# Trip to the National Museum of the US Air Force



## T Bolt (Feb 13, 2012)

Bright and early this coming Friday my son Jack and I are headed to Dayton Ohio for a visit to the Air Force Museum. It's a last minute trip so I wasn't able to book the behind the scenes tour but I have hopes of getting in anyway. I plan on taking as many pictures as my 3 camera batteries allow so I should have plenty to post here next week.
I started this thread early because I wanted to let everyone know I'm taking picture requests, so if anybody wants a picture of a particular aircraft, or part of an aircraft, let me know and I'll do my best to get it.


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## Airframes (Feb 14, 2012)

Nice offer Glenn. I'm hoping to do a similar thing at Cosford in the next couple of weeks, will make a separate post.
I'll let you know if i think of anything.


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## rochie (Feb 15, 2012)

nice one Glenn, just plenty of pics of everything will do me my friend !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Airframes (Feb 15, 2012)

Except the Wil .... cough ... the Wild ... that thing!


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## T Bolt (Feb 15, 2012)

Not to worry Terry, there are none of thoes.......things........ in Dayton.

Jacks beside himself with excitement. Don't know how he's going to make it until Friday. Looks like we'll be at the Museum Friday and Saturday. Hope my camera batteries hold out!


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## ToughOmbre (Feb 15, 2012)

T Bolt said:


> I wanted to let everyone know I'm taking picture requests, so if anybody wants a picture of a particular aircraft, or part of an aircraft, let me know and I'll do my best to get it.



"Bockscar", the B-29 that dropped the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Gotta be the most famous aircraft in the collection.

TO


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## T Bolt (Feb 15, 2012)

ToughOmbre said:


> "Bockscar", the B-29 that dropped the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Gotta be the most famous aircraft in the collection.
> 
> TO


No problem, there's easy access to that one.


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## proton45 (Feb 15, 2012)

I have been their and taken some pictures...and if I may make a recommendation, make sure that you have a good flash for your camera. The lighting in that museum is really inconsistent, and in some cases you cant get close enough to the exhibit (aeroplane) for the built in camera flash, to have an effect on your subject. 

Its a big museum and it will take you a few hours to get through the whole place...have fun, and wear some comfortable shoes, the floor is hard, and their is not a lot of places to sit down.


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## Geedee (Feb 15, 2012)

Glenn, you and guys enjoy yourself at that place. I spent 2.5 days there back in 2007 on the way to the GOML2007 event and posted a few threads here. 

Honestly ?...2 days aint enough to do it justice !. 

And dont forget...you are only about three miles from the Wright Brothers cycle shop !!! You just have to make the extra trip...trust me, its well worth it !

Some of the airframes (non Terry type) they have there are unique (bit like terry really !)...Valkyrie, turbo '51, and a whole heap of others. Damn...I'm jealous....nead another trip there methinks !!


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## T Bolt (Feb 15, 2012)

I get there about every 2 to 3 years and 1 day never seems to be enough, so his time its just me and Jack (no complaining from the wife and daughter) and a full two days! Might try to see that Wright Brothers cycle shop if we have time.


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## Airframes (Feb 15, 2012)

Go for it Glenn. And me, unique? Strange maybe, and there's only one of me, but un... oh, I thought Gary had said Eunic !!


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## Crimea_River (Feb 16, 2012)




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## T Bolt (Feb 17, 2012)

Finished the first day at the museum and took close to 900 photos, but can't post any until we get home. (this anemic little laptop of mine won't resize pictures). We saw some pretty unique stuff on the behind scenes tour including two of my all time favorites, the XB-42 mixmaster and XB-43. I thought they were both scraped 50 years ago!


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## Vic Balshaw (Feb 17, 2012)

That sounds just fantastic Glenn, how's young Jack holding up!


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## rochie (Feb 18, 2012)

good stuff Glenn, must get the cash together to visit a few of the museums over there !!!!............................one day


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## Wayne Little (Feb 18, 2012)

look forward to them pics Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Feb 18, 2012)

Vic Balshaw said:


> That sounds just fantastic Glenn, how's young Jack holding up!


His feet hurt and I had to drag him out of bed this morning, but he's ready for day 2 now.


rochie said:


> good stuff Glenn, must get the cash together to visit a few of the museums over there !!!!............................one day


You wont be disappointed! I heard they are going to build yet another hanger in the next few years.


Wayne Little said:


> look forward to them pics Glenn!


Started organizing them last night, so it will just be a matter of resizing when we get home. I might have some up Sunday night.


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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

I've started resizing the photos and will post some little by little starting with the requests.
First up Bockscar


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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

The P-35 which was the forerunner of the P-47 Thunderbolt


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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

Terry, I know you didn't request them but I thought these might be helpful


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## rochie (Feb 20, 2012)

great start Glenn


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## Wurger (Feb 20, 2012)

Nice stuff here Glenn.


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## Shinpachi (Feb 20, 2012)

Thank you very much for these wonderful photos, T Bolt.

The shining B-29 is exactly what I heard from my parents.


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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

This is for all you "Dora" lovers out there.

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## rochie (Feb 20, 2012)

nice shots Glenn


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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

Here's a 109 to go with the 190

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

To continue with the Avis aircraft, here's the Mc 200


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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

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## T Bolt (Feb 20, 2012)

The last of the Axis pictures, the Zero

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## Gnomey (Feb 20, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn!


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## Airframes (Feb 20, 2012)

great stuff Glenn. Thanks for the pics of the SE5A, some useful detail there, including that darned semi-circular 'vent' I forgot to cut out!


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## ToughOmbre (Feb 20, 2012)

Great pics Glenn!

"Bockscar" is one awesome airplane!

TO


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## Crimea_River (Feb 20, 2012)

Excellent stuff Glenn!


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## meatloaf109 (Feb 20, 2012)

Beautiful! Thank You so much for the shots of the P-35, those picts answer everything I wanted to know, including the pit. It appears to be NMF.


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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

Looks like I left this one out


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## Crimea_River (Feb 21, 2012)




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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

I should have done this before I started posting the pictures, but better late than never.

All the pictures posted so far have been in the World War II hanger, which is one of 4 interconnected hangers of the main museum complex. The museum is located on Old Wright Field which is part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There are also 2 connected hangers for the Presidential aircraft, and the Research and Development aircraft, along with a series of interconnected hangers used for aircraft restoration. These two hanger areas are located on the secure portion of Wright-Patterson, and are only accessible by bus tour. The tour to the R&D and Presidential Hangers runs multiple times a day and can be signed up for on the day of your visit (but sign up early) The tour to the restoration hangers runs only on Fridays and should be signed up for well in advance on the museum’s website although there are a numbers of walk-ins allowed, but don’t count on them.

*Picture 1* Overall view of Old Wright Field. The yellow arrow is the main Museum complex, The red arrow is the Research Development hangers, and the blue arrow is the Restoration hangers.

*Picture 2* Close up of the main complex. To give you an idea of the size the two aircraft parked at the far end above the hangers are KC-135s (707s)

*Picture 3* A map of the main complex from the museums website

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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

Back to the WWII hanger........

This one is a P-47G made up to be a P-47D Razorback. All the P-47Gs were made by Curtiss and none saw combat.

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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

I didn't get a shot of the sign, but this looks like either a P-47D-30 or -40, and has to have some of the ugliest nose art I've ever seen. Also, the guns don't have the proper blast tubes, they should look more like the Razorback above.

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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

A-36, an Allison Engined dive bomber version of the P-51

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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

The museum lists this as a P-51D although the prop makes it look like a P-51K. Could just be a non-original prop. The drop tanks look like the disposable paper type.

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## rochie (Feb 21, 2012)

looks like you handled what look like some tough lighting conditions rather well Glenn !


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## T Bolt (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks Karl, it was rather dark in there and I didn't have a tripod. I'm not crazy about the look of flash pictures, and anyway the flash was only good up to about 15', so only for close ups. I was usually shooting with an ASA of 1250, but it still was a struggle to hold the camera still enough. I deleted hundreds of pictures because of camera shake. The one improvement I could suggest for that museum is more light!!


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## Gnomey (Feb 21, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## hub (Feb 21, 2012)

Nice one Glenn, I can't stop drooling


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## Airframes (Feb 21, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn, and I agree about the difficult lighting conditions. 
Maybe the Museum should be told that their display board is incorrect! It should really read something like 'Rolls Royce (Packard-built) Merlin engine' .... !!
(Sorry, not being pedantic, but in generations to come, 'they' might believe the engine was designed, built, etc, in the USA, as opposed to the real story !)


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## pbfoot (Feb 21, 2012)

Airframes said:


> Good stuff Glenn, and I agree about the difficult lighting conditions.
> Maybe the Museum should be told that their display board is incorrect! It should really read something like 'Rolls Royce (Packard-built) Merlin engine' .... !!
> (Sorry, not being pedantic, but in generations to come, 'they' might believe the engine was designed, built, etc, in the USA, as opposed to the real story !)


thats what is says


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## Airframes (Feb 21, 2012)

I meant the title caption Neil. 
The 'average' person these days expects bullet point answers, and either can't be bothered, or hasn't the 'gumption', to read any further.
The current 'generation', as sometimes seen on this forum, seem to expect life to give them answers, solutions, etc, without having to work for these. In years to come, where will that lead us (as a civilisation)?
As mentioned - not being pedantic, but pointing out how a (at present) minor discrepancies can lead to a whole change of historic facts at 'some time' in the future, often perpetuated by such small indiscretions.
Let's face it, it could eventually be, in 50 or 100 years time, that Canada, a State of the USA, played a small part in World War 2, which began in 1944.
Get my point?!


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## Wildcat (Feb 22, 2012)

Enjoying the pictures Glenn, I like that A-36.


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

I had to delete the only far-away shots. too much camera shake

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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

Only one shot of the P-39. That fake snow has been on it for over 10 years now. I think it's time for a thaw.

