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Pilot Recalls ea 3 July 1947 Dick Rankin Tells Of Odd Aircratt More reports of “flying flap- jacks” turned up Wednesday, one from no less than Dick Rankin, brother of the late Tex Rankin, and himself an expe rienced pilot of more than 7000 hours’ flying time. Rankin, who is recovering from an old back injury re- ceived in an automobile acci- |dent, came to Portland over | the week end to spend the sum |mer. He saw the “silver cau- |cers” over Bakersfield, Cal. |June 23, while lying on the | |lawn sun bathing, he told The Oregonian. | “I hesitated to say much about them,” Rankin said, “un- til I noticed all the hullabaloo in the . I puzzled over their Strange shape for a while and finally concluded that they re the navy's ne@® XF5U-1 flying flapjacks, which are thin and round, with twin propellers and stubby tail.” Only One XFSU-1 Built ! (The navy and the manufac: turer have announced official- ly that only one such machine was built and that it never left Connecticut. “These planes were flying high. ont 9000 feet, and fair. last, about 300 or 400 miles a th I first counted ten of them in formation, going north. About 2:15 P. M. they returned on the reverse course, headed south, But there were only sev- en in the formation. “They were not wowing Oo: or | bobbing in formation I couldn’ |make out the number or loose |tion of their propellers and |! couldn't distinguish any wings or tail. They apy ‘ed almost | round. They looked like pe tures of the navy's flying f jack,” Rankin said Rankin, who plans to nad the summer here at 834 . Simpson street, is now able to resume a little flying for fun, but not commercially, he said He now operates a string of auto courts, nding his win- ters at Palm Springs.