Jake Engle

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Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Suzan McAllister [send private message] and Judi Engle [send private message]

Biography

• Hunter, Fisher, and Trapper
• USAF Fighter Pilot 23 years
• Korean War
• Vietnam War

The Historic Jamestown Flight:Longest Flight in a single engine jet

On 13 May 1957, six F-100Cs set out to commemorate the 350th Anniversary of the Founding of Jamestown, Massachusetts. The spectacle was billed for three aircraft to follow the path of the historic Mayflower, starting in London and landing in Jamestown.The F-100C was christened "Susan Constant" by Mrs. W.S. Morrison, wife of the Speaker of England's House of Commons in the previous days' festivities.

Six planes were involved to insure that three aircraft touched down in Jamestown for the photo op. Capt. Jake Engle, Capt. Jack Bryant, and Lt. Ted Workman were the 'backup' pilots, whose orders included following at a safe distance, ready to pull into formation should any of the lead pilots be forced to abort the mission in brand new aircraft across a friendly ocean in excellent weather.

In a London pub at about 10 pm on May 12, Captain Engle was seated next to a USAF Brigadier General. Many celebratory drinks had been consumed at that point, and Captain Engle found the right time to make his proposition. He proposed to the General, who had been extolling the virtues of the F-100C to his British colleagues, that the 'backups' could not only commemorate the Jamestown Voyage, but throw in the Emancipation Proclamation to boot. "If we land 3 in Jamestown, let us continue to California," Engle proposed.

This was preposterous, as the F-100C could not carry enough fuel to make that flight. In-flight refueling had only just been introduced in the Air Force, and only 2 tankers had been officially deployed in the US. While many had been trained, only a handful of pilots had been able to become proficient at the maneuver at that date. The new tankers just happened to be deployed at Lackland AB in Texas, strategically positioned for Engle's proposition.

The General chuckled and called his bluff. "If you can get everything arranged tonight, and the primaries land at Jamestown, you can do it," he countered, knowing the kind of arrangements that would have to be made to pull off a flight like that.

What he didn't know was that Jake Engle had already called everyone he needed to in order to make it happen, he just needed permission.

On 13 May 1957, Emmy-Lou Engle's birthday, three F-100Cs set a new world distance record for single-engine aircraft by covering the 6,710 mi (5,835 nmi, 10,805 km) distance from London to Los Angeles in 14 hours and 4 minutes. The flight was accomplished using inflight refueling.^[1]

Bryant cracked his cockpit during the refuel, forcing them to fly from Lackland to LA at low altitude, or the flight would have been much shorter.

Order of the Clouds and Banner

In 1958, there was an upsurge in tension between the Communist Chinese government on the Asian mainland and the Nationalist Chinese regime on Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China had announced its intention to reincorporate a series of small Nationalist-held islands within artillery range of the mainland. That summer, Communist China increased bombardments of these islands dramatically.^[2]

The United States responded with military support. A Joint Operations Center was formed at the Nationalist Air Base of Chia-ti involving

• supply of tanks and long range artillery
• 31st Tactical Fighter Wing
• 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
• A C-130 Airlift Bridge
• 13th Air Force
• 5th Air Force of Japan
• 83rd Star-Fighter Interceptor Squadron
• 2 squadrons from Kadena AB
• B-57 Canberra Squadron at Naha, Okinawa

for the purpose of defending the straits between Formosa and the Chinese mainland.

Jake Engle trained Nationalist Chinese pilots in air and battle tactics in support of the effort, and helped in the formation and operation of the Joint Ops Center.

He was knighted by Chiang Kai-Shek^[3]in the Order of the Clouds and Banner^[4] as a result of his efforts there.

Sources

Personal knowledge

Obituary: Greenwood Cemetery [5]

1. ↑ [1] F-100 Super Sabre Operational History
2. ↑ [2] Nineteenth Air Force, 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis
3. ↑ [3] Chiang Kai-Shek
4. ↑ [4] Order of the Clouds and Banner

Additional Reading

• "Trio of Jets in 6710 Mile Nonstop Trek" Reno Evening Gazette, May 14, 1957 p. 1
• "Record Broken By Jets Flying London to LA" Amsterdam Evening Recorder, May 14, 1957, p. 1
• "Three US Jets Set London to LA Mark" Milwaukee Sentinel, May 14, 1957, p. 30

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Suzan McAllister for starting this profile.

Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Suzan and others.