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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

Mk. V Spit in American markings

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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

PR. XI Spit, also in American markings

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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

Beaufighter, also in US markings.


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

Mosquito, again in US markings

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## rochie (Feb 22, 2012)

nice work Glenn, is that simulated snow on the P-39 or is it in need of a good clean ?


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## Airframes (Feb 22, 2012)

Good work Glenn, nice shots.


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

rochie said:


> nice work Glenn, is that simulated snow on the P-39 or is it in need of a good clean ?


It's shredded plastic fake snow. Makes getting a decent picture hard.


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

The scene depicts the scramble on the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The close up of the wing tip shows a detail that is wrong on most P-36 and P-40 models. The airfoil shape of the upper surface of the wing extends all the way to the very top. It's the lower surface that comes up to meet it.

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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

P-40E

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## Wildcat (Feb 22, 2012)

Very cool. FYI the Spit MkVc and Beaufighter are RAAF PTO veterans.


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

Wildcat said:


> Very cool. FYI the Spit MkVc and Beaufighter are RAAF PTO veterans.


Very interesting Andy, I didn't know that.

Here's some quotes from the museum's website:

Spitfire Mk.Vc
"The Spitfire on display is a Mk. Vc (Trop) built for Supermarine under license by Vickers-Armstrong in June 1943. Shipped to Australia in September 1943, it served with the Royal Australian Air Force, and the museum acquired it from the Imperial War Museum in March 2000."

Beaufighter
"The museum's aircraft was built under license by the Fairey Aviation Co. in Stockport, England, and delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942. It is marked as the USAAF Beaufighter flown by Capt. Harold Augspurger, commander of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, who shot down an He 111 carrying German staff officers in September 1944."


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

P-61
This was a real hard one to get a decent picture of. It sits in a dark corner of the hanger and is of course black. The camera had trouble even sensing the thing to focus on. These were the only 3 pictures that turned out good enough to post.

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## Gnomey (Feb 22, 2012)

More good shots Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Feb 22, 2012)

This one is one of my favorites at the Museum. Its a P-63E, although its painted up like a RP-63A or C Pinball. These aircraft had thickened aluminum skin and other armor and were used as gunnery targets to train new pilots who would shoot plastic bullets at them. I read an article some years ago written by a pilot who flew one of the Pinball aircraft on a ferry flight, and he said it was so heavy it was all he could do to keep it in the air. It does look very cool though.

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## Messy1 (Feb 22, 2012)

Love the pics of the P-61, and P-63. P-36 is also a nice looking plane! Thanks for posting!


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## Airframes (Feb 22, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn. Interesting to learn that the Beaufighter was built by Fairey, as I once lived very close to the factory, in the early 1980s, which was then Fairey Engineering. When a neighbour first told me he "worked for Fairey's", I fell about laughing - he didn't get the joke at first !!


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## T Bolt (Feb 23, 2012)

The A-24 was the Air Corps version of SBD-3 Dauntlass. They were used in Java and New Guinea early in the war.


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## T Bolt (Feb 23, 2012)

The A-20G was used with great effect in low-level strafing attacks against Japanese shipping. The last picture is of a smoke screen generator

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## T Bolt (Feb 23, 2012)

AT-9 Advanced twin engined trainer, and a very cool looking aircraft.


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## T Bolt (Feb 23, 2012)

Another advanced twin trainer, the AT-10 was made mostly out of wood to conserve scarce aluminum.


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## T Bolt (Feb 23, 2012)

The AT-11 was used to train student bombardiers, and was based on the beech model 18.


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## javlin (Feb 23, 2012)

WOW!! That is a big museum thier Glenn.I thought Pensacola's was pretty big I have to say that is atleast twice the size!The 262 camo is sharp and the difference in colors between the props on the 109 to the 190 is quite stark.The PRU Mossie looks good and I am thinking some twin engine jobs are coming down the pike.I saw a kit of the AT-11 at the LHS and almost p/u the kit they do have some interesting lines for sure.


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## T Bolt (Feb 23, 2012)

Every thing I've posted so far has been in the WWII hanger (although I'm getting near to the end of my photos there). There is still the 'Early Years' hanger which is a bit smaller, and the 'Cold War" and 'Modern' hangers which are even larger. Then there is the 'Presidential" hanger, the 'Research Development' Hanger, and the 'Restoration' hangers.

To paraphrase John Paul Jones: "I have not yet begun to post!"


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## Gnomey (Feb 23, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn! Keep them coming.


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## T Bolt (Feb 24, 2012)

C-46


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## T Bolt (Feb 24, 2012)

C-47


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## T Bolt (Feb 24, 2012)

.


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## T Bolt (Feb 24, 2012)

First production American helicopter


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## Crimea_River (Feb 24, 2012)

Great stuff here Glenn. Gotta get out there some day myself. With a family base in the Toronto area, shouldn't be too bad.


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## Airframes (Feb 24, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn.


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## Wildcat (Feb 24, 2012)

Excellent photos Glenn!


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## Wayne Little (Feb 25, 2012)

Top pics Glenn.


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## michaelmaltby (Feb 25, 2012)

Great pictures ... looking forward to more ... 

Thanks,

MM


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## Gnomey (Feb 25, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn! Keep them coming.


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## fubar57 (Feb 25, 2012)

Great photos Glenn. I think the nearest museum to me is about a 14 hour car/ferry ride away.

Geo


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## T Bolt (Feb 25, 2012)

fubar57 said:


> Great photos Glenn. I think the nearest museum to me is about a 14 hour car/ferry ride away.
> 
> Geo


I thought it was bad for me at 5 1/2 hours to this museum!


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## T Bolt (Feb 25, 2012)

The Army Air Forces version of the PBY

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## T Bolt (Feb 25, 2012)

The B-18 Based on the Douglas DC-2


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## T Bolt (Feb 25, 2012)

B-26G

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## T Bolt (Feb 25, 2012)

The Strawberry Bitch

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## T Bolt (Feb 25, 2012)

The last of the pictures from the WWII Hanger

Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby

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## Crimea_River (Feb 25, 2012)

Thanks for sharing Glenn.


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## Matt308 (Feb 25, 2012)

Just wonderful pics. And I most appreciate your personal commentary. Makes it most special. Good stuff.


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## Wayne Little (Feb 26, 2012)

Excellent, wish we had some of that stuff down here...


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## Geedee (Feb 26, 2012)

Beaut set of shots mate !. Brings back memories of my visit there with Tony back 2007. 

It is without doubt, a World Class museum.....it absolutely has to be on you bucket list (if it isn't, then you dont like 'planes and you shouldn't be reading this


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## Airframes (Feb 26, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn, and good of you to get some interior shots.


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## T Bolt (Feb 26, 2012)

Moving on to the Restoration Hanger is another B-17. Every one knows the "Memphis Belle"

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## T Bolt (Feb 26, 2012)

Yet another B-17

The Swoose is the oldest B-17 in existence, and the only B-17D left
It has a very interesting history which can be read here Factsheets : Boeing B-17D "The Swoose"

Some of the highlights: It was in the Philippines before Pearl harbor and fought the Japanese there becoming severely damaged and repaired in Australia with the tail section of another B-17 hence the name Swoose, 1/2 swan and 1/2 goose.
It later became a high-speed armed transport for Lt. Gen. George Brett, and the pilot was the father of actress Swoosie Kurtz, who was named after the aircraft.

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## michaelmaltby (Feb 26, 2012)

Wow ....

MM


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## Gnomey (Feb 27, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn! Thanks for sharing.


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## Airframes (Feb 27, 2012)

Great info and pics Glenn. Really pleased that the 'real' "Belle" is being properly restored - too many years being on display in Memphis, and then almost decaying.Good to see some proper preservation going on.


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## Vic Balshaw (Feb 28, 2012)

Just worked my way through the thread Glenn and what brilliant pictures. My thanks mate.


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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

I'll come back to the Restoration Hanger later, but now I'll start with the Cold War Hanger and Modern Hanger

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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

Another Twin Mustang


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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

The first in the family of Lockheed early jets, a few of the P-80 Shooting Stars were in Italy under combat conditions before the war ended, and went on to fight in Korea. This particular Aircraft is a Korean war veteran.


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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

The T-33 was a widely used trainer version of the P-80/F-80 made by lengthening the fuselage of the fighter version and adding a second cockpit.
Due to lighting condition it was real hard to get a decent picture of this one, and only one shot I took turned out marginally well.


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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

The next of the early Lockheed jets developed from the P-80 was the F-94 Starfire. The F-94A and B were similar in appearance, developed directly from the T-33 trainer and also used in Korea. It was a two seat all weather fighter with afterburner and radar and in my opinion the coolest looking of the Lockheed straight winged jets, seeming to just ooze power with that over-sized tail section.


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## mudpuppy (Feb 28, 2012)

Excellent series of photos and it is great of you to take the time and post them all here...Thanks!
Derek


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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

A further development of the F-94B, it was originally designated the F-97A, but was changed to F-94C. It had a more powerful engine and changes to the horizontal stabilizer, but the biggest change was to the nose where 24 rockets were added in a ring around the radome concealed behind doors, changing the elegant profile of the F-94A to something rather ugly.


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## Messy1 (Feb 28, 2012)

Great pics Glen! Really appreciate you taking the time to post them and go through the trouble of adding your notes! Can't wait to go there someday!


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## DBII (Feb 28, 2012)

I went to Dayton with my father 5 years ago. It was a trip we planed for 30 years. Good times. I would love to go again but my father is no up to any long trips. Thanks for the pictures.

DBII


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## Gnomey (Feb 28, 2012)

Nice shots Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Feb 28, 2012)

Messy1 said:


> Great pics Glen! Really appreciate you taking the time to post them and go through the trouble of adding your notes! Can't wait to go there someday!


Go for it. It makes a great 3 day weekend.




DBII said:


> I went to Dayton with my father 5 years ago. It was a trip we planed for 30 years. Good times. I would love to go again but my father is no up to any long trips. Thanks for the pictures.DBII


I went there with my dad back in the mid 1990s and took a picture of him in front of the bomber type he flew in during the war.

