Project Aphrodite
Again and again problems with the radio price increase
The next Aphrodite employment took place in the morning 6 of August with the start from two further "Babies". The procedures were the same as with the first two employments with a main and a reserve guidance airplane in 15.000 feet (4,572 m) height for each Baby and a test course over Suffolk before leaving the coast with Orfordness.
The crew of the first "Babies" had left its machine with the parachute. During approximating to the opposing coast the guidance airplane lost however the funkkontakt and the Fortress loaded with explosive fell into the sea. Problems with the radio price increase arose also with the Baby following in the distance of 10 minutes. To jumping off and flying over the channel coast the machine went to the crew into uncontrollable link curves and fell likewise into the sea.
Discontent with the limited possibilities of the double AZON receivers, that had been meant for temporally limited attempts also only, led to the fact that these were replaced by equipment substantially more developed, which had arrived in the meantime from the USA and a more precise control with higher sensitivity promised. During the installation work and examinations one month long no more further Aphrodite employments took place. The Aphrodite airplanes equipped with the new devices received the new pseudonym "Castor", nevertheless the designation "Aphrodite" as generic term for the guided missile program of the USSTAF in Fersfield were maintained.
Lietenant Kennedy in combat with his Liberator
The crew of the first Baby leaved their aircraft between Woodridge and the coast near Orfordness. The flight of the second Baby ended in a desaster:
The US Navy started its first remote-controlled airplane under the anvil program in the afternoon of 12 August with the target of destroying the V-weapon position in Mimoyecques. The US Navy always considered on their self-sufficiency had bring along two own leading-airplanes of the type PV-1 Ventura and had equipped also. As a "aby" from as per Joe P. Kennedy (see picture left), the son of the US Ambassador in Great Britain and brother of the later president, John F. Kennedy, flown PB4Y-1 Liberator (No. 32271) functioned. The place of the radio operator took as per W.J. "Bud" willy.
