Not All Stoofs Chased Submarines, The Spit is Done, A Little More From Post-War Japan, and A Modeler's Bomb Load

Before We Get Started

Let's say hi to all the new folks who've started following Replica. Welcome aboard, everybody; we hope you enjoy what we're doing here and will continue to visit us. One thing you might want to note (and I know at least a few folks are wondering because I get e-mails saying they do): Apparently a lot, maybe even most, of the other blogs out there allow comments through the "comments" part of their blog's software. As previously mentioned (but a long time ago) we've never done that; guess we're just old-fashioned! Still, the comments and corrections are very important to us, which is why we encourage you to write directly to replicainscale@yahoo.com rather than using the "post a comment feature". We respond to everything except spam, and generally publish the comments in The Relief Tube, so we're definitely paying attention to what you have to say. We don't give out addresses or names, or anything like that, in case you were wondering/worrying about it. It's just easier, us being old-fashioned and all, to deal with things directly. And with that out of the way, let's move right on to, you guessed it; more "Stoofs"!

A Pretty Useful Little Airplane

We generally think of the S2F as a submarine chaser, even though we all know there were dedicated versions built specifically for COD and early warning duties. In today's thrilling installment of our S2F series we're going to look at "Stoofs" that served in roles that might best be categorized as None of the Above.

If the active-duty Navy flies a particular type of airplane, it's a fair bet that the Reserves will operate the type as well. Here's a prime example of that; an S2F-2 from NAS Alameda. Somehow the "Stoof" just doesn't look right in day-glo, does it?  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

And here's a view of 133261, another S2F-2 from Alameda. She's well-used but equally well-maintained, a hallmark of the Reserves. Airplanes rarely get as messy as some modelers like to portray them---less is more when you're weathering, ya'll!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Here's something you don't see every day. This "Stoof" is assigned to VA-122, the A-7 Corsair RAG, but she's not an S2F; she's an EC-1A, a rarity in the S-2 community. Comments are encouraged. Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried.

And a pair of EC-1As from VAW-33. This would be an ideal time for Rick Morgan to jump in and provide us with some information on the type and its use in the EW community, since VAW/VAQ-33 is a heritage sort of thing for him. How 'bout it, Rick?  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The utility squadrons used the "Stoof" too. Here's a fine example of a US-2C serving with VC-1. That airframe has seen better days, but the squadron badge on the nacelle looks pretty nice all the same; I'm particularly interested in the way the Engine Grey faded on that airframe! The utility squadrons were definitely among the unsung operators of the S-2.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

VC-5 was another operator of the US-2C. Here's 133347 doing what the utility squadrons do best. Of particular interest is the presentation of the BuNo on the mlg door---you just don't see that every day. The Utility "Stoofs" would make into a really colorful model, I think.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The US military had quite an infatuation with the Skyhook concept during the 1960s. This photo shows a NATC "Stoof" rigged out for that mission. We're all familiar with the system's operational use on the C-130, and we ran a couple of shots of a similarly-equipped C-123 here a few issues back, but who would've thought you'd ever see the installation on an S-2!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

And the Skyhook in action---that must have been quite a ride! The test subject (the very brave test subject) is in process of being winched into the hatch that lives in the space formerly occupied by the ventral radome. What a way to make a living, huh?  Sure wish we had a closeup of the art on the side of that nacelle!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

When next we meet we'll take a look at some S2F photos that have thus-far escaped classification in our ongoing essay. Stay tuned!

Another Big Airplane, or Where Am I Going to Put These Things When They're Done?

Which is a non-too-clever way of saying that the 1/32nd scale Tamiya Spitfire Mk VIII project is complete. The model is a snap to build and I think it looks pretty good when it's finished. Anybody want to see some pictures?

