173rd FW F-15C 79-041

So much fun to be in the guard and be able to do a beautiful paint job like this on your wing bird. Chosen because the Oregon guard unit was activated in 1941. Need a shot in the air so we can see the wings.
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Ask and ye shall receive......
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Mark- Nice ones, thanks. She sure is pretty. I have four sorties in an F-15D and I really enjoyed flying her.

 

They did it in the ol' days, too.
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Klamath Falls!

 

Bob- I remember photos of P-6Es with talons painted on the wheel spats. Yellow wings were really popular in the 20s and 30s.

Come to think of it, here is one.
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One of the prettiest biplanes ever and I'm doing a painting of one with the talons and snowy owl insignia on the fuselage. I'm also doing another P-26 but in olive green, black and white fuselage stripe.

 

Bob- The National Museum of the USAF has a P-6E engine on display and it looks like a Ferrari engine. DOHC V-12 with 4 valves per cylinder and around 700 hp. Bit bigger though, at 1570 cc.

I agree with you. I think the P-6E may have been the prettiest airplane of all time. The beautiful paint jobs helped. Much more attractive than the P-12 with that big radial up front.

 

Really cool.

Between the Guard, the Aggressors and the Japanese there are a lot of creative paint schemes out there.

https://www.google.com/search?q=f-15+paint+schemes&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWiPPFvILMAhVEWCYKHQi1CsoQ_AUIBygB&biw=1920&bih=967#

 

Taz--

1570 cubic inches.

The description of the engine caught my interest, and I found a monograph on the D-12
engine from which it was derived. I'll read it tonight, but it looks very interesting. 115
pages, 26mB pdf:

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/AnnalsofFlight/pdf_hi/SAOF-0007.pdf.

We're going down to visit Anna in Pensacola again next weekend but I don't remember
seeing that engine in the National Aviation Museum there.

--Carter

 

Very nice paint work on that Eagle. Perhaps some of the best paint jobs out there are the planes done up for the annual "Tiger Meet"

https://www.google.com/search?q=tiger+meet+2016&rlz=1C1EODA_enUS593US618&espv=2&biw=1777&bih=887&tbm=isch&imgil=SvXwgvxkgdzGzM%253A%253B827QSRs-I3EaaM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.milavia.net%25252Fspecials%25252Fntm15-konya%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=SvXwgvxkgdzGzM%253A%252C827QSRs-I3EaaM%252C_&usg=__zHecHRB--79qoBlv3pkQJCRrPfQ%3D&dpr=0.9&ved=0ahUKEwj3-MOMg4PMAhXD4SYKHS1pDr0QyjcIPA&ei=eLoJV_fcHcPDmwGt0rnoCw#imgrc=ksJAW6czNqVCDM%3A

 

Carter- Yup, too much fiddling with this metric stuff. A little bigger than the 350 cu in in my 575M. Great document that is really a history of the V12 aero engine. Good insights on the Schneider Cup and its predecessor land aircraft races.

Rob- That Mirage 2000 looks really good with the Tiger Meet paint job.
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For any engine geek that pdf is exciting!

I learned that there is a Curtiss F6C-1 Hawk with a D.12 Conqueror engine on display at
the National Naval Aviation Museum -- though of course all the covers are on it. I'll look
for it next week, and bring my dzus tool.

--Carter

 

From somewhere in my memory I remember that when the Conqueror had short straight stacks that it was vulnerable to warped valve stems if the airplane was slipped or yawed when power was reduced. It would fun to hear that engine run. A contemporary airplane that also was good looking was the Hawker Super Fury, a biplane Hurricane.

 

I was thinking that sounded awfully small for that type of aero engine! CI makes much more sense.

Awesome paint job! Love the 'eyes'. Very cool.

"Would never be permitted by the RAF old chap!"

I guess those two (3?) pods she's carrying are some kind of communication/jamming equipment? They're awfully big for missiles/bombs!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Ian they are drop tanks for extra fuel

 

Taz I have to agree it is a shame that the US Tiger units cannot paint up there birds in that fashion.

Back to the F-15 with as many nations flying them perhaps they could have an annual "Gathering of the Eagles" exercise. Be quite the sight to see that many different F-15's in the air at the same time.

 

Stretching a little off topic, but a friend pointed out that the monograph on
the Curtiss engine is one of a series of 10, and they all look interesting.
Here is the front page to the documents:

Smithsonian Annals of Flight

--Carter

 

That 15 paint job is very cool but it reminds me of a ride with Seghetti (Sparky) through the back gate at Reno one year and I saw a Mustang (not a racer) with a very clean and attractive paint scheme parked out of the way by a hanger. I said "what a good looking P51. Steve stopped his Suburban and stared at me and said, "have you ever seen an ugly one?".

For an early plane I'll take one of the Supermarine racing float planes.

 

Carter- I had read the one on the Liberty engine, but had not seen the one on the Curtis, probably because most of my interest was WW-I, especially rotary engines. I have a bunch of factory literature on Mercedes and BMW engines from WW-1 and capture reports the British did on German WW-I engines. The Liberty V12 engine used a lot of Daimler (Mercedes) technology, especially the built up cylinders. The Curtis was more modern mono-block design.

 

The Liberty was considered by many to be a good early example of either a contractor scam or a procurement boondoggle. Have not studied the development and final product but have been told it makes entertaining reading.

Near as I can tell the most productive use for them was in liquor running boats.

 

Taz--

The paper on "Langley's aero engine of 1903" includes the same de Dion
engine as was was used on an 1898 Renault I worked on at Hill & Vaughn!

--Carter

 

Ahh, OK, thanks!

How often would they do it that way?....Seem like awfully expensive "disposables" to me! Or did they (sometimes?) bring them home empty?

I guess still "cheaper" than having a tanker up there to feed 'em for days on end.....

Cheers,
Ian

 

I don't know anything about the development of the Liberty but I did see one run in a DH-4 in flight and it was quite a kick. i was waiting for it to get out of what sound like idle speed. It flew the pattern at one of the Arlington Fly-ins with Gary Norton in it It appeared to be quite a beast to land. Then, in 1932 when we were on the farm I used to see them flying over either with the mail or as an Army plane. Neat sound to hear them going over at night when things were quiet.