Welcome to the QU-22 Blog


Not many people know about the QU-22. Even fewer people are still around who were associated with the USAF "Pave Eagle" program under which the QU-22 was developed and employed in South East Asia.


If you have information about any phase of QU-22 history, or can link us to any of the people associated with it, please contact us here.


Introduction


The QU-22 was a highly modified Beech Bonanza which served in the American War in Viet Nam as an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft. It was developed under the "Pave Eagle" program for the United States Air Force.

USAF QU-22 aircraft were an integral part of the Igloo White surveillance system, which was established to collect, interpret, and act upon enemy infiltration information gathered from electronic sensors implanted along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

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 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 the Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base (NKP RTAFB) in Thailand, also the home base of the QU-22 unit, the 554th Recon Squadron.
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Help Preserve History


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.


If you have:


* Experience with the development, operation, maintenance, or restoration of this aircraft, or if you know of someone who does;


* Data pertaining to, or photographs of, this aircraft or associated personnel which you would like to share, with or without credit;


*Information concerning the disposition or current whereabouts of any examples of this type;


please contact one or both of the following:


QU-22 Information


QU-22 Network Group


YQU-22A Pilot Training Class

YQU-22A Pilot Training Class
BACK: Hinely, Barner, Cummins, Schroeder, Van DePutte, Newby
FRONT: Dumphy, Wendland, Sorensen, Faulkner, Cappi

QU-22 Airframes List

1968 YQU-22A (6) [FAA 1074]


USAF # / Beech # / Status


68-10531 / CED-1 / *Combat Loss 11 Jun 69, Engine Failure, pilot survived

68-10532 / CED-2 / *Combat Loss 21 Aug 69, Engine Failure, Raymond Fugit *KIA

68-10533 / CED-3 / N52242, private owner, Pardeeville WI 53954

68-10534 / CED-4 / N83475, post-war civilian loss [CFIT], NTSB 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]


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1969 QU-22B (13) [FAA 1079]


USAF # / Beech # / Status


69-7693 / EB-01 / N75210 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 / DN90638, JW Duff, April 1998

69-7696 / EB-04 / N40CA, private owner, Fayetteville GA [not used in SEA]

69-7697 / EB-05 / *Combat Loss 8 Jun 72, Engine Failure, pilot survived

69-7698 / EB-06 / N74TA, private owner, Scottsdale AZ

69-7699 / EB-07 / National Museum of the US Air Force

69-7700 / EB-08 / *Combat Loss 04 Apr 72, Engine Failure, pilot survived

69-7701 / EB-09 / Private owner, Scottsdale AZ

69-7702 / EB-10 / N49893, Community School, Des Moines IA [not used in SEA]

69-7703 / EB-11 / N64285, Registration Pending, Jackpot NV (Feb 03)

69-7704 / EB-12 / N75208, Cochise College, Douglas AZ [not used in SEA]

69-7705 / EB-13 / *Combat Loss 08 Feb 71, Engine Failure, Maj Lenox L. Ratcliff *KIA


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1970 QU-22B (14) [FAA 1079]


USAF # / Beech # / Status


70-1535 / EB-14 / N22QU, private owner 10 Oct 95

70-1536 / EB-15 / N49248, Embry-Riddle, Daytona Beach FL, 1973 (fuselage only)

70-1537 / EB-16 / N64883, Board of Education, Long Island NY

70-1538 / EB-17 / N64884, Board of Education, Long Island NY [Aircraft Destroyed]

70-1539 / EB-18 / N64885, Board of Education, Long Island NY

70-1540 / EB-19 / N267HT, Technical Institute, Waterloo IA

70-1541 / EB-20 / N62247, City of New York, Brooklyn NY

70-1542 / EB-21 / N75209, Cochise College, Douglas AZ

70-1543 / EB-22 / N57939, Community College, Roscommon MI

70-1544 / EB-23 / N18834, Board of Education, Westbury, NY

70-1545 / EB-24 / N57895, Public Schools, Buffalo, NY

70-1546 / EB-25 / *Combat Loss 25 AUG 72, Engine Failure, Lt Lanny A. 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


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Kindly Old Blogger
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