Let's start with a view of the entire model. We've all seen/read/been-exposed-to the hype on all the internet modeling sites, but for once a model so-described actually deserves all those accolades, and more. So far we've seen a Mk IXc, a Mk VIII, and a Mk XVI off the basic molds, and the way Tamiya's designed the kit would make it a relatively simple thing to make the rest of the Merlin-engined family from the Mk V onward. We (that's Journalese for "me") weren't too crazy about the kit decals, but everything else is pretty darned good, kit photo-etch included. Oh yeah, that blivet off the port wing is one of the two optional aux tanks provided by the kit; the other one is on the model. You'll have quite a few extra parts hanging around when you're done with this one!

Here's the other side, and you still get to see that extra tank as a bonus! It (the tank) is jacked up like that because of the mounting pins---it's a simple matter to remove the 30-gallon tank that's on the airplane right now and replace it with the bigger one(45-gal? 60?) shown, or remove it entirely. The Mk VIII was a relatively late addition to the RAAF's fighter force; the model represents A58-526 of 79 Sqdn as seen at Morotai during 1945. By that time the squadron was performing long-range mud moving for the Allies and the aux tanks were a necessity for most missions. The airplane is weathered, but not as heavily as it could be except for the exhaust stains which are extremely prominent in the surviving photos of UP-L.  The kit includes those ubiquitous metal hinges to allow the control surfaces to deflect but I don't like that sort of thing and locked the ailerons, elevators, and rudder in place. I also closed up the cowling---that beautifully-done Merlin 61 is in there but I didn't care for the fit of the cowling pieces, magnets or no magnets, and locked down the cowling too. You pays your money, you takes your choice...

The width of those white ID stripes on the leading edge of the wings seemed to vary a lot from airplane to airplane; those on 526 were relatively narrow and were done with a thinly-sprayed dirty white, which let quite a bit of the underlying camouflage show through. The same technique was used on the spinner, while the prop blades were painted with a faded flat black. (The real props were "plastic" on this airplane, so there's no metal showing through this time, just a highly-weathered finish!) Those exhaust stacks are separate, all twelve of them, so you'll need to be careful with their alignment and no; you can't ask me how I know that! In one of the model's rare failings, Tamiya provides a port for the gun camera at the base of the starboard wing root, but there's nothing in there. I added a camera from plastic tube, but it sticks out a little further than it should because I decided to do it after the wing was buttoned up; that really should have been done while everything was in pieces---live and learn! The sharp-eyed among you will note the complete lack of an antenna wire on the model; the Mk VIII retained the mast but didn't use an external aerial for the radio.

The lighting's a little goofy here, but I wanted to show you that aux tank and the bomb racks and bombs, all of which are included with the kit. Given 79 Sqdn's mission at the time the bombs make an excellent addition to the model, and they're detailed enough that all you need to add are the arming wires! One thing about those bombs, though; Tamiya provides both nose and tail fuses in photoetch and tells you to use both, but it would be relatively rare to find both of those fuses on a weapon at the same time. It's far more likely that you'd find either the nose fuse in place or the one at the back, but the type of fusing would have been entirely dependent upon the mission being flown. I opted for the nose fuses because they're easily seen and were probably the ones most often used. They add to the model, don't they?

This shot shows us the fuse again, and also the nose art, which came from the excellent decal sheet found in Kagero's "Top Colors 18",  Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII  , Lublin, 2010. Those decals performed flawlessly and were among the best I've ever used, the set providing the nose art, fuselage codes, and serial numbers shown here as well as markings for an additional ten or so Australian Mk VIIIs. You can see the arming wire on the bomb to advantage in this photo, as well as the photo-etched propeller for arming the bomb's fuse. That bomb rack is a thing of beauty too, easy to assemble and absolutely fool-proof, always a Good Thing where I'm involved! Those wing roundels are from the 1/32nd scale Victory Productions sheet and worked a whole lot better than the kit decals did (stiff as a board, they were!). Fin flashes, and that little white stickie on the front of the aux tank, came from the kit but everything else was sourced from aftermarket. I usually blame myself when decals don't work, but the kit decals were really special. Fortunately, there's a fair aftermarket for Mk VIII stickies these days...

