and from other B-17
aircraft in flight.
The flight training stressed
long-range navigation, cruise-control, radio-controlled landings and
takeoffs, and both high and low altitude missions in order to achieve
coordination between the control aircraft and the drones, Much time
was devoted to ground approaches and to developing standard operating
proceduresfor all phases of drone control and operations,
Sixteen
B-1l7 crews completed drone flying training during which they accumlated some 138 hours of flying and 90 hours of ground training,<¢
Late in April 196,the Army Air Forces began moving to the Pacific
for the operational phase of CROSSROADS.
The echelon of-Task Unit 1.5.3
left Clovis Army Air Field fron 19 to 23 April 196, and flew to Hamilton
Field, California, to Hickam Field, Hawaii, to Johnston Island and to
Eniwetok,
The water echelon arrived in the islands aboard the Rockinham
and all personnel of the unit were in place by 6 May 1916.
Headquarters
for Task Group 1.5 was on Kwajalein, while the drone unit, along with
part of the air-sea-rescue service, was at Eniwetok.->
Drone flight training immediately resumed in.the Pacific area with
eight practice missions flown between 1 May and 2h June 196.
Six of
these practice missions were dress rehearsals for all air units of the
Task Group; one mission was for the drone aircraft aloe; and one was a
dress rehearsal which cancelled after the drones were already on station.
Altogether, the drone aircraft unit flew some 610 hours of practice before
the first shot of the series.
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