On April 15th, 1955, Captain Robert F. ‘Earthquake’ Titus, fresh out of Test Pilot School, strapped himself into a North American F-51D Mustang at Naval Air Station El Centro. Titus was working with the Joint Parachute Test Group, and was about to take off on the very last official US Air Force Mustang sortie. Now, exactly sixty years later, Titus is set to commemorate his celebrated flight on the very anniversary of that mission (provided enough funds can be raised to sponsor it). This time he will be flying in the back seat of Daryl Bond’s dual control P-51D Mustang known as ‘Lady Jo’ from Petaluma Municipal Airport in Sonoma County, California. Any donations to help sponsor the flight would be most gratefully accepted of course (Please click HERE for further details! Be sure to help if you can.). ‘Earthquake’ Titus rose to the rank of Brigadier General by the time of his retirement in 1977, and had a career which helped shape the entire US Air Force…. He is so much more than the last pilot to fly a Mustang in regular US Air Force service though…. read on to find out more.
Titus is no stranger to the Mustang of course, having flown over 100 combat missions on the type during the Korean War. His second tour was in the F-86 Sabre as flight commander. Titus was also shot down in an F-86, parachuting down over enemy lines, and having to fight his way out to safety.
After his service in the Korean War, Titus earned a place in Test Pilot School at Muroc, California (what is now Edwards Air Force Base). Following graduation became a jump master with the Air Force’s 6511th Test Group (Parachute) at NAF El Centro (where the last Mustang flight took place). Perhaps his experience with the 82nd Airborne at the tail end of WWII had something to do with his selection for this posting. The group specialized in evaluating aircrew egress systems for the military, and still exists at El Centro today.
After his secondment to the 6511th TG he returned to Muroc, flying each of the century series fighters from the F-100 to F-107, and aiding in their development. Interestingly, he participated in testing the rocket-launched, zero-length takeoff F-100 Super Sabre; a project intended to rapidly get bomber interceptors in the air without the need for a runway (for takeoff at least!). In 1959, he was one of two officers to fly an F-100 over the North Pole; a first for a single-engine jet. He won one of his four Distinguished Flying Cross medals for this accomplishment.
By 1966, after a stint in Europe with F-105s, Titus found himself at Bien Hoa AFB in the Republic of Viet Nam commanding Skoshi Tiger, the combat evaluation for the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter. In 1967, took command of the 389th TFS at Da Nang AFB flying the F-4 Phantom II. ‘Earthquake’ Titus shot down three enemy MiG-21s over the course of 400+ combat missions while flying with the 389th. During his time in Viet Nam, Titus served alongside the legendary Robin Olds, and the two of them became lifelong friends.
In September, 1967 ‘Earthquake’ Titus returned to the USA, becoming the project officer for the F-15 Eagle program and the chief of Advanced Tactical Systems in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Research and Development. He continued on through various commands before retiring as NORAD/ADCOM Inspector General in 1977. Ever the test pilot, he participated in evaluating the Northrop YF-17 Cobra for service use during his last year. While the type did not enter production, it of course evolved into the F/A-18 Hornet.
General Titus’s military decorations and awards include the Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 24 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.There is a website HERE dedicated to this forthcoming flight, which is partly helping to raise the funds necessary for the flight.
Considering all of his many accomplishments, it will be a cap to a life well-lead when ‘Earthquake’ again takes to the air in ‘Lady Jo’ to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his historic final USAF Mustang flight. This tribute for ‘Earthquake’ and the TF-51 Commemoration Flight is an all volunteer effort. There are NO mainstream sponsors…. just those who “understand that we must all do what we can to to preserve the Flame”. Please click HERE for further details! Be sure to help if you can.
There is a gripping short film interview with ‘Earthquake’ Titus and it is well worth the time to watch.
Titus CAHF from Nick Provenzano on Vimeo.
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An artists impression of one of General Titus’s three MiG-21 kills over Viet Nam. - An artists impression of one of General Titus’s three MiG-21 kills over Viet Nam.
Please click HERE for further details! Be sure to help if you can.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
Great.
Best wishes to my old Wing CO .I was your Crew Chief at MacDill for 2 years when you flew 68-0420. Hope life has been good you. I am going to try and make it out to see make this historic event.
Wow. What a Hero. LONGLIFE GENERAL
Hello Gen. Titus ! I have been planecrazy all of my life. I lost my Daddy at an early age, but I can still recall spending many happy afternoons going to the Air Port at Hampton Va. I spent a lot of my childhood building model airplanes,”and cars too you see I’m also a Carolina Lug Nut “. Well the P-51 or” F-51″, was always the WarBird that I loved the most. You are a lucky man to get to fly one, I’ve always dreamed of being a WWII Mustang pilot. I have started to build models again, but my eye site wont let me work with the small 1/48 scale kits any more. I have always considered myself to be an expert on the aircraft of WWII. But I found an old forgotten WarBird just this past year. The De Havilland Hornet, they took all that had learned building the wooden Mosquitoes. And came up with a single seat, long range, twin engine fighter. It was armed with four 20 mm. canons, and was going to be a plane that could deal with the new aircraft that the Japanese had. You should type it into your computer’s search box, go to Images and give it a look. It was a beautiful airplane, of course it’s not as sexy looking as the Mustang ! I’ve got a big stash of model plane kits, and most of them are P-51 Mustangs. I have started building Guillows balsa wood kits, you’ve probably built Guillows model planes when you were a kid. Guillows has been around since 1926, and some of their kits are laser cut now and they plan to laser cut all of their kits soon. And man” I’ll tell ya”, that laser cut balsa wood model airplanes are a joy to build, the parts almost fall out of the sheets of balsa. And their all perfectly cut, you don’t have to notch the formers or wing ribs for the 1/16 x 1/16 stringers. Well Keep on flyen.
General Titus,
Don’t think you will remember me but I was your aide briefly on Okinawa. Have thought of you often over the years but never expressed my respect and admiration adequately. I do so now.I hope all is well with you sir, you are a hellava man! I salute you!
BIG BAD BOB…YOUR PERSONA LEFT SUCH A HUGE SHADOW ON THOSE OF US WHO KNOW YOU!
I ‘ LL NEVER FORGET ALL THE GREAT THE STORIES YOU, ROBIN AND JIM HILL SHARED!!
YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND MENTORING WAS CRITICAL TO SO MANY OF US!
I’VE OFTEN WONDERED HOW MANY ENLISTED MEN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DINE WITH A TABLE OF 10 GENERAL OFFICERS …PLAY GOLF….AND ONLY AFTER THE FESTIVITIES AT THE 19TH HOLE WALKING OUT TO THE GENERAL OFFICER PARKING LOT DID ANYONE REALIZE MY RANK WAS ONLY IN THE AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS…?
WHAT A SPLENDID TRIBUTE…ONCE A WARRIOR..WIRED FOR LIFE…!!! PALS,
HULL
WOW, what a Hero.LONG LIFE GENERAL