This photo gives us a better idea of the actual colors on the model, and shows off a little bit of the cockpit to boot. The kit's cockpit is excellent as-is, but Eduard's cockpit set for this model helps things more than you would imagine and I definitely recommend using one on your model. (Conversely, the kit's Sutton harness works just fine; no point buying more aftermarket for that area and Eduard doesn't provide a harness with their interior set---go figure!) All the paint was Testor ModelMaster enamel, with weathering done with pastels or a combination of airbrushing and pastels, that last technique being used for the exhaust stains. Note that there's no lettering inside the cockpit door of this airplane; some Australian Spitfires had it there, but a whole bunch don't, so I left it off. You might also want to be aware that the crowbar molded inside that door isn't usually red on real wartime airplanes---that's an affectation of  the contemporary Warbird scene and modelers who want a little extra color in the cockpit. The crowbar was generally grey-green on wartime Spitties.

It's deja-vu all over again, as Yogi Berra used to say! The kit could actually stand a little more in the way of detailing, and I really really really wish Tamiya would stop using those gimmicky rubber tires on their premium kits, but this thing sure looks like a Spitfire when it's done. Total build time was about two weeks, but I didn't superdetail anything---that particular activity would have extended the time it took to finish the kit by a considerable margin. My personal preference is to inactivate all the working features, but that's just me. This is easily the best kit I've worked with during the past couple of years, and it's raised the bar substantially for models in this scale.

And that's it for the Spit. (That sounds odd, doesn't it?) You really have to wonder what Tamiya's going to do next. It'll be tough to top this one!

A Few More From Long Ago and Far Away

It's no secret that I've got a thing for the post-War US Air Force in the Far East. The whole concept is pretty neat, I think, particularly since some of those airplanes carried their wartime markings into the late 1940s. Dave Menard has provided a few more shots for us to drool over; let's take a look!

The 3rd BW (previously 3rd Attack) got A-26s late in the war, and took them to Japan when they were assigned occupation duty. These A-26s are carrying pre-USAF stars and bars, which places them at either Atsugi, Yokota, or Johnson, but I have no idea where this photo was taken (or when). The aircraft are all carrying either names or nose art, but are too distant from the camera to make out what any of it might be. So near and yet so far...  Menard Collection

What a neat lineup of Invaders! The OD over grey scheme lasted quite a while after war's end, both in the Far East and in Europe. Check out the noses on those B-model A-26s; both 6-gun and 8-gun variations are depicted in this photo; take your pick! Anybody got a time machine?  Menard Collection

Look at the Big, Black Airplane ya'll! Northrop's P-61 stayed in the Far East for several years both as a night fighter and, in guise of its cousin, the F-15 Reporter, in the photo recon role. By the time of the Korean Unpleasantness they'd been replaced by F-82s, probably a Good Thing for all concerned. It's possible, although I'm not at all certain, that this bird is from the 547th FS; if any of our readers can clarify that point I'd be grateful. The address is, as always, replicainscale@yahoo.com .  Menard Collection

They're most likely P-51Ds, and they're in Japan post-1947. Past that, I just don't know, but it's a neat ramp all the same. The Mustang nearest the camera appears to have a white stripe under the wing, and check out that OD and grey C-46 at the end of the line. Menard Collection

44-73812 is a P-51D-25-NA, and she's on the ramp somewhere in Japan. The tail striping on the Mustang at far right suggests the 35th FW, but I'm not at all certain of that. Still, 812 is carrying a name ("Dee") on the nose and is well worth modeling.  Menard Collection

And finally, some Mustangs from the 35th, probably at Yokota post-1947. 44-73641 is another P-51D-25 and, I think, is featured on a couple of old MicroScale decal sheets. "Tornado" is painted on her nose, and that red cheat line, along with the pre-War AAF rudder stripes, really sets her apart. The Mustang to her right wears command stripes and we can make out part of a name ("Mother..."). If only the photographer had been shooting from a slightly different angle that day!  Menard Collection

We're starting to go somewhere with our post-War 5th AF project, I think. If any of you have anything else from that era (I'm particularly looking for 475th FG P-38s in Korea post-War) please let me know. We'd love to run them! As always, the address is replicainscale@yahoo.com .

