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| OVER VIRGINIA -- Steve Hinton flies "Glacier Girl," a P-38 Lightning dug out from 268 feet of ice in eastern Greenland in 1992. The aircraft was part of a heritage flight during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Va., on May 21. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker) |
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| PACIFIC OCEAN (April 21, 1992) Fifty years after the daring carrier-launched bombing of the Japanese mainland, a B-25 Mitchell is launched from USS Ranger (CV 61). (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 1st Class Joe Gawlowicz/Released) |
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| The most beautiful 'plane in the world? (I think it's in the top ten.) (Source) |
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| DAYTON, Ohio -- Curtiss P-6E Hawk at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo) |
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| A U.S. Navy F-14D Tomcat flies up with its refueling probe out preparing to connect with a tanker. The F-14 is armed with two AIM 9 Sidewinder missiles, a Paveway II Laser Guided GBU-10 2,000-pound bomb, and LANTIRN Pod, as it prepares for a bombing mission over Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. (Camera Operator: SSGT MICHAEL D. GADDIS, USAF) |
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| U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighters fly over Iraq, March 3, 2016. (Photo By: Staff Sgt. Corey Hook) |
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| A view of the North American P-51D Mustang and the Republic P-47D (Bubble Canopy Version) before restoration crews at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force moved the aircraft into the WWII Gallery on Aug. 14, 2018. Several WWII era aircraft on display were temporarily placed throughout the museum to provide adequate space for the Memphis Belle exhibit opening events. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock) |
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| Two fully restored World War II vintage bombers, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator, will be on display and available for rides May 31 to June 3 at Moffett Field, Calif., as part of the "Wings of Freedom Tour" sponsored by the Collings Foundation of Stow, Mass. (Source) |
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| Hurricane and Spitfire Mk1A (Source) |
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| Paul Wood flies a Korean War era F-86 Saber Jet demo at Volk Field Open House, 21 Aug 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo courtesy Joe Oliva) |
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| Pilots of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels fly in a delta formation during a training flight over the beaches of Pensacola, Fla., on Oct. 23, 2013. (DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Terrence Siren, U.S. Navy.) |
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| NEW YORK -- Six F-16 Fighting Falcons with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team fly in delta formation in front of the Empire State Building during an air show May 26. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Sean Mateo White) |
Sometimes all you need is pictures, and a good video...
Good pictures?!? Good pictures?!? EXCELLENT pictures! Just like the A-10 was designed around the GAU-8A the F-16 is all engine. Good posting for a little Sunday relaxation Sarge. Sabre was always a favorite too.
ReplyDeleteLove the F-16, it's an agile and ferocious thing.
DeleteLooks REALLY good in gun camera film, BTW.
DeleteHahaha!
DeleteTop 5 most Beautiful Airplanes ever (according to juvat)
ReplyDelete#1 F-15 Eagle (Sub-Category in order (D, C, A, B)
#2 F-4 Phantom (Sub Category (E, D, C)
#3 T-38 Talon (Sub Category (AT-38B, T-38A)
#4 T-37 Tweet
#5 Cessna 150
I like the way you did the subcategories, agree on the ordering of the Phantom variants.
DeleteThe 150 is a pretty bird.
All Birds of which I have been Pilot in Command.
DeleteKinda partial to the T-33 and the F-84G, myself.
Deletejuvat - I kinda figured that.
DeleteBeans - Really like the T-33 and F-80, the F-84G is old school.
DeleteGreat photos! I have always thought the P-38 was a beautiful aircraft, and although I've seen the one in Udvar-Hazy and the one at the Museum of The Air Force, I've yet to see one flying, and Wiki says there are more in flying condition than I thought so that gives me hope.
ReplyDeleteThe video was awesome, and I while I refrained from yelling, "Back off, that's too close, are you (bad word) crazy!" during the cockpit view scenes, it was a near thing.
I've said before, piloting high performance jet aircraft isn't dangerous enough for some people, they have to do it in groups and waaaay to close together.
I am just in awe.
I did notice in the video that one pilot needs a bit of training about arm angles in the canopy open scene, and the ground crew did not arrange the fire extinguishers at the rear of the aircraft in either ascending or descending numerical order.
And during the taxiing part I think one of the pilots was trying to swat a bee that had flown into the cockpit.
