Jimmy Doolittle and the Birth of Instrument Flight
- G. Rhodes
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Instrument flight is now routine. It’s the ability to operate an aircraft using only the instruments in the cockpit for navigation and control, rather than relying on visual clues from outside. This method is governed by a set of regulations known as Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), which are essential for flying safely in low-visibility conditions such as clouds, fog, or heavy rain. I recall my training for an Instrument Rating included, among other stipulations, at least 40 hours “under the hood.” That meant I had to fly the plane with a view limiting device which forced me to rely solely on the cockpit instruments. After a while, it became second nature. Today, all commercial flights operate under IFR, regardless of weather, due to the increased safety and efficiency provided by Air Traffic Control assistance and the ability to fly at higher altitudes. But, it wasn’t always like this. During the early years of aviation, pilots were limited to flying only in good weather and they depended upon visual references to landmarks on the ground in order to navigate. Jimmy Doolittle changed everything.
As an aviation pioneer of the 1920s and 30s, James Harold “Jimmy" Doolittle was one of the most notable figures in the history of American flight. He had a prolific and multi-faceted aviation career. He saw military service, was a daring test pilot and aeronautical engineer. As an air racer, Doolittle was the only winner of the Schneider, Bendix, and Thompson Trophy competitions, considered by many the most important races of the era. Enlisting in the Army Air Service in 1917, he was a flight instructor in World War I. As the war ended, he was recommended by three fellow officers for retention in the US Army Air Forces. Doolittle was among the first to earn a doctorate in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1925. Using his expertise to advance aviation technology, he became a renowned test pilot known for setting speed records and was the first to perform an outside loop. All of this paled in comparison to what came next when he became associated with the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics in 1928. That’s when he was selected to lead the fund's Full-Flight Laboratory at Mitchel Field on Long Island, New York.
After World War I, the role of aviation expanded from the military sector to commercial enterprises with the increase in mail, cargo and passenger flights. Weather and visibility could disrupt regular flights, which were required for the new aviation industry to be commercially successful and for the US Post Office to establish overnight delivery schedules. During the 1920s, there was slow but steady progress in the development of cockpit instruments to assist pilots flying during conditions of low visibility. At the beginning of the decade, the instruments, which were primarily mechanical, could provide altitude, attitude, direction and air speed information, but not an aircraft’s spatial position, which was crucial during landing. Instruments and navigation aids were needed which would allow an aircraft to be flown on a course in fog or in conditions of low visibility or even zero visibility.
The Guggenheim Fund aimed to advance all-weather flying then known then as "blind flying,” hoping to prove that instruments alone could guide a plane. The fund sought a pilot with top-tier technical expertise. Doolittle, then a US Army Lieutenant, was uniquely qualified due to his advanced education, in addition to his exceptional piloting skills, and his experience as a renowned stunt and racing pilot. He was "borrowed" from the Army Air Corps to head a project, where he coordinated the research and development of critical new instruments, including the artificial horizon and directional gyroscope .
The Laboratory experimented with various test instruments and found that an artificial horizon (which indicates the airplane’s longitudinal and lateral position in relation to the ground) and a directional gyroscope (which indicates the aircraft's heading) were the right combination for directional control, along with a sensitive barometric altimeter that was so delicate it could measure the altitude of an airplane within a few feet of the ground. These three instruments would soon become universal on aircraft, but the artificial horizon is most critical for maintaining aircraft control, preventing spatial disorientation and avoiding deadly loss of control scenarios in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC).
For months, Doolittle prepared for the challenge. Finally, on September 24, 1929, a heavy fog blanketed Mitchel Field. He had “zero-zero conditions,” and he was ready to go! That’s when Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle made history at the Guggenheim Full Flight Laboratory when he took off in a specially modified and instrumented Army Air Corp NY-2 Husky aircraft built by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. At the time, this NY-2 Husky was the world’s most instrumented aircraft engaged in “blind flying” research. Lieutenant Benjamin Kelsey was aboard as his safety officer. Doolittle was seated in the rear cockpit which contained the displays and was covered by a special hood to conceal external references (considered nearly suicidal at the time). The aircraft landed after a fifteen minute, 20-mile flight without Doolittle ever seeing the ground and relying solely on instruments. This collaboration, which lasted until the Guggenheim Fund closed in 1930, proved that instrument flying was possible and transformed aviation safety.
In addition to the newly developed altimeter, directional gyro and artificial horizon, there were other items crucial to the success of the flight. First among these was the radio range and marker beacon developed by the Bureau of Standards and the special radio receiver with a vibrating reed display built by the Radio Frequency Laboratories. The special instrumentation installed on the NY-2 also included a radio transmitter and receiver with a trailing wire antenna that provided voice communications. The Radio Range Beacons provided a directional beam aligned with the runway, allowing Doolittle to stay on course while blinded. His radios were absolutely crucial to the success of the flight, enabling navigation, runway alignment and altitude calibration in zero-visibility conditions.
Thanks to Jimmy Doolittle, pilots the world over are now prepared to safely handle unexpected weather changes and avoid a leading cause of fatal accidents: inadvertent flight into IMC. Instrument training instills precision in aircraft control (holding altitude, heading, and airspeed), improves radio communication skills, and deepens a pilot's understanding of weather systems and aircraft avionics. These skills translate to all types of flying, making for a more confident and capable aviator.
While this alone would have garnered him a place in the history books, Jimmy Doolittle is even more famous for his exploits during World War II. I’ll tell you all about those in a future post.
Until next time…safe travels.