Happy 70th birthday........

[Fax]

Always thought the Lightning pretty but found the Black Widow odd looking.  I've got photos of Glacier Girl, the P-38 Lightning they found a few years ago frozen in a glacier and restored, taken at the Dayton Air Show (same place I took the Mustang pic, she was just a few yards away)  They had the original instruments all laying around on display...She was a mess when they found her!
I'll post some when I get a chance to scan them (Capt. Volls American Beauty I had on the hard drive here at work).
Fax

[chop456]

This cracks me up every time I see it.  .

Alan De Cadenet getting frightened by a Spitfire.

Warning - Contains Foul Language

http://alexisparkinn.com/oh_my_god.htm

[Snoring Rhino]

This cracks me up every time I see it.  .

Alan De Cadenet getting frightened by a Spitfire.

Warning - Contains Foul Language

http://alexisparkinn.com/oh_my_god.htm

[Ferrari Spider]

Always thought the Lightning pretty but found the Black Widow odd looking.  I've got photos of Glacier Girl, the P-38 Lightning they found a few years ago frozen in a glacier and restored, taken at the Dayton Air Show (same place I took the Mustang pic, she was just a few yards away)  They had the original instruments all laying around on display...She was a mess when they found her!
I'll post some when I get a chance to scan them (Capt. Volls American Beauty I had on the hard drive here at work).
Fax

I remember the first photo's taken.  If memory serves a flight of p-38 were en-route to the UK, had problems and LANDED in Greenland.  Over the years with the snow the aircraft were covered and ended up 100+ft below the surface, steam was used to get to the aircraft and over a period the aircraft was stripped and returned to the USA.  The original team completed the aircraft to a point and the project was subsequently "bought" with the input from them.  Truly a marvellous tale and more aircraft to be recovered including a couple of B-17's.

Thinking of beautiful aircraft, some of the US commercial aircraft of the 1930's were truly beautiful, have to dig the books out.

[Steve Pyro]

P-38 Lightning - Yes.  A lovely aircraft and an inspiration for Harley Earl and the '50's Cadillac tail fins.

But lets talk about a REAL Lightning - English Electric stylie.

This aircraft really kicked some bottom !  Basically a pilot strapped to two Rolls Royce Avons.

[Perdu]

Now you're talking, Steve.


Bootiful!


Glad to have you back too, Peter.

Talking about wing rebuilding,, anyone know if it is true that the BBMF Hurricane received the metal wings from the Birmingham Science Museum Hurri, as I was told.

I grew up with that Hurricane and Spitfire, always in the Science Museum whenever I went walkabout from Skool.
(Which, sadly was far too often!)

[Fax]

Hey Guys,
As I said, I'm biased for America's beloved Mustang (like the Spitfire, a lot of them still flying thank God! Indy legend Johnny Rutherford being a pilot of one)  But we Yanks haven't forgotten that the P-51 sports a British engine that transformed the original design, thanks guys for the Rolls!  Those engines in those fast, manueverable, and armed to the teeth little bastards saved the lives of a hell of alot of B-17 and B-24 crews, and made life hell for the Luftwaffe fighters that got close to a bomber formation, they knew Mustangs were waiting in the sun!
The story of Glacier Girl is a great one, I'll see if I can find the PBS video of her story, you'll love it.  Pics to come.
Fax

[Steve Pyro]

John, I too saw the Glacier Girl documentary on Discovery some time ago.  I suspect it cost a fair chunk of money to restore.

I liked the way they bored through the ice - a steam heated 'ring' that melted and sank deeper to provide a shaft.  Would you have worked on removing the aircraft deep down in the ice in that cold wet chamber !! 

Another (albeit disasterous) attempt to remove a B17 from the glacial ice in Greenland was brave, but sadly cost the life of one of the crew and the B17 to fire - started by an overturned small generator in the fuselage.

[Nordic]

Happy Birthday to the old girl. I get a tingle up my spine whenever I hear and see one in flight, the sound may be the best engine note ever heard bar none.

As for the best looking plane, Spitfire aside, may I put forward the Vulcan bomber. One of the reasons I used to look forward to the British GP as a lad was the fly by by the bomber, the noise used to shake you.

[Rusty]

But lets talk about a REAL Lightning - English Electric stylie.

As a mere slip of a lad my good old dad took me to the Biggin Hill airshow in the early 60's.
As well as getting to see the fabulous V bombers in flight, we also had our hearing SHATTERED by the Lightning formation team as unseen they crested a hill and flew at very low altiutude on full afterburners across the airfield. All the adults hit the deck and all the kids immediately burst into tears. It was terrifying, and I feel very proud and privileged that I had the opportunity to be scared to f**cking death by a flight of these beauties.
I'll never forget it.
Rusty

[Chris24]

Not particularly the prettiest, but by god was the Vulcan the most impressive thing in the sky.

I even went to the old girls, birthday party at Woodford in the 90's when I was a membeer of the Vulcan Association. They had a hugh cake, a 60's band a big marque, and a special display by XH558 before parking her up nose to nose with Woodfords Vulcan outside the marque for a photo shoot.

I even took a petition around my village trying to drum up support to get the RAF to pay for the main spar replacement so she could continue to fly and do displays. But to no avail sadly.

[Ferrari Spider]

The good news Chris that 558 will fly again.  http://www.vulcan558club.com/.  Speaking of Squadron visits, has any one seen a QRA Vulcan Scramble.  LOUD. IMPRESSIVE. UNFORGETABLE

[smokie]

I used to work at a building which backed onto Buckingham Palace and remember the Vulcan fly-pasts for Her Maj's birthday well.

[gab]

I even went to the old girls, birthday party at Woodford in the 90's when I was a membeer of the Vulcan Association

..not a big aircraft fan Chris,  but when you said you were a membe(e)r of the Vulcan Association, at first I thought you were talking about those Star Trekers and Mr. Spock and such  gotta learn to read these postings slower

See you in Sebring Chris....ohhhh I`m not allowed to mention Sebring in this thread, sorry if I offended anyone.

[Fax]

Steve, I remember the failed attempt to rescue the bomber from the ice very well, was actually a B-29 Superfortress.  There's only one flying B-29 at the moment, with a couple of others close to flying condition.
When Fee-Fee (the flying) B-29 was in town a couple of years ago I mentioned the botched attempt to rescue the other Superfort and he said that they just got in too much of hurry to get out of there and hadn't checked all the systems thoroughly, and as you said a small generator came loose and whoosh! Big fire!
You guys mentioned how loud the Lightning was, loudest I've ever heard was when my uncle was still in the USAF he was stationed at Warner Robbins AFB in Georgia, which also happened to be a SAC base, he took my brother and I out to watch B-52's take off a couple of times, talk about something that could wake the dead!  The ground shook beneath you when they made their take off run.  The C-130's that he flew were Piper Cubs by comparison.
Fax