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Contact Info
Home Town Lexington, Kentucky
Last Address Louisville, Kentucky
Date of Passing Jul 26, 2012
Location of Interment Cave Hill Cemetery - Louisville, Kentucky
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
General Ardery was Squadron Commander of the 564th Bomb Squadron, of the 389th Bomb Group during Operation Tidal Wave on August 1, 1943. For his actions he was awarded the Silver Star and one of two Distingished Flying Cross medals. Before joining he had attended the University of Kentucky and Harvard Law School and was a practicing lawyer when he joined. He was given a reserve commison of 1st Lt in the Infantry in July of 1940. He entered active duty in in September of 1940 and he applied to flight training with the Air Corps in April of 1941. He was assigned to fly B-24 aircraft in late 1941. Early in his service he flew antisubmarine patrols between California and Hawaii and served as an instructor pilot in Texas. By August of 1942 he was a Captain and Squadron Commander of the 564th Bomb Squadron. By November of 1943 he was promoted to Major. By the end of the war he was a Lt Col. He completed 30 missions, including 4 on D Day; and returned to the US. In 1946 he helped form the Kentucky Air National Guard and was its first commander at the rank of Colonel. During his time with the Air Guard he flew a number of aircraft including the F-51 fighter and the F-86. His unit, the 123rd Fighter Group, was deployed to England during the Korean War. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General USAFR in 1955 and served as AF Liason to the Air Guard. He was promoted to Major General USAFR in April 1962 at the same time Barry Goldwater recieved his Major General rank. He officially retired from the Air Force in 1974. His last assignment was in the office of Air Force Information at the Pentagon. He is also the author of several books including "Bomber Pilot"."
Model Consolidated B-24J Liberator Length 67.16 ft | 20.47 m Width 110.01 ft | 33.53 m Height 18.01 ft | 5.49 m Engine(s) 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. Empty Weight 36,500 lbs | 16,556 kg MTOW 65,001 lbs | 29,484 kg Max Speed 290 mph | 467 km/h | 252 kts Max Range 2,001 miles | 3,220 km Ceiling 28,002 ft | 8,535 m | 5.3 miles Climb Rate 800 ft/min (243.84 m/min) Hardpoints 0 Armament 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in tail assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in upper-fuselage turret. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in under-fuselage assembly. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in left-waist fuselage position. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in right-waist fuselage position.
Up to 8,800lbs of internal bombs. Accommodations 10 Operators the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
* Model 31 - Flying Boat Model whose wing assembly would become the basis for the B-24 design. * Model 32 - Base B-24 Model Series Designation. * XB-24 - Initial Prototype Model Designation fitted with R-1830-33 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. * YB-24 - Preproduction Model Designation * B-24A - Fitted with 2 x 7.62mm tail guns, 6 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly, dorsal and waist gun positions. * B-24C - Fitted with turbocharged R-1830-41 engines; 8 x 12.7mm machine guns - nose (single gun), ventral, waist (left and right), dorsal turret (two guns) and tail turret (two guns). * B-24D - Based on the B-24C model but fitted with R-1830-43 engines; later models of this series would feature the twin 12.7mm ball turret gun assembly in the ventral fuselage position; self-sealing fuel tanks; 2,381 produced. * B-24E - Modified propeller systems; 801 produced. * B-24G - Fitted with R-1830-43 engines; powered nose turret with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. * B-24H - Improved Model with extended nose section; 3,100 produced. * B-24J - Fitted with R-1830-65 engines; improved bombsight; autopilot functionality; 6,678 produced. * B-24L - Based on B-24J model but fitted with hand-operated tail guns; 1,667 produced. * B-24M - Based on B-24J model with lighter mounting for hand-operated tail gun; 2,593 produced. * XB-24Q - General Electric Conversion Model of B-24L model fitted with radio-controlled tail turret. * B-24Q - Final Production Model Designation * B-24Q * LB-30 - Transport Variant * C-87 - Air Force Transport Variant * RY - Navy Transport Variant * C-109 - Fuel Tanking Model * F-7 - Photographic Reconnaissance Model * PB4Y-1 - Patrol Bombing Model * PB4Y-2 - Specialized Model with single vertical tail surface assembly. * GR - British Maritime Reconnaissance Model.
