Airplanes

[Drang]

I haz a sad, because back in '07 we went to the Museum of Flight with Mrs. Drangs father, and most of the pics I took seem to have disappeared. 909 (FKA Aluminum Overcast), Tondalayo, and, um, a B24 whose name at the time I cannot recall...

Happy Dance! I found where I hid them!

The B24 was Witchcraft, which, I believe, they had previously had painted in the colors of "The Dragon And His Tail".

This is the sign painted in the bomb bay of Witchcraft:

Did I mention that the B25 is my favorite?
If we'd realized that payment for a flight in one of them counted as a charitable (tax deductible) donation...

[DMF13]

They say you always have a special place in your heart for your first. Here she is, and I soloed in one in 1990:


The plane that got me wanting to fly, and be a USAF pilot (didn't achieve that goal despite trying real hard), was the T-38. I saw the Thunderbirds flying them shortly before the crash that ended the T-38 career with the team. I did manage to scam my way into ride in one while on active duty.

[Half Moon]

Necro'ing since it fits the thread and new learning!

A Christmas gift from my stepson, a diecast F-86 Sabre:



It seemed odd though that an Air Force fighter would be marked "Mig Mad Marine". A quick Internet search later:

After flying 63 [combat] missions in a Marine Corps F9F Panther from airbase K-3 at Pohong Dong (or P'ohang), he [later Astronaut, John Glenn] applied to fly F-86 interceptors with the Air Force on an exchange program.

...

After enough of his moaning about the absence of MiGs, he went out to the flight line one morning to find a big red M painted on, with letters trailing off it, so it read:
MIG
MAD
MARINE

...

on July 22, he downed his third MiG, his last of the war. There were a few more days of bad weather, then the armistice was declared. He had flown 27 Sabre missions with the USAF 51st FIW, and earned another DFC and 8 Air Medals in Korea.

...



http://acepilots.com/korea_glenn.html

[Borderland]

I was associated with the Moroccan AF 70-71. They had these F-5's.

[randyho]

B58 Hustler supersonic bomber.

Flying out of Wright Pat, those were the guys shaking the windows of my elementary school.

[2xAGM114]

As a young pup in UPT, before Big AF transitioned to the T-38C I had a "Torch Ride" in the syllabus with an IP in the back. It consisted of an unrestricted climb to FL410 in Full AB followed by a Mach 1+ cruise portion. As I recall you could only get to 1.2 or 1.3 in the -38 with max power and even a slow descent. Good memories.

[RJ]

If I hadn’t retired I’d be at Hurlburt working on the Simulator for one of these:



(Not my pic). @Oldherkpilot

[randyho]

If I hadn’t retired I’d be at Hurlburt working on the Simulator for one of these:



(Not my pic). @Oldherkpilot

I superb example of hold my beer engineering.

[Guinnessman]

Here are two of my latest pics:

[Borderland]

If I hadn’t retired I’d be at Hurlburt working on the Simulator for one of these:


moving
(Not my pic). @Oldherkpilot

I've flown on those as a passenger. The cargo bay is really loud in flight. They were using those in Vietnam, probably before that.