Warbird Information Exchange

... I can only guess they are some sort of radar / sonar type ideas? Photos stated nothing to explain the when's, where's, why's or what's.

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From Air Enthusiast 13 (Aug-Nov 1980) Letters page reply to earlier article on Project Tom-Tom: Jay Miller quoted a letter from Dr Richard Vogt, a German designer with Blohm und Voss: Vogt had made various tip-tow proposals to the USAF, including B-29/F-84, C-47/PQ-14, and:

"...I designed small fuel-carrying wings for the Beech L-23. Beech received an order to build and attach them and to make necessary flight tests. All was completed very successfully and a range increase of more than 100% was achieved. We also made flights with only one floating panel attached without problems".

From his letter this would seem to have occurred sometime in 1955 or earlier, but the FY55 s/n of the L-23 would probably mean a post-55 date.

The first plane 58-1348 per Baugher's site: converted to RL-23D in 1958/59 with UPD-1 SLAR system, later converted to U-8G.

58-1360 and 55-3465 aslo noted as converted to U-8G.

O074 and 360 also have SLAR pods...broadly similarly to what was also fitted to Mohawks.

G
For a good bit I f background on the USAF tip tank installation, see the excellent book..."Twin Bonanza, the Craft of the Masters".

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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

What kind of ground clearance did that first one have...........1/2 inch?

And where is the nose landing gear and how did it function (retract/extend) with that fairing in the way?

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