From its inception in the spring of 1957 to June 26, 1968, OXCART lasted just over 10 years. Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson were well aware of the intelligence gathering capability of this unique aircraft and its importance to our nation and the world political scene. It was preceded by the U-2 program AQUATONE at the same location and succeeded by the USAF SR-71 program. The A-12 was America's first stealth plane. It flew faster than Mach 3 and at altitudes exceeding 80,000 feet.
The A-12 flew 29 missions during Operation Blackshield, 26 over Vietnam and 3 over North Korea. For these missions, six A-12 Agency pilots earned the CIA Intelligence Star for Valor. The OXCART program lost two A-12 pilots and 2 Air Force chase pilots piloting the F-101 VooDoo.
Thornton D. "TD" Barnes
RI President

Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in 1927, Brig. Gen. Dennis Sullivan is a 1950 Naval Academy graduate. In 1962, he was chosen for the Central Intelligence Agency’s Project OxCart to pilot a Mach 3-plus A-12 reconnaissance airplane to replace the U-2. For five years he flew top-secret missions, including combat missions in “Project Black Shield” over North Vietnam to locate SAM sites. He returned to regular Air Force duties in 1968, accumulating 7,000 hours in dozens of aircraft.

General Sullivan holds the distinction of flying the only Blackbird surveillance, CIA A-12 or Air Force SR-71, to be hit by an enemy missile. During a flight on 30 October 1967, CIA pilot Dennis Sullivan detected radar tracking on his first pass over North Vietnam. Two sites prepared to launch missiles but neither did. During the second pass at least six missiles were fired at the OXCART, each confirmed by missile vapor trails on mission photography. Sullivan saw these vapor trails and witnessed three missile detonations. Post-flight inspection of the aircraft revealed that a piece of metal had penetrated the lower right wing fillet area and lodged against the support structure of the wing tank. The fragment was not a warhead pellet but may have been a part of the debris from one of the missile detonations observed by the pilot.

Rushing back from Paris, France where Colonel Collins spoke at the Aeroclub de France re the A-12, he honored all Roadrunners by his being enshrined into the Kansas Hall of Fame. His Hall of Fame plaque is on display at Topeka's Great Overland Station railroading museum at 701 N. Kansas Ave. in Topeka, Kansas. Following his induction, he returned to California where he spoke on Veterans Day in Redlands.
The Kansas Hall of Fame selection of Colonel Collins to forever be enshrined as one of Kansas' aviation heroes and legends is well founded. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, one of the oldest Army Posts of the new western frontiers, Collins has following in the esteemed tradition of his heritage. His grandfather, Sergeant Edward E. Collins of the 10th U. S. Cavalry, was sent out with the Troopers to fight in the Battle of Wounded Knee.

In 1953, Collins was flying out of Kimpo Air Base in Korea with the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, "Cottonpickers" K-14, Kimpo, Korea. He departed Kimpo on a flight of two RF-86A's marking the target for F-80 Fighter bombers and strafing the North Korean radar site on a hill north of Pyongyang. On a stating run, Collins took fire and miraculously survived to bring his badly crippled plane back to Kimpo. < It was reported that he was shot down behind enemy lines. For his heroics, Collins was awarded the Silver Star.

Ten years later, on 24 May 1963 - near Wendover, Utah. Collins was flying "a subsonic J-58 engine test flight in a ultra secret CIA A-12 when a icing problem caused the plane to stall and pitch up and over into an unrecoverable flat inverted spin. Having no positive idea of his real altitude, Collins was forced to eject from the inverted aircraft.

The Challenge of Transporting the A-12's to Area 51.

