CAPTURED AIRCRAFT - ODD PHOTOS

[R Leonard]

Buried at Patuxent?

No, not quite. The 262 they had TacTest was wrecked in a take off accident, the pilot was Bert Earnest of VT-8 fame. Lost power on take off and augered into some trees at the end of the strip, wings and engines ripped off, a total loss. They also had an Ar234 which eventually made its way to the Smithsonian (Garber was, remember, a Naval Reserve officer). Somehow, actually, not somehow, my father was assistant director of flight test at TacTest while all this was going on, I ended up with a copy of the Ar234 manual.

The plain fact was that the 262 was deemed too mangled to repair and was scrapped. These were times where new aircraft and new concepts were rolling out on a fairly regular basis. The technology embodied in the Me262 was already outdated. This was also a time of diminishing budgets, read: there was just so much money to perform so many tasks. This was largely drove the decision not to attempt to repair the 262. It was out of date and there were other fish to fry.

Sad, but true, and that is the way of the world.

Rich

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Wow... fighting over photographs.

Amazing, isn't it?

 

[Hornet_Driver]

Buried at Patuxent?

No, not quite. The 262 they had TacTest was wrecked in a take off accident, the pilot was Bert Earnest of VT-8 fame. Lost power on take off and augered into some trees at the end of the strip, wings and engines ripped off, a total loss. They also had an Ar234 which eventually made its way to the Smithsonian (Garber was, remember, a Naval Reserve officer). Somehow, actually, not somehow, my father was assistant director of flight test at TacTest while all this was going on, I ended up with a copy of the Ar234 manual.

The plain fact was that the 262 was deemed too mangled to repair and was scrapped. These were times where new aircraft and new concepts were rolling out on a fairly regular basis. The technology embodied in the Me262 was already outdated. This was also a time of diminishing budgets, read: there was just so much money to perform so many tasks. This was largely drove the decision not to attempt to repair the 262. It was out of date and there were other fish to fry.

Sad, but true, and that is the way of the world.

Rich

Thanks for the 411 on that. Yeah, I can imagine postwar USA and all the aircraft that were coming into being. During the 1950s, it seemed like Naval Aviation was jumping around so many type/model/series. Looking at some of the publications and books on 1950s Naval Aviation, it seemed like squadrons were in one T/M/S for a few years and then jumping into another. I don't know about you, but it took me 3 years from Pre-Indoc before I hit the fleet, and I can just imagine that Navy/Marine pilots during the 1950s must have been pretty versatile.

 

[Hornet_Driver]

Amazing, isn't it?

Yeah... it is. Kinda like winning the race in the Special Olympics... You know what they say, right?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yeah... it is. Kinda like winning the race in the Special Olympics... You know what they say, right?

YEP!!!

 

[Micdrow]

I ended up with a copy of the Ar234 manual.
Rich

Hi Rich

Any possibility you could post a copy of the Ar234 manual on the website. You know me and manuals.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hornet_Driver]

YEP!!!

Yeah! Good times! We're not laughing at you, we're laughing WITH YOU!

 

[Hornet_Driver]

Hi Rich

Any possibility you could post a copy of the Ar234 manual on the website. You know me and manuals.

Thanks in advance.

That would be pretty choice!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yeah! Good times! We're not laughing at you, we're laughing WITH YOU!

 

[R Leonard]

Any possibility you could post a copy of the Ar234 manual on the website. You know me and manuals.

Yeah, I know, and don't think I don't appreciate all you do, too. I always check to see what you've come up with and confess to making off with copies to peruse at my leisure.

Thing of it is, I'd really, really, rather not take the thing apart to scan it into a computer friendly format . . . kind of ruins whatever historical value it might hold as an original, undamaged document (actually it is not original-original, it is a USAAF translation into english of the original german). For example, the staples are different than those today . . . longer on the backside and fold flat, not curved. Not that it isn't do-able. Jpegs to pdf document, piece of cake, but it will never look the same.

Let me think about it.

I try not to mess with originals a whole lot; I tend to spend more time figuring out how to preserve them. For example, I posted scans of a bunch of original VF-3 type documents and pics from the Battle of Midway period documents.

