Settle an argument for me, who developed the F4U's curved approach for carrier landings.

Barrett · Feb 6, 2023

What Rich said. And I always-always read his posts because...
HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
Unlike so many Facebook and especially Quora authorities.

Back when I could still access my FB account, I lost track of the number of statements/queries about the Brits "teaching the Americans how to land Corsairs on carriers." It got to be a Pavlovian response from some of us including a high-time warbird (ex-F16) pilot. Other ad-nauseum topics included Pappy Boyington Leading Marine Ace, George Gay the Sole Survivor of VT-8, and of course The Whole Nine Yards.

Here's my warbird pal's frequent response. The aviator is/was the late-great Tom Blackburn, CO of VF-17 one of the first three Corsair squadrons.

pbehn · Feb 6, 2023

Barrett said:
What Rich said. And I always-always read his posts because...
HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
Unlike so many Facebook and especially Quora authorities.

Back when I could still access my FB account, I lost track of the number of statements/queries about the Brits "teaching the Americans how to land Corsairs on carriers." It got to be a Pavlovian response from some of us including a high-time warbird (ex-F16) pilot. Other ad-nauseum topics included Pappy Boyington Leading Marine Ace, George Gay the Sole Survivor of VT-8, and of course The Whole Nine Yards.

Here's my warbird pal's frequent response. The aviator is/was the late-great Tom Blackburn, CO of VF-17 one of the first three Corsair squadrons.

View attachment 705836

I think the guys from the US Navy and FAA will have had respect for one another, since they all landed planes on carriers. This sort of nonsense always comes from people who werent there.

PAT303 · Feb 6, 2023

pbehn said:
I think the guys from the US Navy and FAA will have had respect for one another, since they all landed planes on carriers. This sort of nonsense always comes from people who werent there.

Both the FAA and USN pilots would have being thinking the same thing simply because as you said they were the ones landing the thing, like I posted earlier they are aviators, they would have all been on the same page regarding the best solution to the problem.

Macandy · Feb 7, 2023

PAT303 said:
Both the FAA and USN pilots would have being thinking the same thing simply because as you said they were the ones landing the thing, like I posted earlier they are aviators, they would have all been on the same page regarding the best solution to the problem.

Indeed, FAA aircrew and ground crew had been trained by the USN since 1940.
So many, they even had a Pay Office embedded in Washington.

Peter Gunn · Feb 7, 2023

Barrett said:
and of course The Whole Nine Yards.

*SNIP*

Just so I'm sure I'm not a dumbass, where did the phrase originate? I mean, I think I know but I'd like to make sure.

pbehn · Feb 7, 2023

Macandy said:
Indeed, FAA aircrew and ground crew had been trained by the USN since 1940.
So many, they even had a Pay Office embedded in Washington.

I think the UK has had a pay office in Washington since just after the war of independence.

buffnut453 · Feb 7, 2023

Peter Gunn said:
Just so I'm sure I'm not a dumbass, where did the phrase originate? I mean, I think I know but I'd like to make sure.

I thought it originated from the days of sail, the yards being the yard arms on the ship's masts. The "whole nine yards" meant that all the sails were unfurled, so the ship could travel at its fastest speed.

WARSPITER · Feb 7, 2023

The origin of the whole nine yards is probably never going to be settled although there are mid 1800's references which equate to
other phrases such as the whole ball of wax and the whole enchilada. One reference was the silly woman story where a man told
his wife to buy enough material to make three shirts and she used 'the whole nine yards and made just one'.

Just to muddy it further, in Kentucky and South Carolina a similar expression to the whole ball of wax used to be 'the whole six yards'.
Inflation ?

GrauGeist · Feb 7, 2023

Lots of "sources" from various places over the centuries ranging from sailing ships, garments/sewing to military like a Vickers aircraft MG belt and even the max. length of a mortar cannonball fuse.

Shortround6 · Feb 7, 2023

Kind of the whole nine balls of enchilada wax?

Macandy · Feb 7, 2023

A traditional kilt is nine yards of plaid.

WARSPITER · Feb 7, 2023

Thus do we have dressed to the nines ?

Macandy · Feb 7, 2023

WARSPITER said:
Thus do we have dressed to the nines ?

Well, ion you are cheap, or poor, you'd wear a 3 yard kilt, a 9 yard kilt was a bonny looking chap.

GrauGeist · Feb 7, 2023

A traditional Indian woman's Sari is made of six to nine yards of fabric.

The more the fabric, the more elaborate the dress.

pbehn · Feb 7, 2023

It should, of course, be "the whole twenty seven feet", or 8.2296 meters, which is why the metric system doesnt work.

special ed · Feb 7, 2023

The "whole nine yards" phrase I've read, referred to the ammo box of belted .50 cal ammo. The belt, if laid out, is allegedly nine yards long. If in an emergency, "Give 'em the whole nine yards."

Greg Boeser · Feb 7, 2023

Personally, I find the whole nine yards to be just too much beer.

SaparotRob · Feb 7, 2023

You have to pace yourself.

WARSPITER · Feb 7, 2023

Macandy said:
Well, ion you are cheap, or poor, you'd wear a 3 yard kilt, a 9 yard kilt was a bonny looking chap.

No, i wouldn't be seen kilt in a dead......

Peter Gunn · Feb 9, 2023

special ed said:
The "whole nine yards" phrase I've read, referred to the ammo box of belted .50 cal ammo. The belt, if laid out, is allegedly nine yards long. If in an emergency, "Give 'em the whole nine yards."

Pretty much the first explanation I heard many years ago too.

Settle an argument for me, who developed the F4U's curved approach for carrier landings.

Senior Airman

Colonel

Tech Sergeant

Senior Airman

Master Sergeant

Colonel

Captain

Tech Sergeant

Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung

Major General

Senior Airman

Tech Sergeant

Senior Airman

Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung

Colonel

2nd Lieutenant

2nd Lieutenant

Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

Tech Sergeant

Master Sergeant

Users who are viewing this thread

Similar threads