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Post by Steve on Oct 28, 2011 0:03:39 GMT -6
The Martin B-26 bomber was popularly known as the 'Marauder'. This wartime training film shows how to handle the versatile craft, with Hollywood actor Don Porter playing the part of the pilot, Hollywood actor Craig Stevens is the co-pilot/student. Call me weird, but I find these films very cool & interesting. It really makes you appreciate what flying a complex single of multi-engine bomber or fighter is really like. These short films are very insightful with their 'hands on' glimpses into aviation history. Closest thing we may have to a passenger ride. Don Porter (pilot instructor) had a long acting career remembered often for being a handsome, articulate, deep-voiced character actor playing the buttoned-down executive or those cheery dads on 50s and 60s TV. He is probably best remembered as the dad in the television series 'Gidget' (Sally Fields). www.imdb.com/name/nm0692093/#Actor Co-pilot Peter Graves later went on to be best remembered as the lead in the television series 'Peter Gunn'. www.imdb.com/name/nm0301887/These films usually follow a regular training syllabus - pre-flight checks, safety procedures, start up, take off, cruise with demo's of a power stall, and a gear /flap down stall, then a landing and post flight check. 'How To Fly a B-26 Airplane' is unusual in one point - in that in this story, the corporal 'Smith' screws up the switching in the fuel tanks, causing a bit more drama than in the usual training film. Next will be JoKelly's favorite, the F4U Corsair. Other films - the B-29 crew operation (this plane was the biggest, most complex bomber in the world (a battleship). Watching these films will make you appreciate the state of aviation then, and how totally laughable the notion Nazi UFO's are. These conspiracy guys think they can pull the wool over you thinking they can make you believe their own sick idea of Paradise / history. Not any more. Too many switches! Manifold pressures, magnetos, cylinder head temperatures, it got a lot less complicated with the introduction of jets. There will be a quiz (not really), pay attention in the film for the 'put-put'. ;D Steve
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Post by Steve on Oct 28, 2011 1:36:55 GMT -6
This one is for JoKelly.
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Post by skywalker on Oct 28, 2011 9:17:54 GMT -6
I love those old World War 2 fighter planes. In my opinion those were some of the best aircraft ever built. Sure the jets we have now are much faster, more maneuverable and have huge amounts of technology but that's exactly why I like the older ones. They were simple and basic but still extremely cool...Kind of like the old muscle cars from the 60s and 70s. I would take a Dodge Daytona with a hemi over one of the fancy new cars any day...and my favorite airplane is still the P-51 Mustang. It is, was and always will be.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2011 9:55:39 GMT -6
My favorite of favorites are the corsairs..I love their looks that are so unique and the rotary engines. Best of all...I get a real life fix. My daughter is working now at the airport here in Ramona and her boss is a stunt pilot who runs a plane repair. In one of the hangars is parked, in all it's splendor, a CORSAIR!!! I get to drool over it to my hearts content. ;D
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Post by spotless38 on Oct 28, 2011 10:53:22 GMT -6
Hi Steve . That brought back some memories of ww2 . My Uncle flew a p38 Lightning for photo recon on the Germans . He was chased several times and was able to evade them . I remember that he said that he loved that plane . It could out fly ,turn and manuver the German planes . His plane was shot up a couple times and it made it back to the base every time . He said that he lost a engene and she came back home . What a plane . Ron
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Post by Steve on Oct 28, 2011 12:19:21 GMT -6
The fabulous distinctive Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The counter rotating props (in this case each engine rotating in board to counter torque). Makes a very nice helpful addition in handling for the pilot. Most twins did not have this feature, but Designer Clarance Johnson ( Lockheed Electra, P-80, F-94, F-104, U-2, SR-71) thought of everything. The basic P-38 wing design and it's Fowler flaps were incorporated into the Lockheed Constellation airliner. Steve
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Post by spotless38 on Oct 28, 2011 12:51:17 GMT -6
Thanks Steve Great vid.. Something I kind of remember is that the Germans called that plane a Forked wing devil. Their guns were made to shoot the fuselodge and or one engene . When they shot at the fuselodge the rounds went between the open area of the plane . very few rounds hit the fuselodge and did little damage The most damage was in the tail section alaron . but it still was able to fly . Great plane
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Post by Steve on Oct 28, 2011 14:05:36 GMT -6
Part 3, the introduction of the RR Merlin. Many You Tube videos of the P-51 Mustang abound, but strangely no original Training/familiarization films seem to be posted. The films exist, because they can be seen in many documentaries out there on the Mustang. So here is one of those Documentaries to keep some continuity in these posts. Steve
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2011 14:19:07 GMT -6
It seems we have the same taste when it comes to the old planes. The corsair's and Mustangs ,(my favorites of the older types),were the muscle cars of the skies Imo .Ive always been fascinated with the b-52 bombers also. Skywalker, my favorite engine also is the 426 hemi with 425 h.p. Though ive never owned one, I have had a few mopars , the 74 dodge duster being one of them. It was a good car til I hit a cow and totalled the left side from front to back.
