Absolutely ! In 1946 PT-17's were going for sale for $350.00 with 25 hours on them. And I didn't have $3.50 on me.
My brother in-law was on the US Philippine Sea Carrier in the Korean War. He said they had an order to make top speed to Hawaii so they tied all the prop planes down — FU-4s mostly and filled them up with fuel and ran them wide open throttle up on deck. When they ran out of fuel they were pushed overboard.
American Bf-109G6-Trop captured from the Jagdgeschwader 77 at Soliman, Tunisi Image Unavailable, Please Login
Enterprise going to Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1985. Here is a photo of it in launch configuration after that tow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandenberg_Space_Launch_Complex_6#Space_Shuttle And some more info: https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/02/08/astronaut-interview-30-years-after-the-hopes-of-a-west-coast-space-shuttle/
No WW2 B-17 would be flying with the tailwheel hanging out. Why can't this be retracted? It ain't that big of a deal.
It's still dirty looking. The mechanism is a simple electric motor and an endless ball bearing shaft that enacts the links. A very simple arrangement.
Boy, that Junkers was a beast! Note the passenger windows in the inner wing leading edge and what appear to be retractable radiators outboard of that.
The Junkers G-38, they built 2 of them. One crashed early on, the other was used as a transport duing WW2. Destroyed on the ground in Greece by the RAF. Junkers also licensed it to Mitsubishi who built 6 of them.
Posted on FB by former Fchatter Russ, who has moved from hot rod Mondials to building an entire replica WWI aerodome and air force. Image Unavailable, Please Login