Joint USAAF/US Navy Fighter Conference…

Latest on this is that the Whirlwind was at the January 1944 Fighter Conference at Elgin – a definite location, based on PT’s logs and a book I found about a Lockheed test pilot who got to fly it. So the timeline goes Anacostia NAS July 42, then Norfolk NAS January 43 (approx., based on Twiss saying it had been in open storage for a year) to January 44, then down to Eglin AFB for the conference.. then disappears, except for a request to Westland for a tailwheel and some expertise in 1944, from the USAAC / USAAF. I have found nothing yet to suggest Pensacola, as has been put forward before.. but I haven’t seen all the evidence Jerry Brewer and NiallC have.

Can anyone add to this?

Nope the above is rubbish, due to me forgetting how to read!! 😮

After looking at the info we have again, we have written confirmation of 2 places & events where Whirlwind P6994 was at the same time. Eglin Field for a Fighter Conference and Anacostia for her Navy Evaluation… 😉

I’m afraid both Wright Field and Patuxent River are mere assumptions on our part at the moment, which until we get info to prove otherwise are back on the shelf again… 🙁

Niall…

I’ve since found through a communication from Air Commodore Jones to Divisional Headquarters Wright Field, P6994 was delivered via Anacostia to Wright Field, Materiel Division, Experimental Engineering Section in July 1942… 😉

Seafire.

MB190?

Mark

Hi Stu

Peter’s logbook confirms that he delivered the Whirlwind to Eglin Field.(He flew in to Norfolk on the 10th as a passenger on a NATS DC3 so I assume that’s where he took from with the Whirlwind two days later)

Jan 12: WW 6994: Test flight and on to Cherry Pt. Cherry Pt-Charleston
Jan 13: WW 6994: Charleston-Savannah
Jan 15: WW 6994: Savannah-Talahassee-Eglin Field.

Note that this is some time before the March date you give for the Fighter Conference.

As far as finding any US report that may or may not have been produced, I think that at least part of the difficulty has been that the aircraft appears not to have been given a T- or FE- number. As usual with the military, things without number tend to be things without records.

HTH
Niall

The next bit is if the USAAF made an evaluation report, what might they call it, was there a standard form for aircraft evaluation?

As you can probably guess I’m running blind here, so bear with me… 😮

Stu…

The Whirlwind was at the earlier Florida conference, not the Pax River one that the book covers. I haven’t seen reference to similar documents for the earlier conference, but it must be out there!

It was a Seafire, by the way, not Spit.

bob

Yes, your right, a Seafire! I remember I was gutted when the Whirly wasn’t in there… Ha!

Didn’t it also mention Peter Twiss, as I have an account of him flying the Whirly down to a florida conference, but it didn’t say which base, hence this post, the compass went US so he stopped over at Cherry Point to get it sorted… (Not the book on the NAS Patuxent River though. )

All good fun… :rolleyes:

Stu…

Wrong conference

The Whirlwind was at the earlier Florida conference, not the Pax River one that the book covers. I haven’t seen reference to similar documents for the earlier conference, but it must be out there!

It was a Seafire, by the way, not Spit.

bob

…and 16-23 October 1944 NAS Patuxent River, MD

Now I remember bought a book about that and although very interesting reading it did not mention anything about the Whirly but did have the evaluation reports at the rear, for Mosquito and Spitfire, unfortunately I appear to have mislaid it long since… :confused:

Stu…

Thanks JB…

Just sounding out here…

Concerning the British aircraft at these conferences, would there be reports including photo’s of cockpits, engines, armaments etc. after their evaluation and if so, any idea as to what US Dept. would that fall under at Eglin Proving Ground Command…

I know the German reports of allied aircraft were pretty detailed, and I surmise the American equivalent would be the same…

Anything to save time searching through NARA archives… 😉

…and 16-23 October 1944 NAS Patuxent River, MD

I can’t add anything to the aircraft conference, but I’ll guess the base was probably Eglin AAF.
At that time it was home to USAAF Proving Ground Command, and it’s still a major test base today.