I Suppose You Could Do It, But Why Would You Want To?

Republic's F-105 was designed and built as a tactical strike fighter, and was configured from the very beginning to carry an internal bomb load. Changing times and a rapidly evolving world stage called for a change of plans, and the type spent most of its days hauling externally-mounted iron bombs to targets in Southeast Asia instead of streaking across Eastern Europe at the speed of light. Somewhere in the evolution Republic needed to figure out what sort of bomb load the Thunderchief was capable of carrying...

Boy, is that a bunch of bombs or what? 61-0095 was built as an F-105D-15-RE and is seen here during armament tests, most likely at Eglin, in the early 60s. That load of Mk 82s looks really impressive, but carrying that many bombs would've given the airplane a totally useless radius of action. 0095 saw duty with the 421st TFS in SEA and was lost on 24 March, 1966, during a strike up North.   Republic B-11019

An early bird; 58-1173 was an F-105D-5-RE and is shown here carrying a full load of M117s en route to the range. Once again, radius of action would have been a major issue with this bomb load---she would've made quite an impression, but she wouldn't have gotten very far from home. 1173 was one of the lucky "Thuds", surviving the war to be surplused out to MASDC in 1981. A few survived...   Republic B-11353

The Relief Tube

It's a Slow Day correction-wise, but we've got a kudo from a reader that I'd like to share:

Hi Phillip,
I was an avid modeler....a long, long time ago. I had all the Replica in Scales and most of the Aerophille, and found them to be the BEST reference information available....I ebayed them 5 years ago and with them most of my model airplane collection....built & unbuilt. I have donated most of my built models to a local CAP Hq. My IPMS # was 1273. Anyway I still do research on the 7th & 40th squadrons whenever I get an itch to read about airplanes. I am mostly about hot rods now.... http://wherewereyouin62.blogspot.com/  I am so glad I found your blog....it will provide me with much reading and oggeling of pictures....chuck shotwell

Thanks Chuck, and please feel free to share any photography you might come up with on the 7th and 40th! Meanwhile, do any of our readers enjoy hot rods? If so, please check out the blog site Chuck linked to above; there's some really neat stuff there if you happen to be a gearhead. (I just finished restoring an old 1/25th scale '32 Ford roadster for Jenny's bookshelf, so Chuck's site was a real treat for me!)

While we're in that vein, I don't know how many of you go to the "Links" part of this site. There wasn't one for a really long time, you know, because I was far too computer-challenged to figure out the incredibly simple and intuitive software that allowed me to add such things to Replica. You might want to try them out if you haven't before; there are some neat sites out there and I think you'll enjoy them.

Meanwhile, that's what I know for this week. Be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon.
phil

Another Modular Hawk on the Bench, More Hogs, Some Mustangs, And a Couple of Spiffy Skyrays

Long Time Gone

Or, where I've been. It's New Job time again---what an odd little economy we've more or less got---and we missed last week due to the requirements thereof. Missing a week isn't my first choice, but if I don't pay the bills I can't do this blog; it's a classic case of priorities, as it were. Anyway, we're back again and, I think, with some really special stuff; let's us get started, whaddayathink?

Another Modular Hawk

There's something about the P-40 that has an appeal for most modelers, and I have to admit I'm hooked on the airplane too. For me it's mostly the early ones, most specifically the "E" models in use in the SWP back during The Bad Old Days of WW2, but I'll occasionally do an "N" to break things up a bit and, if I'm really in the mood to shake the tree, I'll build one in 1/32nd scale. That's what's happening today or, more specifically, for the past three weeks. Here's where I am as of today:

First, there was the simple act of getting the kit. I saw a release notice on one of those internet scale modeling sites and immediately put in a call to My Favorite Local Hobby Shop, the employees of which were convinced that such a marvel did not exist and that I was, in fact, chasing the 1/48th scale Hase offering of same. It took about 6 weeks before I was able to convince them that the 1/32nd scale kit really existed, and another two weeks after that to get it. Oh well, I'm stubborn, and I wanted the kit. I kept after it, and I eventually got it. There's a lesson therein.

