Flying Boats and Flights to Space

Only World War II interrupted my husband’s career

by Cartha W.

My husband, Reese, started to work for the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1938. When he retired in 1994, Reese's work record was interrupted only by his military service in World War II. He worked on the JRM Mars, the M-130 Clipper and the Space Shuttle’s external tank. In 1983, Reese was a senior industrial engineer and estimator. He received a special commendation for supporting proposals that led to contract awards in excess of $100 million.

The Martin JRM Mars

Cold War Career

I began at Lockheed in 1953

by John D.

After graduating high school, I did a single enlistment in the Navy. I then began working at Lockheed in Marietta, Georgia. It was in 1953, just prior to C-130 production. I was a capital electrical and electronic equipment space assembly installer. The C-141 simulator and C-5A followed, and I gained valued training. My electronic vocation school training came into play, and I was given new assignments, including quality control inspector and precision measuring equipment specialist. Altogether (layoffs set aside) I enjoyed 16 years Lockheed. All this greatly honed my technical development and provided me a most rewarding employment and career path. My experience with Lockheed eventually led to a most successful professional retirement in government service.

Postcard Memories

My parents began their careers in 1951

by Sheila H.

My name is Sheila. My parents Clyde and Marjorie were both employed by Martin Marietta for many years. They began their careers in 1951 at the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland. They both worked in the electronics department building the P6M SeaMaster and the P5M Marlin. In 1961, Martin Marietta opened a new plant in Orlando, Florida. My father was transferred to Orlando that same year. My mother was rehired a couple of years later. They both worked on the Pershing and Patriot missile programs. They both retired and were able to enjoy many happy and healthy years together. My father passed away in 2007 at 87 years old. My mother will turn 85 in a few months.

Glenn L. Martin Company, Baltimore, Maryland

Loving My Trade

It was a pleasure working at Martin

by Bennie A.

I started working at the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1957 as an electrician. I performed various jobs at the factory, and I repaired overhead cranes and all power panels. I also worked in the hydrostat building, at all four test stands and all the buildings at our plant. I enjoyed being a supervisor and lead electrician. I miss the plant. It was a pleasure working there!

The XB-51’s Striking Innovation

After World War II, another threat loomed 

by Wilfred K.

I was employed as a draftsman in Baltimore in 1941. By 1950, I was recognized as a better-than-average electrical engineer, having designed and tested the electric power system for the Martin P4M four-engine bomber. I later designed the electrical circuitry for the Martin-patented Automatic Propeller Feathering Control System for Takeoff Power Failure for the Model 2-0-2 aircraft. In 1951, I was assigned as project electromechanical engineer on the XB-5I bomber. My duties covered electrical, hydraulics and armament. The XB-51 was an excellent medium bomber, and it performed well beyond all specification requirements. It had many unique features including a bicycle landing gear. The forward pair of wheels turned for steering, and its pivoting wing with geared flaps when the pilot moved his flap control for lift during takeoff or landing. The wing leading edge moved up, pivoted over the hinged rear spar and the geared flaps moved down. The aircraft had a rotating bomb door. Before flight, the bombs were loaded on top of the door, which was then hoisted into a cavity in the aircraft belly. For bomb release, the door was rotated 180 degrees exposing bombs to the air stream. Westinghouse air brakes provided maximum braking during landing, along with a small parachute the airplane braked to stop in less than 2,000 feet. Brake control was provided by a brakes-on and -off switch on the panel. The pilot flipped the switch to “on” after touchdown and had maximum braking until the plane stopped.

The XB-51, Martin's Phantom Strike Aircraft

Soon after I reached my office, I had to attend an after-flight meeting with a meeting of the pilot and several engineers. The pilot complained about the high amount of lateral trim. On airplanes with ailerons, lateral trim is achieved by a trim tab on the aileron. Deflection of the trim tab 0 to 5 degrees causes a small opposite deflection of the aileron. Since the XB51 had no ailerons, lateral control was achieved by large flaps to top of the wing, and lateral t rim was provided by a small trim flap on the trailing edge of the wing. Trim was achieved by trim flap motion of zero to 15 degrees. I suggested that we could change the trim indicator to read “0 to 5” instead of “0 to 15.” George Trimble, chief of new design, thought it was a great idea!

