Recent content by Grittis

That makes more sense. Max or near max power setting for take-off, after which power is reduced to best rate of climb or similar and at that point the engines are synch'ed. In the B-24s that was done by sound/vibration, typically by the co-pilot. To clarify, feathering a prop to stop its...

You mention pilot or engineer involved in the sych of engines. Was this a task for the co-pilot? My dad was a navigator, so clear of the flight deck during take-off/landings, and in his crew they got a >green copilot before heading to the ETO. His pilot was rated in B25, B17 before getting a...

I have a few questions about how B-24 pilots in WWII managed their variable pitch propellers. I have basic knowledge about the workings of the propellers used on the Pratt/Whitney (and B-17 Wright) radial engines but I am no expert. Feathering a prop to reduce drag was important for a 4 engine...

The movie is set at a real AAF in the NW Phoenix, AZ area. I recognized Red Mountain in the background of the ranch scenes. Saguaro cacti mean it's in the Sonoran desert of southern AZ.

That's great, I will check it out. That part of NM is in the Chihuahaun desert floral zone. Most movies show biotic locations in S. California. The gov'ment pictorial is one I had missed. The base historian also did not mention it. The Ruidoso location is quite a bit higher up in the mountains...

Does the film mention any off-base recreation destinations available to officers like La Luz or Ruidoso?

You may be referring to "the right stuff". It depicted a "ranch" near Edwards AB in the Ca desert which catered to the test pilots after WWII. It was built and run by the colorful 1930's pilot Florence "Pancho" Barnes. I am not aware of another film from the WWII era that showed a similar...

They have a historical officer at the base that has been helpful, but no definite proof in any accounts. She has helped run down a couple of named officers from that era and has looked into the actual town of La Luz. Lots of answers about the 49th Wing Nighthawks and Reapers, but WWII is a bit...

No price for the stay was mentioned, but after a depression and seeing as the local Army Air Field supported a bunch of men with money to spend, I doubt the stays were provided by benevolent, patriotic ranchers. Some ranchers to the south had their holdings seized for the base and bombing range...

I don't know which forum is best for this question. Alamogordo AAF, 1943 was where my father and crew went through their Overseas Training Unit course. Lt. J.A. Griffith was the navigator in the Leininger B-24 crew. He was allowed off-base for destinations within 100 miles for over night stays...

As a philosophical exercise you may have a point. However, in practice, the individual AC could not occupy the same location at the drop point, therefore, even if the drop was ideal for all AC, a certain variation due to their separation would produce a shotgun pattern. The other real world...

Hi AlanG! Still some interest in my delusions, eh? The 1st photo is of the final version, painted by some enterprising ground crew (for a modest fee...) at the Topeka B-24 replacement crew depot, before the Leininger crew flew to England via the southern route. Dad verified the design when I...

Thanks for the input, ODonovan. I have a high interest in B-24s but don't have the depth in the pertinent records experience. I ask for the charity of the experts for the vexing questions like this particular orphan ship, "...Sufferin' Head". As this latest tangle has shown, the military records...

Thanks for the reply. The entries are interesting to me for 2 reasons. 1.) I have not seen multiple instances of such a unique name, so the entry for the 448th BG may be worth some more scrutiny. 2.) The 44th BG entry is the one that I believe I helped create when I contacted them investigating...

I only have the nose art of the B-24H that my dad's crew delivered to England via the Southern Route in Feb 1944. They picked it up new at the Replacement Crew Depot in Topeka, KS and dropped it off at Watton, Norwich (sta. # 376). The tail number should be accompanied by dad's pilot's...