Most Beautiful Aircraft of WW2?

[SaparotRob]

Beautiful plane. The right color too.

 

[GregP]

This has always been a great pic. Definitely shows how good camoflague can be.

 

[special ed]

I think it ironic that in late WWII, the USA was the country most able to paint its aircraft anything it wanted and the only one that did not paint so many of them at all. The Japanese did not paint some, or not very much, but I think that was because they were out of paint.

Paint on military aircraft is designed to camouflage them. The US was saying, "We don't care if you can see us! We are going to kick your butts!"

I read where a WWII Luftwaffe pilot saw a large flight of aircraft at high altitude and wondered who it was.
Then there was flash of light on polished metal and he said, "Oh! Its THEM!"

The first airplane I ever flew in was a natural metal SC ANG C-54. The first jet I got to fly in and the first that I got to handle the controls on was a unpainted USAF T-33A.
Want to guess what my personal aircraft looks like?

And yes, I need to go polish it. It does not look quite that good right now.

View attachment 727190

Wot? No anti glare panel? You must have great sunglasses!

 

[buffnut453]

I think it ironic that in late WWII, the USA was the country most able to paint its aircraft anything it wanted and the only one that did not paint so many of them at all. The Japanese did not paint some, or not very much, but I think that was because they were out of paint.

Paint on military aircraft is designed to camouflage them. The US was saying, "We don't care if you can see us! We are going to kick your butts!"

I read where a WWII Luftwaffe pilot saw a large flight of aircraft at high altitude and wondered who it was.
Then there was flash of light on polished metal and he said, "Oh! Its THEM!"

Well...that's certainly one interpretation but there are a few other considerations, for example:

• USAAF 8th Air Force aircraft operated at high altitudes where contrails were common. If you're making contrails, then camouflage is pretty useless.
• Upper surface camouflage is most useful when the aircraft is on the ground. By the time NMF airframes were arriving, most USAAF squadrons were operating from airfields that weren't under much threat of air attack. For example, the airfields of the 8th and 9th Air Forces were solidly protected by RAF Fighter Command.
• The change to NMF was somewhat gradual, with many USAAF fighters and medium bombers retained upper surface camouflage even when other surfaces remained in NMF.

 

[MIflyer]

Interestingly enough, I read an analysis that said that the OD paint on B-17''s did not really weigh very much ( around 100 lb) but actually reduced drag as compared to bare metal aircraft because it smoothed over the finish.

And P-51's had all their wings painted, regardless of paint scheme, because it was part of the process for puttying over and smoothing the finish to maintain laminar flow.

Late in the war the USN was painting its Hellcats all over blue, top and bottom, while the USAAF was painting A-26's OD all over top and bottom.

 

[EwenS]

If they were NMF nothing would say "this is a fighter Airfield better than a dozen polished aluminium Spitfires parked in the countryside.

There were a small number of Seafire III amongst the FAA squadrons in the East Indies and British Pacific Fleets around the end of WW2. This example on HMS Hunter entering Singapore Harbour on 11th Sept 1945.

NN300 of 807 squadron. CO's aircraft heading up the range.

https://www.navsource.org/archives/03/0300808.jpg

And one on Indefatigable's deck during a courtesy visit to New Zealand in Dec 1945. Poor quality as it came from a newspaper article.

 

[stug3]

I think it ironic that in late WWII, the USA was the country most able to paint its aircraft anything it wanted and the only one that did not paint so many of them at all. The Japanese did not paint some, or not very much, but I think that was because they were out of paint.

Paint on military aircraft is designed to camouflage them. The US was saying, "We don't care if you can see us! We are going to kick your butts!"

I read where a WWII Luftwaffe pilot saw a large flight of aircraft at high altitude and wondered who it was.
Then there was flash of light on polished metal and he said, "Oh! Its THEM!"

The first airplane I ever flew in was a natural metal SC ANG C-54. The first jet I got to fly in and the first that I got to handle the controls on was a unpainted USAF T-33A.
Want to guess what my personal aircraft looks like?

And yes, I need to go polish it. It does not look quite that good right now.

View attachment 727190

That is a cool looking plane, what is it?

 

[Snautzer01]

That is a cool looking plane, what is it?

ERCO Ercoupe - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[MIflyer]

Ercoupe 415C Built 18 Feb 1946.

This morning I flew it a little bit just after dawn and then polished it for a while. The job never ends.

 

[GrauGeist]

My friend had one and it was a great little ship, fun to fly.

He ended up selling it and bought a Cherokee.

 

[Donivanp]

I've been telling you over and over the two SEXIEST aircraft EVER came out of Convair..... The B-58 and the F-106.

 

[SaparotRob]

While the F-106 has some competition from Dassault, the Hustler is all that and a side of fries.

 

[Donivanp]

While the F-106 has some competition from Dassault, the Hustler is all that and a side of fries.

While I understand your statement, and I do like the Mirage III, It ain't in the same classroom as the SIX

 

[SaparotRob]

I said "some" competition.

 

[Donivanp]

I said "some" competition.

Yeah I know, as in Ur Miss Kentucky (Mirage) v Miss Universe (DA SIX) , Some competition. No bios intended, not opinionated, JUST RIGHT... ;-()

 

[DBII]

I've been telling you over and over the two SEXIEST aircraft EVER came out of Convair..... The B-58 and the F-106.

View attachment 727282View attachment 727283View attachment 727284

B58, yes but I am a F101 fan. They were based down the street from me as a kid. F101 was the first fighter I was allowed to sit in. Must have been around 11 or 12.

 

[SaparotRob]

The first fighter I ever sat in was a Bell-47.

 

[MIflyer]

F-106 used high pressure gas bottles to power the pneumatic actuators used to lower and raise the missile launchers as well as open and close the missile bay doors. MUCH faster in operation than hydraulics, but you want to talk about something that could screw you up good... The T.O. on the missile launch actuator basically said to follow the instructions EXACTLY if you did not want to die. Another engineer told me he needed some help on it and I asked why. He replied he was too scared to mess with it. When I read the manual I saw why.

As far as the B-58, I guess I should count myself lucky that it was gone by the time I came on active duty.

 

[Donivanp]

F-106 used high pressure gas bottles to power the pneumatic actuators used to lower and raise the missile launchers as well as open and close the missile bay doors. MUCH faster in operation than hydraulics, but you want to talk about something that could screw you up good... The T.O. on the missile launch actuator basically said to follow the instructions EXACTLY if you did not want to die. Another engineeer told me he needed some help on it and I asked why. He replied he was too scared to mess with it. When I read the manual I saw why.

True quite true. It was crazy fast. Nice way to loose an arm or head.

 

[Elvis]

Along with the Piper Cub, I've always had a strange attraction to the Tempco Globe Swift, too....


View: https://youtu.be/OMzoejaMdl8