Project Aphrodite
A PB4Y-1. Sea-Recon version of the B-24 for the US Navy
The start took place at 17.52 o'clock. The 150 miles (240 km) for a long time stretch led for southeast over the English Channel. The PB4Y-1 could reach fully loaded well 150 knots, so that the estimated arrival time over the goal of 19.00 was to be kept o'clock easily. Minutes to the start, flying eight-toes to 2.000 feet (600 m), as per Kennedy the machine had trimmed height, had warmed up and had coupled the autopilot. to "it announced the ready for commissioning shank Spade Flush" on as per Anderson one, the pilot of the leading-airplane flying behind him. From up now Anderson steered with the "Peter pilot" (small control stick) in such a way specified Kennedys machine on the console before him carefully. It relied by radar echoes as well as on view observations of the copilot of the reserve guidance airplane, since its TV screen showed only Schneegestoeber. Together with Kennedy it began to examine the individual controls: Elevator, crosswise and rudder, exactly so, as it had made it also a half hour before with still Baby standing at the soil.
Five minutes later the machine with the call signal T-11 on the distance section running landinward should themselves have found, however during the examinations of the control 12 miles (20 km) far off the course toward lake had gotten. It was into a mile south the river Blythe and fed themselves the place Beccle. Col. Elliot Roosevelt, son of the US president in its Mosquito Reconnaissance plane, had fed itself the machine up to some hundreds foot, in order to be able to take a few photographs. Vapor trails of the accompanying Mustangs covered the easily covered sky over them.
Commander Smith in the nose of the B-17 Lt.Col. Forrests, which should have accepted the two crew members jumped off with the parachute in a half hour far in the south in the proximity of Dover to land and, saw Kennedys machine forwards and far under itself. Forrest changed into an easy descending flight and tried to catch up. Both Kennedy and Willy were to be recognized in their Baby: Kennedy in the cockpit and Willy behind its plexiglass dome in the nose. The television picture in Andersons one leading-airplane of the area below Kennedys machine was still bad, but the Baby supplied a good picture at Lt. Demlein in the reserve leading-airplane. Since it was Lt. Demlein, which would steer the Baby 40 minutes long on its final approach in the target, everything seemed in best order.