Post amazingly cool pictures of aircraft (Volume 2)
Discussion
yellowjack said:
On March 6, 1944, the 4th's commander Lt. Col. Donald Blakeslee flew in the first Mustang over Berlin, during an escort mission in support of B-17s and B-24s of the 8th Air Force bomber groups. Blakeslee flew over 500 missions/1,000 combat hours. Blakeslee was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by both Britain and America.
Summary of US Spitfire use here... https://warisboring.com/americas-spitfires/ ...although I'm not sure if all of the facts are good 'uns.
Very interesting and quite thorough. Summary of US Spitfire use here... https://warisboring.com/americas-spitfires/ ...although I'm not sure if all of the facts are good 'uns.
Edited by yellowjack on Friday 21st December 11:49
I am researching stats on US pilots' hours and combat missions statistics. Have you ever seen any of that information?
greghm said:
Very interesting and quite thorough.
I am researching stats on US pilots' hours and combat missions statistics. Have you ever seen any of that information?
I've seen some numbers, yes. But quite a bit of it was "in person" not online. I lived/worked on the old RAF Debden site for 7 years, and was loaned a few books about it, none of which I have access to anymore, nor can I remember the titles/authors. There was also stuff on walls in the HQ building detailing the wartime history of our home/workplace.I am researching stats on US pilots' hours and combat missions statistics. Have you ever seen any of that information?
Try searching for info about the 4th Fighter Group, Debden Eagles, Donald Blakeslee, Dominic Salvatore "Don" Gentile (and 'Shangri La'), and the Russian Shuttle Missions.
That should get you into a position where you find links to other stuff.
The sorry tale of the end of the P-51 formerly known as 'Shangri-La' is quite interesting. I stood on the runway where it played out, reading a description of the incident, trying to work out how it happened. Debden's north/south(ish) runway is lower at both ends than it is in the middle, and could best be described as being somewhat "uphill" approaching from the south.
If you can get there it's worth a nose about. Certainly in 2012 when I left, the airside part of the airfield was largely intact. Peri tracks, taxi-ways, both runways, some pillboxes and one or two structures, including the old ammunition bunker and at least one dispersal pen. Some elements off limits, like the Air Cadets HQ and the modern ammo bunker. The whole of the 'technical' part of the site, though, is an army barracks and off limits. Some Blister Hangars lined the gravel road south of the airfield into Rowney Wood, one of them occupied by a local timber merchant, while a couple of them had been demolished but the concrete pads were still there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Debden
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/18316
Some links to other sources on this page... https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071658/http://...
Loads of "then & now" photographs on this page... https://web.archive.org/web/20110929125654/http://...
Sorry I can't be of more help to your specific interest in mission records, but it might help you along...
Well this is not a picture but it is worth watching as we can see this daily on roads ... here it is done with multi-10 mln aircrafts....
https://www.rt.com/news/450221-su27-f15-maneuver-m...
https://www.rt.com/news/450221-su27-f15-maneuver-m...
19/12/46
It was a cold, snowy evening at London-Northolt Airport, when the DC-3 taxied into position for takeoff. The snow storm had closed the airport to incoming traffic, and outbound traffic was subject to long delays. The plane had been waiting for more than an hour waiting for clearance. When G-AGZA received clearance, the pilot ran the engines up to 45.5 inches of manifold pressure and 2,500 RPM. The DC-3 lifted off the runway but couldn't gain height. The aircraft landed on top of a house at 46 Angus Drive in the London suburb of Ruislip.
G-AGZA was severely damaged and radio officer Murdoch was fortunate that he wasn't sitting in his seat as some metalwork was pushed through the seat and it would probably have killed him had he been sitting there. Irene Zigmund and her 4-month old-son David were in the neighbouring house (44 Angus Drive) house at the time, but the aircraft came to rest on the roof without even waking the child who was asleep in his cot upstairs. In fact no one was even injured in the incident, the crew and passenger all descended into the house's loft, down the loft ladder onto the landing and then down stairs out the front door. The aircraft was a total loss and the house was damaged, but not greatly
Those houses are still there.
No 44 Angus Drive sold in Jan 2016 for £545,000 (Land Registry records)
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMat...
No 44 Angus Drive sold in Jan 2016 for £545,000 (Land Registry records)
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMat...
Edited by yellowjack on Friday 1st February 11:38
Caption competition?
1) Santa came early in 1946
2) The Airline decided to re-think its plans for ultra short-haul air travel.
3) That was the last time little Johnny threw a snowball at a passing aircraft.
4) Mr Smithers thanked the pilot for saving him the taxi fare home from the airport.
5) "How did they get planning permission for that loft conversion?" muttered the Jones' across the road.
1) Santa came early in 1946
2) The Airline decided to re-think its plans for ultra short-haul air travel.
3) That was the last time little Johnny threw a snowball at a passing aircraft.
4) Mr Smithers thanked the pilot for saving him the taxi fare home from the airport.
5) "How did they get planning permission for that loft conversion?" muttered the Jones' across the road.
More twin-engined aircraft failed take-off and rooftop landing shenanigans from Northolt...
This time a military Avro Anson, VV298, on 01st June 1960...
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=1...
This time a military Avro Anson, VV298, on 01st June 1960...
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=1...
PRTVR said:
Are things that bad that that the aircraft has multiple squadron markings for each day of the week, I know we are short on aircrafts but I didn't think they were that bad. 
Thought 2018 was the last year of Tornados, although a quick Google suggests it's been extended into 2019!Could that potentially extended further depending on F35B (and Typhoon capability upgrades) being delayed into service?
AndrewEH1 said:
PRTVR said:
Are things that bad that that the aircraft has multiple squadron markings for each day of the week, I know we are short on aircrafts but I didn't think they were that bad.
Thought 2018 was the last year of Tornados, although a quick Google suggests it's been extended into 2019!Could that potentially extended further depending on F35B (and Typhoon capability upgrades) being delayed into service?
MartG said:
AndrewEH1 said:
PRTVR said:
Are things that bad that that the aircraft has multiple squadron markings for each day of the week, I know we are short on aircrafts but I didn't think they were that bad.
Thought 2018 was the last year of Tornados, although a quick Google suggests it's been extended into 2019!Could that potentially extended further depending on F35B (and Typhoon capability upgrades) being delayed into service?
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