Classic Airplanes

[Altitude sickness]

 

[BFaucett]

A little change of pace. . . We can't forget about the cabin crew.

Do you remember?

Bonus points if you can name the make and model of the plane in the cover photo of the first video (without using an image search).

Cheers! Bob F.

 

[Doug3006]

DC8?

 

[BFaucett]

DC8?

You're close. It's a Convair 880. Most folks I've asked guess it's a 707.

Convair 880

Convair 880 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bob F.

 

[Daniel Cary]

This documentary on the Spitfire is a must-see for anyone who loves these warbirds.

Ed Z

that was really interesting ..
Thank you, as well.

 

[cwpayton]

P-51, P-38, and F4U Corsair or great American fighters. The Spitfire and Hurricane along with the mighty Lancaster were British Icons - and let’s also give credit that the Roles Royce engine made the P-51 a war winner when it replaced the Allison.

So how about the classics on the other side.

The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" came as a nasty and humbling surprise when it rammed its way into allied consciousness on December 7, 1941. For the next year and a half it largely ruled the Pacific skies until the arrival of the F6F Hellcat, Corsair, and P-38. It was flown by all of Japan's leading aces.
View attachment 714923

The Messerschmidt BF-109 (called ME-109 by the allies) was the quintessential Luftwaffe fighter of the war. It was Eric Hartmann's aircraft in which he became the highest scoring ace of World War II with 352 kills. The aircraft ironically soldiered on after the war in a not entirely satisfactory re-engined version serving in the new Israeli Air Force. Total production surpassed 34,000 aircraft in all variants.
View attachment 714925

When Israel flew Nazi Planes

Just how did the post-war Israeli air force end up equipping its first fighter squadrons with the famous Nazi warplane the Me-109s? - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News

www.heritagedaily.com

The Mitsu

P-51, P-38, and F4U Corsair or great American fighters. The Spitfire and Hurricane along with the mighty Lancaster were British Icons - and let’s also give credit that the Roles Royce engine made the P-51 a war winner when it replaced the Allison.

So how about the classics on the other side.

The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" came as a nasty and humbling surprise when it rammed its way into allied consciousness on December 7, 1941. For the next year and a half it largely ruled the Pacific skies until the arrival of the F6F Hellcat, Corsair, and P-38. It was flown by all of Japan's leading aces.
View attachment 714923

The Messerschmidt BF-109 (called ME-109 by the allies) was the quintessential Luftwaffe fighter of the war. It was Eric Hartmann's aircraft in which he became the highest scoring ace of World War II with 352 kills. The aircraft ironically soldiered on after the war in a not entirely satisfactory re-engined version serving in the new Israeli Air Force. Total production surpassed 34,000 aircraft in all variants.
View attachment 714925

When Israel flew Nazi Planes

Just how did the post-war Israeli air force end up equipping its first fighter squadrons with the famous Nazi warplane the Me-109s? - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News

www.heritagedaily.com

The Mitsubishi , my father who was a WW11 marine fought in the pacific. so my daughter pulls up one sunday in a new car, my Dad said what kind of car is that? Its a Mitsubishi Grandpa, he immediately replied Im not riding in that thing, Mitsubishis flew over and bombed us everyday in the islands . he stayed home while they went to dinner. He was what they called the old breed. God rest his soul, he passed in 2008 .

 

[fourfive8]

I wish I had asked my dad more questions about his flying experiences while he was alive. He flew all manner of aircraft, civilian and military. He was also a flight instructor after the war. He logged well over 10,000 hours flying military aircraft. About stories?? I remember hearing some WWII pilots and crew talk of seeing “foo fighters” while on missions. Never heard my dad tell any stories about that odd phenomenon. I don’t know what to think of the legend of the foo fighter. Oddly, he spoke often of how much he enjoyed flying gliders.

I mentioned earlier in a post I considered the Twin Otter as one of my favorites. There is a reason. I believe the closest I ever came to being in a plane crash was in a Twin Otter. Nephew and I on flight from Kodiak to Kenai. Hit some turbulence so violent I’m still surprised it didn’t tear the wings off! IMO, the Twin Otter is one tough, durable airplane.

 

[Daniel Cary]

Yeah, Howard Hughes was quite a character. A real shame about his affliction / condition later in life.

Back in the late 1980s, I visited Mr. Hughes' grave and paid my respects. He's buried here in Houston.

Cheers, Bob F.


Name: Howard Robard Hughes, Jr.
Birth: 24 Dec 1905 | Humble, Harris County, Texas, USA
Death: 5 Apr 1976 | Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA
Burial: Glenwood Cemetery | Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA

photo source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/521/howard-hughes

What a brilliant innovator to aviation. That movie, "The Aviator" I've watched quite a few times .. even with that mental condition & chronic pain, it is amazing what he cont. to accomplish.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

San Diego:

I have an annual pass to Balboa Park and the Air & Space Museum is one of my favorites.