Anyway, I got the thing, and now it's mostly together and partially painted and, as usual, it's going to be finished as an aircraft from the 49th FG; this time the 7th FS using some exceptionally nice decals made by the folks at Zotz. We're not going to to a blow-by-blow account of how to build the thing, because I figure you've already got some modeling skills to your credit, but there are a couple of things that could stand mention.

First, everything on this kit fits, which is in direct opposition to the ranting, raving, wailing, and general silliness you may have read on the internet about Hasegawa's 1/48th and 1/32nd scale Warhawks. All it takes is a little care when you're removing the parts from the sprues and cleaning them up, plus a little finesse when you're aligning things and Zip-Zap-Zoop; you've got an airframe! The Hasegawa P-40s are eminately buildable.

Second, there's not much of an aftermarket for the type. The cockpit can stand some Eduardizing, as it were, but that's mostly to get the various placards, etc, that you'll need to complete the interior. Those placards, plus a set of belts and harnesses, will finish off the almost-adequate kit cockpit very nicely. (I've only seen one release of the "N" model in 1/32nd, the Every-Schoolboy-Used-to-Have-the-Picture 1 of 15,000 bird. The only decals given with the kit are for that airplane, making the aforementioned Zotz sheet an essential.)

Third, and as to be expected with any airplane assigned to the 49th FG in the Pacific during the war, there are some questions about the markings. We'll get to those in modest detail later, but the bird I'm doing makes for the usual Interesting Study in Contradictions Regarding Airplanes of the 49th. If any of you hold original photography on the airplane, please wait until I've completely finished the model and couldn't possibly go back and un-do the damage, then scan and send those photos to replicainscale@yahoo.com . Right on!

 Here's where we are so far. Sharp-eyed readers will notice that there's a lot of work to do on that spinner before we call it Done. Masking it most assuredly was not my finest hour! The transparencies have been faired into the fuselage but not yet masked and painted, and the major paintwork (sans those transparencies) has been done. I'm not certain about the cut line where the white conspicuity markings on the emennage meet the aft fus and may alter them later, or maybe not. Colors are Testor ModelMaster enamel, with RAF Azure Blue being used for the pale blue tail stripe; it seems to be an excellent match right out of the bottle. The poorly-masked spinner is done with USN True Blue, and I've used Insignia Blue forward of that little white trim stripe on the nose, because the photos I've got all seem to show a color that's slightly darker than the surrounding area up there. That may be because the white stripe makes it appear darker, but there's no way to know for certain without a color photo of the area and we already know that nobody's going to send in a photo until after the model is done, right?

The starboard side of the airplane, offered mainly because of those dark green splotches. They were the norm on AAF aircraft of the 1942-1943 era and seem to have been a standard feature on the P-40N. They also seem to have had a well-defined pattern rather than being just a random thing. The best explanation of them that I've seen, and the one that I'd recommend to you, is a drawing in Ian Baker's excellent Aviation History Coloring Book 44; Green Splotches, White Splotches; Another Look at USAAF Camouflage 1942-1943. As with all of Mr. Baker's offerings, this one is superb and well worth its modest price. The placement of the blotches on the model were taken directly from that monograph. Note the area under the canopy; it's OD to match the surrounding fuselage. You don't want to follow Hasegawa's painting instructions back there, gang!

We'll come back to this P-40 in a later installment, when it's a little bit farther along. Meanwhile, how about some Real Airplane Pictures for a Monday?