By Frank Murray, A-12 Pilot andRoadrunners InternationaleHistorian

Foreword

In the Fall of 2011, it occurred to me that a piece of the development history of one of my favorite airplanes,the Lockheed A-12, had not been recorded for posterity. In the first step towrite this piece, I asked TD Barnes to ask the Roadrunners members to contactme if they had any information on the transportation of the A-12s from the Skunk Works to Area 51. Several people did respond, Jim Noce, ex CIA Security Officer at Area 51, Bob Murphy,Skunk Works production manager, Sam Pizzo, USAF Navigation Section Chief were the principal respondents. Jim's message to me reads as follows:

To whom it may concern:

My name is Jim Noce, and I recall being on those moves from the "Skunk Works" to the ranch. We left the Area early in the morning taking turns driving until we reached Burbank. When we arrived, the Article was concealed in a huge crate and covered with a tarp on the semi ready to travel.We headed East on the Freeway, and the California State Patrol giving escort.

The CSP had long poles along the route to clear hanging power lines or unpin road signs hinged for clearance purposes. When we reached the CA/NV border we pulled to side of the road and ate sack lunches made-up from the mess hall at the Area. We also had igloo coolers of lemonade and thermos's of hot coffee or chocolate. We also had soda pop. Not bad for the 60's.

After we had lunch, we headed up Highway 95 until we reached Mercury that had security clearance for our entering the Atomic Proving Grounds. I may be wrong but I think that once we reached the Ranch, the Article was uncrated and put on a cart by something like a cherry picker. I do believe the box was broken down and loaded back on the trailer and sent back to Burbank. I never knew of anyone taking pictures from our group. I do recall the incident where a Greyhound bus barely scraped the side of the box, and the bus driver was given cash to fix the few scratches avoiding insurance claims.

Sincerely, Jim Noce

Former CIA agent Area 51.

Bob Murphy took on the work of looking for people with first hand knowledge of the movement of the A-12's to the Area. He told me that many of the people that did that work were deceased now. He was able to identify the names of those involved from living associates. He did relate how the transport boxes were built and by whom.

Sam Pizzo related how he saw the Articles arrive and how the operation went at the Area.

Introduction.

This is a brief history of some of the happenings almost fifty years ago, along the way to develop the Lockheed Family of Blackbirds,the A-12 and YF-12 airplanes, built in the Skunk Works inBurbank, California, then transported many miles to Nevada for final assembly and flight testing. Little has been recorded about these efforts; suffice it to say the transportation endeavor presented many perplexing tasks for Lockheed Corporation. After all, Lockheed is an airplane builder, not a moving company.

Home Base, Area 51.

From the onset of the OXCART Project, the need to test the new airplane in a secure place ruled out the Burbank Airport. Lockheed investigated places around the western states for secure basing, away from inquiring eyes. Lockheed Chief Test Pilot, Tony Levier was responsible for the search for a usable secure test site to test and develop the U-2 airplane His recommendation was to use the Groom Lake area, within the secure area of the then Atomic Energy Agency (AEC) known as Area 51.

This Area had been built up, a runway and some shelter hangars built to provide a test/training base for the U-2 airplane. Area 51 facilities worked well in the mid 50's so further enhancements to support the A-12 development were started in 1960. Two shiftwork crews built a new runway, developed the hangar structures and shop spaces to support the final building of the A-12/YF-12's. Old family quarters (duplexes) were moved from the Naval Ordnance Base at Hawthorne, Nevada. Moving 85 old wooden structures was no mean feat. These buildings originally housed two families each. The buildings were modified by removing the separation wall inside the doorways, removing the kitchen facilities and configuring the living space for one rather spacious living room, two bathrooms, and four or more bedrooms. This author spent most of five years living in one of these houses.

Building the transportation system

As the A-12 airplane was being built in the Skunk Works; the transportation carriages (boxes) were designed and built alongside the A-12. (Photos 1,2,3,4) The Lockheed team that

Photo #1

style="font-size: 12pt">designed the transportation system was led by Mr. Leon Gavett. The construction was done by George Perkle and his crew. The exterior box frames were made off our inch aluminum tubing. The larger box was designed to carry the airplane on its own landing gear. The load carrying frame was made of steel with wheeled suspension and load bearing pads to suit the position of the A-12 landing gear.The airplane would be towed into position on the trailer, locked to that frame, then, the aluminum framework would be lifted into position over the airplane and its trailer. The aluminum frame mainly provided a structure for holding the fabric cover in place. The front of the boxes had metal skins to shield

Photo #2

style="font-size: 12pt"the load from road winds/debris. The larger box was towed by the wider end, the airplane inside with the trailing edge going forward. The large box had steerable suspension wheels located at the narrow end for positioning.