Awesome photos and another great post. Thank you.
A bit more about B-25s being launched from carriers. It includes a mention of catapulting a B-25 off the Shangri La.
https://b-25history.org/history/carrier.htm
Had the opportunity to see two P-38s fly over my house at Offutt AFB, quite a thrill indeed!
DeleteYes, the hand gestures in the cockpit, you know how pilots get.
Nice website! Didn't know that about a B-25 doing a trap AND a cat shot. Pretty cool.
There were PBJs outfitted with tailhooks, as in the SHANGRI LA tests. They were being evaluated for possible use in Operation DOWNFALL.
DeleteInteresting. Didn't know that.
DeleteWow! Before I was able to free myself from the cult of "Military Book Club", I bought a book about the P-38 (THE Forked Tailed Devil). It had the lat/long of the flight that landed in Greenland. I wanted to run up there and get those fighters and a B-17 if I remember right. When someone one did, I was surprised at how deep they were... Those were early models that suffered from conpressability in a dive, and had the slanted air intake on the bottom of the nacelle. Oh that baby is sweet. "Don't give me a P-38, with the props that counter-rotate. It'll stall, burn or spin, and soon auger in, don't give me a P-38!"
ReplyDeleteThat is even the correct model B-25!!! The top gun turret was back in the waist, not behind the cockpit on the early models.
And a Hurricane like Sir Tuck flew. Lovely aircraft. And that Jug! Oh baby!
AMAZING POST!!! THANKS FOR THIS!
Hahaha, I too have been in and out of the cult of "Military Book Club," I did get some good books out of it.
DeleteThat opening photo is "Glacier Girl," one of the birds you wanted to go to Greenland and rescue. Somebody beat you to it!
Thanks.
STxAR, in case you haven't seen this--
Deletehttps://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/history/aircraft/p-47_thunderbolt_aviation_darwinism.html
Good story on the evolution of the Jug.
DeleteRHT447, great stuff. Thanks for the link.
DeleteI inherited a lot of paper back books from my Uncle Steve. (see http://oldafsarge.blogspot.com/2016/05/ad-memoriam-mortuorum.html)
One was about the Thunderbolt. Francis Gabreski's story. I love that plane almost as much as the 38. It's the lines I guess.... (Probably had nothing to do with Uncle Steve having that book ;) )
The Jug is like a pro-football player. Oversized, overpowered, yet surprisingly nimble and fast. Hits hard, too.
DeleteAnd only amongst Aviation Geeks can you say "Nice Jugs!" and not get slapped, well, as long as there are actually Jugs around. Well, you can say the same thing around pottery geeks, but you still stand a good chance of getting slapped. Okay, if you're me, you'll get slapped. No matter what.
I am cursed with a warp-10 sense of humor.
STxAR - Well I remember that post. Got dusty in here re-reading that.
DeleteI believe that I had a copy of that same book at one point in time. The Jug is awesome.
Beans - Warp-10? More like Warp-237. (Think of the hexadecimal value of that last one. 😉)
DeleteI've been for a ride that B-17 "909". If I get time, I'll tell the story of how that came about.
ReplyDeleteThe M-16 half track was mentioned a bit ago. One of several features that have always impressed me about the P-47 is that it has a quad fifty in each wing. (Looks like we could use one right about now for internet trolls.)
Beautiful stuff, Sarge. Great way to start the day. Thanks.
Yes, you must tell that story!
DeleteYes, that particular troll is starting to get a bit tiresome. Sorry you had to see that before I deleted his trash.
I was at a loss for what to talk about yesterday, realized that photos of aircraft will always work. Took a while to find a video which wasn't cluttered with crappy music.
"Yes, that particular troll is starting to get a bit tiresome. Sorry you had to see that before I deleted his trash."
DeleteNo worries. Doc says I'll live.
"Took a while to find a video which wasn't cluttered with crappy music."
You got my vote there. On that score (heh) This one is an absolute toe-tapper for me--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKU0uQki5Dc
Not all music in aircraft videos is bad.
DeleteBut when a man wants jet noise, nothing else will do.
(Heh. Glad you survived your troll encounter. I've heard from my sources that that particular goon is haunting other blogs as well. Jackwagon.)
If you want noise, you can always find a video or two where someone's got a big radial on a test stand.
