Picture of the day

[Ganderite]

In about 1952 (ish) I saw my first jet airplane. It was the RCAF airshow in Calgary or Edmonton and I saw Mustangs and then the Vampire. We all ooed and ohed at the fast passes and vertical climbs. Don't hear much about the Vampire. It was obsolete when acquired. The F-86 Sabre was already fighting in Korea.

https://www.silverhawkauthor.com/post/canadian-warplanes-6-jets-de-havilland-dh-100-vampire

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

The SAAB B-18. Quite a pretty bird:

 

[Rob]

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[bearhunter]

and Sweden now:

That is beautiful. I wonder if it's as fast as it looks??

Sort of looks like the WWII jet powered Flying Wing that the US is trying to make people believe was what crashed at Roswell with genetically modified children as pilots and built by the Russians to scare Americans into believing they were being attacked by extraterrestrials.

Almost as believable as a Weather Balloon.

That's what was on a National Geographic program last week.

Still, that is one very pretty plane.

 

[Donny Fenn1]

and Sweden now:

Sweden with USAF markings?

 

[john@]

Digital art by:
Mike James Media™ "L Craft" Future Fighter Concept

 

[Bubba Yugga]

In about 1952 (ish) I saw my first jet airplane. It was the RCAF airshow in Calgary or Edmonton and I saw Mustangs and then the Vampire. We all ooed and ohed at the fast passes and vertical climbs. Don't hear much about the Vampire. It was obsolete when acquired. The F-86 Sabre was already fighting in Korea.

https://www.silverhawkauthor.com/post/canadian-warplanes-6-jets-de-havilland-dh-100-vampire

Looks like 400 and 411 squadrons at Downsview in the north end of Toronto had a habit of sharing a common pool of aircraft, pretty much like 401 and 438 at St Hubert outside Montreal.
We seem to have followed a parallel pattern of Vampires, Sabres, Expeditors, Otters, and Kiowas.
During my time in 400 Squadron in the second half of the 70's, 5 Otters were 400's and the other 5 were 411's on paper at least, but we both shared them equally, albeit on alternating weekends.
(Well, 9 of them anyway. 9420, with it's tendency to roll off at stall ended up being the red haired step child hangar queen that only got flown by a senior pilot when all serviceable aircraft HAD to be deployed)
By the time we took our new CH-146 Griffons to our new home at Borden, all 411 personnel were "rationalized" into the surviving 400 squadron.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Double-tap...

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 was a slick looking bird.

You can see the genetics in the Curtiss-Wright CW-21, owner of the best looking rear fuselage for the era:

 

[HuskyDude]

The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 was a slick looking bird.

"Slick" is not the first word that pops into mind...kinda reminds me of a Tadpole.

Not much you can do with a Radial up front.

Best they got.

SR661 with Bristol Centaurus radial.

 

[XRCD011]

^ Looks like the Airstream trailer folks played a role in designing the AT-9 (which certainly sports a Art Deco look )

 

[Rob]

Bomber Service gas station, Red Deer, Alberta, 1950's

 

[points]

Wonder what happened to that one.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

"Slick" is not the first word that pops into mind...kinda reminds me of a Tadpole.

Not much you can do with a Radial up front. SR661 with Bristol Centaurus radial.

The raindrop is nature's most aerodynamic shape. Reckon they came pretty close on the AT-9.

The Fury / Sea Fury is violence in aircraft form, a mad beautiful terrifying thing that punches the sh!t out of the air as it pushes through it. So goddamn much power. Viciously ###y. If a Sptifire is Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress brandishing a chromed J-frame S&W, the Fury is Grace Jones clothed only in a generous layer of other people's blood clenching a machete in her teeth.

Graceful? Perhaps that too. Certainly handsome.

 

[Desert_Fox]

Wonder what happened to that one.

https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/aircraft/the-saga-of-the-red-deer-lancaster/amp/

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Damn, that's sad. She travelled a long, long way to die of fire in Penhold.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

Bomber Service gas station, Red Deer, Alberta, 1950's

There is a restored Lancaster in Nanton, Alberta

 

[bush1]

There is a restored Lancaster in Nanton, Alberta

And a flying one at the Hamilton museum. There’s only 2 flying that I know of, the one in Hamilton and another in England. There were 2 flying in England quite a while back but one was lost in an accident.

One of the British ones was sourced in Alberta and flown to Namao for maintenance before the ferry flight to England. A few of us airforce types helped them with the maintenance tasks an as a reward for my help, they were going to let me jump out of it on one of their test flights. Transport Canada (DOT in those days) nixed that plan, unfortunately.
It eventually made the ferry flight to England.

 

[woodchopper]

She was a curvy young bird well proportioned, with ample nacelles.... if you know what I mean

The Curtiss-Wright AT-9 was a slick looking bird.

 

[HuskyDude]

https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/aircraft/the-saga-of-the-red-deer-lancaster/amp/

Thx for that, good read.

And a flying one at the Hamilton museum. There’s only 2 flying that I know of, the one in Hamilton and another in England.

Had the privilege of being allowed to crawl through VRA in Hamilton a few years back.
Surprisingly very tight and restrictive. Hauling your arse over the main wing spar to get to the rear was not known to me.
Couldn't fathom enduring 8-10 hr missions.

This vid is not VRA, but does show the interior of a Lanc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gk6hEJ0vO0