posted 02-02-2020 09:44 AM               

Space Cover #550: XF-91 Rocketplane

Just over 70 years ago, Air Force test pilot Richard Johnson carried the cover above on one of his test flights of the Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor. This cover is listed in the Ellington-Zwisler Rocketmail Catalog as US #72C1. It was flown and then postmarked on February 1, 1950 at Muroc, Ca. (the post office at Edwards AFB had not yet changed from its former "Muroc" name at this time).

So, what's a XF-91? Let's take a look at a rendition of the XF-91 used as the cachet art by Cachet Craft for their first day cover of the 50th Anniversary of Powered Flight stamp (Sc #C47), below:

The XF-91 was designed by Republic Aviation to be a jet and rocket powered interceptor fighter plane for the Air Force. Its body had the cigar shape used in Republic's earlier F-84 fighter planes, with new wings (wider at the edge than at the root), a beefier jet engine, and provisions for a new Curtis-Wright rocket engine. Looking at the rendition above, we can see squared off "blisters" just above and below the tailpipe, and these were where the two barrels of the rocket motor were to be.

The XF-91 first flew on May 9, 1949 using jet power only because the rocket engine was not yet ready. Republic test pilot Carl Bellinger carried a cover on that flight.

The XF-91 made a number of other jet powered flights (including the February 1, 1950 flight above) while waiting for the new rocket engine. Finally, the Air Force got fed up with the delays on the new rocket engine and outfitted the XF-91 with the venerable Reaction Motors XLR-11 rocket engine that had been powering the X-1 rocketplane for 5 years. The XLR-11 was installed in the lower "blister" and the XF-91 made its first jet and rocket powered flight on December 9, 1952.

The XF-91 went on to perform a number of combined jet and rocket powered flights, but by that time the Century Series of fighter planes were just around the corner and could outperform the XF-91 as a fighter plane. And the X-1A and upcoming X-2 could far outfly the XF-91's research capability. So it got cancelled soon afterward.

When we study the history of the rocketplanes, we will see mention of the XF-91. But bear in-mind that its flights were mostly jet powered only, and it did not push the boundaries of speed and altitude the way the X-1, X-2, and D-558-II did. In fact, we could say that Ellington and Zwisler actually erred by listing the cover above as a rocketmail cover since there was no rocket engine aboard the XF-91 at that time...

posted 02-02-2020 10:19 AM               

I hardly have no knowledge of this jet-powered or pre-rocketplane research aircraft program. I can't even recall the pilot's name, Air Force Major Richard Johnson, but he certainly played a significant role as one of the early leading test pilots of that pioneering jet and rocketplane age of the 1940/50's.

Certainly a rare cover find, however, I did note the flown cover had been addressed to a Edmond Browne of Brooklyn, NY. Did you or anyone else know of Browne, even if years afterwards? But here's another thought; Doesn't Barb Baker also live in the Brooklyn, NY, area?

Maybe she used another name and address as a means to possibly obtain a few extra flown covers, which in the long run, would come back to her own collection with Browne having nothing to do with the flown covers. Even if that had been the case, of course, I mean no disrespect to Baker at all.

Since you're an avid rocketplane enthusiast and a serious X-cover collector, Dennis, it seems that there were a few collectors like Browne and Baker "out there" acquiring these wonderful flown covers, but not just by Baker and Browne, as I have seen other names attached to covers like this that I have never heard of before.

posted 02-02-2020 04:07 PM               

So most of the rocketplane flown covers from the '40's and '50's that I've seen are addressed to people in the NYC area, with the bulk of them going to Edmond Browne and to Harry Gordon. And I got most of my rocketplane flown covers from a (now deceased) gentleman who was an active member of the Metropolitan Airmail Postal Society (MAPS) in the NYC area. I'd bet that both Browne and Gordon were members of MAPS and were the drivers in getting these, with some other MAPS members following suit in lesser numbers.

I have not seen Barbara Baker's address show up prior to 1960, so I'd posit that 1960 was when she began going for flown covers.

posted 02-03-2020 09:39 PM               

The NY society, MAPS, mentioned above is a specific area of study for me. I'll share a quick overview of the very early history I have pieced together for those interested. Also, during my research I even found a photo of the elusive Mr. Harry Gordon. He is pictured during an airmail society award presentation and until discoveries like this I too had questioned if a few of these collectors existed as real people. Sometimes covers are addressed to a David Gordon at the identical or very similar address as Harry, which was located in the same building. Many of these early figures did not participate heavily in public events and is often hard to track down someone who actually met them in person. For comparison, the earliest Barbara Baker cover I have is from June 1958, and Gordon is August 1935 (Wiley Post attempted Stratospheric flights).