DeleteThat starting explosive 'Blat, blat, blat....' is the plane version of a tiger clearing it's throat right before it rips your throat out.
Yup, that works.
DeleteLikely I have posted this link here before, but there are always new folks showing up. Besides, after everyone is through looking at those lovely photos, it will keep them busy for awhile. It is a story from my dad's bomb group. The link will download a PDF.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.eat-drink-and-carry-a-gps.com/living-in-budapest/every-day-adventuresyup-its/a-bracelet-in-the-sand/bracelet-story.pdf
For those who haven't read it, do so. A great tale.
DeleteAnd yes, not a problem posting links so the newbies can catch up. (Notice that I didn't call 'em FNGs, much as I wanted to...)
"FNC" instead of "FNG" would of course stand for "Friendly New Commenters."
DeleteJust like "WTF" stands for "Well That's Fantastic."
Delete😜
:)
Delete😉
DeleteThe foreground "F/A-18" is an EA-18. Note the parasitic props on the underwing pods and the wingtip EW pods.
ReplyDeleteparasitic prop.... I thought it would be fun to put a rubber band airplane prop on the antenna of our old LTD... The Banana Boat. That lasted about a mile. Sounded like a bad motor bearing buzzing in an old tablesaw. Not my best idea.
DeleteTGreen - Good eye!
DeleteSTxAR - Someone had to try it though. Ya never know.
DeleteCan’t go wrong posting pics of P-38s.
ReplyDeleteLove that bird.
DeleteOk, so me and John agree...of course I am like that in a car, never mind in an airplane looking one way while sliding the other..."hey, watch that wing on the plane on your RIGHT!! HEY!!!"...good thing no one else is home right now. And, I don't know much, but I really think if they needed to check the paint job that was done underneath, it could have been done BEFORE they took off by the ground guys?? No???
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo…
Very nice pics Sarge!!!
Thanks Suz!
DeleteP-38 leads the list, every time, all the time. Then I go for the Connie and Beech Staggerwing.
ReplyDelete/
L.J.
I tend to stand near the Connie at Udvar-Hazy and stare, a beautiful aircraft.
DeleteAm I the only one to worry about safety streamers? The mechanic in the gear well looks to be leaving streamers in place. And during taxi-out, I am seeing streamers on starboard side low. WTF?
ReplyDeleteNow that is odd. Having never worked F-16s I can't address that. I do know that on the F-4 certain "Remove Before Flight" items stayed on the jet until the arming area just before the end of the runway. Not sure what's going on with those streamers.
DeleteAny Viper crew chiefs out there?
Many safety pins aren't removed until in the arming area. The gun barrel safety pin on the Eagle was the last removed and shown to the Pilot before the final thumbs up. I thought the one on the right side, might have been that one, but the gun is on the other side.
DeleteYes, that's what I remember.
DeleteOK. So after a couple of hours of googling and reading, it appears that: (1) the safety pin starboard, low is probably the safety for the Emergency Power Unit (EPU) and (2) the wheel well safety pins/streamers, when not in use, are stored in a special place in the wheel well so they will be with the aircraft at the next base.
DeleteSorry for raising a false alarm.
There are actually very few ugly planes, especially once they take flight. Some ugliness while attempting to get airborne, especially if it's a Republic plane, but sitting or flying, most have a sense of grace and purpose. Even trash-haulers. Love C-130s, C-141s, C-5s, etc.
ReplyDeleteI too like trash haulers, they have a purpose which they perform well.
DeleteI have a definite affinity for the -130 and the -141 having flown on those many a time in my youth.
Ju-52, think of grandma's ugliness-turned-beauty in eyes of grandkid
DeleteTante Ju!
DeleteY'all are aware that Jimmy Buffet bought, had restored, and then flew a Ju-52, are you not?
DeletePaul
The only flying one I knew of was the one owned by Martin Caidin. Saw it outside my office window at Offutt one fine morning. Pretty cool looking it was.
DeleteWell, this seems to be my day for messing up; you are, of course, absolutely correct. It was Martin Caidin who had the Ju-52. Jimmy Buffet had a seaplane; either a PBY or Albatross ( if, of course, I am not mistaken yet again ).
DeletePaul
Alas, Martin Caidin's (who has passed) Ju-52 is back in Germany. Repainted with its original civilian registration number and paint job. When Mr Caidin had her she was yclept "Iron Annie," now she is "Tempelhof."
