eBay: Bell P-39 Airacobra

XBe02Drvr · Apr 3, 2021

gkjl said:
Chinese Nationalist pilots take advanced training with 58th FG instructor in the US, 1943.View attachment 615006 View attachment 615007 View attachment 615008

Many of these same pilots wound up in the PLAAF and became Sabre fodder in Korea.

XBe02Drvr · Apr 3, 2021

Snautzer01 said:
BELL P-39 AIRACOBRA US ARMY FLIGHT COMMANDER ORIGINAL VINTAGE WW2 PRESS PHOTO | eBay

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Hey, I never knew Charlie Sheen was a P39 pilot!

Gnomey · Apr 7, 2021

Good shots!

Glider · Apr 7, 2021

Snautzer01 said:
BELL P-39 AIRACOBRA CAPT CHARLES TUCKER LT LV ANDREWS ORIGINAL WW2 PRESS PHOTO | eBay

note missing decal on prop

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Or is it a desperate way of resolving the COG problem?

Snautzer01 · Apr 17, 2021

FOTO FLUGZEUG BELL P-400 | eBay

Wurger · Apr 17, 2021

Snautzer01 · Apr 30, 2021

Bell Aircraft Photograph RP-63 43-11131 | eBay

seller text: This is an 8 x 10 inch photograph published by Bell Air Craft company, showing a group of 13 Army Air Force officer next to a Bell RP-63 43-111131. The RP-63 was a target aircraft called the "Pinball". It was used as target tug aircraft and painted a red color. I think these officers were ferry pilots picking up new aircraft at the factory, notice Flight Officer left side front row.

gkjl · Apr 30, 2021

XBe02Drvr said:
Many of these same pilots wound up in the PLAAF and became Sabre fodder in Korea.

Not many, very few. Most of these pilots went to Formosa (Taiwan) with Chinese Nationalist AF fight with PLAAF during Taiwan Strait Crisis.

XBe02Drvr · Apr 30, 2021

gkjl said:
Not many, very few. Most of these pilots went to Formosa (Taiwan) with Chinese Nationalist AF fight with PLAAF during Taiwan Strait Crisis.

Maybe, according to the official version. My aunt and uncle, who worked for the US Foreign Service in Taipei 1951-54 said that large numbers of American WWII trained Nationalist pilots defected to the PLAAF before and during the evacuation from the mainland, with their aircraft, fed up with Kuomintang corruption and unwilling to leave their families behind.

gkjl · Apr 30, 2021

XBe02Drvr said:
Maybe, according to the official version. My aunt and uncle, who were in the foreign service in Taipei 1951-54 said that large numbers of American WWII trained Nationalist pilots defected to the PLAAF before and during the evacuation with their aircraft, fed up with Kuomintang corruption and unwilling to leave their families behind.

"large numbers of American WWII trained Nationalist pilots defected to the PLAAF" ------- That's NOT true. Not THAT many.

Please see:
Military Aircraft Defections to China Since 1950

XBe02Drvr · Apr 30, 2021

gkjl said:
"large numbers of American WWII trained Nationalist pilots defected to the PLAAF" ------- That's NOT true. Not THAT many.

Please see:
Military Aircraft Defections to China Since 1950

That info is all post-revolution. The mainland revolution and defeat of the Kuomintang happened in 1948-49, and most of the defections happened during that time period, delivering airworthy P51s, B26s, C46s and C47s to the PLAAF.

gkjl · Apr 30, 2021

XBe02Drvr said:
That info is all post-revolution. The mainland revolution and defeat of the Kuomintang happened in 1948-49, and most of the defections happened during that time period, delivering airworthy P51s, B26s, C46s and C47s to the PLAAF.

Compare to there are 8 + 1/2 group (21 squadron) of total 936 aircraft of RoCAF, those defeat pilots are really NOT that much.

Total defeat from RoCAF to PLAAF between 1945-1989:

國共/兩岸空軍人員自發性交流--國府篇(1945-1989) @ gkjlai的部落格 :: 痞客邦 ::