Hello, I am Bill Marshall of Fort Valley, GA. I just ran across your site for the EC-47 aircraft and did that bring back memories.

Back in the dark ages, I worked at WRAMA (Robins AFB) as an electronics engineer and was assigned as project engineer for Phyllis Ann. I remember attending the first project briefing at Robins with Capt. Dick Kilborn, an engineer/navigator, who was later assigned to the EC-47 in SEA as a navigator.

We wrote the specification used to contract with Air International for modification of the bird. X,Y,& Z (a take off on algebra) was used to designate the Sanders systems to keep from classifying the spec, and to tell you the truth, we were not told what the systems were or did. That came some time later.

Miami brings back memories of the fun and games as well. I remember Capt. "Buz" Sawyer, pilot of the concept A/C in SEA, coming to Miami TDY from SEA. All in all, it as a good project

Anyway, I have 10 color slides of the first (?) AC-47 having its compass swung. We had to jack the tail to flight profile, run the engines, & turn on all electrical/electronics systems to meet the accuracy requirement laid on us. What did you do later? If my memory serves, it was 1/4 degree rms? Boy,I cant believe its been so long!

Let me know about the slides and your snail mail address if you want them. Its been a real pleasure reading about this A/C.

Cheers Bill Marshall

Hi J.C., its Bill again. The slides are in the mail to you and they are of the RC/EC-47. Dont return them, use them any way you can, they are yours. If you print any just send me one of your choice. It would make a good war story!

The AC-47 was a typo. However, I do have a story of the AC-47 that relates somewhat to ECs.

Dick Williams, an electronics engineer in my office at Robins, was assigned to the AC-47 and went to Air International to help with that design. After the gun ship was finished, Dick took a job with Air International and was their design engineer for Phyllis Ann. Dick and I were close friends so that helped. I wish that I was still in contact with him.

One more tale on us. I mentioned that Capt. Dick Kilborn, an engineer/navigator in our office, and I went to a conference at the very beginning of the project. During the talks the briefer kept talking about flying a cross track and a long track. Finally I asked Dick what a long track was and he answered that he didn't know. You can guess how we laughed at ourselves when we finally found out that he was saying "along track". Dick went on to be a navigator on these birds in SEA and the last time that I saw him, some years later, he was a Col with the IG. Small world!

I had 3 years active duty with the old brown shoe Army Air Force, 1943,44,45, on B-29s in India and Tinian Island. After service, I worked at Robins on AC, then went to school and finished at Robins as an electronics engineer. Total 34 years.