Picture of the day

[Ganderite]

Stokers. Hell of a life. And if the ship's sinking, you're only several hundred feet of tight passageways and jam-able hatches from jumping off into the unforgiving sea. Jesus, thanks no..

There are downsides to every line of military work, I suppose. There you are in your ME-108. Sunny day, CAVU conditions, happy thoughts. And then some unfeeling dink shoots up your ride and you have to flop it into a field so common humans can put their greasy paws all over it.

Comparatively speaking, still a hell of a lot better than running goon spoon in the guts of a ship.

It appears to have slats. Must be a high performance plane. It reminds me of my Mooney.

I don't see any battle damage. Out of gas or engine failure, maybe.

 

[farshot]

Is the fellow in the dark tunic standing behind the nose art holding a bottle of beer? Maybe he's the pilot???

 

[diopter]

How it's made-

 

[Gibbs505]

 

[Cottage Hill Bill]

Plane dangling from aircraft carrier is a T-2 trainer in orange and white. Probably carrier training flight out of Pensacola.

 

[MarkCNP]

 

[Brno8x57]

I have operated a number of grapple yarders with M4 undercarriage. The Washington 78 series used the track components, the transmission, the final drives and the front glacis. They were far too light for the weight of the machine and what we did with them and track problems were common. As one old timer told me as I fixed yet another broken track, "Tanks were made to go to war, they weren't made to come back."

I spent a number of days on my back in the belly of my 071 Madill yarder replacing a clutch mechanism. Coated in gear dope and contorted into a shape that causes me nightmares to this day. You are absolutely right. The loging machinery on the top was way to heavy for the tank undercarriage below. We had to tow that thing up hill with a skidder or cat and snub it when we came back down.
Tracks were a nightmare as well.

 

[Gibbs505]

This Day in Aviation History

December 21st, 1970

First flight of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy’s Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program following the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters, which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War.

The F-14 first flew in December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 served as the U.S. Navy’s primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform. In the 1990s, it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system and began performing precision ground-attack missions.

In the 1980s F-14s were used as land-based interceptors by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War, where they saw combat against Iraqi warplanes. Iranian F-14s reportedly shot down at least 160 Iraqi aircraft during the war, while only 12 to 16 Tomcats were shot down; at least half of these losses were due to accidents.

The Tomcat was retired from the U.S. Navy’s active fleet on 22 September 2006, having been supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F-14 remains in service with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, having been exported to Iran in 1976, when the U.S. had amicable diplomatic relations with Iran…..

 

[Sqr]

It was affectionately referred to as the "Bombcat" during the Iraqi way after its close air support modifications.

 

[fingers284]

A liquid drip from the nose.

Wather or fuel?

I'm very curious if they saved this plane?

From the two boys still sitting in the seats .....

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Finns at the office.

Memo to self - don't mess about with the Finns.

 

[johnny rotten]

I'll see your T34, and raise you a Panzerfaust

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

It's not that they're humourless. It's just that they find things funny that give other folks nightmares.

The Finns are a serious people. They prefer to be left alone, thank you.

 

[Sqr]

 

[Gibbs505]

B-29 takes off with help from rocket assisted take off (Date and location unknown)

 

[RRCo.]

How it's made-

Lederhosen Fridays?

 

[Red_Liner740]

Nope. They ejected. No canopy left. What you are seeing is the remnants of the ejection seat mechanisms.

From the two boys still sitting in the seats .....

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Carriers, etc.

Fleet Air Arm Seafires and a lonesome Stringbag.

Grumman Tarpons (oh the fun the lower ranks would have had with that name)

 

[donor]

I imagine flying anything from the carriers in those days was a hazardous job (and it still is) but serving as a pilot on a CAM ship takes it to a whole different level.

 

[points]

I imagine flying anything from the carriers in those days was a hazardous job (and it still is) but serving as a pilot on a CAM ship takes it to a whole different level.

And a one way trip at that. Yikes!