Props Are Good, and Hogs Have Props

You see a whole lot of Chance Vought F4Us on this site, and there are reasons for it. First, and most important to me; it's my site and I happen to like the airplane. Also, frequent contributors Jim Sullivan and Doug Siegfried like the U-Bird too, and they send in some neat stuff from time to time. Finally, there are really good kits of the Corsair out there in any scale you could think of, and of almost every variant ever produced. In my world that's motivation enough to do yet another photo essay on the type so here, without further ado, are some more F4U photos for your enjoyment:

A prime example of how to load one's britches on the flight deck. An SNJ takes the wire on the FDR while an F4U-5 gets stupid overhead. The adrenalin level in those cockpits, and on the boat, must've been something else---if you look carefully you can see the LSO coming out from behind his wind screen to marvel at the festivities. I'd love to see the plat camera footage on this one!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

133843, a Marine AU-1 from an un-named unit, shows off its pylon suite; the AU could carry a lot of ordnance! Of interest is the frequently seen Non-Specular Sea Blue anti-glare treatment on the upper fuselage decking and cowling.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

The AU-1 saw considerable service in Korea during the "police action". This VMF-212 bird, "Miss Penny", is one of the more famous AUs of the period. Note the natural metal main landing gear and tail wheels, and the pylon suite. There are some oddly-shaped areas on the forward mlg doors, which could be painted a light blue but which are more likely to be silver duct tape picking up a blue sheen from the airframe. A mystery, as it were! Gotta love that arrow on the forward fuselage!  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

A Korean War veteran friend of mine once called that particular place "a very cold corner of Hell". I suspect he was right. This photo shows 129362, an AU-1 of VMA-323, getting ready for a mission. The fuse extender on the 250lb GP bomb is remarkable, and could provide a neat touch to a model. The spAD in the background is probably an AD-2, although it's tough to tell from this view. The shot, most likely taken at Kimpo, portrays typical operations for the Corps during the Korean War.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Another AU-1, this time 129401 from VMA-323, sitting in a revetment. This shot reveals the exhaust pattern on a well-used Corsair, and may be of interest to modelers. Note that the squadron code ("WS") has been applied to the mlg doors as well as the usual vertical stab.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

If it goes up it will come down sooner or later! This landing falls into the "any one you can walk away from" category, and depicts an F4U-5N from VMF(N)-513 after a slight misfortune. The Corsair was a tough airplane and could take a lot of abuse, although that twisted aft fuselage would indicate that this bird became a parts source shortly after the picture was taken. A lot of profile illustrations show the squadron's -5Ns in overall black; a few of them may have worn that color but this aircraft wears the regulation Glossy Sea Blue.  Tailhook Association via Doug Siegfried

Some MO Birds for the Morgan Boys

It's been a long time since I first met the Morgan Brothers, Rick and Mark, but I think they're from Missouri, or at least they have an interest in airplanes from that State. That said, here's a selection of MO NG birds from the early 50s in honor of that interest (and for our mutual enjoyment as well):

There was a time, Way Back When, when almost every American military pilot learned his craft in North American's T-6 Texan. Here's a fine study of a 110th FS/71st FG AT-6D in flight to start the ball rolling. Of special interest is the lack of national insignia on the fuselage, although the star is evident under the starboard wing. Most ANG fighter units had at least one AT-6 (later T-6) on strength for proficiency training. Neat shot!  G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

A pair of MONG Mustangs on the prowl. The large discs on the aft fuselage appear to be in black, although dark blue could be equally valid; your guess is as good as mine! Note that the second aircraft is carrying a nose number, while lead is not. Spinners appear to be white but may also be yellow. Fred Roos via Mark Ninkivil

Here's that disc again, this time on aircraft No. 5. The mystery deepens when you look closely at the image, because the spacing of the "MO" and "NG" would barely allow a conventional national insignia to fit between them, and there's no indication that one was ever there. Sounds like an opportunity for a Relief Tube entry to me!  Fred Roos via Mark Nankivil

Taken on the ground at Lambert Field, this P-51D depicts a Missouri Guard bird early in its career. Note the pre-1947 national insignia (which appears to be greyed-out in finest WW2 ETO tradition) and the nose number. The early buzz number treatment is noteworthy; the P-51's "PF" became "FF" after the 1947 changeover to the USAF. It's really odd to see that greyed-out star on a post-War CONUS bird... G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

