Aviation- no politics

[f6john]

I saw this pic and reminded me of my childhood when I was fascinated with airplanes. I was a big Sky King fan and I loved the twin engine plane they used. But this may be my favorite of all time, it just looks mean.

[carolinarider09]

Great aircraft and Sky King was a series I watched in my youth as well. 

I did get to fly a C1A once when I was on the USS Wasp.  I was invited to fly with the crew when they did a recon flight off the carrier.  Got to experience a CAT shot and the arrested landing  All very informative.

As we flew along, practicing chasing Soviet subs, the aircraft commander invited us (there were two or three others on board for the flight) up to the cockpit, one at a time, to take the controls. 

So yes I did get to fly it, if only for a short while.

Started taking flying lessons when I was in Michigan but did not follow thru, I forget why.

[Patrick]

My father was trying to fly the P38 in the early days before they installed counter-rotating engines. He kept skidding the turns so they decided to put him in the B [A]-26 [ one a day in Tampa Bay] before eventually ending up in B24s.

[f6john]

I remembered there was an issue with the P38 in the handling control realm but didn’t know what the cause or remedy was determined to be.

[cagrote]

Beautiful aircraft, I have always been partial to the corsair.  Like those gull wings.

[old2soon]

          Huge fan of that P-38 and also a huge fan of the P-51. S2D and Es off the U S S Yorktown CVS10 couple of cat shots and arrested landings. When yer young it are fun!  Helped bring the C2 Greyhound into the fleet. Basically a carrier borne flying truck. Go out to the attack carriers with mail parts personnel and have to land unload and reload tween attack jets launching and recovering off Nam.
          Anybody here remember the N C I S episode where Gibbs hung onto a logistic strap during the launch? THAT would have NEVER happen. A launch of a C V A pulls quite a few Gs. Very few people if Any are That strong. And if you lose your grip you end up in the rear ramp/hatch area with lotsa sharp edges.
           Back to the P-38. Squadron of Army Air Corp P-38s shot down I believe Admiral Yamamoto. After a long flight on what today is considered dead reckoning. Across lotsa open ocean. Only a few left flying as I understand it. Good memories of some Great Aircraft-Thanks. RIDE SAFE.

[carolinarider09]

I forgot to mention, my dad was an officer in the Marines during WWII stationed in Hawaii.  I knew he was a pilot (one of the reasons I wanted to learn) but besides the fact that he was assigned as a pilot to a fighter squadron, he did not talk about it at all. 

I remember, when I was maybe six or seven, we started building model aircraft to fly.  The first one was a free flight model of that high wing scout plane used by the marines.  We did control line models as well.

Later in life, when I lived in Florida started flying R/C models.  Meet a gentlemen there that was an inventor for aircraft stuff (I forget his claim to fame but it was significant).  He and his son had some really great models flying. 

Started flying R/C gliders when we moved back to SC.  I remember one I almost lost it got so high when I found some thermals for it to ride.  I could just barely make it out in the sky. 

[f6john]

I should have told the rest of the story on the picture. The P38 in the picture was salvaged under 50 feet of ice in Greenland and brought back to America. It was restored at a hanger in Kentucky, I’m sure either in Louisville or Lexington, the author did not elaborate. I hope to discover where it is now, there is an aircraft museum at the Lexington airport but I have never been, could it be there?

[carolinarider09]

According to this 2016 Popular Mechanics article it is flying at air shows around the US.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a18943/glacier-girl-p-38-fighter/

https://www.theledger.com/news/20180414/glacier-girl-shes-76-years-old-and-still-drawing-crowds

[Robert]

Didn't they come out the p38 because the zeros were so fast?

[carolinarider09]

I scanned a couple of articles and that was not mentioned. 

Here is one detailed write-up

http://acepilots.com/planes/p38_lightning.html

[Robert]

Found this and thought you guys might like it.

The evolution of aircraft cockpits and crew (30 Pics)

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2019/10/the-evolution-of-aircraft-cockpits-and.html

If Bob was not pissed at us he could probably post a few pics also.

[Patrick]

I remembered there was an issue with the P38 in the handling control realm but didn’t know what the cause or remedy was determined to be.

The early ones were a hand-full, I don't know why. But, apparently the switch in adding a counter-rotating engine corrected it. Very few aircraft are fitted with counter-rotating engines.

