WWII War Birds - pics and video

[Cheezz]

And also had the great honour of knowing and spending time with the worlds leader in total hours in a Spitfire Chevalier Jerry Billing RCAF/RAF 6500 plus hours in Spitfire MKI MKII MKV MKXI MKXVI. Best known for his 23.5 year display pilot for Cliff Robertson's Spitfire MK923 5JZ, Jerry retired from displaying MK923 in 1996 at age 75

A tribute to Jerry by myself at his passing, good history of a Great Canadian. This is a very brief history on Jerry.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Aside from the overly large rudder, it's reminiscent of the Hawker Fury. The nose isn't as disproportionately large as that of the "long nose" Focke-Wulf.

Totally agree. Trim the vertical tail back to more porportional specs and she'd be quite pretty, and yep, very reminiscent of a more svelte Sea Fury. But with "dat ass"...

And we shall not cast aspersions on the works of St. Kurt of the House of Tank. Everzing he did vas perfekt! PERFEKT!

 

[bearhunter]

Y'know, compared with the others, yeah. But I can't get past the big feckin arse on 'er.

Overheard in the drafting room @ Blackburn c. 1944:

"Well, Master Draftsman sir, the new Firebrand is pencilled up, and if I don't mind sayin' so, sir, she's a beaut!"


<<Master Draftsman chokes, spits tea across several blueprints>>


"A WHAT? A BEAUT? Where the bloody 'ell do you think you are, Junior Draftsman? Supermarine? Fairey? Fancy yourself a bleedin' artiste, do ya? Lookit the bloody sign on the bloody door! This is Blackburn Aircraft, Bridge, and Locomotive works, my son! We make 'omely aeroplanes 'ere! Now go nasty that thing up before the old man sees. Throw a great 'orrid vertical tail on it. Make it disproportionate, like a great big warty nose on a passably attractive girl. No curves, mind, just a great feckin plank of a thing. Go! Bloody go now!"

"'A beaut', 'e says. Bloody wanky git."

That large tail would certainly give it a lot of maneuverability with a heavy torpedo slung on her belly. Maybe that's why the large tail surface.

 

[tommyinbc]

That large tail would certainly give it a lot of maneuverability with a heavy torpedo slung on her belly. Maybe that's why the large tail surface.

And to counteract the huge torque from that Centaurus lump up the front....

 

[JR Hartman]

and maybe for strength to support the tail hook? carrier landings can be nasty, and that thing looks pretty heavy for a single prop job

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

It'd provide gobs and gobs of stability in yaw, that's for sure. It's certainly got a practical purpose, but it's an aesthetic affront.

DeHavilland figured out what a graceful tail should look like early on, and stuck with it a long time:

(I just bet you do, you naughty girl...)

(DH Albatross - isn'f that a stunner...)

Lockheed and Avro and North American and most other makers managed to make aircraft that worked and were beautiful. Blackburn seems to have gotte it half right.

 

[sail32]

The Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley B.C., has a Handley Page Hampden in it's collection.

http://www.canadianflight.org/content/handley-page-hampden

 

[Sharps '63]

I logged over 200 free falls out of "Rhinegold" (aka as "Ringo") while serving in Germany with 4 CMBG. She was one of two such aircraft, painted in the blue and white livery of the Rothman's cigarette company sponsor. One was based at Sennelager, the other at Netheravon in the UK. "Rhinegold" was built in 1948, IIRC.

They were elegant aircraft. We had a waiting list of pilots wanting to fly her, a mix of RAF, Army and airline pilots from BOAC and BEA. Her engines were maintained by a civilian engineer on contract from Siddley-Hawker who had the ticket for her engines. He'd show up on weekends at the DZ in spotless white coveralls and make a big show out of opening her cowls to wipe off imaginary oil leaks, etc.

All part of the show for the huge crowd of German gawkers.

DeHavilland figured out what a graceful tail should look like early on, and stuck with it a long time:

(DH Albatross - isn'f that a stunner...)

Lockheed and Avro and North American and most other makers managed to make aircraft that worked and were beautiful. Blackburn seems to have gotte it half right.

 

[dryfire]

(DH Albatross - isn'f that a stunner...)

I knew Michael had the Nikes but not his very own Rapide

Looks like a Beaufighter in the distance under the nose of the Albatross.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

More pics of the DH Albatross in mufti. That may be a contender for Most Beautiful Airplane Ever, in close running against the Lockheed Constellation:

The attention paid to detail - the cowlings fit like surgical gloves, and the whole thing is a big teardrop with wings. Jesus, what a beautiful thing.

 

[diopter]

Very slim engines. Air cooled inverted V12cyl @ 425hp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Gipsy_Twelve

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/air-cooled-inline-engines-with-forced-cooling.43668/

Pretty small washroom though.

 

[grinder08]

seems to me a better name than Gannet would have been "Puffin" ... I wonder if Gannet pilots wore a mask to disguise themselves when they flew it?

Not sure how they came up with the name Gannet a very sleek fast diving bird to this overblown monstrosity. I loved watching Gannets fishing when I was a kid. They would dive from way up fold their wings behind them, then and straight into the water. Maybe a case of misdirection.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Gotha GO 242 assault glider.

Ol' Sharkmouth here was a popular photo subject.

Throw engines on it and it becomes the GO 244 transport.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Heinkel 114:

Very popular in many places. Looks like they found the bones of one:

On 27 June 2012, two divers Pascale Roibu and Iulian Rusu found a wrecked Heinkel 114 underwater in Lake Siutghiol near Mamaia, Constanta, Romania. Near the Heinkel 114, the two divers have also found pieces of two other seaplanes; a Savoia-Marchetti S.55 and a Junkers W 34

 

[JR Hartman]

that thing looks like a real nice target

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Here's a rare duck - the Savoia-Marchetti SM.92:

Neat layout.

One built. It flew well, but, being Italian, was shot up by an Italian pilot who thought it was a P38. She was grounded for months awaiting repair and finally bombed into oblivion in 1944. The species is extinct.

 

[shredder]

She does have a silhouette similar to a P-38 Lightning, but I can't figure why the Italians would want the balance issues created by having the pilot and attendant gear in the left pod?

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Apparently, it was an effort to maximize streamlining. The one-generation-before SM.91 had a more conventional center pod dealio:

Now THAT'S a P-38 lookalike. Pretty airplane.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Henschel HS126 und a slight altercaton mit ein Storch:

Pretty airplane.

http://1.bp.########.com/-Ax6qnmsqAGQ/VS09TOleTkI/AAAAAAAARrs/G43ncgQxvJc/s1600/10580953_903326559731697_3909493055841106884_o.jpg

Nice enough to steal:

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

B-25G - nice angle.

The blood-dripping jaws are a nice touch.