Trip to the National Museum of the US Air Force

[rochie]

nice work Glenn, is that simulated snow on the P-39 or is it in need of a good clean ?

 

[Airframes]

Good work Glenn, nice shots.

 

[T Bolt]

nice work Glenn, is that simulated snow on the P-39 or is it in need of a good clean ?

It's shredded plastic fake snow. Makes getting a decent picture hard.

 

[T Bolt]

The scene depicts the scramble on the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The close up of the wing tip shows a detail that is wrong on most P-36 and P-40 models. The airfoil shape of the upper surface of the wing extends all the way to the very top. It's the lower surface that comes up to meet it.

 

[T Bolt]

P-40E

 

[Wildcat]

Very cool. FYI the Spit MkVc and Beaufighter are RAAF PTO veterans.

 

[T Bolt]

Very cool. FYI the Spit MkVc and Beaufighter are RAAF PTO veterans.

Very interesting Andy, I didn't know that.

Here's some quotes from the museum's website:

Spitfire Mk.Vc
"The Spitfire on display is a Mk. Vc (Trop) built for Supermarine under license by Vickers-Armstrong in June 1943. Shipped to Australia in September 1943, it served with the Royal Australian Air Force, and the museum acquired it from the Imperial War Museum in March 2000."

Beaufighter
"The museum's aircraft was built under license by the Fairey Aviation Co. in Stockport, England, and delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942. It is marked as the USAAF Beaufighter flown by Capt. Harold Augspurger, commander of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, who shot down an He 111 carrying German staff officers in September 1944."

 

[T Bolt]

P-61
This was a real hard one to get a decent picture of. It sits in a dark corner of the hanger and is of course black. The camera had trouble even sensing the thing to focus on. These were the only 3 pictures that turned out good enough to post.

 

[Gnomey]

More good shots Glenn!

 

[T Bolt]

This one is one of my favorites at the Museum. Its a P-63E, although its painted up like a RP-63A or C Pinball. These aircraft had thickened aluminum skin and other armor and were used as gunnery targets to train new pilots who would shoot plastic bullets at them. I read an article some years ago written by a pilot who flew one of the Pinball aircraft on a ferry flight, and he said it was so heavy it was all he could do to keep it in the air. It does look very cool though.

 

[Messy1]

Love the pics of the P-61, and P-63. P-36 is also a nice looking plane! Thanks for posting!

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Glenn. Interesting to learn that the Beaufighter was built by Fairey, as I once lived very close to the factory, in the early 1980s, which was then Fairey Engineering. When a neighbour first told me he "worked for Fairey's", I fell about laughing - he didn't get the joke at first !!

 

[T Bolt]

The A-24 was the Air Corps version of SBD-3 Dauntlass. They were used in Java and New Guinea early in the war.

 

[T Bolt]

The A-20G was used with great effect in low-level strafing attacks against Japanese shipping. The last picture is of a smoke screen generator

 

[T Bolt]

AT-9 Advanced twin engined trainer, and a very cool looking aircraft.

 

[T Bolt]

Another advanced twin trainer, the AT-10 was made mostly out of wood to conserve scarce aluminum.

 

[T Bolt]

The AT-11 was used to train student bombardiers, and was based on the beech model 18.

 

[javlin]

WOW!! That is a big museum thier Glenn.I thought Pensacola's was pretty big I have to say that is atleast twice the size!The 262 camo is sharp and the difference in colors between the props on the 109 to the 190 is quite stark.The PRU Mossie looks good and I am thinking some twin engine jobs are coming down the pike.I saw a kit of the AT-11 at the LHS and almost p/u the kit they do have some interesting lines for sure.

 

[T Bolt]

Every thing I've posted so far has been in the WWII hanger (although I'm getting near to the end of my photos there). There is still the 'Early Years' hanger which is a bit smaller, and the 'Cold War" and 'Modern' hangers which are even larger. Then there is the 'Presidential" hanger, the 'Research Development' Hanger, and the 'Restoration' hangers.

To paraphrase John Paul Jones: "I have not yet begun to post!"

 

[Gnomey]

Cool shots Glenn! Keep them coming.