The TC-3 and the TC-7 were the two
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
non-rigid blimps used for
parasite fighter trials conducted in 1923–24. A single
Sperry Messenger biplane was equipped with a skyhook to engage the temporary trapeze mounted to the control carriage of the blimp itself. The first successful docking was achieved on December 15, 1924. Despite the completely successful results of the program, the Army chose not to develop the concept further. It was the Navy which began the better-known project in 1925 using rigid airships, the
USS ''Los Angeles'' (ZR-3), the
USS ''Macon'' (ZRS-5) and the
USS ''Akron'' (ZRS-4).
Scott Field in
St. Clair County, Illinois, had a US Army Lighter-than-Air Base from 1921–1937 for training, including
J-class blimps. In 1937, the Army Air Corps ended its airship program and transferred all its LTA material to the Navy, only two blimps were used by the Navy: TC-13 and TC-14.
See also
*
U.S. Army airships
References
External links
Parasite ExperimentsUnreal Aircraft: Skyhook
Airships of the United States
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