DeleteI looked up the Ju-52 and found it is the trimotor aircraft featured in the film, "Where Eagles Dare."
DeleteBut, "The JU-52 (HB-HOT) used in the movie as the rescue aircraft at the end, crashed into Piz Segnas, a mountain in the Swiss Alps, on August 4, 2018, killing all 20 on board. It was on a flight from Locarno to Dubendorf in Switzerland."
(from The Internet Movie Database)
Damn, didn't know that. Might have been the reason Ju-52 passenger flights aren't authorized in Germany any more.
Deletesome of my fave airplanes, esthethically...
ReplyDeleteSpitfire... a ballerina with a switchblade, think Arya Stark of WW2 fighters
F-16 - sweet lil' sixteen, 'nuff said
Concorde - something so big yet so fast and graceful
Good choices!
Delete(I like the Arya Stark reference.)
then it struck me: if Spitfire would be Arya, P-47 would be Brienne :P
DeletePerfect!
DeleteBallerina with a switchblade! That is an Eric Brown quote! His two favorites were the Seafire, and the Hellcat. He said the Seafire was a ballerina with a switchblade, and the Hellcat was a heavyweight champion, with an axe!
DeleteYes indeed!
DeleteIf you look at the Liberator/Flying Fortress picture, you can see the progress of technology between the mid 30's and early 40's. When flying a dissimilar formation, typically the slower aircraft sets the pace by flying either the airshow speed or as fast as it can go. Given the difference in Angle of Attack (the angle between the angle of the wing and the forward vector of the aircraft), the B-17 is going as fast as it can, while the B-24 is flying much slower than it is capable. Depending how close that is to stall speed (which is dependent on aircraft weight) that can make things a bit....sporting.
ReplyDeleteLiving on the edge of stall speed. Not fun I would think.
DeleteA pilot notices those things in photos, I did not. Really cool observation, juvat.
With all due respect, and acknowledging that I am just an old Army ground pounder, I beg to differ. I would point out that--
Delete1) When I went for my aforementioned ride in that B-17, that same B-24 flew formation with us. It's attitude was straight and level.
2) The performance specs of these two ships overlap a LOT.
3) They are flying sans bombs, ammo, original radios, and likely a full load of fuel.
I suggest that the camera caught the B-24 either just arriving or just leaving the formation.
'...likely a full load of fuel." In my airshow experience, the only time the war birds flew with full tanks of fuel was when they were departing for home. The fuel was part of the payment for showing up at the show.
DeletePaul
I'll defer to the pilot on this one.
DeletePaul - I think he meant that the full load of fuel was missing, along with the bombs, etc.
DeletePaul,
DeleteAgreed. Perhaps I could have written that better. It was part of my list as in "...sans a full load of fuel".
:)
DeleteYou could be right RHT447, it's difficult to tell from a still photo. Obviously, if he is maneuvering, the nose might be higher. However, if they are in stable level flight, then for a lot of different possible causes, the Lib's AOA is much higher than the Fort's.
Delete👍
Delete"Agreed. Perhaps I could have written that better. It was part of my list as in "...sans a full load of fuel"."
DeleteSorry, my fault for not reading your statement correctly. Your statement is perfectly correct and needed no additional words.
Paul
The Ogf is gracious when admitting error.
DeleteWell done.
Many fine photos of many fine aircraft. As usual, the commenters add their wisdom and provide links to additional information. Among the reasons that a visit to this site is never a waste of one's time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
:)
DeleteOK. Here's my B-17 ride story. This takes place in Chico, CA in 1997. I won't take up space here with the back story as to how I snapped my left Achilles tendon a wound up with my leg in a cast.
ReplyDeleteThe main point is that it was a toes down non-walking cast, which meant that I was pretty much stuck at home for the duration of said cast (7 weeks). Watched TV until I was sick of it. Read books. Bored out of my mind. One of the things that helped me keep my sanity was that there was some decent local talk radio.
So one day while I'm sitting there with my leg up, the local station starts to promo a visit to the Chico Airport by the Collings Foundation B-17 and B-24. Not only that, but in the weeks prior, there will be a contest on the radio for a ride on said aircraft. Callers answering WWII history questions correctly will get their names tossed in a hat, with the winner to be drawn. I am on this like white on rice. At some point, I manage to be the first caller in line to answer the question "who signed the surrender documents for Nazi Germany?". Bingo. My name is in the hat.