PF-105 flying a little form. There's nothing other than that nose number to indicate any sort of unit affiliation, although the aircraft does appear to have a red spinner. Of interest here is the oil streaking on the cowling, so typical of an operational Mustang. G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

And PF-106, bearing the nose number 16 and with an interesting spinner configuration; the aft portion is obviously in natural metal, while the forward part is apparently painted yellow (although it could just as easily be white). These guys were probably flying over Germany in the same kind of airplane just a few short years before! G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

Virginia Mayo was a popular actress of the day---here PF-650 (nose number 1) pays tribute to her. The photograph has obviously seen better days, but the airplane is pristine! Sure wish those guys had put a little more color on their birds---there's just not much there once you get past that red spinner. G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

Mustangs can crash too. This 116th FS P-51D exhibits all the classic signs of the results of a torque roll on takeoff. (A friend of mine once told me that his dad, who'd flown P-51s after the war, once informed him "you never straight arm a P-51!". Truer words were never spoken!) Then again, it may have landed long and flipped once it got to the over-run. Whatever happened, it provided a classic Bad Day for somebody!  G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil

A slightly later time frame, but once again torque roll seems to have been the culprit---look at the way the vertical stab is bent over. Everybody loves the P-51, but it's an airplane that can kill you in a heartbeat if you don't pay attention. Civil Mustang owners re-learn the lesson every year, it seems...  G. Sommerich via Mark Nankivil.

Remember the Skyray?

Frequent contributor Mark Nankivil's dad was a naval aviator during the 50s and 60s. Mark's sent along a couple of really nice "FORD" images taken by his dad, and I think that offers a nice round-out for our day:

Here's an F4D-1 from VF-20 getting ready to take on a little gas. The Skyray was a tiny airplane, and a ferocious performer. It was also woefully underarmed and short-ranged to boot, making it relatively useless in anything other than the fleet defence or point-defense interceptor roll. It was also one of the most beautiful jet fighters ever designed. This photo really defines the type's good looks.  Nankivil Collection

And THE F4D scheme, an F4D-1 from VF(AW)-3 out of North Island. This has got to be one of the prettiest fighter schemes of all time, even if those AIM-9Bs comprise the type's total armament!  Thanks, Mark!  Nankivil collection

The Relief Tube

Mark Morgan has sent along a comment or two on the F-94 photos we ran a few installments back:

Phil - WHOOPS, I goofed big time and left off a couple of items. The first shot with the 2nd FIS F-94As was taken at Nellis, the photo was marked by the Nellis photo lab on the back. I assume the event was oneof the early fighter gunnery meets.



The -94C shot is Burbank, my old plant (as distinguished from Plant B-1, which was further north near the railroad tracks). That hanger in the center background is where the Skunk Works was located while I worked there, 1/87-5/89, with the office building on the far side, out of sight. I fully expect that hanger had several U-2s under construction at the time this photo was taken; the aircraft in the foreground are pre-delivery F-94Cs and T-33As. Sad to say, this entire historic old complex is now gone, bulldozed in order for Lockheed Martin to get it off the California tax rolls. Sigh.. last time I rolled through there was May of '04 while I was doing the Noble Eagle road trips, was shocked to see everything removed..MK
 
A quick note from Tom Gaj regarding the Boeing T-43; the type flew its last operational mission last Friday, 16 September, out of Randolph AFB. The honors of that last GATOR flight fell to 73-1153. And another one bites the dust...
 
And please remember, I'm always looking for photographs and hard information on American military aviation of all eras, but in particular from 1919 to 1975 or so. If you've got anything of that nature that you'd like to share, please contact me at replicainscale@yahoo.com . I don't make money off this thing so you won't either, but full credit will be given for your contributions.
 
That's it 'til next time, so be good to your neighbor. We'll talk again soon.
phil