Classic Airplanes

[fourfive8]

I see there has been some reference to the T6. Often overlooked but nonetheless a classic aircraft of the WWII era. The T6 was an important aircraft for training US pilots in both basic and advanced flying skills.

Picture of my dad's instructor cohorts in front of a T6. After various training venues and relatively short assignments and before his final assignment to a bombardment group, he was a flight instructor at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo TX.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

If my boat wasn’t named NIGHTHAWK, it would’ve been called HELLCAT.

Grumman F6F Hellcat:

And my handle would be HELLCAT…

 

[CJW]

What about Bearcat?

 

[CJW]

My favorites Bearcat.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I like the Mako shark paint on the Hellcat

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

My favorite aircraft of all time is the F4U Corsair!! Big prop, tall tail, and those bent wings just speak to my soul. I have always wanted to work on one but have not had an opportunity as of yet. Always loved the A26 and the the FW 190 as they both have the "I am going to kill you" look. Having been around and working on rotor wings for the last 40 years I still love the simplicity of the UH-1 and the AH-1 even after doing the prototype work on the Y model Huey and Z model Cobra.

 

[CJW]

I like the Mako shark paint on the Hellcat

The Jaws theme popped into my head after I read that.

You think the purple and orange might stick out like sore thumb in combat?

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

My favorites Bearcat.

View attachment 715832

FAST…

 

[Flewis]

My favorite aircraft of all time is the F4U Corsair!! Big prop, tall tail, and those bent wings just speak to my soul. I have always wanted to work on one but have not had an opportunity as of yet. Always loved the A26 and the the FW 190 as they both have the "I am going to kill you" look. Having been around and working on rotor wings for the last 40 years I still love the simplicity of the UH-1 and the AH-1 even after doing the prototype work on the Y model Huey and Z model Cobra.

Fw 190: the butcher bird!

 

[CJW]

Turn up the volume.

 

[CJW]

RB back in its gold and white days.

 

[Daniel Cary]

I'm sorry .. couldn't help it, lol.

 

[spike.t]

Neat.....

Burtonwood: 'Bolt of Lightning' sculpture honours WWII airbase https://share.google/h7DtygOHsivuiU5D4

 

[spike.t]

For the spitfire guys....

 

[JG26Irish_2]

My personal Fav is the FW190A5 but they flew for the other team. I too had a brief encounter with Crazy Horse P51 down in Florida once. Loved it. As for US favorite? Had to be the Corsair F4U. I had a friend in AZ who owned a F8F Bearcat. That plane was special. While it did not make it into WWII, it was designed to out perform the Focke Wulf after the US flight tested a captured example. The Bearcat fought in Korea in the early days and at low altitude it out performed the early jets. My Dad was part of one of the squadrons aboard the USS Boxer. Imagine a Hellcat with a better bubble canopy, 4-20mm cannons and 3000 lbs lighter.

About 20yrs ago, I was doing research for a book, a historical novel about WWII pilots in Europe and had the great opportunity to meet and interview a number of US Fighter pilots about their experiences in combat plus one surviving Luftwaffe Ace. Some flew the 51 and other the 47. One flew both in three tours with the 8th AF. Sadly almost all of them are gone now. During that time, I was made an honorary member of the 339th Fighter Group Association. They were an 8th AF escort fighter group flying P51's. I was honored to have met them and shared some of their stories.

The Luftwaffe ace was shot down 8 times in his WWII career and told of the early days when they were nearly unstoppable to the Eastern Front where they nearly froze to death to the late days of the war when every time they took off, they would encounter Allied aircraft all gunning for them. He told me of one time when he and his wingman got separated in combat over Germany and four Allied fighters set upon his six. He was flying a FW190 armed with four 20mm cannons. He said they were great for shooting at other aircraft but the large wing mounted ammunition magazines were a huge liability when somebody was shooting at you. He said he had witnessed one of his friends get shot down when a bullet hit is cannon ammo causing some of it to explode which blew the wing off his buddy's aircraft. Now being chased by four aircraft all shooting at him, he dove for the deck thinking only of his lost buddy and how now he was about to be blown up. In a desperate attempt to survive, he decided to fire off all of his cannon ammo before it was hit from behind. He pulled the trigger and all four guns began belching fire and smoke and empty brass which all began to fly back into the path of his attackers. He said much to his surprise and relief, all four attackers immediately broke off the attack long enough for him to dive into a cloud bank and make his escape. He said they must have thought that the Luftwaffe had installed some rearward firing guns into his aircraft. He said it was not very courageous but he survived and at the time, that was all that mattered.