 

[Red Leg]

Speaking of a museum experience, the finest air and space exhibit that I have seen is the Smithsonian Museum at the Dulles airport area. The one on the mall is too small to have very much, but the huge hangers at Dulles hold real treasures. It is a smaller collection than the Air Force Museum in Dayton, but the displays are far more professionally done.

 

[CJW]

I snapped this at the Reno air races. Something in here for everyone. Two of my favorites at the bottom. The p40 sports the Allison V12.

Beautiful C model Lope's Hope. The exhaust trail over the bare aluminum is sweet.

The F5, a classic jet developed in 1959.

Hard to imagine this thing was sold in the 50's as surplus for $1100. He owns Stallion 51 which was based across from Warbird Adventures where I did my T6 flight. I think he owns 3. We taxi past 2 of these beauties and one was roaring over when I arrived. I wish I could have afforded a ride in one or the p40.

A better exhaust trail.

The best exhaust trail.

 

[CJW]

Speaking of a museum experience, the finest air and space exhibit that I have seen is the Smithsonian Museum at the Dulles airport area. The one on the mall is too small to have very much, but the huge hangers at Dulles hold real treasures. It is a smaller collection than the Air Force Museum in Dayton, but the displays are far more professionally done.

View attachment 715554
View attachment 715555
View attachment 715556

A static SR71 is sad.

 

[Daniel Cary]

I snapped this at the Reno air races. Something in here for everyone. Two of my favorites at the bottom. The p40 sports the Allison V12.

View attachment 715559

Beautiful C model Lope's Hope. The exhaust trail over the bare aluminum is sweet.
View attachment 715561

The F5, a classic jet developed in 1959.

View attachment 715562

Hard to imagine this thing was sold in the 50's as surplus for $1100. He owns Stallion 51 which was based across from Warbird Adventures where I did my T6 flight. I think he owns 3. We taxi past 2 of these beauties and one was roaring over when I arrived. I wish I could have afforded a ride in one or the p40.

A better exhaust trail.

View attachment 715563

The best exhaust trail.

View attachment 715570

I had a model built in my youth .. this may be it. These are all p40's?

 

[CJW]

I had a model built in my youth .. this may be it. These are all p40's?

Second from the bottom on the left. With the shark mouth.

 

[PARA45]

WW-II I'll have to say the P-51 Mustang, the F4 Corsair, and last the F-82 or double Mustang unfortunately never went into production due to the ending of the war. . Vietnam war, I'll have to say the F-4, and A1Skyraider. Current aircrafts, the F-15 & F-16s, both are sexy in their own ways. The F-15 is the Cadillac, and the F-16 is the Ferrari of the skies.

 

[CJW]

TP40 owned by Thom Richards of Warbird Adventures. The price for an hour flight was around 4 times the price of the T6. Now the FAA has stopped him from doing dual instruction in it.

XP82 at Oshkosh around 4 years ago. Currently for sale for $8.5 million.

Skyraider

 

[CJW]

A couple angles I got of an F4 this summer.

And the jet that finally made me put in earplugs at an airshow.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

The Douglas Skyraider was a unique, last of its kind warplane. The last piston aircraft flown by the US….a radial engine no less! It was not a fast mover, but until the A-10 Warthog came along, there was no better close air support plane than the Skyraider.

View attachment 715063

The A-1 Skyraider was called the "Spad" by the Navy. During the Vietnam War, the Air Force decided it was the perfect aircraft for close air support and for Search and Rescue missions. The plane could routinely fly 6-8 hour missions. The Air Force used the call sign "Sandy" for the search and rescue aircraft. They would typically go find the down pilots and then fly low cover for the "Jolly Green Giant" rescue helicopter. Two "Sandy" pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

Bernard Francis 'Bernie' Fisher
Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Medal of Honor Recipient
Vietnam War​

Colonel Bernard Francis "Bernie" Fisher (pronounced Bernerd) is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He was the first living Air Force recipient of the medal (all previous awards to USAF personnel had been posthumous), and the first USAF member to receive the medal in the Vietnam War.

Military Service

From 1947 to 1950, Fisher was a member of the Air National Guard. Before he was able to complete his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah, he was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1951. After pilot training, he served as a jet fighter pilot in the Air Defense Command until 1965, when he volunteered for duty in Vietnam. From July 1965 through June 1966, he flew 200 combat sorties in the A-1E/H "Spad" Skyraider as a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron located at Pleiku Air Base, South Vietnam.

On 10 March 1966, then-Major Fisher led a two-ship element of Skyraiders to the A Shau Valley to support troops in contact with the enemy. Six "Spads" were striking numerous emplacements when the A-1 piloted by Major D. W. "Jump" Myers was hit and forced to crash-land on the airstrip of a CIDG-Special Forces camp. Myers bellied in on the 2,500-foot runway and took cover behind an embankment on the edge of the strip while Fisher directed the rescue effort. Since the closest helicopter was 30 minutes away and the enemy was only 200 yards (180 m) from Myers, Fisher quickly decided to land his two-seat A-1E on the strip and pick up his friend. Under the cover provided by the other A-1s, he landed in the valley, taxied to Myer's position, and loaded the downed airman into the empty seat. Dodging shell holes and debris on the steel-planked runway, Fisher took off safely despite many hits on his aircraft by small-arms fire.