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## rochie (Feb 29, 2012)

nice shots Glenn, i recognise the starfire with the rockets in the nose but didn't realise there was a gun armed earlier version


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## T Bolt (Feb 29, 2012)

F-84G, another early jet fighter used in Korea. The Thunderjet was also the USAF's first tactical nuclear bomber.


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## T Bolt (Feb 29, 2012)

The swept winged F-84F Thunderstreak was developed from the straight winged F-84G Thunderjet. At first glance it's hard to see the resemblance, but a closer look will show that the basic fuselage is the same with a redesigned canopy, slightly different jet intake, and of course sweptback wings and tail.


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## T Bolt (Feb 29, 2012)

The F-89 Scorpion was another early straight winged, two seat, all-weather fighter-interceptor. It was also the first to launch and detonate an air-to-air rocket with a nuclear warhead in a test.


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## Gnomey (Feb 29, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn! Keep them coming.


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## Matt308 (Feb 29, 2012)

Love the F-84F. Very nice.


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## proton45 (Feb 29, 2012)

Thanks for the pictures, looking at these photographs is a great trip down memory lane. I love this museum...its a fantastic tribute to the men and woman who built, flew, repaired and lived with these aeroplanes. Your pictures follow the route through the museum pretty well. And I'm reminded of my weak and wobbly knees, as I stood face to face with these incredible, history making, machines. Annnnyway...thanks for posting! 


Could I make a request? 
Did you get any pictures of the F86H that was cutaway to show the gun bays, ect? I also remember a Mig(19?) that had a stunning camouflage paint job...I think it was a Chinese or maybe a Vietnamese? I didn't manage to get pictures of either of these exhibits.


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## futuredogfight (Feb 29, 2012)

I love that F-89! My second favotite introcepter of the '50s.


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

proton45 said:


> Could I make a request?
> Did you get any pictures of the F86H that was cutaway to show the gun bays, ect? I also remember a Mig(19?) that had a stunning camouflage paint job...I think it was a Chinese or maybe a Vietnamese? I didn't manage to get pictures of either of these exhibits.


The Sabres will be up next, and the early MiGs right after (I think the one you remember is the MiG-17)


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The most elegant looking fighter, this is what most people (or at least I) think of as a 1950s jet fighter.
The F-86 Sabre shot down 792 MiGs in Korea for a kill ratio of 8:1

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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The F-86D was an all-weather interceptor version of the F-86A Sabre. First given the designation F-95 it was changed to F-86D. Instead of a second crewman like other all-weather interceptors, it had a highly sophisticated electronic weapons system. It also carried 24 Mighty Mouse air to air rockets in place of guns, and a radar pod in the nose that changed the entire look of the aircraft inspired the nick name "Dog Sabre"


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The F-86H was a larger, heaver fighter bomber version of the Sabre that came out too late to see action in Korea. This one has had most of the exterior skin removed to show what's inside.


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The MiG 15 was the main opposition to the F-86 in Korea. This one was brought to Kimpo Air Base in South Korea by a defecting North Korean pilot shortly after the end of the Korean war. He was very surprised and pleased to find that there was a $100,000 reward for the delivery of a MiG. The aircraft was extensively test flown by Air Force test pilots, including Chuck Yeager, before it was brought to the Museum.


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The MiG-17 looks very similar to the MiG-15, but it's an entirely different aircraft with greater sweep to the wings, longer fuselage and more powerful engine with afterburner. Although first flown in 1950, the MiG-17 did not see service in Korea. but later served in the air force's of at least 20 different countries. MiGs of the North Vietnamese Air Force met U.S fighters in combat and 61 were shot down. The one at the museum came from the Egyptian Air Force, but is displayed as one from the North Vietnamese Air Force.

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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The B-50 was an upgraded B-29 with many modifications including an engine upgrade to the Pratt Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major. Between 1948 and 1954, B-50s served with the Strategic Air Command as medium bombers.


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

Yet another development of the B-29, the C-97 was a cargo version of the Superfortress with a “Double Bubble” Fuselage. The KC-97 was the air to air refueling tanker version. They kept flying into the 1960s when completely replaced with the newer 707 based KC-135s


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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

The C-124 was developed from the C-74 Globemaster which inturn was developed as a larger version of The DC-4/C-54 Skymaster It had 2 decks and was loaded through Clamshell doors and a ramp in the nose and and elevator near the tail The Globemaster IIs were used throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars and were retired in the mid 1970s


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## Airframes (Mar 1, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn, nice selection of shots. I remember the Globemaster in the early 1970s, visiting the UK.


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## Gnomey (Mar 1, 2012)

Great shots Glenn!


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## futuredogfight (Mar 1, 2012)

F-4! F-4! F-4!


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## Crimea_River (Mar 1, 2012)




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## T Bolt (Mar 1, 2012)

There's at least 3 different F-4s, but I have to work my way through the 1950s before I get to the 1960s


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## T Bolt (Mar 2, 2012)

The descendant of the A-20 Havoc the A-26 was first used during WWII as an attack bomber. After the war with the retirement of the B-26 Marauder, the A-26 was re-designated B-26 to the confusion of many. It served in Korea (as this aircraft is painted to represent) and later in the Vietnam war.


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## T Bolt (Mar 2, 2012)

The B-26K was an A-26B Modified by On Mark Engineering. It had a rebuilt fuselage and tail, strengthened wings, improved engines, reversible propellers and wing-tip fuel tanks and was used in the Veitman War for ground-attack missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. To add even more to the Invader number confusion the B-26K was later re-designated as the A-26A.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 2, 2012)

Thanks for the pics. I am 100% going to make it to this museum someday.


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## rochie (Mar 2, 2012)

nice pics Glenn
watched Hellfighters yesterday and there's a bit in it of a Globemaster landing and opening the clamshell front doors !


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## T Bolt (Mar 2, 2012)

rochie said:


> nice pics Glenn
> watched Hellfighters yesterday and there's a bit in it of a Globemaster landing and opening the clamshell front doors !


 One of my favorite movies! I was going to mention that scene in the post but I didn't think anyone would know what I was talking about. Should have known better. Hard to forget those big doors opening up and John Wayne standing there with that big grin on his face.

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx7T1jYymCI_


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## futuredogfight (Mar 2, 2012)

Loveing the A-26K!!


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## T Bolt (Mar 2, 2012)

It does look rather purposeful, doesn't it!


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## T Bolt (Mar 2, 2012)

Everyone knows this one

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## Airframes (Mar 2, 2012)

More good stuff Glenn. Always liked the Invader.


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## T Bolt (Mar 2, 2012)

Consolidated designed the B-36 during World War II as an intercontinental bomber to bomb Europe from the U.S. east coast, but it did not fly until mid 1946 . By 1948 when the Strategic Air Command received its first operational B-36 The world had changed and it was now an intercontinental nuclear bomber capable of delivering atomic weapons across the north pole.
The B-36 was powered by 6 rearward facing 28 cylinder 3,500hp P&W R-4360 engines and 4 GE J47 axial-flow jet engines. It cursed at 230 mph and had a max speed of 435 mph. It had a loaded weight of 410,000 pounds, could carry a 86,000 pound bomb load, and had a range of 10,000 miles. 
Everything about the B-36 was HUGE!

That big wheel you see in some of the photos is from the B-36 prototype. It originally had single wheel main gear legs instead of 4 wheel, but there were only a couple of air bases in existence with concrete thick enough to stand up to the concentrated pressure of that single wheel.


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## Gnomey (Mar 2, 2012)

More good shots Glenn! Keep them coming.


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## T Bolt (Mar 9, 2012)

The B-45 was an early jet bomber designed during WWII. It first flew in the late 19402 and served until the late 1950s


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## T Bolt (Mar 9, 2012)

The B-57 was a license built English Electric Canberra built to replace the Douglas A-26 Invader. It first flew in 1953, was used during the Vietnam War, and the last one was retired in 1983.


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## meatloaf109 (Mar 9, 2012)

Glenn, thanks again for posting all these great shots, I am jealous of your proximity to that fine facility!


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## T Bolt (Mar 9, 2012)

The RB-57D was a strategic reconnaissance version of the B-57that could fly high enough to avoid interception. In 1956 three RB-57Ds overflew the city of Vladivostok in the Soviet Union in broad daylight.


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## Airframes (Mar 9, 2012)

Great pics Glenn. That B-36 sure is one impressive beastie !


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## Gnomey (Mar 9, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## Crimea_River (Mar 11, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn. I'd love to see one of those B-36's in the air.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 11, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn. 


Wheels


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 11, 2012)

You are doing a STUPENDOUS job of displaying these Glenn!!!! And on top of that, you got some EXCELLENT shots in some very piss poor lighting conditions. I have spent the last hour going through this thread and have enjoyed the hell out of it sir! THANK YOU!


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## javlin (Mar 11, 2012)

That B-36 is impressive but it is so big the 50's out the back look like hypo needles and we as modelers work so hard for a nice smooth surface on our builds


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## T Bolt (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks a lot guys, I'm glad your enjoying the show. There's still a lot to go, I don't think I'm halfway through the pictures yet. If your traveling anywhere within a few states of Ohio the Museum is well worth making a detour to see. I've been there maybe 8 times in the last 23 years. 

More pictures tomorrow.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 11, 2012)




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## Wayne Little (Mar 12, 2012)

Fantastic Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Mar 12, 2012)

The B-47 was designed in the late years of WWII first flying in 1947 and flew into the mid 1960s. I had many advanced design features including swept wings, jet engines in under wing pods and fuselage mounted main landing gear. It could carry the same bomb tonnage at the B-29s and B-50s it replaced, and could fly 200mph faster!

The Stratojet on display is a RB-47H which was a strategic reconnaissance version that collected essential intelligence about the size and capability of Soviet the air defense.


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## Airframes (Mar 12, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn - always liked the Stratojet.


