NBook.com
updated 29 AUG 08
USAF QU-22
"Pave Eagle"
AMARC: Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (see "MASDC", below)

CONUS: Continental USA

Drone: An aircraft operated by remote or programmed control, without a pilot

HCMT: (Ho Chi Minh Trail) Network of roads and trails stretching from NVN through Laos and Cambodia to SVN, used for infiltration and resupply of the Communist forces.

Igloo White: Electronic surveillance system to detect movement of personnel and material on the HCMT.

ISC: Infiltration Surveillance Center

KIA: Killed in Action

MASDC: Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, re-titled "AMARC" in 1985

NKP: Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai AFB, Thailand

NVN: North Viet Nam

Pave Eagle: Development program for the QU-22 aircraft.

SEA: South East Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam)

UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

NMUSAF: National Museum of the US Air Force

Vampire: Radio Call Sign of QU-22 Pilots

In the war against Communism in South East Asia, USAF QU-22 aircraft were an integral part of the Igloo White surveillance system, which sought to collect, interpret, and rapidly act upon enemy infiltration information gathered from electronic sensors implanted along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
 
Unlike the advanced monitoring aircraft (UAV) of today, and despite its formal designation as a drone, the QU-22 was flown by a pilot during combat operations.

 (photo: USAF)


 NEW BOOK

WIRING VIETNAM

by Anthony Tambini


 

QU-22 RESTORATION & DISPOSITION 

National Museum of the US Air Force

MASDC II AMARC


 

 MORE QU-22 PAGES

QU-22 Development & Related Aircraft

QU-22 Diagrams & Key 


QU-22 INFORMATION ON THE WEB

QU-22 Mailing List

Chris Jeppeson's "Igloo White"

Larry Westin's "BATCAT"

The Virtual Wall


Specifications (QU-22B)

Beech Model: 1079
Span: 39.45 ft (with tip tanks)
Length: 26.67 ft
Height: 8.45 ft
Weight: 4,800 lb gw (est.)
Armament: None
Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-G (375 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 204 mph
Avg. Cruise Speed:
YQU-22A: 138 mph
QU-22B: 141 mph
 
Crew
One (None - drone)

Operating Altitude

w/crew: <25,000' msl
drone: up to 30,000' msl

Endurance

w/crew: 6 hours (4.5 hours on station)
drone: 10 hours (8.5 hours on station)
The QU-22 was a highly modified Beech 36/A36 Bonanza which served in the Viet Nam conflict as an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft. It was developed under the "Pave Eagle" program for the United States Air Force.

In March of 1967, Harry Duchene, Roy Denning, and Lou Hagler submitted and won a non-competitive contract with the USAF to put seven drone aircraft (YQU-22A) into the Southeast Asia theater of operations as rapidly as possible. Denning headed up the program, Hagler supervised the field operation and Duchene was the project engingeer. The first examples arrived in SEA during March 1969. These first airframes were modifications of the Beech 33/35 Debonair/Bonanza.

The QU-22 could be flown by remote control as a pilotless drone, but SEA operational missions were conducted with a pilot aboard. The aircraft had extended wings with additional fuel tanks at the tips and was powered by one turbocharged Continental IO-520B engine, with a reduction gearbox which reduced propeller RPM for quieter operation.

After acquisition from Beech, the aircraft were delivered to the Univac division of Sperry Rand for the installation of mission equipment. The aircraft was fitted with avionics to receive signals from acoustic and seismic sensors air-dropped along the HCMT. The information was then relayed either to an orbiting EC-121R or to the Igloo White facilities at NKP, also the home base of the QU-22 unit.

The first QU-22B pilots were trained on the YQU-22A by instructors who had flown the YQU-22A in Southeast Asia and had returned in the fall of 1969 to set up a training program at Duke Field, Florida.

The last QU-22 operational mission in SEA was flown in September of 1972. After use in military service, many of these aircraft were placed in the civilian market, with a large portion going to training programs in Community Colleges.

A single variant, model PD.249 (70-7859) was evaluated, but rejected, for the light close support role as the YAU-22A. It was fitted with six wing pylons and a 345-hp GTSIO-520 engine.

As the years have passed it has become more difficult to piece together the story of the QU-22 and the people involved with it, consequently:

1) If you have experience with the development, operation, maintenance or restoration of this aircraft, or if you know of someone who does, or;
 
2) If you have data pertaining to, or photographs of, this aircraft or associated personnel which you would like to share, with or without credit, or;
 
3) If you have information concerning the disposition or current whereabouts of any examples of this type; then please contact one or both of the following:
 

QU-22 Information

QU-22 Network

SOURCES
 
YQU-22A, QU-22B DEVELOPMENT
 
Harry Duchene
Joe Dubeck
Jim Francis
Ed Gonser
Bill Harber
Richard Olds
Jack Simpson 
------------
 
 QU-22 OPERATIONS (SEA)
 
Jim Francis
Bill Harber
Robert Hendrix
Robert Mass
Russ Shaver
Alan Van Fleet 
Larry Westin
------------
 
BOOKS
 
The Perfect War
by William Gibson
 
Secret Vietnam Air War
by Jeffrey Glasser
 
Viet nam Air Losses
by Chris Hobson
 
Those Incomoparable Bonanzas
by Larry Ball
------------
 
 
 PHOTOS
 
Joseph Hyams
Jay Ostler
Blake Palmer
Tom Pilsch
Bill Spidle
U.S. Air Force
------------
 