Fisher had earned a Silver Star the previous day while flying support for the same battle.

The rescue at A Shau was similar to an event that occurred on 4 August 1944 during World War II. On that date, Captain Richard "Dick" Willsie's P-38 was damaged by flak near Ploieşti, Romania. After both engines failed, Willsie crash-landed but was saved from capture when Flight Officer Dick Andrews landed his P-38 on the field, squeezed Willsie into the cockpit, and flew back to base. By remarkable coincidence, both Willsie and Andrews were also involved in the A Shau rescue. Willsie was the commanding officer of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron to which Myers was assigned, and Andrews flew top cover during the entire rescue.

Medal of Honor

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On that date, the special forces camp at A Shau was under attack by 2,000 North Vietnamese Army regulars. Hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Other hostile troops had surrounded the camp and were continuously raking it with automatic weapons fire from the surrounding hills. The tops of the 1,500-foot hills were obscured by an 800 foot ceiling, limiting aircraft maneuverability and forcing pilots to operate within range of hostile gun positions, which often were able to fire down on the attacking aircraft. During the battle, Maj. Fisher observed a fellow airman crash land on the battle-torn airstrip. In the belief that the downed pilot was seriously injured and in imminent danger of capture, Maj. Fisher announced his intention to land on the airstrip to effect a rescue. Although aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt, he elected to continue. Directing his own air cover, he landed his aircraft and taxied almost the full length of the runway, which was littered with battle debris and parts of an exploded aircraft. While effecting a successful rescue of the downed pilot, heavy ground fire was observed, with 19 bullets striking his aircraft. In the face of the withering ground fire, he applied power and gained enough speed to lift-off at the overrun of the airstrip. Maj. Fisher's profound concern for his fellow airman, and at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Fisher returned to the U.S. and, on 19 January 1967, was presented the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson in a White House ceremony.

William Atkinson Jones III​

Details

• Rank: Colonel
• Conflict/Era: Vietnam War
• Unit/Command:
  602d Special Operations Squadron,
  Nakon Phanom Royal Thai AFB Thailand
• Military Service Branch: U.S. Air Force
• Medal of Honor Action Date: September 1, 1968
• Medal of Honor Action Place: near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam

Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Col. Jones distinguished himself as the pilot of an A-1H Skyraider aircraft near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam. On that day, as the on-scene commander in the attempted rescue of a downed U.S. pilot, Col. Jones' aircraft was repeatedly hit by heavy and accurate antiaircraft fire. On one of his low passes, Col. Jones felt an explosion beneath his aircraft and his cockpit rapidly filled with smoke. With complete disregard of the possibility that his aircraft might still be burning, he unhesitatingly continued his search for the downed pilot. On this pass, he sighted the survivor and a multiple-barrel gun position firing at him from near the top of a karst formation. He could not attack the gun position on that pass for fear he would endanger the downed pilot. Leaving himself exposed to the gun position, Col. Jones attacked the position with cannon and rocket fire on two successive passes. On his second pass, the aircraft was hit with multiple rounds of automatic-weapons fire. One round impacted the Yankee Extraction System rocket mounted directly behind the headrest, igniting the rocket. His aircraft was observed to burst into flames in the center fuselage section, with flames engulfing the cockpit area. He pulled the extraction handle, jettisoning the canopy. The influx of fresh air made the fire burn with greater intensity for a few moments, but since the rocket motor had already burned, the extraction system did not pull Col. Jones from the aircraft. Despite searing pains from severe burns sustained on his arms, hands, neck, shoulders, and face, Col. Jones pulled his aircraft into a climb and attempted to transmit the location of the downed pilot and the enemy gun position to the other aircraft in the area. His calls were blocked by other aircraft transmissions repeatedly directing him to bail out and within seconds his transmitters were disabled and he could receive only on one channel. Completely disregarding his injuries, he elected to fly his crippled aircraft back to his base and pass on essential information for the rescue rather than bail out. Col. Jones successfully landed his heavily damaged aircraft and passed the information to a debriefing officer while on the operating table. As a result of his heroic actions and complete disregard for his personal safety, the downed pilot was rescued later in the day. Col. Jones' profound concern for his fellow man at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

 

[PARA45]

Thank you for that bit of history, especially about the two Medal of Honor recipients.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Most of us are familiar with Champlin Firearms in Enid, Ok. George Caswell bought it from Doug Champlin in the 1970s. Doug Champlin was the grandson of the founder of Champlin Oil Company. Doug Champlin's other passion besides bespoke rifles was WW1 and WW2 fighter aircraft. It also included a few more modern jets. After growing his airplane collection in Enid, he moved all the aircraft to Arizona and opened a museum. After Champlin's death, the museum was sold and all the aircraft ended up in Seattle, as the Seattle Museum for Flight.

Champlin Fighter Museum by Denny_D

www.pbase.com