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Post by skywalker on Oct 28, 2011 16:18:41 GMT -6
Cool! I'm fixing up a 73 Dodge Dart Sport right now. It has a 340, a moon roof and is painted petty Blue. That's going to be a really cool car when I get it finished. I also have a 66 Charger that originally came with a hemi. The engine is gone but it will get another one as soon as I get the money. Those suckers aren't cheap! I would love to have a P-51 someday but that ain't ever going to happen. Not unless I win the lottery about a dozen times.
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Post by swamprat on Nov 4, 2011 19:14:55 GMT -6
B 2 Stealth landing
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Post by skywalker on Nov 4, 2011 20:35:54 GMT -6
I've seen Stealths flying around when I was at White Sands. They were doing training flights out of Alamogordo and were taking off then circling around and landing, then taking off again. I took photos but they ended up looking like a gnat was buzzing past the camera.
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Post by lois on Nov 4, 2011 22:31:36 GMT -6
We get to see some of these at our airshow every year.. they make such cute engine sounds as they are warming up all morning over my house. You recognize the sound before you ever go out an look up.
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Post by lois on Nov 4, 2011 22:34:50 GMT -6
I have a collection also of these planes, which came out with gum in the forties.. One cent. can you imagine getting a photo card of these and a flat piece of gum along with it for that prize?. Those days are gone forever..
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Post by lois on Nov 4, 2011 22:47:44 GMT -6
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Post by lois on Nov 4, 2011 22:49:22 GMT -6
There were later sets, but I cannot find a link
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Post by Steve on Nov 11, 2011 13:12:16 GMT -6
For our veterans and non-vets, an air-show today.
The Blue Angels have been my favorite Air demonstration team, they were the first team I ever saw at age 2 or 3. My parents took me to an air-show at Alameda NAS in 1956. At that first show I only really remember the noise. Then the team mount was F9F Cougars.
Many shows later with the beautiful F11F Tigers, then the loud beasties F-4 Phantoms, then A=4 Skyhawks, then their present aircraft - the F-18 Hornet. The most beautiful and elegant was the F11F, the one I thought the scariest to watch was the enormous F-4 Phantoms. The F-4's were a real maintenance challenge, very complex and difficult to maintain on their tight show schedule. They flew them mainly because the USAF Thunderbirds were flying them, and since the F-4 was originally a Navy design, it seemed more inter-service rivalry than perhaps practical. They certainly made a lot of noise. The several F-4 shows I watched (all up to that time at Alameda) were marred with rare mishaps (all usually F-4's). I watched the only Blue Angel show were they performed anyway after loosing a plane during practice over San Francisco Bay the previous day - a three ship diamond formation!? That was an unusual show fr sure. The F-4 being such a big heavy plane to me anyway was always the most uneasy to watch perform IMO.
With the energy crisis of the mid 70's, the team switched thankfully to the more economical A-4 - back to the lighter crisp handling. After the F11F - IMO the second best aircraft the Blues have flown is the F-18 being flown currently. But to me, the pinnacle aircraft has been and always will be the Grumman F-11F. It's sexy area ruling narrow waist fuselage to reduce supersonic drag, full span trailing edge flaps using spoilers for roll instead of ailerons, afterburners, small, crisp and vice-less handling. A little hot rod almost as if designed for air-show aerobatics. The F-11F Tiger in front line Navy service was brief, overshadowed by the new F-8s and F-4 Phantoms - but the Blues loving the Tiger carried on happily with this aircraft till 1969.
