FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
XP2V-1 May, 1945
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Speaking about 'waterbombers' am I mistaken or one of those WW2 Grumman long range seaplanes got converted into a firefighting aircraft after the war (could be the Goose or the Mallard)?Here's a shot of a Neptune in action on a local fire, that I took several years ago.
The Martin Mars (JRM-3), also recently retired.Speaking about 'waterbombers' am I mistaken or one of those WW2 Grumman long range seaplanes got converted into a firefighting aircraft after the war (could be the Goose or the Mallard)?
I agree, the F-86, if I remember right the F-86 and MiG-15 were both based of the Messerschmitt P1101. We did get the prototype and made complete copies of the plans but under the Potsdam Agreement they went to the Russians.Great idea. I'd like to see the original version of the F-86.
The Martin Mars and Catalina's were converted to water bomber use.Speaking about 'waterbombers' am I mistaken or one of those WW2 Grumman long range seaplanes got converted into a firefighting aircraft after the war (could be the Goose or the Mallard)?
I know they retired their F-86 chase planes, I'm not sure about their T-33's. I do or I've heard they are looking at T-38's as a replacement.The P/F-80C had a better engine and several system fixes that made a great performer and the T-33, which was spun off the P-80, was a great machine in it's own right, serving for decades after the F-80 was retired.
Boeing even has some in their inventory, serving as chase planes for their various project testing.
I read recently that Boeing was considering (or has) retiring them.
Not a bad run for a type with WWII heritage.
Going by memory, the Me163 was limited to 550-560 mph due to potential structural failure if exceeded.
However, it's rate of climb was ridiculously fast and it has the notoriety of being the only rocket powered aircraft used in combat.
Reminds me of the Supermarine Attacker, with its wings being essentially taken off the Spiteful.Well, here's a Navy FJ-1, which eventually led to the F-86. You can see the marked similarity to the P-51 as well as the F-86.
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Absolutely. And both the Mixmaster and the B-51 are personal favorites of mine.I've always thought that the period from 1944/5 to 1951 was a kind of golden age for US aviation design. A lot of very capable aircraft were developed but ultimately not making it to production. A couple of my favorites that I learned about through old Wings/Airpower magazines are the Douglas XB-42/43 Mixmaster/Jetmaster and the Martin XB-51. Not necessarily the planes I think intended for this thread, nonetheless pretty cool.View attachment 656467View attachment 656468View attachment 656469
You beat me to the punch!Can't understand why this beastie hasn't been mentioned yet. Original specification was released in 1944 as a replacement for the Mosquito, with first flight in 1949 and 3 variants are still flying under NASA markings today...not a bad innings:
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Actually yes and no - the F-86 in it's original form was on the drawing board before the end of WW2. The swept wing data from Germany played into the finalization of the design. The MiG-15 was developed roughly in the same path with the exception of the airframe taking a centrifugal flow compressor. If anything, the MiG-15s engine bay looks amazingly similar to the F-80/T-33's engine bay and the tail section is removed in a similar fashion.I agree, the F-86, if I remember right the F-86 and MiG-15 were both based of the Messerschmitt P1101. We did get the prototype and made complete copies of the plans but under the Potsdam Agreement they went to the Russians.