 
OTHERS
 
Jon Lopez
Anthony Tambini
Muscatine (Iowa) Journal
------------

 
 Contact
© NBook.com
1968 YQU-22A (6)
USAF# / Beech# / status
 
68-10531 / CED-1 / Combat Loss
11 Jun 69, Engine Failure,
pilot Maj. Edward Schroeder survived,
[ First YQU-22A built ]
 
68-10532 / CED-2 / Combat Loss
21 Aug 69, Engine Failure,
pilot Raymond Fugit KIA
(employed by Univac)
 
68-10533 / CED-3 / N52242
private owner,
Pardeeville WI 53954
 
68-10534 / CED-4 / N83475
post-war civilian loss [CFIT]
NTSB report (ATL85FA011)
 
68-10535 / CED-5 / N90524
private owner,
Pardeeville WI 53954
 
68-10536 / CED-6 / N94499
private owner,
Tulsa OK 74101
[ not used in SEA ]
 


 

QU-22 Airframe Dispostion
Combat Loss.............
US Civil Registration...
Not in SEA..............
D-M [MASDC/AMARC].......
08
24
04
23
[Some in multiple categories]


 
.
QU-22 Development & Related Aircraft

QU-22 Diagrams & Component Key
.


1969 QU-22B (13)
USAF# / Beech# / status
 
69-7693 / EB-01 / N75210
D-M (HX019)
04 DEC 72 - 13 DEC 73
Cochise College, Douglas AZ
[ not used in SEA ]
 
69-7694 / EB-02 / D-M
[ May Have Been Used by the
US Border Patrol ]
 
69-7695 / EB-03 / N90638
D-M (HX008)
27 NOV 72 - 05 MAR 74,
Technical College, Sidney NB
[ @ JW Duff in April 1998 ]
 
69-7696 / EB-04 / N40CA
private owner,
Fayetteville GA 30215
[ not used in SEA]
 
69-7697 / EB-05 / Combat Loss
8 Jun 72, Engine Failure,
pilot survived
 
69-7698 / EB-06 / N74TA
D-M (HX013)
01 DEC 72 - 07 NOV 73,
private owner, Scottsdale AZ
 
69-7699 / EB-07 / NMUSAF
 
69-7700 / EB-08 / Combat Loss
4 Apr 72, Engine Failure,
pilot survived
 
69-7701 / EB-09 / N73TA
D-M (HX014)
01 DEC 72 - 07 NOV 73,
Private owner, Scottsdale AZ
 
69-7702 / EB-10 / N49893
D-M (HX007)
08 NOV 72 - 04 MAR 74,
Community School, Des Moines IA
[ not used in SEA ]
 
69-7703 / EB-11 / N64285
D-M (HX015)
01 DEC 72-16 JAN 74,
St Louis University, Cahokia IL,
Registration Pending,
Jackpot NV (Feb 03)
 
69-7704 / EB-12 / N75208
D-M (HX012)
01 DEC 72 - 12DEC73
Cochise College, Douglas AZ
Flying again, as of 2004
[ not used in SEA ]
 
69-7705 / EB-13 / Combat Loss
8 Feb 71, Engine Failure,
pilot Maj Lenox Lee Ratcliff KIA 
 
1970 QU-22B (14)
USAF# / Beech# / status
 
70-1535 / EB-14 / N22QU
D-M (HX009),
27 NOV 72 - 04 JAN 74
Community College, Roscommon MI
(N57938)
private owner, 10 Oct 95
 
70-1536 / EB-15 / N49248
not used in SEA, AEDC test aircraft,
Fuselage to Embry-Riddle,
Daytona Beach FL, 1973
 
70-1537 / EB-16 / N64883
D-M (HX023)
19 JAN 73 - 17 OCT 73
Board of Education. Long Island NY
 
70-1538 / EB-17 / N64884
D-M (HX011)
27 Nov 72 - 17 Oct 73
Board of Education, Long Island NY
24 Apr 74 - 27 Sep 02
Aircraft Destroyed
 
70-1539 / EB-18 / N64885
D-M (HX020)
04 DEC 72 - 17 OCT 73
Board of Education, Long Island NY
 
70-1540 / EB-19 / N267HT
D-M (HX022)
18 JAN 73 - 11 APR 74
Technical Institute, Waterloo IA
 
70-1541 / EB-20 / N62247
D-M (HX021)
04 DEC 72 - 30 OCT 73
City of New York, Brooklyn NY
 
70-1542 / EB-21 / N75209
D-M (HX018)
04 DEC 72 - 10 DEC 73,
Cochise College, Douglas AZ
 
70-1543 / EB-22 / N57939
D-M (HX016)
01 DEC 72 - 04 JAN 74
Community College, Roscommon MI
 
70-1544 / EB-23 / N18834
D-M (HX010)
27 NOV 72 - 30 OCT 73,
Board of Education, Westbury, NY
 
70-1545 / EB-24 / N57895
D-M (HX017)
01 DEC 72 - 03 JAN 74,
Public School, Buffalo, NY
"Destroyed" Sep 2005
 
70-1546 / EB-25 / Combat Loss
25 AUG 72, Engine Failure
pilot 1Lt Lanny Allen York KIA
 
70-1547 / EB-26 / Combat Loss
19 AUG 72, Turbulence,
pilot survived
 
70-1548 / EB-27 / Combat Loss
22 APR 72, Control Failure,
pilot survived
[ Last QU-22B built ]