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## Crimea_River (Mar 12, 2012)

Me too.


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## T Bolt (Mar 12, 2012)

The design of the B-52 began right after the Second World War as a straight wing turboprop and went through several changes before the final design which was a scaled up version of the B-47, making its first flight in April 1952. Officially known as the Stratofortress, it was known buy it’s crews as BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F—ker) .

The B-52 can carry 70,000lbs of either conventional or nuclear weapons, has a maximum speed of 638 mph and a maximum unrefueled range of 8300 miles. In Vietnam it flew 126,615 combat sorties with 17 B-52s lost to enemy action. It was also a B-52 that made the first airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll in 1956.

Nearly 750 were built before production ended in 1962, and many are still flying, celebrating there 50th anniversary of service with the Air Force in 2005. After being upgraded between 2013 and 2015 the B-52 will serve into the 2040s by which time the youngest of the aircraft will be almost 80 years old! That has to be a first in aviation history!


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## Airframes (Mar 12, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn - I like the panels with the nose art.


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## Gnomey (Mar 12, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn! Always liked the early jet bombers (and the early jets in general).


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## T Bolt (Mar 13, 2012)

The Provider was a short-range transport used for airlifting troops and cargo to and from small, unprepared airstrips, first flying in 1949. It was designed as basically a glider powered my piston engines. In fact the second prototype was un-powered. In 1966 C-123Bs began being converted into C-35Ks by the addition of two J85 jet engine in under wing pods increasing the payload by one third. The Providers flew into the 1980s


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## T Bolt (Mar 13, 2012)

The Canadian build Caribou was, like the C-123, designed for operation from short unimproved airstrips. It first flew in 1958 and The U.S. Army began taking delivery of them in 1961. In 1967 the Air Force inherited the Caribous from the army when operation of all fixed wing aircraft was given to the Air Force and they were given the designation C-7.


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## Airframes (Mar 13, 2012)

More good stuff Glenn, and another two aircraft I quite like.


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## Gnomey (Mar 13, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 13, 2012)

Thank you for taking the time to share these Glenn. I had a friend in the camera club that flew in the RB-47s as a navigator. He told some harrowing stories about flying over places they weren't suppose to be. Thank you sir.


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## T Bolt (Mar 13, 2012)

Glad you guys like them. More tomorrow.




Aaron Brooks Wolters said:


> Thank you for taking the time to share these Glenn. I had a friend in the camera club that flew in the RB-47s as a navigator. He told some harrowing stories about flying over places they weren't suppose to be. Thank you sir.


Sounds like you're Friend had a pretty adventurous career in the Air Force!


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## Crimea_River (Mar 13, 2012)

Keep 'em coming Glenn. So, question to techies out there: What's up with the wrinkly skins on the B-36 and Buff?


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## T Bolt (Mar 13, 2012)

The structure of both those aircraft have sagged over the years causing the ripples in the skin. The diagonal ripples in the B-52 between the cockpit and the forward landing gear is characteristic of all B-52s and has been for many years. I read a magazine article (I think it was in Flying) that talked about it way back in 1981 or 82 and it said the cause was all the weight of the nose cantilevered on front of the wheels all those years. And that was 30 years ago. It must not be a serious defect because the Air Force is keeping them in service for at least another 25 years.


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## oldcrowcv63 (Mar 14, 2012)

Thanks TB, Great photos... Never realized the B-52 had a 4 cannon stinger!


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## T Bolt (Mar 14, 2012)

oldcrowcv63 said:


> .....Never realized the B-52 had a 4 cannon stinger!


Not cannons, only .50 cal, but that's still impressive!


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## T Bolt (Mar 14, 2012)

The Cargo Master first flew in 1956 for the Military Air Transport Service. It was able to carry a wide variety of cargo including ballistic missiles. They were withdrawn from service in 1971 and replaced by the C-5A Galaxy


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## Airframes (Mar 14, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn, keep 'em coming.


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## Gnomey (Mar 14, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn! Keep them coming.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 14, 2012)

Thank you Glenn!


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## Matt308 (Mar 14, 2012)

T Bolt said:


> The structure of both those aircraft have sagged over the years causing the ripples in the skin. The diagonal ripples in the B-52 between the cockpit and the forward landing gear is characteristic of all B-52s and has been for many years. I read a magazine article (I think it was in Flying) that talked about it way back in 1981 or 82 and it said the cause was all the weight of the nose cantilevered on front of the wheels all those years. And that was 30 years ago. It must not be a serious defect because the Air Force is keeping them in service for at least another 25 years.



Actually not true. The wrinkles on the skin, as can be seen, are approximately at a 45 degree angle. They are sheer stress lines associated with the fuselage monocoque engineering design, wherein the wings and wing box would torque the fuselage with sheer stress. Imagine a huge structure that flexes. The wings and ailerons force mid-fuselage torque and the forward and aft fuselage must reluctantly also turn (torque) in the same direction. The delay results in sheer stress on the fuselage skin seen as the 45 degree "wrinkles".


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## Crimea_River (Mar 14, 2012)

So, Matt, if it's sitting on it's landing gear, what would be torquing the fuselage? I did my university thesis on shear in concrete panels and I agree with you that shear is causing the 45 degree pattern but I can't get my head around why it would be torque. The wrinkles are also visible on the B-36 tail so I just don't get the torque thing.


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## Airframes (Mar 14, 2012)

So if it's shear stress, is that what's causing the wrinkles on my face .........?!!


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## Matt308 (Mar 14, 2012)

Crimea_River said:


> So, Matt, if it's sitting on it's landing gear, what would be torquing the fuselage? I did my university thesis on shear in concrete panels and I agree with you that shear is causing the 45 degree pattern but I can't get my head around why it would be torque. The wrinkles are also visible on the B-36 tail so I just don't get the torque thing.



I'm not going to guess on the B-36. I too noticed that there were many wrinkles on other "non-B52" structures like the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer that I can't fathom their origin. I can't comment intelligently upon them. However, with respect to the Boeing structural designs, my engineering background addressed these specifically. The skin wrinkles are not a static display of "torque". Rather they are remenants of the torque forces that I described above. Imagine the forces of the wing/ailerons applying torque to a fuselage (tube) mid- structure. That then results in sheer forces manifesting themselves as 45 degree angle creases/wrinkles on the fuselage (tube) both fore and aft.

Use a paper towel roll. Twist the $hit out of it and you will see the same forces manifest themselves in the paper towel roll.

Science rules!


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## Matt308 (Mar 14, 2012)

Airframes said:


> So if it's shear stress, is that what's causing the wrinkles on my face .........?!!



Lack of fiber.


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## T Bolt (Mar 15, 2012)

Matt, my statement was based on my memory of that article I read some 30 years ago and not any first hand knowledge, but as I think about it now I, like Andy, am having a hard time getting my mind around the torque thing. I also have experience with sher stress failures in concrete structures (mostly first hand experience as opposed to schooling) and it would seem to me that a torquing of the fuselage would put opposite angles of wrinkles on each side of the fuselage, for instance low front to high back on one side and high front to low back on the other. (I tried out your paper towel roll suggestion and confirmed it) The B-52s all seem to have low forward to high rear wrinkles on both sides of the fuselage which with my construction experience seems to fit with that old article to indicate sagging of the fuselage forward of the wing/forward landing gear. But of course I have no experience in aircraft structures. Just trying get my mind around it using common sense, which could be dead wrong.


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## Matt308 (Mar 15, 2012)

Torsion on a complex structure is hard to visualize. That's why I chose to be a letrical inginere.


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## T Bolt (Mar 15, 2012)

Back to the pictures

The EC-121 was a radar-picket version of the C-121 passenger plane which was in turn a military version of the Constellation civil airliner. They saw service with the Air Defense Command flying patrols off the U.S. coasts as part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line. The EC-121s remained in service until they were replaced by the E-3 AWACS.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 15, 2012)

More excellent material Glenn, this is some interesting stuff. And Matt, if you are looking at the B-52 from the left side for instance, in reference to the torque you are speaking of. Is the main wing structure trying to rotate, front edge up? This, and I could be way off, if my theory is close would be pulling back on the top of the airframe and pulling forward on the rear section along the top of the fuselage. Am I anywhere close?


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## Airframes (Mar 15, 2012)

Beaut - great looking aircraft, in all its forms.


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## Gnomey (Mar 15, 2012)

Got to love the Connie 8) Whatever format it is in.


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## Messy1 (Mar 15, 2012)

Hanging above the Constellation in the first picture, isn't that one of the Mig's from Top Gun if I'm not mistaken?


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## T Bolt (Mar 15, 2012)

Messy1 said:


> Hanging above the Constellation in the first picture, isn't that one of the Mig's from Top Gun if I'm not mistaken?


Very good eye! Its an F-5, and they were used as MiGs in Top Gun. That one was rather hard to get a decent picture of but I think I got one of the bottom which I'll get to when I get into the more modern fighters which will be coming up soon.


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## Wayne Little (Mar 16, 2012)

Great pics man...


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## Snautzer01 (Mar 16, 2012)

Gnomey said:


> Got to love the Connie 8) Whatever format it is in.



Very true!


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## T Bolt (Mar 16, 2012)

The O-2A was the Air Force version of the Cessna Model 337 Super Skymaster, used as a forward air controller aircraft which was used during the Vietnam War.


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## T Bolt (Mar 16, 2012)

Known as the L-20 Beaver until 1962 the U-6A served with the Air Force from the early 1950s until the late 1960s. It was used for courier service, passenger transport, light cargo, reconnaissance, rescue and aerial photography missions. It served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.


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## T Bolt (Mar 16, 2012)

The OA-12 Duck is the U.S. Air Force version of the Navy J2F-6 which was based on the design of the XJF-1. After the Second World War the Air Force’s Air Rescue Service was in need of an aircraft for overwater missions, so it acquired eight surplus Ducks from the Navy in 1948 and designated them OA-12s. Although it is painted to represent a OA-12, this particular aircraft never flew for the Air Force. It was a Cost Guard Duck ,and after being made surplus in 1946, stared in several movies including the Peter O’toole film “Murphy's War"


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## T Bolt (Mar 16, 2012)

Another Grumman design for the Navy, the Albatross was also bought by the Air Force and used mostly for the Air Rescue Service seeing a lot of use during the Korean war.

