FINDING AID TO THE CHARLES C. BOCK, JR. PAPERS, 1956-2014 Purdue University Libraries Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center 504 West State Street West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2058 (765) 494-2839 http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol © 2015 Purdue University Libraries. All rights reserved. Processed by: Hannah Vaughn, September 09, 2015

Descriptive Summary Creator Information

Bock, Jr., Charles C., 1925-

Title

Charles C. Bock, Jr. papers

Collection Identifier

MSA 315

Date Span

1956-2014

Abstract

This collection contains writings, flight test reports, photographs, newsclippings, articles, published materials, correspondence, and awards that span Bock’s entire career. Nine 16mm films and three VHS tapes are included in this collection as well.

Extent

1.3 cubic feet (1 letter mss boxes, 2 flat boxes)

Finding Aid Author

Hannah Vaughn, 2015

Languages

English

Repository

Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries

Administrative Information Location Information:

ASC

Access Collection is open for research. Restrictions: Acquisition Information:

Donated by Charles C. Bock, Jr. on October 29, 2014, November 4, 2014, and December 2, 2014

Accession Number:

20141029 20141106 20141202

Preferred Citation:

MSA 315, Charles C. Bock, Jr. papers, Karnes Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries

Copyright Notice:

Purdue University per deed of gift.

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Related Materials Information:

Purdue University Alumni collection and Purdue University Oral History Program Collection

Subjects and Genres Persons Charles C. Bock, Jr., 1925Iven C. Kincheloe, Jr., 1928-1958 Albert Scott Crossfield, 1921-2006 Albert H. Crews, 1929Organizations United States Air Force Edwards Air Force Base (Calif.) Rockwell International Aerospace Walk of Honor, Lancaster, California Topics Experimental aircraft Bell X-2 X-15 (Rocket aircraft) SR-71 Blackbird (Jet reconnaissance plane) Rockwell B-1 (Bomber) B-52 bomber B-50 bomber B-58 bomber Form and Genre Types 16mm Films Awards Clippings, newspaper Correspondence Flight Reports Handbooks Magazines Newspapers Photographs VHS Tapes Occupations Test Pilot Chief Test Pilot, B-1 division Aerospace Research Pilot Director of Combat Operations (DCO) Chief of Safety, Air National Guard, Pentagon

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Biography of Charles Bock Charles Cornelius Bock, Jr. was born on November 24, 1925 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cornelius Bock. His career in aviation first began in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program near the end of 1943. He enlisted to fly P-38 aircraft and completed Navigation School. Bock was then trained in flying B-29 bombers right before World War II ended and was off active duty by February of 1946. He graduated Purdue University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1949 and after a short period at Boeing, began pilot training with the United States Air Force in 1950. By 1951, he was a certified pilot and flew a 51 mission combat tour with the 3rd Bomb Wing in Korea in 1952. Bock completed the USAF Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1954 and remained at Edwards Air Force Base assigned to the Bomber Branch of Flight Test Operations. During this tour of duty, he participated in many USAF flight test programs, including the B-66, B-52, B-58, KC-135, and C-141. He was also a launch pilot for experimental aircraft, such as the X-2, and the initial and primary launch pilot for the X-15. Bock developed new flight techniques needed to solve problems created by the one-sided 33,300-pound load under the B-52’s right wing. Among them were takeoffs and landings complicated by structural changes that prevented use of the B-52’s wing flaps, as the flaps are needed to increase take-off lift and reduce landing speed. This period also provided Bock the opportunity to fly many other aircraft of the day and to conduct a three flight evaluation of the RAF AVRO Vulcan Bomber in England. Bock was reassigned in 1960 to Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was the winner of a Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals of his 51 B-26 bombing missions in Korea. He put in another year as an advanced operations planner at Air Force Systems Command, Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland before returning to Edwards Air Force Base for the first student class of the Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1962. After completion, Bock was assigned to the YF-12/SR-71 Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base, flew both of these aircraft, and performed many of the early USAF flight tests on the SR-71 Blackbird. In 1967, he attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington D.C. This was followed by combat crew training in the F-100 aircraft, and a two year tour in England as Assistant Director of Combat Operations of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing. While in England, Bock was promoted to the rank of Colonel and helped convert the 20th Fighter Wing to F-111 aircraft. His next assignment was to the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing during Vietnam as the Director of Combat Operations. He flew 52 combat missions in F-100 aircraft before the Wing was phased out. Bock finished his Vietnam duty at Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, in Saigon. After a period of duty with the Air National Guard as Chief of Safety at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., he retired from the Air Force in 1973 to accept a position with Rockwell International. Bock was appointed Chief Test Pilot, B-1 division, and made the first flight of the B-1 bomber on September 23, 1974. He accumulated 600 flying hours in the B-1 before retiring.

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Sources: Biographies. The Charles C. Bock, Jr. papers. Box #3, Folder #1. Writings/Flight Test Reports. The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, West Lafayette, Indiana. Major Charles C. Bock, biographical information. 02 April 1964. PA00055, Purdue University Alumni. The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, West Lafayette, Indiana. http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/pualumni/id/104/rec/3 Oral history interview with Charles C. Bock, Jr. 04 May 2015. Purdue University Oral History Program Collection. The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, West Lafayette, Indiana.

