Released in 1966, this U.S. Air Force produced documentary shows the 1965 William Tell, a biennial aerial gunnery competition with fighter aircraft held by the United States Air Force in every even-numbered year. In the competition, teams representing the various major commands of the USAF compete in live-fire exercises, using towed banner targets for gun engagements, and obsolete fighters converted into unmanned target drones (currently QF-4 Phantoms) for air-to-air missile engagements. The competition occurs during even-numbered years, while Gunsmoke occurs during odd-numbered years.
The film begins with a showcase of USAF and Canadian air defense, including NORAD early warning systems and the ADC, or Air Defense Command. Shown at 3:45 is a RCAF F-101 Voodoo, and at 4:00 a U.S. Air Force F-106 Delta Dart. Air National Guard pilots participate in the competition as well. At 8:00, maintenance on aircraft is seen. At 10:00, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is shown, the "missile with a man", equipped with a 20mm cannon and sidewinder missiles.
At 10:50, USAF Ryan Firebee drones are shown being used as realistic targets for intruders. At 11:30, the Tyndall AFB control site is seen, with a controller flying the drone for almost an hour over the target area. At 12:00, B-57 Canberra bombers are shown being used as targets as well, while trying to avoid detection. At 12:39, a Voodoo is shown deploying a supersonic target. A target monitoring system is shown at 13:17, along with a computer control center. At 16:40, a computerized display shows an F-106 locking into target and deploying a missile, which brings down the target at 17:00. At 18:00, weapon loading competitions are shown. At 18:30, a Firebee Drone is seen being recovered for re-use. Many were re-used over ten times. At 24:45, the award ceremony is seen at an ADC open house at Tyndall. AFB.
The William Tell competition in 1972 was when the first "Top Gun" award was won. It was won by a Canadian team from the first French-Canadian fighter squadron, the 425 All Weather Fighter Squadron "Les Alouettes". The recipients were Capt. Lowell Butters (Pilot) and Capt. Douglas Danko (Navigator) flying the McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo.
William Tell (in the four languages of Switzerland: German: Wilhelm Tell; French: Guillaume Tell; Italian: Guglielmo Tell; Romansh: Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th-century Swiss illustrated chronicle. It is set in the time of the original foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the early 14th century. According to the legend, Tell-an expert marksman with the crossbow-assassinated Gessler, a tyrannical reeve of Habsburg Austria positioned in Altdorf, Uri.
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