Century series fighters next!


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## Airframes (Mar 16, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn. The 'Albert Ross' is another one I've always liked, since seeing my elder brother's model back in the 1950s. Think I might track down the old Monogram kit some day.


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## Wayne Little (Mar 17, 2012)

keep 'em coming Glenn!


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## woljags (Mar 17, 2012)

don't know how I missed this thread Glenn,nice shots and thanks for posting them,it must have taken you hours and hours to get so many great shots


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## Crimea_River (Mar 17, 2012)




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## T Bolt (Mar 19, 2012)

The first of the Air Forces Century Series fighters, The F-100 was one of the first super sonic fighters, entering service in 1954 just missing the Korean War. Early F-100s had some stability issues and North American's chief test pilot, George Welsh was killed while performing dive tests. (Welsh may be remembered as one of only a few U.S. fighter pilots to get airborne during the Pearl Harbor attack, shooting down multiple Japanese aircraft.) In the Vietnam war the F-100 was used primarily as a fighter bomber and was withdrawn from Regular AF units in 1972, but was still used by National guard units until 1979.


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## Crimea_River (Mar 19, 2012)

Always liked the 100.


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## T Bolt (Mar 19, 2012)

The Voodoo was used in many rolls, low-altitude fighter-bomber, photo reconnaissance, two-seat interceptor and trainer. The RF-101C on display was used for low altitude reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis and also in Vietnam.


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## Matt308 (Mar 19, 2012)

IF you have never seen the -101 in person, it is a HUGE airplane. Much bigger than the pics let on. Great shots!


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## T Bolt (Mar 19, 2012)

All-weather interceptor version of the Voodoo


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## T Bolt (Mar 19, 2012)

The Delta Dagger is my personal favorite of the century series fighters. It made its first flight in 1953 and entered service with the Air forces’ Air Defense Command in 1956 as the world's first supersonic all-weather jet interceptor . 1000 F-102s were build and at the height of their career in the late 50s’ they equipped 25 air defense squadrons. The F-102s did not have any guns but carried rockets in an internal missile bay. The F-102A on display served in Iceland which accounts for the red arctic markings.


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## Gnomey (Mar 19, 2012)

Nice shots Glenn!


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## Messy1 (Mar 19, 2012)

Love the Dagger!


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## Airframes (Mar 19, 2012)

Good pics Glenn - love the 1950s jets.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 19, 2012)

With all here Glenn. I did a model of the 102 when I was about 9. It was mediocre at best.


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## Crimea_River (Mar 19, 2012)

Lovely pics Glenn!


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## Matt308 (Mar 19, 2012)

Wow!!! Wonderful pics, man!!!


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## T Bolt (Mar 20, 2012)

It was really hard to get a decent shot of this one so I’ve supplemented the one recent picture I took of it with a few ones taken years ago.

The Starfughter was also designs in the early 50s’ It was the first aircraft type to hold the world speed record (1,1401.19mph) and world altitude record (103,395 ft) at the same time. 300 Starfighters were used by the USAF, and an additional 1,700 either built in the US or License built were used by other Air Forces including Canada, West Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Taiwan and Japan


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## T Bolt (Mar 20, 2012)

The F-105 stemmed from a project to replace the F-84F with a supersonic tactical fighter bomber. The prototype first flew in 1955 but the F-105D did not fly until 1957 and they saw much action during the Vietnam War.


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## T Bolt (Mar 20, 2012)

The F-104Gs were two seat F-104Fs converted to "Wild Weasel" aircraft with the addition of electronic counter-measure equipment.


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## T Bolt (Mar 20, 2012)

The F-106 Delta Dart was an improved version of The F-102 Delta Dagger, entering service with the Air Force in 1959. The F-106 was originally designated F-102B, but due to structural changes and a larger engine the decision was made to change it to F-106. The two aircraft look very similar, the biggest differences between the two visually is the differently shaped tail fin, the lack of fairings on either side of the jet exhaust in the 102, and the jet intakes on the 106 being behind the cockpit.


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## Airframes (Mar 20, 2012)

Good selection Glenn, thanks.


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## Gnomey (Mar 20, 2012)

Good shots Glenn!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 20, 2012)

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT Glenn!!!!!   And thank you for the time to post and explain!


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## T Bolt (Mar 21, 2012)

The F-4 was designed for the Navy first flying in 1958. The Air Force started using them in with the F-4C model. Production ended in 1976 after more than 2,600 Phantoms were made.
The F-4 went to Vietnam in 1965 flying Air to Air missions against the North Vietnamese Air Force. The aircraft on display was flown by WW II ace Col. Robin Olds in which he destroyed two MiG-17s in a single day.
In the fighter-bomber roll The F-4 could carry twice the normal bomb load of a B-17 Flying Fortress during WW II.

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## T Bolt (Mar 21, 2012)

The RF-4C is a tactical reconnaissance version of the Phantom. The aircraft on display served in Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Europe, Cuba and the Middle East. During Desert Shield/Desert Storm, it flew a record total of 172 missions, When retired in 1994, it had more than 7,300 hours of flying time.


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## T Bolt (Mar 21, 2012)

The F-4Gs were F-4Es rebuilt to the Wild Weasel configuration. This aircraft flew in Operation Dessert Storm.


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## Airframes (Mar 21, 2012)

More good stuff Glenn, and got to love the Phantom.


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## Gnomey (Mar 21, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Mar 23, 2012)

In 1960 the DoD combined the USAF's requirement for a new tactical fighter-bomber with a Navy need for a new air superiority fighter. The Air Forces F-111A first flew in late 1964 getting to squadrons in 1967, wile the Navy’s F-111B was canceled. A unique at the time feature of the F-111 was its variable-geometry wings. While in the air, the wings could be swept forward for takeoffs, landings or slow speed flight, and swept rearward for high-speed flight.
The F-111A on display saw action in Vietnam with the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing


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## T Bolt (Mar 23, 2012)

The EF-111A was a F-111A modified for use as a tactical electronic jamming aircraft.


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## T Bolt (Mar 23, 2012)

The F-111F was equipped with an all- infra-red targeting system that could track and designate ground targets for smart bombs. The F-111F was one of the most effective Allied aircraft in Operation Desert Storm, flying more than 2,400 sorties against Iraqi targets.


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## Airframes (Mar 23, 2012)

Nice stuff Glenn, and good work considering what appears to be difficult lighting conditions.


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## Crimea_River (Mar 23, 2012)




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## Gnomey (Mar 24, 2012)

Nice shots Glenn!


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## futuredogfight (Mar 25, 2012)

Phnally some phabuloues Phantoms


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## T Bolt (Mar 28, 2012)

Northrop started a design for a small low cost fighter in the late 1950s under the company designation N-156 The project was split into two designs, The N-156T (trainer) and N-156F (fighter)
The N-156T soon attracted the attention of the Air Force and became the T-38 Talon, but there was little interest in the fighter version so development continued at a lower priority as a private venture by Northrop, until eventually an order for three prototypes F-5s were placed by the Air Force as a low-cost fighter that could be supplied under the Military Assistance Program to supply to less-developed nations.

The F-5s saw limited use by the USAF , but did see extensive service in a multitude of foreign nations including Iran, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Norway, Greece, Taiwan and Spain among others.

The YF-5A on display, one of three original prototypes. Sorry it’s not a better picture, but I even went through the pictures I took 2 years ago and could find nothing better of the F-5.


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## T Bolt (Mar 28, 2012)

The other Aircraft to come out to the Northrop N-156 design was the T-38 Talon advanced supersonic trainer. The talon entered service in 1961 and is still the U.S. Air Force’s advanced fighter trainer and with structural and avionics improvements going on now, will be until 2020.
The AT-38B was a Modified T-38 with a weapons pylon and a gunsight. and could carry gun pods, rockets or practice bombs.

Wile looking for pictures of the F-5 from my trip 2 years ago I found a couple of pictures I added here and others that I will add of other aircraft in future posts.

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## Airframes (Mar 28, 2012)

Nice! Another type I've always liked, and almost got a trip in one at Alconbury, back in the 80s.


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## Gnomey (Mar 28, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 28, 2012)

Great shots. 
The F-4 is one of my favorites so I really appreciated those pictures. 8)


Wheels


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 28, 2012)

I really like the F-5. Sharp little hot rod. I believe there are a few in private hands now to. And the B-1 behind!!!!!! WOW! I liked the F-4 a lot to. Again Glenn, thanks for taking the time sir.


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## Crimea_River (Mar 28, 2012)

Which reminds me of the unfinished CF-5 I started for the Cold War GB. So much to do....


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 28, 2012)

Aaron Brooks Wolters said:


> I really like the F-5. Sharp little hot rod. I believe there are a few in private hands now to. And the B-1 behind!!!!!! WOW! I liked the F-4 a lot to. Again Glenn, thanks for taking the time sir.


The National Guard used to fly the F-4's low and fast over our farm property when I was a kid so that is what hooked me on them. I also used to like to watch them takeoff in pairs from the airport. That was definitely a sweet roar as the engines spooled up to full power for takeoff.