Two boxes were built, one much larger to carry the mostly complete airframe and a smaller box to carry there movable parts such as the outer wing/nacelles and the rudders and other smaller parts. Engines were transported separately. The boxes were towed by Lockheed company tractors and drivers. Tom Richey and Stan Grants drove the trucks pulling the boxes.

Uploading the A-12.

The A-12 was prepared for loading into the transportation box as follows. The rudders and outer wing panels and outer nacelles were

Photo #3

style="font-size: 12pt"removed and stowed in the smaller trailer, the airplane nose section in front of the windshield was removed as well. A transportation fixture was built to support/steady the nose of the airplane in the box.This fixture is shown attached in photos #5 & #5a.

Photo #4

The landing gear provided the necessary shock support for the ride on the highways. After the airplane was secured in the box, the aluminum tube frame was hoisted into position and secured to the trailer frame.Then the side and top covers were installed and the tractor could then be attached to move the box out of the Skunk Works and onto the road. Depicted inthe photo #3 is an A-12 loaded on the box for a fit check. Note the small box behind the loaded big box.

The team required to move this convoy consisted of the following:
*Two California Highway Patrol (CHP) cars with at least two officers.

*The Lockheed truck drivers.

* Five Lockheed mechanics to handle obstacle removal duties, general support.

Photo #5

*Two CIA Security officers for surveillance, these people came from Area 51.

Note: CHP escort ended at the Nevada state line North of Baker, CA. Nevada Highway Patrol did not escort the convoy.

Getting ready to roll.

Photo #5a

The travel route was preplanned with coordination of the California Highway Patrol. Lockheed transportation leader Dorsey Kammerer and Bud Rice started investigating the travel route in June 1961 to ascertain the obstacles to movement, mainly of the larger box which measured 105 feet long and 35 feet wide. Kammerer and Rice configured a pick-up truck with a set of adjustable spreader and height poles to ascertain the needed clear path.

It was obvious early on that many sign posts along the planned path

Photo #6

style="font-size: 12pt"must be removed to allow movement of the convoy, as well as some grading of road sides. Many such posts were cut off and reinstalled with hinges to allow free movement, then replaced to upright after the convoy passes by.

A team of Lockheed mechanics accompanied the convoy to move obstacles to clear the path. The route to be used to transport the airplanes is shown on the attached map, Fig 1. The distance to be traveled oneway is approximately 260 miles.

Photo #7

Consider that numerous trips were planned in order to deliver the fifteen A-12's and the three YF-12's. In all,eighteen trips were needed to carry these valuable cargos to the Area.

The first convoy with Article 121onboard departed the Skunk Works on 26 February 1962. The convoy arrived at Area 51 that day. A truly difficult task moving outsize cargos along existing roadways. Pictures 7and 8 show the convoy working its way along the route near Cajon Pass on

Photo #7a

style="font-size: 12pt"Interstate 15.

Traffic following this convoy must have been exasperated by the slow pace; little did they know that the fastest airplane in the world was in the slow moving convoy. Picture 8 shows the wide load of the bigger box moving across a narrow roadway overpass.

Once the convoy moved out to more wide open spaces it must have been better for the drivers of these loads. Several months passed before the convoy reconvened to move the next A-12.

Photo #8

Article 122 was moved to the Area on 26 June 1962, followed by Article 123 in August 1962. The two-seat trainer, Article 124 got to the Area in November 1962, then Article 125 before Christmas1962. The other A-12's and the three YF-12's all arrived by mid 1964. After each delivery, the boxes were reconfigured into smaller packages for easier return to the plant in Burbank without Highway Patrol escort.

