I'll have to agree with you on this one. De Havilland built some beautiful airplanes over the years. I knew an ex-Mosquito pilot with 17 victories in a Mosquito night fighter. He said that the cockpit layout was the worst he had ever seen in an airplane. The fuel tank selector was behind the seat, for one. Switches
Must have been a glamorous time. Is this what they called "flight training"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hondo_Municipal_Airport Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for that link. We also had two B-34's that we took care of. GREAT airplanes, fast and very reliable. Too fast for the navigation students who were many times locked in the airplane to figure out where they had been on their fast flight. When I look at the aerial view of that field I had hundreds of flash backs of the three deep rows of airplanes on the ramp and all of the round the clock flying that we did. A time never to be seen again. Switches
Wade- The photo is of a nav trainee taking a day celestial shot at the sun or a visible limb of the moon using a sextant. Not too many navigation aids back then. The degree wheels were designed to give him a feel for the angles involved. A large amount of precomputation using star, lunar, or sun tables was required before you actually got to work with the sextant. Did that myself flying the T-29C at Mather AFB in 1973, well before accurate INS and doppler navigation systems were common, and way before GPS. Luckily I got assigned to F-111Ds at Cannon AFB upon graduating from Electronic Warfare Officer School, so my sextant days were over. INS, doppler, TV displays fitted to the F-111D. At the time the most advanced avionics aircraft in the world. Taz Terry Phillips
The At-7's and B-34's had astro-domes through which the nav students did their star and sun shots...after which some just had to throw up in the airplane. And they were the ones who had to clean it up. We had to clean up the little paper wafers that littered the inside of the airplane after a training flight. After seeing that aerial shot of Hondo Air base I can still make out where my barracks were after 65 years. When I got out of the service I had trouble sleeping where we lived on the beach because I thought that I still heard the engines after I drifted off and then woke up with a start when I didn't hear them...that doesn't even make sense. I had learned to live and sleep with engines running 24/7. Then total silence was unnerving. Switches
My favorites- P-38, ME-109, P-40- in that order Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
My favorite fighter would be the P-38, But, My favorite prop military aircarft of all time would be the B-24. Here is a pic of my Grandfather's Crew, "Nite and Day" They flew as part of the 801 Bomb group known as 'carpetbaggers'. The group was an part of the OSS which later became the CIA. The 801st BG flew Black B24's and B17's at night with no fighter escort to drop anti german propaganda behind the lines on german troups and civilians. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I don't like to be picky but that isn't an ME 109 pictured. It is a Spanish Buchon with a Rolls Merlin in it. An ME 109 airframe tho. Switches
Hi, everybody. I too have a weak spot for P-38 and the Mosquito, but I am really curious about the Grumman F7 Tigercat. Anybody here with experience with or knowledge about this beautiful-looking machine? Helge Image Unavailable, Please Login
Good to know! I did a google image search and didnt really pay that close attention. I will try again. Please correct me again if I am wrong. Its really the ME 109 airframe that I love, so I guess in a way I was kinda correct. Image Unavailable, Please Login
It was originally designed to be a long-range carrier-based escort fighter for use in the anticipated invasion of Japan. Surprisingly for a Grumman aircraft, it flunked its carrier trials, so most wound up serving with the Marines on dry land. The largest number were built with a second cockpit behind the wing and served as night fighters in Korea as a counterpart to the Air Force's F-82s.
To me a Buchon, like its Czech Jumo-powered counterpart, is still a 109, just one built in a different country with a different engine. Fitted with 3-bladed props (while on the ground) and fake horizontal-stabilizer struts, I found that the Buchones used in "Battle of Britain" were authentic enough. Meanwhile, here's a photo of a real Battle-of-Britain era Bf 109E shot at the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington recently. I believe that this is one of only 2 flying 109E's in the world at present: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Right in my back yard! Let me know when you are coming to town next time. I work in the REALLY BIG building at the other end of the airport.
Ha! I spent 18 months once working in one of the little buildings adjacent to the Really Big Building, but then that was back in 1979-80. In fact my supervisor from that time is now in charge of the Me 262 project which is going on about a stone's throw away from that 109E! And a few hours before I took that photo, I had gone on the plant tour of the R.B.B., since I hadn't done so in about 20 years.
Speaking of the Me 262 project, here is their third new-build aircraft, though unlike the first two, this one is being completed as a static-display example on request of the buyer. A unique thing about this one is the R4M air-to-air rockets in their wooden racks under the outer wings. But if you want a flying example, they still have two incomplete birds for sale at about $2.5 million apiece. Just specify which engines you want and they'll install them and complete the construction. You can be the only guy on your block to own one..... Here is more information on the project. If you want to pay them a visit, please make arrangements in advance. http://www.stormbirds.com/project/index.html Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Not really a warbird but a Unlimited racer version of the P-51; http://tsunam.tripod.com/tsunhist.html My favorite piston engined plane. Sorry I dont know how to do pics. I briefly worked on a "stock" P-51, Precious Metal at Reno one year and so got to see Tsunami, then in Blue (which I prefer). Got to see Rare Bear and Strega as well and a Yak which I forget the name of for now. It was all engine. As for pure War Birds; the P-38. Richard Bong grew up in Wisconsin and on trips we would detour to see a little park in his home town with a P38 on a static pole. Bong park.
Not sexy, not intimidating, not ever that rare...but I've always loved them...honest and unpretentous... Image Unavailable, Please Login
From Wiki, interesting... "The Bearcat concept was inspired by the early 1943 evaluation of a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190 by Grumman test pilots and engineering staff.[2] After flying the Fw 190, Grumman test pilot Bob Hall wrote a report directed to President Leroy Grumman, who then personally laid out the specifications for Design 58, the successor to the Hellcat. Design 58 closely emulated the design philosophy of the German fighter, although no part of the FW 190 was copied."
I've always been a fan of the WW2 big iron and the fighters, but to me attainability is a big part of "favorite." With that in mind, the Cessna 02-A Skymaster variant is my current favorite. Where else can you get a genuine combat-flown aircraft for $50,000? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