Wheels


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2012)

The A-1 Skyraider was an attack aircraft designed for the Navy during World War II, but was too late to see action in that war. It did however see action in the Korean war before being replaced by Jets. In the early 1960s the U.S government began supplying Skyraiders to the South Vietnamese Air Force. Eventually the U.S Air Force instructors began flying combat missions with the South Vietnamese pilots. My 1964 the U.S. Air Force seeing the value of the Skyraider in that type of war began flying A-1s themselves


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2012)

The A-7 design for the Navy was based on the Vought F-8 Crusader to replace the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, in the ground attack roll.. It was later used by The Air Force to replace the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, North American F-100 Super Sabre and Republic F-105 Thunderchief. The A-7 saw service at the end of the Vietnam war, the last ones being retired from National Guard units in 1993.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2012)

The A-37s were T-37 trainers modified as a counter-insurgency (COIN) attack/reconnaissance aircraft to use in the Vietnam war.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2012)

Nobody calls it the Thunderbolt II. To everyone it’s the Warthog. This is the aircraft I wanted to fly when I signed up for Air Force ROTC in collage before I learned that I wasn’t qualified due to eyesight.
The A-10 was the Air Force’s first aircraft designed from the start as a ground attack aircraft. It is sub-sonic, very maneuverable (that’s what hooked me, I love roller coasters) and has great endurance that gives it a large combat radius. The A-10 is very heavily armored to survive the hostile environment it works in, and is equipped with a 30mm gatling type gun which is one of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown, it fires depleted uranium armor-piercing shells, at the rate of 3,900 round per minute.
After operation Desert storm there was talk of retiring the A-10, but now it is scheduled to be in service with the USAF until 2028 and possibly later.
Lots of pictures here because it IS one of my favorites.


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## Gnomey (Mar 30, 2012)

Good shots Glenn!


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## Crimea_River (Mar 30, 2012)

Always liked the Warthog myself and loved how it could throw itself around the sky.


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## T Bolt (Apr 2, 2012)

The CF-100 was the only Canadian designed and build fighter to be mass produced. The prototype first flew in early1950 and production models entered service with the RCAF in 1953. The USAF considered using them in Korea as a all-weather, interdiction/surveillance aircraft, but the job was given to the English Electric Canberra. In all 692 CF-100’s were built and served as front line fighters until replaced by the CF-101 Voodoo. Even then they continued to serve in the reconnaissance, training and electronic warfare roles until finally retired in 1981.


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## Messy1 (Apr 2, 2012)

Love the A-10 pics. Low tech, maneuverable, and deadly. Great pics. Thanks for sharing!


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## Airframes (Apr 2, 2012)

More good stuff Glenn, thanks for taking the time and effort to post all these fine pics.


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## Gnomey (Apr 2, 2012)

Nice shots Glenn! Thanks for sharing them.


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## Crimea_River (Apr 2, 2012)

My sentiments as well.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Apr 2, 2012)

Next to the P-47, the A-10 is so close,well I have a model of it I almost did for the GB. Thanks Glenn!


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## wheelsup_cavu (Apr 3, 2012)

Thanks for the pictures Glenn.  


Wheels


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## Wayne Little (Apr 4, 2012)

catching up again...thanks Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Apr 4, 2012)

Airframes said:


> More good stuff Glenn, thanks for taking the time and effort to post all these fine pics.


I'm really enjoying this myself. Doing a little research on each aircraft type for the post is making me learn a lot I didn't know. It is slowing down the speed I'm able to post the pictures though.


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## T Bolt (Apr 4, 2012)

The B-58 was the Air Force’s first supersonic bomber, first flying in 1956. It had the delta wing shape and wasp waist of the F-102 and F-106 fighters also made by Convair

The nuclear bomb load was not carried internally, but was built in an under-fuselage pod which also contained an extra fuel tank. Therefore the Hustler would become much more aerodynamically clean after delivering the load for a fast trip home. The B-58 never carried a conventional bomb load so fortunately this was never tested in combat. It served with The Strategic Air Command from 1950 until 1960 by which time improved Soviet surface-to-air missiles forced the B-58 into a low-level penetration role that severely limited its range and strategic value.

The Hustler on display at the museum won the Bendix and Mackay Trophies for setting speed records while flying from Los Angeles to New York and back on March 5, 1962.


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## T Bolt (Apr 4, 2012)

The B-66 was yet another aircraft developed for the US Navy and used by the USAF. It was designed as a tactical light bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft, but the Air Force also developed weather reconnaissance and electronic warfare versions that were used during the Vietnam War.


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## Airframes (Apr 4, 2012)

Good stuff again Glenn. The Hustler was a very futuristic looking aircraft for its time, and I see the old, but basically good, Revell/Monogram 1/48th scale kit has just been re-released again.


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## T Bolt (Apr 4, 2012)

Airframes said:


> ............and I see the old, but basically good, Revell/Monogram 1/48th scale kit has just been re-released again.


I saw that too and was tempted, but would not have space to display a monster like that!


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## Gnomey (Apr 4, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## davparlr (Apr 10, 2012)

The B-58 was an awesome aircraft with some problems. While flying supersonic if one of outboard engines quit the aircraft would disintegrate due to the yaw. The plane was modified so that when one outboard engine lost thrust, the other outboard engine would shut down. Complexity of the avionics was a constant drag (programmatic, not aerodynamic).


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Apr 10, 2012)

More excellent material Glenn! Thank you for taking the time to post and explain. I have always thought the B-58 was a gorgeous craft.


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## T Bolt (Apr 10, 2012)

The MiG 19 was the first production supersonic soviet fighter and was their primary fighter in the second half of the 1950s. Around 10,000 were produced in various versions and used by many nations including China, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, North Vietnam, North Korea, Iraq and most of the Warsaw Pact nations The USSR used the MiG-19 into the early 1960s when it was phased out in favor of the MiG-21, but it continued to be used my other nations for some years.


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## T Bolt (Apr 10, 2012)

10,645 MiG-21s were build in the Soviet Union in 3 factories plus 194 in Czechoslovakia and 657 in India . They were used by more than 50 countries and participated in most of the wars that took place between the late 1950 through the end of the century. They are still used my many nations more that 50 years since the first one flew.


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## Crimea_River (Apr 11, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn.


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## Gnomey (Apr 11, 2012)

Cool shots Glenn!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Apr 11, 2012)

Nice Glenn. I'm still enjoying this tour very much sir. Thank you again!


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## Airframes (Apr 11, 2012)

Nice ones Glenn. The MiG 21 still looks lethal even today.


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## Wayne Little (Apr 14, 2012)

Aaron Brooks Wolters said:


> Nice Glenn. I'm still enjoying this tour very much sir. Thank you again!



Yep, me too...


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## wheelsup_cavu (Apr 15, 2012)

Still enjoying seeing the pictures too. 8)


Wheels


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## rochie (Apr 16, 2012)

might have to put a MiG 21 on the wish list


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## T Bolt (Apr 16, 2012)

Sorry for the delay guys but I was off last week busy doing projects around the house and didn't have time to add to this thread. I still have plenty of pictures and hope to have more posted in the next few days.


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## T Bolt (Apr 17, 2012)

The H-5 first flew (as the R-5) in 1943 and the first production machine was delivered in early 1945. Over 300 were built in all, many serving during in the Korean War rescuing downed pilots.


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## T Bolt (Apr 17, 2012)

H-21 first flew in April 1952 and was known as the "flying banana." The H-21 served with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, the French navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the West German Air Force. It could carry the pilot and copilot plus either 20 fully-equipped troops or 12 litter patients and two medical attendants.


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## T Bolt (Apr 17, 2012)

The UH-19B the U.S. Air Force’s version of the Sikorsky S-55 and were used throughout the 1950s and 60s. It was used primarily for air rescue and medical evacuation.


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## T Bolt (Apr 17, 2012)

Used extensively in the Vietnam War, the UH-1 was better known by its nick name “Huey” which came from it’s original designation of HU-1. It is probably the most recognized helicopter in the world being used by all the branches of the U.S. military as well as many foreign countries.


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## Gnomey (Apr 17, 2012)

Good shots Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Apr 17, 2012)

The Jolly Green Giant was developed from the Sikorsky CH-3 transport helicopter to perform combat search and rescue to recover downed airmen during the Vietnam War. It was the first air-refuelable helicopter to be produced, using a retractable fuel probe and external fuel tanks it had a range limited only by the endurance of the aircrew. In 1967, two HH-3Es set the long-distance record for helicopters by flying non-stop from New York to Paris.


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## Matt308 (Apr 17, 2012)

Just wonderful shots in a difficult lighting!

It was the Dragonfly that Mickey Rooney flew in the Bridges Over Toko Ri. And the Chickasaw with the radial engine. Way cool. 

Oh... and your MiG-21 pics are phenomenal!


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## Airframes (Apr 17, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn. Seeing that Chicksaw (our version was the Whirlwind) brought back memories of childhood, when the local Rescue squadron used to fly one over the beach. If the pilot saw kids waving, he'd come down to about ten feet and hover, so we could get a good look at this wonderful, overall yellow machine (it was a four mile long beach, and crowded if there were ten people on it!). The modified version, with a Gnome turbine engine, was still in service up until the very late 1970s / early 1980s.


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## T Bolt (Apr 17, 2012)

Matt308 said:


> Just wonderful shots in a difficult lighting!
> 
> It was the Dragonfly that Mickey Rooney flew in the Bridges Over Toko Ri. And the Chickasaw with the radial engine. Way cool.
> 
> Oh... and your MiG-21 pics are phenomenal!


I thought of that movie too when I saw it hanging there from the rafters Matt. The MiG 21's my favorite soviet jet. Just looking at it you'd think it would be able to keep up with an SR-71----and that's a hint of what's included in the next group I'm posting



Airframes said:


> Great stuff Glenn. Seeing that Chicksaw (our version was the Whirlwind) brought back memories of childhood, when the local Rescue squadron used to fly one over the beach. If the pilot saw kids waving, he'd come down to about ten feet and hover, so we could get a good look at this wonderful, overall yellow machine (it was a four mile long beach, and crowded if there were ten people on it!). The modified version, with a Gnome turbine engine, was still in service up until the very late 1970s / early 1980s.


 I use to see a S-58 (Larger and more powerful version of the S-55 Chickasaw) flying around here placing antennas and air conditioning units on top of tall buildings. It was the only helicopter I ever saw doing this kind of work here and I saw it quite a few times though out the Chicago area, although I have not seen it in a few years.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Apr 18, 2012)

More cool shots. 