I've traced the early origins of the society to several gentlemen attending Brooklyn College in the 1930's. What began as the Brooklyn College Philatelic Society (BCPS, 193?-35) had by mid-1935 changed its name to the Collegiate Philatelic Society (CPS, 1935-1941). This group had close ties with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) in New York City and was rather successful in obtaining early military (ex. Y1B-17) and commercial prototype (ex. Boeing Stratoliner) aircraft test flown covers. Some covers of this era are directly addressed to the NAA on a CPS return address envelope or addressed to a CPS member c/o NAA Philatelic Society. Most share an identical fill-in-the-blank text-based cachet in the form of: "This envelope was carried in" [blank] "From" [blank] "To" [blank] "Through the courtesy of" [blank].

Along with the help of a Navy pilot (later an admiral), who was also an influential member of the American Airmail Society, they amassed quite a collection of covers carried on Army and Navy training maneuvers, long-range flights, and many record setting trans-oceanic flights. A selection of their flown covers have been subsequently documented along with other covers of the era in the American Airmail Catalogue. They also focused on airport and seaplane base dedications first in the NY area and then around the US. This group created material through the duration of WWII and immediately afterwards including covers carried on around-the-world B-29 training flights post-war. As the members of CPS transitioned to new roles during WWII, several of them chartered the Metropolitan Airmail Cover Club (MACC, 1941) to capture a wider geographical area and keep the collecting alive during the war. Also, as is to be expected, members were not limited to belonging to several organizations simultaneously, so finding covers with multiple names or correspondence between members has been beneficial.

As you may have seen, some members of MACC used a specific style of airmail envelope with red and blue stars, vignettes of a balloon, zeppelin, airplane, helicopter, rocket and "M.A.C.C." around the border. You can find these MACC envelopes for events from 1945 up through the Gemini and Apollo recovery ship operations in the 1960's and launches through at least 1969. However, most stuck to the standard airmail envelope with alternating red and blue lozenges and fill-in-the-blank text-based cachets e.g. "This cover was carried/flown on/in...".

posted 02-04-2020 05:01 AM               

I'll try to post more later, meanwhile though, I did note your interesting Airpost Journal article in Jan. 1962 by Harry Gordon. After reading it, Jeff, it looks a lot like to me that Gordon was trying to "scare" collectors from attempting to acquire pilot-flown covers, apparently.

I'm not saying that what he said in the article isn't true, or in some instances, but it sure looks like to me he was trying to discourage other collectors from trying to acquire flown pilot covers only to keep others "away" from not duplicating similar requests to the pilots that may interfere with his own pursuits.

posted 02-04-2020 09:17 AM               

While looking through the cover archive again, I actually found a cover of an earlier Gordon from Jan 1934 (at 780 Garden St.).

I have not seen or heard of a record for his covers. It would certainly be a substantial list as I have hundreds of cover images alone. I have a feeling that is just scratching the surface, since he was active for more than 35 years. I'll plan to share the archive on my website and will post a link here when I do.

Here is the photo of Harry I mentioned above, from an American Airmail Society event in February 1965.

posted 02-05-2020 11:55 AM               

My dad picked up this cover many years ago. He also picked up many other flown covers with Harry Gordon's address on them including a few X-2 and D-558II flights. Covers are mostly from the 1950's and were flown on a number of military aircraft. Many different pilots flew and signed these covers as well. This is how I was able to obtain my Bill Bridgeman signature.

We always talked about and wondered who Harry Gordon was and what connections he had to be able to put together such a collection. Any additional info about him or any of the other names on these covers would be awesome.

I don't know if it would be possible to put together a list of all that he did because we just don’t know. However, any list that could be put together would be a starting point.

posted 02-06-2020 06:26 AM               

It was interesting to note that I didn't hardly see any covers throughout most of the mid/late 1930's up until 1945 or so, the war-time years. Perhaps Gordon was serving in the armed forces during those ten years or so.

Also noted some well-known pilot name/signatures such as Skyrocket pilots Gene May, Bill Bridgeman, and X-2 pilots Frank Everest and Iven Kincheloe (Wow)!

posted 02-22-2020 08:29 PM               

I have an exhibit on the aircraft of Air Force Plant 4 in Ft. Worth, where I worked as a tech buyer and later a purchasing agent on the F-16 program and a couple of others. My biggies are maiden flight flown covers on the B32 and B58 Hustler.

posted 02-22-2020 09:09 PM               

The legendary songwriter-singer had been invited to KSC for a couple of early shuttle launch viewings, of which I had been fortunate to meet him while here on the Space Coast. John was a big space fan.

posted 03-10-2020 08:38 PM               

In the end, all of these are flown.

