kiekhaefer O-45-1 engine.
Lanching the OQ-14.
The AAA trainees firing away.
And if they miss a parachute recovery.
As for the Marilyn Monroe connection, the 19 year old Mrs. Norma Jeane Dougherty, woman war worker, who work for Raidoplane, in her first photo shoot. The kid already had a rough life, but such a smile.
Best regards to you all,
Tom Michel
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
