[Milsurplus] Radio Operators

[Mike Morrow]

>...aircraft radio operators were necessary when CW was the
>main mode for long distance communications. ...  What were
>the last military (bomber, cargo, patrol) and commercial aircraft
>to require radio operators and when were they phased out on
>these aircraft.

I can't answer much of your question, but the FCC license required to be a Morse radio operator on commercial aircraft was still being issued as late as 20 years ago.  The license consisted of a second or first class radioTELEGRAPH operator's certificate, with the Aircraft Endorsement.  The second class license required 20 wpm plain language and 16 wpm code groups, while the first class license and the aircraft endorsement required 25 wpm plain language, and 20 wpm code groups.  When I got my second class telegraph license 25 years ago, I considered testing for the aircraft endorsement just for a lark, since I suspect that it's been close to 50 years ago since there was such a thing as an airborne Morse operator on commercial aircraft.

The 1950s and 1960s era US Navy aircraft (like the SP-2H) that carried the Collins AN/ARC-38 (AM/CW) or -38A (AME/CW/USB) also generally had a type 26003 Morse key at the radio operator's position.  I don't know how often it would have been used.

Regarding the B-36 question raised in another posting, I have pictures of the insides of a B-36 that shows two AN/ARC-8 sets (BC-348 and T-47A/ART-13) installed, which would have required a operator.  You can see the same thing on the B-36 used for the filming of the Jimmy Stewart movie "Strategic Air Command."  (There's another Stewart movie in which the AN/ARC-8 is prominent: "Flight of the Phoenix.")  

Many AN/ARC-8 installations included a T-37 key at the radio operator's position.  When AN/ARC-8 sets were replaced by the remote operated AN/ARC-21 (AM) and later AN/ARC-65 (USB) monsters, I suspect the radio operators all disappeared.  A C-47 manual I have shows a version of the aircraft that has the big AN/ARC-65 drum taking up the floor space that had once been the radio operator's position.  (But you can still see where the T-37 key had once been mounted.)

In the early 1970s, I saw an AN/ARC-8 still installed on an in-service USAF T-29 (twin-engine C-47 sized aircraft).  But I suspect that it saw little or no actual use at that late date.

Mike / KK5F