Airplane photo thread

I did a painting of a BOAC Mosquito for a story in the book that I illustrated in 1974. The title is " Ernest K. Gann's Flying Circus". He wrote about the Mosquitos that BOAC operated to plant operatives in Sweden and fly back with a load of nice Swedish ball bearings and sometimes the " operatives" who had to be quickly extracted out of Sweden. They called it the Ball Bearing Airline and started with Lockheed Hudsons but the German's were shooting them down. So they switched to Mosquitos. The story relates how a Mossy was trailed by two FW-190's that intended to dispatch the BOAC plane. The pilot, F/O Payne, Split-S'ed the Mossy and dove to the surface of the North Sea and out ran the FW-190's. When he made his pullout the airspeed indicator had stuck at 480MPH and he suffered a bent elevator in the process. De Havilland subsequently changed from a fabric covered surface to a metal skin. It all happened when they were flying out an agent who was strapped to a plywood panel in the bomb bay. After landing in Scotland they asked him if he was okay and he said that he was fine but experienced some weird sensations during flight. Steel men flying a wooden airplane in an action that none of us will ever experience...nor would want to.

 

FYI, there's a nice article on the Mosquito in the most recent Air & Space Magazine.

http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Restoration-Carpenters-Special-169358206.html

 

I saw that! Good stuff.

I started a new thread devoted entirely to the activities surrounding the "new" Mossie: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384009

 

During my tour with the 33rd FW I went TDY to Cold Lake Canada and there was a dismantled Mosquito in one of the hangers, awaiting restoration. It was in a sad state, plus the hanger roof leaked, pouring water all over the poorly covered fuselage.

Just now looking this up and I see that there may be hope...

http://www.calgarymosquitosociety.com/rs700.htm

 

This photo is from the Airbus site of the A400M -Going to have a look next week.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Another Navion wasp-grower.

I wonder at what point a plane goes from "temporarily parked" to "immovable junk"
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Forlorn Navion?

 

I wish I had been there.

B-17, P-51 and I quess it's a F4F.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thats awesome!

 

That's when the "Don't mess with Texas" spot was filmed

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgd3o--LIyg[/ame]

 

In parts.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Texaco Sky Chief Gasoline
Back when getting gas was an EVENT, not a routine chore....
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Ah yes, the old Bomber Gas in Milwaukie, Oregon. I suppose the airplane is gone by now; does anyone know?

 

Surely it's been fully restored and is flying again by now........;-)

gonna google it tho.........

 

Jim, Many parts of this airplane are now on Sentimental Journey. The rest of the airframe is in parts unknown to me.

 

Anyone have the tail number for the 'Sky Chief' B-17? That might help.

 

Apparently the serial on the aircraft was 44-85790.

It appears that the front of the fuselage (forward of the bomb bay) was removed some years ago for restoration, but the project was delayed for lack of money. Supposedly an organization called Warbird Rescue will remove the aircraft from its perch and restore it, presumably to eventually be put back where it has been since 1947.

Incidentally, the gas station below the bomber closed in 1991.

 

Here's a current photo from Google Maps; you can see the missing front end.

The little building to the south was called, believe it or not, The Great Waldo & Pepper Espresso! Unfortunately it closed last March.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Totally unrelated but, I LOVE your avatar picture!

 

That bomber story was featured in an issue of Air & Space magazine covering businesses that used real airplanes. The summary goes; After the war, the owner who also was a pilot, bought the bomber from US Army surplus sales, for a figure of around $16,000 I believe in late 1940's dollars. He then flew the bomber back home where it was towed, prepped and lifted up to it's final resting place, high atop his service station.

 

It's been a couple years since I ate there but it has been Lacey's Bomber Cafe for quite a few years now. The bomber is missing the front section as shown in the pictures in other posts. Last I drove by there is in Nov '12 and it was pretty much like that then. No idea what the plans are for the place. As a kid I remember it as a gas station but those days are long gone.

 

Front section can be seen here in this 2.5 year old article: http://www.katu.com/news/local/95638799.html

Really hope something is done with that plane. Heck, if I had money, I'd buy it and throw money down that drain (would never recoup the $ put in I'm sure) because I think an important piece of history deserves the attention.

 

Rittmeister Manfred von Richthofen climbing into the back seat of his all red Albatros C.IX.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Tasty, pitot heat on for 30 minutes, let cool, then eat!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

.
Image Unavailable, Please Login