Of my childhood memories associated with F11F - the Blue pilots then seemed more relaxed in their pre-show walk up to start the show - confident but less lock jaw regimented as seen in the film compared to now. As the F11's taxied out as usual (as today) in pairs - you always saw a little playful hand wave to the crowd line as they passed - the crowd line (especially the kids) immediately waving back. That was the thrill of the show - human beings who never forgot who they were 'on the edge' - about to celebrate the thrill, the noise, and the beauty along with them. Flying for us. I still have many of the programs and the Blue Angel autographs from those mid-60's shows. I have seen many Thunderbirds, the Canadian Snowbirds - and even the French 'Patrouille de France', but as seen in the film below - no one but the Blues as far as I know does a formation landing! Amazing!
So let us return back to 1966, for an unusual earlier time when the F-18 Hornet and too perfect fly by wire controls were only a twinkle in a designers eye yet.
Steve
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Post by swamprat on Nov 11, 2011 13:35:57 GMT -6
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Post by skywalker on Nov 11, 2011 20:31:43 GMT -6
I got to watch the Blue Angels perform at a show in Ohio last year. It was very cool. The things those people did with those planes was unbelievable. I see people every day who can't even drive a car in a straight line down the highway as well as those pilots flew those planes doing loops, rolls, curves, twists, turns and formation flying. It was an amazing experience. Something else really cool happened recently. I got to see a P51 Mustang! I was at a truck stop in Alabama for three days in a row just delivering loads in that small area and waiting for others, and there was an airport about two miles away. Every morning planes would start taking off from the airport, do a big loop and touch back down on the runway, then take off and loop again. Apparently they were practicing or giving lessons. Most of the planes were single engine Cessnas, but one of them was an old Mustang. I loved watching that thing loop around in the sky. I kept jogging back and forth down the road past the airport just to watch the planes pass over me. That was very cool.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2011 23:33:02 GMT -6
My favorites of todays American aircraft include the B-2 spirit, the F-35 Lightning, F-22 Raptor, and the A-10 Warthog. When I lived in Las Vegas I went to a Thunderbirds airshow at the age of 12-13 and they were airing 60 minutes that day. I remember Dan Rather being there as well as A.J. Foyt. During that era they used the T-38 Talons.Unfortunately, only a couple years later they lost 4 of their crew during a training exercise. The t-birds home is stationed at Nellis In Vegas and I use to see them quite often since I lived on Nellis Blvd. near the base. I also remember seeing the Blue Angels quite a bit when I lived in California, and the excitement I felt as a young child watching them fly overhead.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2011 10:52:22 GMT -6
I dated a guy for awhile who was an 'airdale' for the Blue Angels. I got to visit him at Westmorland Air base where they wintered then..now THAT was exciting for me because I could really get close when they practiced. I'm pretty sure that relationship lasted as long as it did (through the winter) because of his job ;D
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Post by swamprat on Nov 13, 2011 11:58:15 GMT -6
Blue Angels close season with Pensacola show
Posted 11/13/2011 11:48 AM ET PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Thousands of people came to watch the Navy's Blue Angels close out their season over the Veterans Day weekend with a show in the Florida Panhandle. The Pensacola News Journal reports that 101,000 people watched the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on Saturday at Pensacola Naval Air Station.The six-jet team's dress rehearsal on Friday drew about 85,000 people. Many children sitting on their fathers' shoulders wore neon earplugs and held toy Blue Angels airplanes. U.S. military veterans also joined the crowds. The Blue Angels are based in Pensacola. Their season begins again in March. ___ Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tallahassee&sParam=37931541.story
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Post by Steve on Nov 15, 2011 3:54:02 GMT -6
'No Highway in the Sky' (1951). An aeronautical engineer predicts a new model of commercial airplane will fail structurally catastrophically and in a novel manner after a specific number flying hours. There was never any 'Reindeer' passenger aircraft, but if you knew the plot of the story, no aircraft manufacturer naturally would be pitching their aircraft in this story necessarily as a product endorsement. This is one of James Stewart's lesser known films made during the post WWII period when Stewart was unsure what direction his Hollywood career would take him. His first film after his tour in the Army Air corp as a bomber pilot in the 8Th air force was his well known 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946). I recently discovered this film on You Tube, having enjoyed it when I was much younger - it plays somewhat like a long "Twilight Zone" episode