Comes the big day of the drawing and I am glued to the radio. They mix the hat, draw the name, and ta-da, it ain't me. I recognize the name and know who it is (good for him!) but, it's not me. Oh, well. At this point, I decide to turn off the radio call my army buddy as it has been almost a year since we last yakked.
I find out after the fact about the following train of events.
The radio station calls the contest sponsor (Thrifty car rental?). "We have a winner for the plane ride"
Thrifty: "Great! Who's the other winner?".
Station: "Whut? What other winner?"
Thrifty: "Yeah, you know. Two planes, two rides, two winners".
Station: "Standby".
Pandemonium breaks out. Recover the trash can. Dig out all the names that didn't win. Toss them back in the hat, and draw another name. THAT'S when they drew my name.
They announce this on the air, along with the fact that I have one hour to call in to claim my prize. Except that I've turned off the radio and am yakking on the phone. Everyone in the county who knows me and heard this is calling me and getting a busy signal (land line) and are ready to drop mortar rounds in our yard to get my attention.
Luckily, I got off the phone with about 10 minutes to spare. It rang the instant I put it down. It was my good friend and reserve XO (ex-Navy enlisted) who told me in a most direct and eloquent manner to "CALL THE FIRE TRUCKIN' RADIO STATION!"
So I got my ride, along with my crutches and my cast. And I got to tell my dad all about it
Now THAT is an awesome story!
DeleteI got *my* ride on Nine-O-Nine the old-fashioned way — by throwing money at them :D
Delete(It was other peoples’ money, because I solicited funds for it as my birthday gift...)
Getting other people to pay for airplane rides: priceless!
DeleteNow...THAT'S a good story! Wish I could be so lucky!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah.
DeleteOH! Be Still My Beating Heart!!
ReplyDeleteLordy, I miss having good air shows nearby. I'm sure the one at the USAF Academy is spectacular, but that's just too far to drive.
I'll never forget the time a B-17 escorted by five P-51D's made a low pass in front of me....pure symphonic music, heavy on the bass!!
The Springs is a bit of a haul from where you are drjim. A B-17 and 5 Mustangs!?!? Wow!
DeleteYeah, it's a 125 mile jaunt from here.
DeleteSaw the B-17 and P-51's at the Chino Air Museum "Planes of Fame" airshow, right around Mother's Day. And if you ever get to the Chino Airport, make sure you stop in at Flo's Airport Cafe. Great food and a cool place to hang out.
The Chino B-17--
Deletehttps://planesoffame.org/aircraft/plane-B-17G
The last ship assigned to my dad's bomb group, no evidence to show it was ever delivered. Scroll to the bottom of the page, next to last, AF S/N 85784.
Right. Let's try the other link too.
Deletehttp://www.447bg.com/Aircraft%20Page%205.htm
I’ve always thought of the F-4 Phantom as not beautiful but brutish. Sort of like a grizzly bear
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing glacier girl at the Reno air races sometime ago and it looked like it had stepped out of a time portal. Which I guess it did. If I remember the story right it was made from several crushed P 38’s they retrieved under the ice
OK if everyone’s making a list here’s mine for most beautiful airplanes:
1. P 51D Mustang Is there any real dispute over this?
2. P-38
3. Lockheed constellation
4. F-16
5. F-15
I’m thinking of others like the Grumman bearcat which to me is beautifully brutish like the Phantom
Good list. Glacier Girl was a single aircraft, they may have used parts from others, but it's the same airframe that spent all those years in the ice.
DeleteWilliam,
DeleteIn case you haven't seen this--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy3nsRvhgSE
That's a great video!
DeleteI used to live in Mauston, WI, near Volk Field!
ReplyDeleteThat must have been pretty cool.
DeleteOur house was on the departure/approach. After awhile, you didn't even notice the planes. Just as, living 75 feet from the Milwaukee Road/ Canadian Pacific main line from Chicago to Minneapolis, you didn't hear the trains.
DeleteStands to reason, after a while at Kadena, I didn't really notice the sounds of the Phantoms overhead or taking off. Unless something went wrong...
Delete