Wheels


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## Airframes (Apr 18, 2012)

Would that be the Choctaw Glenn? If so, we called it the Wessex (like the Whirlwind, built by Westland), and these replaced the Whirlwind in the Search and Rescue Squadrons, until themselves being replaced by Sea Kings (still in use) in the early 1990s.


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## T Bolt (Apr 18, 2012)

That's it Terry. That's the one Karl had the bumpy ride on isn't it?


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## Airframes (Apr 18, 2012)

That's the one - fell out of a few myself - intentionally I must add !


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## T Bolt (Apr 20, 2012)

The U-2 high altitude surveillance aircraft was designed, built, and flew operationally for 4 years until it’s existence was revealed in 1960 when one was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while on a reconnaissance flight over the Soviet union. The U-2 had a very long, glider like wing that enabled it to fly to extremely high altitudes. Early models could fly up to 55,000 feet and the later ones could go all the way up to 70,000. It was the U-2 that brought back photographs of offensive missile sites in Cuba spawning the Cubin Missile Crisis. U-2s were also used for mapping studies, atmospheric sampling and collecting crop and land management photographic data for the Department of Energy.


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## T Bolt (Apr 20, 2012)

The SR-71 was a strategic reconnaissance development of the YF-12 fighter of the early 1960s and first entered service in 1966. Between then and it’s withdraw from service in 1990 it remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft holding an absolute speed record of 2,193.167 mph and an absolute altitude record of 85,068.997 feet. From 80,000 feet, the SR-71could survey 100,000 square miles of earth's surface per hour.


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## rochie (Apr 20, 2012)

great job of taking pictures of black aircraft against a black background Glenn, can not of been easy ?????


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## T Bolt (Apr 20, 2012)

takes a stedy hand Karl.


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## Airframes (Apr 20, 2012)

Well done Glenn.


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## Messy1 (Apr 20, 2012)

Great pics of the SR71. Thanks for posting! One of my all time favorites! SAC museum has a SR71 in it's front entry way on a mount that makes you walk underneath the suspended SR71 to go into one of the museum's sections. Awesome pics!


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## Matt308 (Apr 20, 2012)

They didn't have the D-21 drone? That kinda suprises me.


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## T Bolt (Apr 20, 2012)

Matt308 said:


> They didn't have the D-21 drone? That kinda suprises me.


They have a D-21B, but its at the research development hanger with the YF-12. I have 9 more aircraft from the cold war and modern hangers then I'll move onto that building.


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## Gnomey (Apr 20, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Apr 21, 2012)

The AC-130 is a C-130 Hercules converted to a gunship with the massive firepower of two 7.62mm miniguns, two 20mm cannon, and two 40mm cannon, directed by soficated infrared and low-light television fire control system.

The aircraft on display has a notable history. Everyone is familiar with the “Highway of Death” when the Iraqi army was retreating from Kuwait, well this is the aircraft that did it.
This from Wikipedia:
_Named Azrael (Azrael, in the Koran, is the angel of death who severs the soul from the body), this aircraft figured prominently in the closing hours of Operation Desert Storm. On 26 February 1991, Coalition ground forces were driving the Iraqi Army out of Kuwait. With an Air Force Reserve crew called to active duty, Azrael was sent to the Al Jahra highway (Highway 80) between Kuwait City and Basra, Iraq, to intercept the convoys of tanks, trucks, buses, and cars fleeing the battle. Facing SA-6 and SA-8 surface-to-air missiles and 37 mm and 57 mm radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery the crew attacked and destroyed or disabled most of the convoys.














_


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## Airframes (Apr 21, 2012)

That's one mean machine !


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## rochie (Apr 21, 2012)

sure is


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## Gnomey (Apr 22, 2012)

Yep she is! Good shots.


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## Matt308 (Apr 22, 2012)

4 camel kills and a crab! Awesome!!!!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Apr 22, 2012)

It would be interesting to know what the camels and crab actually stand for wouldn't it? Stupendous shots Glenn and thank you again for taking the time sir!


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## T Bolt (Apr 22, 2012)

I was wondering about the camel and crab markings but don't have a clue. I know that camel markings were sometimes used on C-46s denoting trips over the "hump" during WW2 but that would not apply.


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## Airframes (Apr 23, 2012)

Maybe convoys (camel train) and a confirmed armoured vehicle (crab) ?


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## T Bolt (Apr 23, 2012)

Sounds reasonable


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## Airframes (Apr 23, 2012)

BTW, I think the 'crab' is possibly supposed to be a scarab beetle, the armoured beetle of the area, and revered in the time of the Pharos.


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## T Bolt (Apr 24, 2012)

The Eagle started it’s service career with the U.S. Air Force in 1974 and has been their main all-weather air superiority fighter ever since. With upgrades it will remain in service until at least 2025. That will be over 50 years of service!! The F-15 was the first U.S fighter with a thrust greater than its weight, enabling it to accelerate straight up. It has been supplied to many friendly nations and can claim the title of most successful fighter with a total of 104 kills and 0 losses, over half the kills being done by Israeli Air Force pilots.

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## Airframes (Apr 24, 2012)

Nice shots Glenn.


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## Gnomey (Apr 24, 2012)

Nice shots Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Apr 26, 2012)

Originally designed as lightweight, low cost, air superiority day fighter, the Falcon has evolved into an all weather multi-roll aircraft. The design wad started in the early 1970 in response to the Air Forces’ call for a small light-weight fighter designed for high performance and ease of maintenance. It first flew in 1974 and production started in 1976 and has since served with the U.S. Air Force and many other nations. Although no longer being produced for the Air Force, they are still being manufactured for foreign sale. The F-16 is scheduled to remain in service with the U.S. Air Force until 2025


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## Gnomey (Apr 26, 2012)

Good shots Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Apr 27, 2012)

The MiG-29 was designed in the early 1970s as an air defense fighter with a ground attack capability in response to the new generation of American fighters at that time, including the F-15 and F-16. The prototype first flew in late 1977 and production aircraft started arriving my 1983. It remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other nations. The NATO name "Fulcrum" was evan sometimes used unofficially by Soviet pilots.


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## Messy1 (Apr 27, 2012)

That may be the first truly beautiful Soviet Jet Plane. It doesn't scream Soviet plane to me.


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## Matt308 (Apr 27, 2012)

I remember building the Monogram F-16A kit with the bi-centenial colors quite a few times when it came out. And I agree about the MiG-29. That truly is a beautiful airplane.


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## Crimea_River (Apr 27, 2012)

I agree. Su 27 is right up there as well.


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## Gnomey (Apr 27, 2012)

Agreed, really doesn't look Soviet at all. Nice shots Glenn!


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## Airframes (Apr 27, 2012)

Agree on both counts. Nice shots Glenn.


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## Wayne Little (Apr 28, 2012)

Both are pretty cool....Thanks Glenn


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## Messy1 (Apr 30, 2012)

You are right Crimea. The Su-27 is a beautiful looking plane too!


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## T Bolt (Apr 30, 2012)

The Tornado came about when in 1968 the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy got together and formed Panavia Aircraft to produce a low-level, variable-sweep wing,supersonic multirole combat aircraft. It first flew in August 1974 and was introduced into service in 1979–1980
The Tornado was used by the Royal Air Force), Italian Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force during the first Gulf War and was also in Yugoslavia during the Bosnian War and Kosovo War, in Iraq during the second Gulf War, , as well as in Afghanistan and during the Libyan civil war.


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## Airframes (Apr 30, 2012)

Nice ones Glenn. Back in the 1960s, when it was just known as MRCA (Multi Role Combat Aircraft), it seemed to take so long to come to fruition, with only a mock-up having been seen, that it became known as Mother Riley's Cardboard Aeroplane !


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## Lucky13 (Apr 30, 2012)

Awesome shots!


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## rochie (Apr 30, 2012)

Airframes said:


> Nice ones Glenn. Back in the 1960s, when it was just known as MRCA (Multi Role Combat Aircraft), it seemed to take so long to come to fruition, with only a mock-up having been seen, that it became known as Mother Riley's Cardboard Aeroplane !


then after that it was Must Refurbish Canberra Again !!!!!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Apr 30, 2012)

Agree about the Mig-29, I always thought the Tornado was a sharp craft to. Was it really that bad Karl? Glenn, thank you again for taking the time sir.


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## T Bolt (May 1, 2012)

The F-22 is an air superiority fighter, which uses stealth technology and also has capabilities that include ground attack and electronic warfare. It entered service in late 2005 and due to budget restraints the original order for 750 was reduced to only 187 before production was halted in late 2011. Raptors are only operated by the U.S. Air Force due to a ban on foreign sales.


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## Airframes (May 1, 2012)

Aaron, it was a period of getting used to longer development times. The Canberra was retained in service (among other types) until the first Tornado GR1s came along (and much later i other roles), and were up-dated many times. It became a joke that MRCA meant what Karl described !
Oops! Crossing posts - nice shots of the Raptor Glenn.


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## Crimea_River (May 1, 2012)

Still enjoyng this thread Glenn. Keep them coming!


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## Gnomey (May 1, 2012)

Good shots Glenn!


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## Matt308 (May 1, 2012)

Was that particular F-22 a mock up or test article? With so few, you would have thought they would have upgraded a test article to an operational configuration.


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## T Bolt (May 1, 2012)

For quite a while they had the YF-22 displayed in the same place, but this year was first time I saw a F-22 there. According to Wikipedia the YF is at the museum at Edwards now. There weren't any specifics about this aircraft but I believe it is a production F-22


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## T Bolt (May 3, 2012)

The F-117A was the world's first operational stealth aircraft. It first flew in 1981 and achieved operational stats in 1983 as a ground attack aircraft, so the “F” in front of its number is somewhat misleading, which may have been the point. The F-117 was used during the both Gulf Wars and the Kosovo War where one was lost in combat. They were retired from service in 2008 and mothballed in climate controlled hangers instead of being shipped to the graveyard at Davis-Monthan AFB.