During 1950, the XB-51 completed all required flight tests. In 1951 all armament tests were to be done. Early in the year, the airplane was moved into the gun firing revetment. There, Werner Buechal and I observed testing of gun aiming accuracy. Four 20mm cannons were mounted in the nose of the XB-51. During aiming test, each gun was separately loaded with five live rounds, followed by a dummy round. As each gun was fired, its accuracy was checked and adjusted if necessary. At the completion of the alignment of the four guns, we were ready for bomb drops. By specification, we were required to make eight drops of the nine 500 pound bombs at high speed and low altitude. I was asked to take pictures of the bombs as they left the airplane. I asked Herm Meyer, our aerodynamics group engineer, to provide me a plot of the relative location of the bombs and the airplane as the bombs dropped to the ground. After several computer runs, Meyer told me the bombs position during drop was constant 45 degrees aft of vertical

I met with the flight test instrumentation group. We removed the front center bomb and loaded a 45-degree aft-pointing gun camera in its place. The gun camera was connected to the bomb release wiring, so the camera would start running as the bombs were released. A small aerodynamically faired box was mounted on the bottom of the wing carrying a second camera pointed below the airplane to view the bombs as they separated. Captain Willard Horn piloted the plane for each of the eight required bomb drops at 625 mph at 50 feet above the ocean. The results were spectacular! We recorded pictures of each group of eight bombs from release to impact in the ocean. The side camera showed the bombs as they separated. They were completely stable with no tumbling. This was in comparison to problems with B-47 bomb release at 350 mph, with bombs tumbling in the bomb bay after release.

After a flight competition over the Martin airfield between the XB-51 and the British Canberra, Martin was awarded a contract to design and build B-57 bombers based on the British Canberra and the XB 51 contract was terminated. Bob Williams, the XB-51 assistant project engineer was reassigned to head the B-57 project and I was promoted to fill his place. With the XB-51 program terminating, Ralph Draut was reassigned and I became the project engineer.

In January 1952, I signed the contract paperwork with Captain Horn who flew the airplane to Muroc Air Force Flight Test Base in California. He had to stop midway to refuel the airplane, so we sent two mechanics ahead to help with the turnaround. After Horn took off our mechanics flew to Muroc to help the Muroc ground crew to become acquainted with the XB51.

I was summoned to the sales office. I learned that I was assigned to fly to Muroc to talk to Major Lathrop who was to fly the XB-51 while it was at Muroc, and hopefully to speak to General Wolff about the merits of the airplane. I spent some time with Major Lathrop, but learned I would not be able to speak to General Wolff because he was being transferred to Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

After my stay at the base, I drove to the Los Angeles railroad station where I boarded the Santa Fe Super Chief to Chicago. The train stopped in Pasadena and left in the night. The next morning, we awoke to daylight in Winslow. I really enjoyed the trip east viewing the desert, buttes and mountains for the first time as we passed through Flagstaff Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Raton Pass. We continued overnight to Chicago, where I changed trains and went to Baltimore on the B&O Capital Limited. When I returned to work, I learned that I was assigned to be XP6M-I assistant project engineer.

In April 1952, we learned that the XB-51 number one crashed during an air show at Muroc. A grandstand was erected beside the runway and was full of Air Force personnel and members of the media along with many cameras including a 35mm motion picture camera handled by a cameraman from Hollywood. Major Lathrop was the pilot. The airplane made two passes, the first at 600+ mph, the second slow with a roll in front of the grand stand. On the slow speed pass, Major Lathrop approached at 250 mph, during the roll the airplane lost altitude and at 270 degrees a wing tip touched the ground. The airplane crashed and tumbled on the runway until it stopped, a pile of aluminum scrap.

An Exceptional Place

Thanks for the wonderful opportunity

by Eunice T.

I worked for 10 years at the plant in Denville, New Jersey. I have never been in this part of New Jersey before, and it was a nice experience to go to the location. The town and the people gave me the opportunity to be among other nationalities, which is good. I met some nice friends.

A Picture-Postcard Town!

The Longest Half-Hour

I’ll never forget being up close and personal with a Trident C4 X missile

by Arnie K.

It was 1977, and I was a lead technician on the Trident I missile program. I went inside a C4 X missile to change out its flight control package. It took me some time to get into position on top of the missile to get into the area I needed to be. I was “suddenly” asked to get out of the missiles so other technical staff could vent the vessel next to me. I was in the right position, and I did not want to move. I asked if they would close up the missile with me in it. After all, it would only be about five minutes to vent the two missiles. They had to remove the hose supplying air, so it quickly got hot and stuffy inside the C4 X. Then, the worst happened! The guys went to lunch and forgot me! It was really scary closed up in a live missile. Thirty minutes seemed like forever. It was hot, and I was not able to contact anyone, and wondered if I would be launched or run out of air. All was well when they finally remembered me and let me escape. Whew! This is something I shall never forget!

Trident C4