25894 “AIR POWER ’56” 1956 BENDIX TROPHY RACE & NATIONAL AIRCRAFT SHOW F-100 SUPER SABRE

This short film covering the 1956 Bendix Race and the National Aircraft Show in Philadelphia gives viewers a great look at the air power of the U.S. military. The film opens with pilots sitting next to a jet at George Air Force Base near Victorville, CA, studying a map. The men are preparing to fly their North American F-100 Super Sabres in the Bendix Trophy Event, the famed continental speed race. The pilots run through their safety checks (01:20), then put on their gear and climb into their jets. The first F-100 takes off from the base in California (02:38), and the other five soon follow. The National Aircraft Show at Philadelphia International Airport (03:08) features crowds walking around the grounds and looking at the following aircraft on display: a Piasecki HUP Retriever, a Grumman F9F Cougar, a North American FJ-4 Fury, a Bell VTOL prototype (04:27), a Grumman S2F-1 Tracker (sub killer), a Vought F7U Cutlass (04:55), an old WWI biplane sitting next to a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk (05:23), a B-47 Stratojet, a C-17 Globemaster, and a Convair B-36 Peacemaker (06:31). Kids and people crowd around various planes, and in some cases pilots are on hand to talk to people. At the Army aviation area, a man gives a parachute packing demonstration (06:40). Viewers also see a Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (07:11), a Cessna L-19, a Douglas Nike missile that the operator lowers for members of the crowd (07:26), a Beachcraft L-23 Seminole, a Piasecki H-25 Retriever/Army Mule, and a Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter. A young girl sits in the H-13 (08:38), looking unamused. People crowd in the stands to watch the Army’s H-13 helicopters “square dance” (08:44). The helicopters maneuver around in a square dance pattern. Next, the crowd is treated to the start of a simulated battle maneuver (10:39): an L-19 passes by; a transport helicopter drops off troops. An H-13 flies overhead; a H-19 carries a 75mm howitzer. An H-25 drops off cargo during the simulation (12:27), and an L-19 parachutes cargo (12:43). An atomic artillery shell is shown being detonated at 12:56.. Spectators watch the skies for one of the F-100s to arrive; the first F-100 flies overhead (13:57) and then lands; the pilot, Col. Carlos Talbott, sits in his cockpit and watches his fellow pilots as they arrive. Off in the distance is the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) carrier (15:36).

A Northrop F-17 takes off from the carrier, as does a and Grumman S2F-1. A Cutlass demonstrates a carrier landing on the airfield for spectators (16:42). Viewers then see various aircraft perform a flyby over the event: Martin P5M-2 Marlins fly overhead in formation; Lockeed P-2 Neptunes fly by; a Douglas A3D Skywarrior cruises past. Two helicopters lift a geo dome shelter and move it to demonstrate Marine mobility (17:29). The F-100 pilots gather for the Bendix trophy presentation (19:08), which is awarded to Col. Carlos Talbott. There is a good shot of the trophy, which was first won by James H. Doolittle in 1931. Two Lockheed F-104 Starfighters take off to demonstrate a mission. A Lockheed RC-121 flies overhead and is escorted by intercept fighters. 21:58 Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars over the spectators (21:58). A B-47 Stratojet takes off with a jet-assist takeoff demonstration (22:35). The film concludes with more footage of aircraft flying overhead, including a KC-135 Stratotanker refilling a B-47, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a McDonnell F101 Voodoo, a trio of Convair XF-92 delta wing supersonic interceptors, a trio of B-36 Peacemakers, a B-47 squadron, and a squadron of B-52 Stratofortress.

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