Downloading at Area 51.

The final leg of the journey to Area 51 was from Mercury, Nevada, the headquarters area for the then Atomic Energy Commission (AEC),

Photo #9

style="font-size: 12pt"on to Area 51. The main road thru AEC territory passes through historic nuclear weapons testing areas of Frenchman's Flat, Yucca Flat and on to the North gate post. Once outside the AEC controlled areas, the road winds eastward until you arrive at Area 51. The workers at the Nevada Test Site of AEC must have wondered what such a convoy would be carrying. Once at the Area, the boxes would proceed to the main hangar complex. These hangars were the ones that had been removed from some Navy Air base,

Photo #10

style="font-size: 12pt"disassembled and reassembled at the Area for use as factory assembly points for the Blackbirds. Picture 9 shows the box entering the hangar at the Area. Picture 10 shows the fabric covering being removed. After this the tubular framework could be lifted clear and the airplane could be freed from the trailer and towed off the transporter.

The task of transporting an airplane was complete and the boxes could be disassembled and reconfigured for return to the Skunk Works without need for Police escort.

The last time the TransportationSystem was used was in 1964 when it was used to move the first three SR-71's to Palmdale for final assembly and Flight test. The mission of this system was now completed and so ends my rendition of the enormous efforts put forward to move these airplanes in secrecy without a hitch.

The people that did this work are some of the unsung heroes of the OXCART Program.

Figure 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Dawn Barlow-Curtis, 702-561-6372 September 29, 2011
lvdb01@aol.com

THE NEVADA AEROSPACE HALL OF FAME (NVAHOF)
CONTINUES ITS EDUCATION INITIATIVE WITH SEVERAL KEY EVENTS HERE IN LAS VEGAS

HENDERSON, Nevada – September 29, 2011 is Media Day to kick off several exciting events leading up to the March 2012 opening of the Atomic Testing Museum’s new exhibit, Area 51 Myth or Reality. NVAHOF Director, Thornton D. “TD” Barnes, MSGT Harry Martin, and retired USAF Lt. Col. Roger Andersen, all of Area 51 CIA Project OXCART fame, will join the Atomic Testing Museum for this special VIP Media Day where they will discuss their recently declassified activities at Area 51.

On October 4, 2011, at the museum, the NVAHOF will field a broad spectrum of former Area 51 CIA and Air Force pilots, project support personnel from CIA, FAA, USAF, and the civilian sector, to share their recently declassified accounts of the early projects at Area 51. This is a great kickoff for the Atomic Testing Museums Area 51 Myth or Reality exhibit, and an equally great opportunity for NVAHOF to educate the public and tomorrow’s engineers and leaders about the exciting, state-of-the-art achievements emerging from beneath the shroud of secrecy that is Area 51.

The evening of October 4th, NVAHOF, the Central Intelligence Agency, the UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, and the UNLV History Department will conduct the second lecture of the Dean’s Conversation Series at 7:30 p.m. in the new UNLV Science and Engineering Building. Archangel: the CIA’s Supersonic A-12 Reconnaissance Aircraft, will be presented by CIA Chief Historian, Dr. David Robarge and a panel discussion will take place veterans of the A-12 program, CIA pilot, Frank Murray of Gardnerville, CIA Special Projects engineer/technician, TD Barnes of Henderson, and CIA/Air Force pilot and Operations Officer Roger Andersen of Las Vegas. Dr. Robarge will give a brief overview of CIA activities in Nevada during the Cold War and particularly will discuss the generalities of the A-12 program. The rest of the evening will be a conversation between the historical program participants and the audience. Only recently declassified, many of these details and topics have rarely been discussed in open public forums.

