N4521U
Plastic Pirate
That's a lotta white!
Picture of the day. (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter syscom3
- Start date
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Remember that high altitude flights were just pushing above 30K' and only rocket powered aircraft were pushing the upper limits, and these experimental craft were stripped of everything not needed for the short flights. You'd heat the pilot instead of the cockpit, and there was no engine source of heated air to circulate. With the cold, rarified air, any trapped moisture from lower altitudes or from breathing condensation would collect on the glass/plexiglas canopies ... and turn to frost, becoming opaque ... requiring an already overloaded pilot to try to constantly wipe and scrape ... if they could reach!
There is film of first X-1 flights landing with white areas covering most of the cockpit windows, relying even more on the chase planes to talk them down.
Bill Bridgeman is credited for coming up with a solution being utilized by scuba divers and high altitude glider pilots (making flights above 40K in the nearby Sierra Wave updrafts. They found that Drene shampoo worked best, polished on the inside of the windows, and the thin, invisible detergent film would break down the micro droplets of moisture, avoiding the frosting.
If you have copies of the early X-plane books written by Bridgeman and Yeager, you'll find mention of this trick.
- Thread starter
- #25,303
syscom3
Pacific Historian
A B-18A runs up its engines at a Canadian airfield, late 1942
- Thread starter
- #25,304
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Under a thunderous sky, engines inspection and maintenance operations of
"Kate Smith", a B-24D Liberator of USAAF's 345th Bomb Squadron, 98th
Bomb Group "Pyramidiers", 9th Air Force, at Benina, airfield, Libya, where
the Group was based from February to September 1943.
"Kate Smith", Consolidated B-24D-85-CO Liberator, s/n 42-40654, in the pink
sand finish and with the red circled insignias adopted on 28 June 1943 and
with the cockpit and nose's glass covered by canvas as protection against the
sun and the sand, was destroyed by a land accident at Benina on 29 July 1943
"Kate Smith", a B-24D Liberator of USAAF's 345th Bomb Squadron, 98th
Bomb Group "Pyramidiers", 9th Air Force, at Benina, airfield, Libya, where
the Group was based from February to September 1943.
"Kate Smith", Consolidated B-24D-85-CO Liberator, s/n 42-40654, in the pink
sand finish and with the red circled insignias adopted on 28 June 1943 and
with the cockpit and nose's glass covered by canvas as protection against the
sun and the sand, was destroyed by a land accident at Benina on 29 July 1943
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SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Nicely said!
- Thread starter
- #25,306
syscom3
Pacific Historian
A Royal Air Force Short Sunderland Mk I flying boat patrol bomber from No 204 Squadron RAF takes off for a patrol mission over the western approaches of the Atlantic Ocean from its base at RAF Mount Batten near Plymouth, England during World War II on 21st January 1940.
Reluctant Poster
Tech Sergeant
- 1,696
- Dec 6, 2006
This version gives credit to someone else
Bell X-1: Dropping the Orange Beast That Broke the Sound Barrier
Numerous books, articles, documentaries and movies have told the story of how famed pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. Here’s the story behind the team and aircraft that made that possible
www.historynet.com
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
And still recommended as a cure for dandruff by some barbers. NOTE: Do not let it run down into your crotch area!
Warspite63
Senior Airman
- 543
- Dec 8, 2022
I don't know whether to LOL or cringe. Will probably do both......
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Now he tells me.
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
...does anyone else hear the Jaws theme in their head?
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SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Of all the aircraft that have had shark mouths painted on them, the P-40 is the one almost designed for it.
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
This photo is used to illustrate a Youtube "video" apparently written by a well known journalist visiting US troops in the UK in WW2. This includes his visit with a B-26 unit
The markings seem a bit unusual. It has the older style 1942 star insignia, and it appears that the fuselage star has been painted out. It does have bomb mission markings and the landscape its is over looks rather like England. The Youtube link is:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srl6mnThfvk
The markings seem a bit unusual. It has the older style 1942 star insignia, and it appears that the fuselage star has been painted out. It does have bomb mission markings and the landscape its is over looks rather like England. The Youtube link is:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srl6mnThfvk
The a/c in question is "A Kay Pea's Dream" KX-H B-26B-15-MA, s/n 41-31669, 558th BS, 387th BG, 9th AF, MACR 8164
@ 3:13 in the video the name of Col. Wilson R. Wood was mentioned:
He was the CO of the 323rd BG though. So the picture in question is just an illustration for a B-26.
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This shot looks to have been taken at the end of Mountbatten breakwater. The Sunderland is just taxiing , presumably about to turn right a bit and take-off.
Eng
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
Never thought about it before, but I suppose someone could've seen that huge gaping hole under the engine and imagined a shark about to take a bite.