where Stewart's character who is a scientist tries to convince the pilot of a transatlantic flight that the airline's structure will collapse and that everyone will be killed unless they turn back. Fine performances by Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, and Glynis Johns and the excellent supporting cast make this a watchable film. Many wonderful familiar faces. The concept of an airliner suffering catastrophic failure due to metal fatigue after a certain number of flight cycles, as outlined in the 1948 novel ('No Highway' by author Nevil Shute) and this 1951 film, came true with the failures of the de Havilland Comet new jet airliner in 1954. There are a number of eerie parallels between the fictional account and the later actual events. I am attracted to this film for a number of reasons, how 'boffin' (now the term 'geek') Stewart courageously sticks to his courage in his scientific convictions. Would these convictions parallel some who think some UFO's might be actually extraterrestrial craft? Hence my reason for posting here. The Royal Aircraft Establishment is a famous organization in aeronautical history. The post war era with the introduction of jet propulsion was a time of great innovation and rapid change. The RAE was roughly the American equivalents of the NACA which later became NASA. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_EstablishmentAnother reason is perhaps my father-in-law was a very famous structural engineer and mathematician - taught as a professor at UC Berkeley - many lives and structures exist I am sure today from his mathematics - so their is that source for fascination too. My wife's dad passed away on September 19, 2011. At is memorial service at the UC Berkeley faculty club, 140 of his colleagues from around the world attended. That was my earlier posts reference to 'family business to attend to'. Another is the pleasure you seldom hear anymore listening to the beautiful English in this film. Not only is it a suspenseful film - the script is first rate. In one of my favorite scenes - Stewart's (Professor Honey) bosses are concerned and prepared to defend his position - but are also wishing for the 'truth' in science. It is an allegory for what UFO research should be.... Enjoy the entire film here. Steve It is fun to watch Stewart and Dietrich act together. Both years earlier before the war had had a passionate love affair on the set of the great western 'Dustry rides Again' (1939), a film that saved Dietrich's film career - (Madelane Kahn repeats her role more or less in 'Blazing Saddles' - great fun) . Stewart was just one of her many conquests - including Hemingway and even John Wayne - amazing lady with a rich life to tell, she won the metal of freedom for her work in the USO. Some remarkable dialog from 'No Highway in the Sky'. Characters: Dennis Scott, Sir John, Director, Monica Teasdale Sir John, Director: Have you known Mr. Honey long? Monica Teasdale: No, I just met him last night right after we took off. He came to tell me he thought we were in trouble. Sir John, Director: But why would he want to alarm you, a passenger, when there was nothing you could do about it? Monica Teasdale: He thought there was something he could do. He gave me his reasons, N' that was good enough for me. Sir John, Director: Do you believe him? What did he do, explain his theory? Monica Teasdale: He did, and I believed him. Sir John, Director: Did you understand it? Monica Teasdale: Not a word... Sir John, Director: Then I don't understand. (smiling - shrugging) Monica Teasdale: Oh, it isn't so hard Sir John, I don't know much about mathematics, but I know when a man knows what he is talking about. Do you have a light? Dennis Scott: Of course. Monica Teasdale: May I smoke? Sir John, Director: Certainly. Monica Teasdale: I don't understand a thing about his theory, but I have learned quite a lot about Mr. Honey, and I know he isn't crazy like they are saying out there. That funny little man is brave, and kind, and on the level. And he believed what he was telling me. But I can even see it is going to be awful easy by settling a lot of things by throwing him to the wolves. To say he is crazy, and let it go at that. That is why I wanted to meet the people he worked for. To see if they're going to stand by him. Somebody has got to you know. Sir John, Director: Miss Teasdale, I'd like to pay you a complement. You believe in things too, and that's very nice to see. But I have to add this, I don't know if Mr. Honey is right or wrong. Neither is Mr. Scott anymore than you do. There's no way of knowing. But it doesn't mean we are going to back up Mr. Honey blindly. There is a matter called the truth that must be served. It's a difficult thing knowing the truth in a case like this, and the most I can promise you is we will go to the utmost to get at it, and hope it will be on Mr. Honey's side. Monica Teasdale: Well, the truth is a good deal anyway. I don't think there was much needn't my coming, but I am glad I did. Thank you Sir John for giving me your time, good bye. Monica Teasdale: (turns to Dennis Scott) Good bye. Sir John, Director: Thank you Dennis Scott: Good bye, I'll see you to your car. Monica Teasdale: Thank you. (Scott helps Monica puts on her coat, Sir John respectfully bows to her.) Glynis Johns
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