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Collection Description Scope The Charles Bock papers (1956-2014; 1.3 cubic feet) document the vast career of a test pilot. Within the collection, there is material over the Bell X-2, the X-15 (Rocket aircraft), the SR-71 Blackbird (Jet reconnaissance plane), the Rockwell B-1 (Bomber), and many other types of experimental aircraft. Included are photographs of fellow Purdue University alumni and “America's No. 1 Spaceman” Iven C. Kincheloe, Jr. In addition to the thirty-one photographs, the collection consists of nine 16mm films, one of which is of the AC-1 flight with Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, whose letter about the experience is included as well. Also, in the collection are Bock’s stepby-step instructions for President Ford’s visit to Rockwell International and his tour of the B-1 bomber along with corresponding newspaper articles.

Arrangement This collection is divided into seven series: Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, Awards, and Audio Visual. Materials within each of these series are arranged chronologically. 1. Writings/Flight Test Reports, 1960-1976 (0.1 cubic feet).

2. Photographs, c. 1956-2014 (0.1 cubic feet).

3. Newsclippings & Articles, 1976-2012 (0.05 cubic feet).

4. Published Materials, c. 1981-1982 (0.05 cubic feet).

5. Correspondence, 1976-2006 (0.025 cubic feet).

6. Awards, 1990-2009 (0.075 cubic feet).

7. Audio Visual, c. 1976-1994 (0.9 cubic feet).

Descriptive Rules Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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Processing Information All paperclips and staples have been removed from the collection materials. Also, all of the post-it notes have been removed as well, with photocopies of the post-it notes following the materials they were attached to. All VHS tapes and 16mm films have been digitized

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION Series I. Writings/Flight Test Reports, 1960-1976 (0.1 cubic feet) Box 1 Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, and Awards, 1956-2014 Folder 1. Writings/Flight Test Reports, 1960-1976 Flight Evaluation of the B-52 Carrier Aircraft for the X-15, Supersonic Aircraft and the Subsonic Airway System, B-1 USAF S/N 24-0158 Flight Report First Flight FLT NO. 1-1, and Bibliographies

Series II. Photographs, c. 1956-2014 (0.1 cubic feet) Box 1 Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, and Awards, 1956-2014 Folder 2. Photographs, c. 1956-2014 X-2, B-50 bomber, B-58 bomber, X-15, B-52 bomber, SR-71 Blackbird, B-1 bomber, and Europa

Series III. Newsclippings & Articles, 1976-2012 (0.05 cubic feet) Box 1 Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, and Awards, 1956-2014 Folder 3. Newsclippings & Articles, 1976-2012 Presidential Tour: Step-By-Step, Rockwell International News: B-1 Division, President Ford Visiting the B-1, Aerospace Walk of Honor,

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4.

the B-58 bomber, the B-1 bomber, Lockheed A-12, SR-71 Blackbird, B1-B Lancer, and D-21 Drone Archival Copies

Series IV. Published Materials, c. 1981-1982 (0.05 cubic feet) Box 1 Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, and Awards, 1956-2014 Folder 5. Published Materials, c. 1981-1982 Lockheed Horizons Issue 9 Winter 1981/82 and Lockheed SR-71 Supersonic/Hypersonic Research Facility Researcher’s Handbook Volume 1 Executive Summary

Series V. Correspondence, 1976-2006 (0.025 cubic feet) Box 1 Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, and Awards, 1956-2014 Folder 6. Correspondence, 1976-2006 Letter from Senator Goldwater to members of the Armed Services Committee after his B-1 flight with Bock and email regarding the Dyna Soar project

Series VI. Awards, 1990-2009 (0.075 cubic feet) Box 1 Writings/Flight Test Reports, Photographs, Newsclippings & Articles, Published Materials, Correspondence, and Awards, 1956-2014 Folder 7. Awards, 1990-2009 Aerospace Walk of Honor 10th Anniversary City of Lancaster, California Program, Aerospace Walk of Honor Program, Flight Test Historical Foundation newsletter, Museum of Flight program package, Flight Test Historical Foundation Gathering of Eagles 2009 X-15 Flight Test Program

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Series VII. Audio Visual, c. 1976-1994 (0.9 cubic feet) Box Box 2

Item VHS Tapes

Film Reels

Box 3

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Types of Materials Test Pilot Charles C. Bock B-1, 10 min. The B-1B A New Beginning, 12 min. Where Dreams Take Flight City of Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor Honoree Video, 1994, 4.5 min. The Magnificent B-1 Prod. 1040-6 CC Bock, 7 Mins. 16mm Color/Sound Print C.C. Bock, Jr. Test Pilot “Charlie Bock From One to One Hundred” CF-496, 10 Minutes 16mm Color/Silent Edited Print C.C. Bock, Jr. “AC-1 29th Flight with Senator Goldwater” CF-313, 4 Minutes 16mm Color/Silent Print #2 Board of Director’s Briefing – 1976 (Dougherty Flight) CF359, 4.5 Min. 16mm Color/Sound Print #7 CC Bock C.C. Bock, Jr. “Charlie” Prod. 1029, 3 Min. 16mm Color/Sound Print #3 C.C. Bock, Jr. “Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld T.V. Clip – AC-1 30th Flight” CF-314, 3 Minutes 16mm Color/Silent Print #6 B-58 Briefing Film – UNCL. CB5 B-58 – B-52 X-15, UNC 2 Reel 1600’ C. Bock -

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