Two P-51's and a P-38

[GregP]

Thought you guys might enjoy this again ... here's a clip from the Planes of Fame 2012 Airshow with the Horsemen flying two P-51s and a P-38.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc94Tj7SP8o

The P-51s are being flown by Ed Shipley and Jim Beasley and the P-38 is the Plane of Fame's being flown by Steve Hinton. The left engine had JUST been replaced and had less than 10 hours on it, but Steve was flying it at 57 inches of Mercury!

 

[BiffF15]

Too cool!

 

[GregP]

Here's the team in Bearcats:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JWrrctCzes

 

[GregP]

Here's 2 Bearcats and a Corsair:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy9t8tK5yq8

 

[GregP]

Here is the team in F-86 Sabres:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef3JOj7HkVI

 

[GregP]

Hereis the team in 2 Bearcats and a Tigercat!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWd5D6wStc8

 

[awack]

wow, I just realized that with the bearcat, f4u4 and the tigercat that carrier based aircraft were finally the equal to the latest land based air craft, great videos.

 

[GregP]

Yes, the Bearcat did close any gap that remained between the performance of land-based and Naval fighters. It held the time-to-climb record well into the jet age ... some 12 - 15 years after jets were adopted were required to better its climb rate.

Before we hear all about the light weight used to set the record, the jets are ALL flown for record attempts at the lightest weight possible, too. I was up at Grand Forks when the Streak Eagle set the F-15 record and it had just enough fuel to make the flight, only ONE radio, the plane was polished natural metal finish ... all the little things you can do to a plane were done to it. It was even held back and released by explosive bolts once the engines had spooled up to full thrust.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Awesome!

 

[wuzak]

Yes, the Bearcat dud close any gap that remained between the performance of land-based and Naval fighters. It held the time-to-climb record well into the jet age ... some 12 - 15 years after jets were adopted were required to better its climb rate.

Before we hear all about the light weight used to set the record, the jets are ALL flown for record attempts at the lightest weight possible, too. I was up at Grand Forks when the Streak Eagle set the F-15 record and it had just enough fuel to make the flight, only ONE radio, the plane was polished natural metal finish ... all the little things you can do to a plane were done to it. It was even held back and released by explosive bolts once the engines had spooled up to full thrust.

The record didn't last that long.

armstrong siddeley | gloster meteor | 1951 | 1878 | Flight Archive

Meteor F.8 WA820 was adapted during 1948 to take two Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojets, and from Moreton Valence, on August 31, 1951, established a time-to-height climb record. The pilot was Flt Lt Tom Prickett, of Armstrong Siddeley. A height of 9,843 ft was reached in 1 min 16 sec, 19,685 ft in 1 min 50 sec, 29,500 ft in 2 min 29 sec, and 39,370 ft in 3 min 7 sec. Air Service Training Ltd were responsible for the conversion.

Gloster Meteor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks to J.A.W. for pointing this out.

 

[GregP]

The record lasted that long in US service.

 

[Gnomey]

Cool videos! Thanks for sharing.