I also sampled a few of the really nice ones. He said he would start a list of them but that will take some time. This just begs the questions of who did Harry Gordon know and how in the world did he do what he did!

posted 03-10-2020 09:52 PM               

What a tremendous aviation and aerospace archive going back to the late 1940's when jet/rocket travel was just getting underway in this country.

Just think of it; What history-making, record breaking, and exciting times the decades of the 1940/50/60's had to be, Eddie, especially for Harry Gordon with his incredible ever-expanding accumulation of flown/carried covers of that era. Now that's what I call "expanding the envelope," huh!

posted 03-26-2020 03:49 PM               

If that was the case for the flown XF-91 cover first depicted in this topic series, one might also question a cover's true "flown" status.

It seems that most of the flown/carried covers were type-written as the main body of their "filled-in" cachets with an added rubber-stamp heading such as "Flown Aboard ....."

But there are a few others, including one above, that notates nothing of the pilot signed covers as being flown (see one above by Everest on a Bell X-2 flight in July 1956).

Perhaps Al can shed some light on the topic of such covers having been flown or not, since he does know lots of research pilots. Did some of the older test pilots today know and worked with some of the pioneering pilots referred to here? Did any of those early jet and test pilots actually comment about rather they had carried covers with them for Baker, Gordon, Browne, Roberts, etc.

In fact, though, I do know that Baker did have more details from many of her flown/carried covers. For instance, during an X-15 research flight over Edwards AFB, she had the pilot actually "sit" on the cover as the cockpit had been so cramped.

I just picked up a couple of early Yeager-signed flown jet covers from the 1950's along with a John Glenn flown Project Bullet cover in 1957. While the covers are marked with a rubber stamp as being flown/etc., it still makes me wonder a bit if they were indeed actually aboard the designated flight vehicles as the rubber stamp impression(s) indicates.

In either case though, rather flown or not, I am quite thrilled in having them, mainly from an autograph standpoint as they had been signed during such a pioneering age of jet and rocket travel.

Glenn for instance was a Marine Corps Major aviator-engineer when he flew his F8U/Crusader jet on July 16, 1957, which was a record-breaking speed flight as part of Operation Bullet. Inside the cover itself was even a signed index card with more details and flight information in his own hand. Of course, just over two years later, the distinguished pilot had been named as one of our nation's first Project Mercury astronauts.

With modern-day flown/carried covers from my own creations, though, usually I would try to indicate on the cover itself, in some way or another, where the actual cover had been located during the event. Instead of typing-in "Flown aboard -------," I would usually try to have the cover carrier write in his own hand the same notation and possibly include, in his own hand, a few more details about the cover being flown, carried, or placed inside a particular vehicle or facility.

As with Jim Irwin in 1972, he penned to me; "This cover was flown on a H-13 helicopter flight while I was practicing lunar landings as backup Apollo 17 LMP on 3-29-72, Jim Irwin (signed), Apollo 15 LMP."

posted 03-27-2020 07:00 AM               

For example, for flown covers, typing in "Cover flown from: ----" and "Cover flown to: ---" and then filled in by the pilot would certainly give more assurance that the cover was actually flown than just a heading that could even be added after receiving the cover back.

posted 03-27-2020 11:04 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by yeknom-ecaps:
Al, can you show us what a real Dick Johnson signature looks like?

---

posted 03-27-2020 09:51 PM               

Since the XF-91 cover was signed with a Johnson signature, rather genuine or not, maybe that's how the early Air Force pilot did sign in 1950! Now going forward nearly half-a-century, seeing an authentic Johnson autograph on the multi-signed X-1 cover or card, could it be that his signature has deteriorated a lot since his younger days?

I've got some German rocket team signatures that have changed drastically from their earlier to later rocketry career, or perhaps I should say, during their later retirement years. In some cases, you can't even tell it's the same person that signed.

Perhaps Al can eventually post the Johnson-signed photo, however, would Al know what time frame the photo had been signed by Johnson? Seeing the photo may help a lot to possibly solve the mystery.

posted 04-09-2020 10:40 AM               

Unless I am mistaken, I didn't think Harry collected space covers during the 1970's that were not flown, etc., so it looks like he did in fact receive some regular space cover issues in the mail. Or, just maybe, the covers were not "for" him, but to someone else that knew Gordon and was using a bunch of his earlier addressed airmail envelopes for recent space events.

But has anyone seen a completely related space cover flown/carried with his address on it? I've only seen one, from an earlier post of Eddie's, that was a flown helicopter support cover for the recovery of Apollo 12 in 1969. If there are any Harry Gordon fans that would like one of the depicted SL-4 covers here addressed to Harry, mail me a return #10 SASE and I'll get it in the mail to you at no charge. I've got a few more of them.