On Wednesday, October 5th, capitalizing on the presence of Roadrunners Internationale members and the Lockheed-Martin sponsor in town for the 22nd biennial Roadrunners Internationale reunion, NVAHOF has organized an optional activity for those attending the reunion to meet in Rachel, Nevada for a fun-filled afternoon mixing with the locals. Members of the public are welcome to join the tour. An invitation has also been extended to the Air Force to join in the fun as three decades or more of myths about Area 51 vaporize into reality. Dr. Robarge, Chief Historian at CIA, and Cheryl Moore, with the CIA EAA Store, will join in the public relations and fun as the Roadrunners autograph Dr. Robarge’s monograph and photos provided by NVAHOF photographer Mike Schmitz. Connie Pardew, NVAHOF Director of Communications and Development for Northern Nevada will generate an excellent account of this historical event. NVAHOF thanks Dreamland Resorts and Roadrunners Internationale webmaster, Joerg Arnu for organizing and managing this historic adventure. It has been said that controlling the Roadrunners on a tour is more challenging for the organizer than herding cats and chickens.

On October 7, 2011, following the Roadrunner reunion, Barnes, Friedrichs, Robarge, Moore, and Schmitz will join Nellis Public Affairs officer Gene Hill on a tour of Nellis AFB. After the tour they will be meeting to discuss plans for the organized collection and preservation of future declassified aerospace history to ensure that nothing is lost.

October 14, 2011, the NVAHOF will conduct its second annual Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony and Dinner. Eight legends of aviation in the state of Nevada will be included this year. The event will be held at The Landing Restaurant in the Henderson Executive Air Terminal. The induction dinner and ceremony is open to the public. Those wishing information or wanting to attend can contact NVAHOF at tdbarnes@navhof.org.

NVAHOF public outreach and educational activities for the past year included: promotional presence at the Reno Air Races and the Nellis Air Force Base Open House, and Naval Air Station, Fallon. NVAHOF also participated in the reunion of the Atomic Curtiss Marines and meetings of the Daedalians Fighter Flight #62 at Nellis AFB. On September 23rd NVAHOF participated in an educational tour of Bigelow Aerospace in North Las Vegas.

In 2010 the NVAHOF organized and participated in a 10-day, Oxcart Legacy Tour in Washington, D.C. Former workers of Nevada's Groom Lake facility gave presentations at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF), the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum, the Capitol Hill Club, and the International Spy Museum. They held their first induction ceremony in November 2010.

About the Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame

The Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame is a non-profit, educational foundation dedicated to preserving the legacy of the men and women who pioneered aerospace within the State of Nevada. The Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame established and maintains an ongoing means of honoring individuals who have contributed in a significant manner, to the development, advancement, and promotion of aerospace in the Battle Born State of Nevada, or elsewhere. NVAHOF also honors individuals who were not native to Nevada, but whose careers enhanced the aerospace climate worldwide as well as in space. The mission of NVAHOF is unique as it especially recognizes and honors the men and women of the Cold War who worked within the CIA, USAF, and civilians, who worked in secrecy at Groom Lake, the Nevada Test Site, the NASA High Range, Tonopah Test Range, Nellis AFB, Creech AFB, the Fallon Air Station, Stead AFB, and related sites in the state of Nevada.

The goal is to foster, promote, and encourage a better sense of appreciation by the public of those persons’ contributions and the role of aerospace, and to perpetuate the memory of those honored by means of public displays and announcements. Except in cases involving national security concerns, archival materials collected in the course of researching the above mentioned individuals, will be filed for future historical reference. Exceptional and responsible consideration will be given to selection of nominees without compromising the secrecy of their deeds and accomplishments.

The primary educational objectives of the NVAHOF focus on honoring the past while promoting the future of aviation. NVAHOF provides a state-wide Speakers Bureau for outreach within the community. They have also created an accessible archive of Nevada aviation history on the organizations website. An on-line virtual museum and artifact archive/storage satisfies the final educational objective, while the NVAHOF searches for a permanent home for its collection. The uniqueness and diversity of Nevada’s aviation projects make it the most important state in the nation in regards to cutting-edge aerospace technology and development.