Aircraft

[MontanaSlick]

Bro. Tex, do a test run up this way so we kin check her out.
Our airport kin handle her, no problem.

General Doverylittle Slick

[Texas Lawdog]

I plan on posting pictures of "FIFI" and "Ol 927" as soon as they both get back to Addison airport.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

That's good news, TLD. Been a long time since I've seen FiFi..........Buck

[Texas Lawdog]

I plan on being a volunteer at the Cavanaugh Museum of Flight in Addison, that's where she will be hangared. Mr. Cavanaugh donated 3 million dollars for the purchase of the 4 new engines. In return, "FIFI" will be hangared at Addison.

[Leo Tanner]

I plan on posting pictures of "FIFI" and "Ol 927" as soon as they both get back to Addison airport.

You should petition to give Ol 927 her proper name back!  You have the clout.

[Texas Lawdog]

Leo, That plane was built in 1942. It was one of the first B24s built in Calif. It is only B model B24 in existence. Mr. Cavanaugh has some deep pockets when it comes to Warbirds. I'm sure he has made some financial donations for Ol 927. I don't know if I have any clout. I'm a member of the Cavanaugh Museum and the B29/B24 squadron.

[kflach]

For those of you who love SR-71s, the Flight Manual is now declassified and available online to the public.

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/

[Texas Lawdog]

Little Rooster guarded the "Black Bird" when he was an SP.

[Texas Lawdog]

The Owner of a B 17 Pathfinder, who lived in the Metroplex passed away yesterday. "Doc" Hospers and his wife owned "Chuckie" and operated the Vintage Flight Museum at Meachum Field in north Fort Worth. Dr. Hospers was 79 years old and had served in the Army for 43 years. He and his wife were married for 50 years. Dr. Hospers held a Master Pilot's rating for B17's.  He was chosen to fly the B17, "Shoo Shoo Baby" from Dover AFB to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Field in Ohio. Doc named his B17, "Chuckie" in honor of his wife beacuse that his her nickname. Doc will be sorely missed by everyone.

[Texas Lawdog]

I noticed on my E-mail Yahoo news that some loggers near Portland Oregon found the wreckage of a SB2-C Helldiver near the old Tallimook Naval Air Station.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Did they find any remains so another mystery can be cleared up, or had the remains (IF the crew didn't survive) already been collected?

[Texas Lawdog]

SHB, There are conflicting reports on whether remains have been found or not. The CAF has the only flying SB2-C in existence.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Not many were successful when they were new!

My Dad kinda liked 'em, 'tho.  I think he liked what they could DO, not the way they flew.

2 ea. 20mms and a double cal. 30 to the rear, and 1 to 2 tons of bombs + rockets:  they could put a LOT of hurt on the enemy!

[Texas Lawdog]

The Helldiver replaced the SBD on the Carriers. Their vertical stabilizer made them look unique.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

The Helldiver could carry a LOT of ordanance, but as a dive bomber I don't think it was as successful as the SBD's. Now the Devastator's replacement, TBF/TBM, was definately more successful. Of course they were helped by improvements in the torpedos by the time they came on line, and got shots at ships.............Buck

[Texas Lawdog]

The Story about the owner of the B17 in Fort Worth passing away hit close to home for me. I had met Dr. Hospers and his wife several years ago at a fund raiser for the Vintage Flight Museum, which they own, at Meacham Field in North Fort Worth.  The B17 is the only existing Pathfinder model B17 left.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

The Helldiver replaced the SBD on the Carriers. Their vertical stabilizer made them look unique.

Yep.  Dad was the pilot (his family said he was a pileit, all right: pile-it here, pile-it there  ) of an SBD when him and another SBD ganged up on and downed a Jap Betty bomber.  They each got credit for 1/2 kill.  I used to think that was pretty low, but when I visited the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola 'bout 8-9 years ago, I found that (according to Navy records) 95% of all the pilots scored NOTHING!  It made me pretty proud then to know he was in the top 5%!!!  (Unfortunately, he'd been dead over 20 years by then.  I STILL miss him.  )

[Texas Lawdog]

My Dad wanted to be a fighter pilot, but he was too tall, so he was a bomber pilot.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Dad, when he joined (on his 17th birthday - he LIED!) was 6 ft and weighed 180 lbs. and already had a couple hundred hours flight time past his license.  His size made it all the more believable when the recruiter asked his age!  Since birth records were pretty sparse then, (he was born in his Mom/Dad's bedroom) there was no problem:  his folks knew what he was doing, they just didn't know the regs and didn't find out he'd lied until his 18th B-day ... when the NAVY found out!  (He was grounded for a short while 'til they got a CYA letter from his folks!  Hell, he'd been in the Med for 6 months flying combat missions - then they transferred him to the Pacific Air Fleet Arm, after he was lightly wounded/recouperated.)  

[Texas Lawdog]

My Dad was an old man of 22 when he joined. He was in pilot training when WW2 started.