See
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/ww2-general/battle-midway-8229-3.html messages #36 #38, #39, #43, #44
and
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/ww2-general/battle-midway-8229-4.html message #45 #46

Each of these resides in its own sealed plastic sleeve, each within its own 10x13 envelope. I don't even touch them anymore. Same goes for various others in the collection . . . phone rosters from Pensacola in 1940; names, assignments, phone numbers, home residence, home phone number for ComFAirWest in 1943-44; same for TF-38 staff in 1945; a pile of end of war messages received in TF-38 flag plot at the end of the war; pictures taken by the flag photographer on Missouri at the surrender (a totally different angle than what we're used to seeing BTW).

Just about everything I have is headed in the same direction, other aircraft manuals; and so on. Each to be packaged separately, sealed. So much of this stuff was just piled in boxes with no particular order or protection. I've become pretty anal about preserving it all.

Let me think about it.

Rich

 

[Hornet_Driver]

Yeah, I know, and don't think I don't appreciate all you do, too. I always check to see what you've come up with and confess to making off with copies to peruse at my leisure.

Thing of it is, I'd really, really, rather not take the thing apart to scan it into a computer friendly format . . . kind of ruins whatever historical value it might hold as an original, undamaged document (actually it is not original-original, it is a USAAF translation into english of the original german). For example, the staples are different than those today . . . longer on the backside and fold flat, not curved. Not that it isn't do-able. Jpegs to pdf document, piece of cake, but it will never look the same.

Let me think about it.

I try not to mess with originals a whole lot; I tend to spend more time figuring out how to preserve them. For example, I posted scans of a bunch of original VF-3 type documents and pics from the Battle of Midway period documents.

See
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/ww2-general/battle-midway-8229-3.html messages #36 #38, #39, #43, #44
and
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/ww2-general/battle-midway-8229-4.html message #45 #46

Each of these resides in its own sealed plastic sleeve, each within its own 10x13 envelope. I don't even touch them anymore. Same goes for various others in the collection . . . phone rosters from Pensacola in 1940; names, assignments, phone numbers, home residence, home phone number for ComFAirWest in 1943-44; same for TF-38 staff in 1945; a pile of end of war messages received in TF-38 flag plot at the end of the war; pictures taken by the flag photographer on Missouri at the surrender (a totally different angle than what we're used to seeing BTW).

Just about everything I have is headed in the same direction, other aircraft manuals; and so on. Each to be packaged separately, sealed. So much of this stuff was just piled in boxes with no particular order or protection. I've become pretty anal about preserving it all.

Let me think about it.

Rich

I can understand being anal. Hell! You are in possesion of things of historical value, and I can only imagine what that all can be.

 

[Micdrow]

I understand fully what you are talking about. I dont own any orginal manuals but if I did I would be worried too. I have no idea how thick it is or fragile. Also depends on what kind of scanner you have.

Just figured I had to ask and please dont fell obligated to do it. Just thought it would be neat to see if you know what I mean. I have some orginal WWII news papers for both VE and VJ day from my home town. Just havent figured a way of doing it safely.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah, I know, and don't think I don't appreciate all you do, too. I always check to see what you've come up with and confess to making off with copies to peruse at my leisure.

Thing of it is, I'd really, really, rather not take the thing apart to scan it into a computer friendly format . . . kind of ruins whatever historical value it might hold as an original, undamaged document (actually it is not original-original, it is a USAAF translation into english of the original german). For example, the staples are different than those today . . . longer on the backside and fold flat, not curved. Not that it isn't do-able. Jpegs to pdf document, piece of cake, but it will never look the same.

Let me think about it.

Dont do it. Since it is so old it would ruin it, and that would be a shame. I am sure we would all love to see it but we also understand and dont want it ruined.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Ditto.........

 

[HealzDevo]

Could they already have been scanned ages ago anyway, on Microfilm at the Library those local papers? Just a thought for if you wanted copies. Healz.

 

[Paul Krumrei]

What's the third one down?

The 3rd One down is a B-17

 

[zuluecho]

pictures taken by the flag photographer on Missouri at the surrender (a totally different angle than what we're used to seeing BTW).

Rich

Rich can you elaborate? it sounds really interesting thanks

 

[ccheese]

I've got a pic of three B-17's, with Japanese markings, flying in a V over
Mt. Fuji. Just gotta find it.

Charles

 

[ccheese]

I found it.....

 

[evangilder]

I have seen that pic before, but seeing a Fortress with a meatball on the side just doesn't look right.