Airplane photo thread

I know that he was a great tactician and good pilot. Okay, Russ, we are all ears.

 

I think I've see it before - It's extinguishant, right?

Dunno what those guys use, but I do know it makes a real mess of a racing car if fired accidentally. A real PITA to clean everything up. (Don't ask me how I know..... )

Cheers,
Ian

 

IFR...

 

Bob- Actually, MvR was an excellent pilot, he just did not do it for fun. Erst Udet gave a vivid description of MvR setting down a Dr.I after his Ur.II lost a cylinder and he shut it down to prevent ripping off the cowl. Udet described how MvR set her down light as feather in a field so small Udet did not think it possible.

Fancy flying was not for MvR and he actually thought aerobatics was a waste of time.

Incidentally, Oswald Boelcke was MvR's first Jagdstaffel commander and taught him all the basics, except shooting. Boelcke's dicta was the first published set of rules on how to use fighter aircraft and are very similar to what is still used today. He had 40 victories in October 1916, way more than anyone else at that time, when he was killed in a mid-air with one of his own pilots. Lots of blind spots in biplanes, especially in the early Albatros D.I and D.II fighters, and Boelcke was killed in a D.II. Undercarriage of one of his pilots hit his upper wing, and the entire structure collapsed.

Simplified Boelcke Dicta:

1. Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, keep the sun
behind you.

2. Always carry through an attack when you have started it.

3. Fire only at close range, and only when your opponent is properly in your
sights.

4. Always keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be
deceived by ruses.

5. In any form of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.

6. If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught, but fly to
meet it.

7. When over the enemy's lines, never forget your own line of retreat.

8. For the Staffel: Attack on principle in groups of four or six. When the fight
breaks up into a series of single combats, take care that several do not go
for one opponent.


Here is an Albatros D.II on take-off, showing you how blind she would be in several directions.
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correct it's fire retardant foam, the US military uses, story is a welder set of the hanger fire system?!

 

...
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I think Terry summarized it nicely. He still to some degree affects air-to-air combat even today. On a personal note, he even recognized the need for specialized physicians for aviators, but he primarily is the Ur-tactician when it comes to fighters, and is still relevant to some degree today.

Everyone is a bit different, but to me the most important fighter pilot, ever, is Boelke. Now, as to my favorite, there are many. Georges Guynemer would be pretty near the top...
Although somewhat romanticized, the story of Udet meeting Guynemer, one on one combat, is a great story. Some people say it was ficticious - I am sure Terry has more background than me.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vylgMb2km3s[/ame]

 

Thanks, guys. I have been duly edified

 

Russ- No, it apparently really happened and is well covered in Udet's book Mein Fliegerleben. Relatively early in Udet's career, Guynemer outflew him in a nearly equal battle, helped by the superiority of his Spad, and could have killed him but turned him loose when Udet's guns jammed. Bad choice since Udet ended up with 62 victories

Russell Smith's interpretation of the end of the fight.
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Bomb's eye view of B-25. Man, was this plane loud. First fly over was low and loud.
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It appears that you have 26 straight exhaust stacks talking to you as that B-25 goes over you. Some versions didn't have that but those that did could rattle the neighborhood when they went over close by. A lovely sight at night when they were under full boost. One of my favorite memories is a B-25 that landed at Hondo when we were chasing a raccoon in the grass between the ramp and the main runway. The pilot looked at us like we were crazy when he was on the runout. I believe that he was right. We caught the raccoon but a couple of guys without work gloves got bitten a little bit. I can't remember what we did with that raccoon but that doesn't matter now.

 

I've never seen a B-25 in flight before, you could hear this plane a long time before I could see it, it got everyone's attention.

 

And a beautiful sound it is, indeed!
I rode once in a B-25. If you think it is loud on the ground, it was deafening inside. But, wow, what a feeling!

 

Quite a sight to be on board for a night take off and see the ring of blue flames crackling back from those straight stacks. Great airplane.

 

A rare sight caught by a guy walking his dog: an Israeli AF F-15FD "Baz" (Falcon) from IAF 106 Squadron "Spear Head" flying out of Cazaux Base Aérienne (AFB) 120 in France.

The missile is a Black Sparrow, an air-launched ballistic target, which was jointly developed by Raytheon and Rafael, based on the air launched AG-142 Popeye (Have Lite) missile. It is used as a target for Arrow-2 ABM tests in Israel.

France bought three Black Sparrow launches to test the ABM capabilities of its Ground-based area defence - Aster 30 - SAMP/T.

cazaux - Page 13
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Dad's P-47D, painted in early 1947 by a German artist while Dad was part of the occupation forces.
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Photos that where taken last summer. The 3 one is a very well detailed model from a company in eastern Europe IIRC. This Corsair actually has a jump seat behind the pilot quite an experience being a passage
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Taz, you have quite a heritage of which you must be very proud, not only your dad's history but your own. Wonderful combination. May I ask what group and squadron your dad was in? I cannot imagine what it was like being 10 feet behind 2200 HP and blasting along in a big piece of iron like the P-47. Special young men then.

 

2:45 minute Vimeo clip of B-17 and B-25 near/over Hoover Dam and AZ. Sorry I do not know how to embed it here...

H5 - WWII Bombers over Arizona Landscape on Vimeo

 

Bob- 86th FBG, 525th FS.

 

Wow! What a great painting to keep forever in your family.

You must have a lot to proud of when you think of your Dad! Congrats.
.

 

Ron- Affirmative, and the photo does not show the target drone propeller from which the painting hangs. Have to dig up the painting of Dad's stuff Jim Dietz did for me, B4 and After, with the items in a B4 bag.

 

Formation flying - 3 V-tails and a Non-Cessna.

These guys are definitely military trained, I don't think they teach this is your basic flight school. They came in tight Diamond formation,(when I say tight, I mean tight!) broke, circle regroup then slip into a Four Finger formation with the tail sliding back into Diamond. They gave quite a show. Not sure what the occasion was all about, but it was something you don't see everyday with civilian props.
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Probably Bonanza formation training. They do this every year to prepare for the mass arrival to Oshkosh.

 

Photos from a Colorado air show.

-F
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