[f6john]

I read one of the links above and also found out the P38 was the first plane to reach sub-sonic speeds when it went into a full throttle dive and the turbulence could cause loss of control. Designers had never experienced it before because on plane had gone that fast. They designed some flaps that corrected that issue.

[Jess from VA]

It was used in Europe too, but it had the long range, high altitude and speed needed for Pacific warfare.  

And the 4 Ma deuce 50s, and 20mm canon all in the nose was easier to kill bad guys than the conventional spread of guns along the wings.





And my first bike was also a Lightning.

[Rams]

But this may be my favorite of all time, it just looks mean.

Mean?  OK, I guess we have different perspectives and I'm not knocking the aircraft.   I think it's cool as heck.  Sexy, maybe but definitely cool looking and a very high performance flying machine. 

When I think of MEAN aircraft, my thoughts go to the Apache Helicopter.   That is one Bad Ass'd killing machine, that's MEAN.  But, to each their own.   

I'd post a pic of an Apache but alas, I'm computer stupid illiterate. 

Rams   

[The emperor has no clothes]

But this may be my favorite of all time, it just looks mean.

Mean?  OK, I guess we have different perspectives and I'm not knocking the aircraft.   I think it's cool as heck.  Sexy, maybe but definitely cool looking and a very high performance flying machine. 

When I think of MEAN aircraft, my thoughts go to the Apache Helicopter.   That is one Bad Ass'd killing machine, that's MEAN.  But, to each their own.   

I'd post a pic of an Apache but alas, I'm computer stupid illiterate. 

Rams   

I always thought the Cobras looked better though.

[f6john]

But this may be my favorite of all time, it just looks mean.

Mean?  OK, I guess we have different perspectives and I'm not knocking the aircraft.   I think it's cool as heck.  Sexy, maybe but definitely cool looking and a very high performance flying machine. 

When I think of MEAN aircraft, my thoughts go to the Apache Helicopter.   That is one Bad Ass'd killing machine, that's MEAN.  But, to each their own.   

I'd post a pic of an Apache but alas, I'm computer stupid illiterate. 

Rams   

WW2 era helicopters are hard to come by! Looking at Jess’s pics the P38 reminds me of the A10 Warthog, another killing machine that did it’s job well. I was a big Airwolf fan back in the day too!

[Rams]

The A10 Warthog is another of my favorites. 

Rams

[Jess from VA]

The A10 Warthog is another of my favorites.  

Rams

Who ever thought they'd be able to get an airplane to take off (and fly around) carrying this medium artillery (plus ammo)?





But the A10 and P38 had vastly different missions.  (but both with kick ass armament)

The ability to vector in low and quiet and pop just over a tree ridge and blast fat dumb and happy enemy grunts and hardware, is a whole other mission (but in the close air support A 10 wheelhouse). (and still kick ass armament)







When it absolutely, positively needs delivered overnight.  

Google Apache firing and guess what?   

[old2soon]

      A-10 Warthog serious ass tank killer. sadam found out the hard way the A-10 was NOT too be trifled with. Another of my WWII favorite Aircraft-The Spitfire. Gonna catch heck here but look at a Focke Wolf 190-yet another WWII design that just looked right. The Japanese Zero looked right But lacked an armor tub for the pilot and lacked self sealing fuel cells in the wing tanks. Lotsa reports after we got some better A/C in theatre that the Zero flamed easy. P-47 Thunderbolt-Jug to the pilots-Also looked right. As did the F 4 U Corsair. Yuppers-i Iz a big round motor fan!  RIDE SAFE.

[carolinarider09]

Another WW II plane that does not always get the credit is deserved was the Hawker Typhoon/Tempest. 

I read many books about aviation in WW II in my youth and the Hawker Tempest was the only plane (it was said in my readings then) the could catch a V1 Rocket in level flight.  The stories said that the throttle had a wire that limited the planes throttle movement but the pilot could break the wire if maximum available power was need.  (Thats what my memory says, can't find it documented)

Between June 1944 and September 1944, Hawker Typoon aircraft destroyed 638 V1's in the air.

http://www.aviation-history.com/hawker/typhoon.html

[Patrick]

If memory serves, the British fliers could intercept the buzz bombs and set their wing under the buzz bomb and veer it away. Thats ballsie.

[Leathel]

The P38 was the first model aircraft I assembled, loved that plane