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## Crimea_River (May 3, 2012)

Nice ones Glenn. You've done well for a black plane in poor lighting.


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## Airframes (May 3, 2012)

Great stuff Glenn. I always expect to see a Klingon step out of one of those things!


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## davparlr (May 3, 2012)

Looks like that bomb doesn't fit in the bomb bay.


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## Gnomey (May 3, 2012)

Good stuff Glenn!


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## Messy1 (May 3, 2012)

Did they open up the canopy for you?


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## Matt308 (May 3, 2012)

Wow that is perhaps the best pics of a -117 that I have ever seen. Wonderful job, thankyou. I still think the most impressive thing about that "airplane" is the flight control computer that allows that dodecamegaeffahedron to even fly. 

And thanks for the F-22 response.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (May 3, 2012)

Airframes said:


> Aaron, it was a period of getting used to longer development times. The Canberra was retained in service (among other types) until the first Tornado GR1s came along (and much later i other roles), and were up-dated many times. It became a joke that MRCA meant what Karl described !
> Oops! Crossing posts - nice shots of the Raptor Glenn.



Thank you Terry for the info. 
And thank you again Glenn for the time and effort your putting into this sir!


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## T Bolt (May 3, 2012)

Messy1 said:


> Did they open up the canopy for you?


When going through my pictures from this visit last Feb I found that there were several aircraft that I didn't get all the shots of that I wanted so I supplemented them with some shots from my trip in Feb 2010. The ones with the canopy open are from then.


And thanks everyone for your responses, I'm glad everyone is enjoying my little tour.


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## Messy1 (May 4, 2012)

Thanks for all your hard work. I have enjoyed looking through your thread for weeks now.


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## T Bolt (Jun 28, 2012)

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated this thread not because I’ve run out of pictures but because of the lack of free time I’ve had lately. Today I had some time on my hands and thought I’d at least try to finish up the aircraft in the “Modern” hangers.

*Boeing B-1B Lancer*

The B-1B is a much improved version of the B-1A which was canceled in the late 1970s It has variable sweep wings, caries a crew of 4, has a top speed of mach 1.2, and has 3 internal weapon bays that can carry up to 84 Mk-82 general purpose bombs. The B-1B entered service in 1985 and first flew a combat mission in Iraq in 1998.


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## T Bolt (Jun 28, 2012)

During flight testing of the Northrop XB-35 and XB-49 flying wings back in the late 1940s it was found that their radar signature was much smaller than it should have been for planes of their size. In the 1980s when development of “stealth” aircraft was underway Northrop used the flying wing concept along with composite materials and special coatings to create the B-2 stealth bomber. It even has the same 172 foot wingspan as the B-35s and B-49s. The B-2 has a crew of 2 and fly’s at high sub-sonic speeds.

The B-2 on display is one of two built without engines to be used for structural testing. The wing withstood 161% of the max design loading before breaking. In one of my pictures you can see the crude gusset plate that was used to repair the wing with so it could be displayed.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jun 28, 2012)

I have been absent from this thread to long. Sorry. The shots are great Glenn. The B-1 in my opinion is the second sexiest aircraft ever built.


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## Gnomey (Jun 28, 2012)

Good shots Glenn!


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## Airframes (Jun 28, 2012)

Great pics Glenn.


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## Crimea_River (Jun 28, 2012)

Love the B-1. One of the most beautiful looking aircraft ever made in my opinion.


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## Wayne Little (Jun 30, 2012)

Great pics Glenn, B-1 certainly has something special about it...


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## wheelsup_cavu (Jul 6, 2012)

Cool pictures. 


Wheels


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

I was looking through this thread for something the other day and realized I had never finished it, so I dug out the original picture files and will be continuing it at time permits.

I’ll start off with the planes in the restoration hanger I saw during the behind the scenes tour I took. This id actually two connecting hangers on Wright-Patterson air Force Base, one used for restoration and the other used for storage of aircraft awaiting restoration. Advanced reservations are needed to take the tour.

First off is the *B-17F “Memphis Belle”*

This is not the Memphis Belle seen at air shows but the original aircraft and crew were the first in the 8th Air Force to complete 25 missions in May of 1943. The crews 25th mission was actually the 24th for the aircraft as thaw has flown some in other aircrafts so the 25th mission for the Memphis Belle was flown with another crew.

The B-17 spent decades on display outdoors in Memphis, Tenn., until 2005 when it was transported to the museum where it is now undergoing restoration.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

Memphis Belle part 2


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

Memphis Belle part 3


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## Robert Porter (Mar 30, 2017)

Nice! Glad to see her being cared for again!


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

Another B-17, The oldest Flying Fortress in existence,* B-17D “The Swoose”.*

It had a long and sordid career,originally named “Ole Betsy” it flew across the Pacific to the Philippines by way of Hawaii where it flew in the first combat mission against the Japanese in the hours after the Pearl Harbor attack and continued flying combat missions in the following weeks, first from the Philippines and then from Java.

In January 1942 the aircraft received extensive damage from a fighter attack and the entire tail section was replaced from one from another B-17D and converted to an armed transport. It was re-named “The Swoose” and used by Lt. Gen. George Brett e in the southwest Pacific, and kept it with him even after he returned to the states until he retired in 1945.

The Swoose was given toThe Smithsonian Institution in the late 1940’s and was stored until the Air Force Museum acquired it in 2008. Restoration was started on it but it currently on hold while other projects are completed.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

The Swoose 2


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

*MiG-25 Foxbat*

The sign says it all

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## Micdrow (Mar 30, 2017)

Great shots Glenn!!

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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

MiG-23

Only a couple pictures of this one


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

*XC-99*

This one is rather amazing. It was a transport version of the B-36 bomber with a double deck fuselage. Only the prototype was made but the Air Force still made use of it for years until it was pushed off to the side at Kelly Air Force Base where it sat for years and years until it was dismantled and the pieces flown to the museum in a C-5 Galaxy. 

At the time I took this tour I did not know it has been moved from Kelly and was totally amassed to see the horizontal stabilizer in the storage hanger. The thing was so huge my first guess was that it was a DC-3 wing until I read the sign. The pictures of the pieces from above is a satellite picture as even though I saw it as we left the hanger we were not allowed to take pictures out side as it was on Wight Paterson AFB.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

*XB-42 Mixmaster
*
This is one of my favorite mid to late 40's what if prototypes. Thin Allison engines imbedded in the fuselage driving contra-rotating propellers in the tail via drive shafts. Kind of our version of the Do-335, but good looking. I fell in love with this one after seeing it in Lloyd S. Jones's US Bombers and could not believe it when I came across it and its brother the jet powered XB-43 sitting in the storage hanger with the wings sawn off. Wish I could have taken it home with me.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

*









XB-42 Mixmaster Continued




*


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

*XB-43 Jetmaster*

The Jetmaster was a twin turbojet version of the Mixmaster but it too was not produced.


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## T Bolt (Mar 30, 2017)

*XB-43 Jetmaster Continued



















*


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## Zippythehog (Mar 30, 2017)

T,
That MIG had a hangar mate at one time. They had them both in front of the Museum next to an A-10 and an F-15. They moved one inside. I wondered what happened to the second one. 

I haven't gotten out to the restoration hangar since they moved the Presidential collection. Thanks for the pics. 
Tim


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## fubar57 (Mar 30, 2017)

Great shots Glenn


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## Old Wizard (Mar 30, 2017)




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## Robert Porter (Mar 30, 2017)

Very nice! Sad to see aircraft in that state, but at least there is hope of restoration there.


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## aurora-7 (Mar 31, 2017)

WOW that 17D is amazing. I had no idea ANY air frames older than the Belle existed. 

Thanks for posting.


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## Airframes (Mar 31, 2017)

Good stuff Glenn - some rare beasties there !


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## Gnomey (Apr 4, 2017)

Excellent shots Glenn!


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## T Bolt (Apr 5, 2017)

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider

Designed during World War II for the U.S. Navy and used my them in the during the Korean War. The Airforce used the A-1 extensivally during the Vietnam War where its ability to carry an immense amount of weapons and stay over the battlefield for extended periods made it a very useful weapon.

This is one they were working on at the time. The last couple of pictures is of what is essentially a giant vacu-form machine which they were using to form a new bubble canopy for the Skyraider.


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## buffnut453 (Apr 5, 2017)

One of my favourite exhibits at Dayton is the A-1E flown by Bernie Fisher when he won the Medal of Honor in Vietnam. It's the only surviving MoH airframe in the world. TBolt's pics at post #375 show a different, single-seat, A-1 than Bernie Fisher's airframe...but still very cool!


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## T Bolt (Apr 5, 2017)

The Boeing X-32

I always thought this one looked like a pelican with its mouth open. 
It was a multi-purpose jet fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter contest and lost out to the Lockheed Martin X-35 which was further developed into the F-35


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## buffnut453 (Apr 5, 2017)

That's ugly with a capital "F".

Looks like an F-16 got amorous with a basking shark.


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## T Bolt (Apr 5, 2017)




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## T Bolt (Apr 5, 2017)

*
Lockheed XF-90*

Ever wonder what a jet aircraft would look like after being in 3 nuclear explosions? Well here it is.

The XF-90 was a bit too far ahead of its time for the power plants available so was not produced and sent to a nuclear test range and suffered through 3 nuclear tests before the hulk was hauled to the museum. It actually looks worse than it was when removed from the test site as the rivets were found to be radioavtive and all had to be removed.


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## Wurger (Apr 5, 2017)




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## Robert Porter (Apr 5, 2017)

Rattling Rosie the Radioactive Riviter Batman!


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## Crimea_River (Apr 5, 2017)

Good ones Glenn and nice intros.


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## Gnomey (Apr 11, 2017)

Lovely shots Glenn!


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## Wayne Little (Apr 12, 2017)

Great collection of shots Glenn.


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## vikingBerserker (Apr 12, 2017)

Awesome!


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