The TC-3 and the TC-7 were the two United States Army Air Corps non-rigid blimps used for parasite fighter trials conducted in 1923–24. A single Sperry Messenger biplane was equipped with a skyhook to engage the temporary trapeze mounted to the control carriage of the blimp itself. The first successful docking was achieved on December 15, 1924.[1] Despite the completely successful results of the program, the Army chose not to develop the concept further.[2][3] It was the Navy which began the better-known project in 1925 using rigid airships, the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), the USS Macon (ZRS-5) and the USS Akron (ZRS-4).
Scott Field in St. Clair County, Illinois, had a US Army Lighter-than-Air Base fromn 1921–1937 for training, including J-class blimps. In 1937, the Army Air Corps ended its airship program and transferred all its LTA material to the Navy, only two blimps were used by the Navy: TC-13 and TC-14.[4][5]
- ^ "Verville-Sperry M-1 Messenger | National Air and Space Museum". airandspace.si.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-05-23.
- ^ "The West Point Of The Air"" Popular Mechanics, June 1930, TC class pages 941, 943 (bottom), 944
- ^ "Wild Night In The T-C-10", September 1931, Popular Mechanics article/photos on the TC-10, of the same class as the TC-3
- ^ "TC-13 Airship, Scott Field, 1920's". www.scott.af.mil.
- ^ "17 September 1935 – The Maiden Flight of the Final and Most Modern Army Airship was Conduc". Scott Air Force Base. September 17, 2018.