USA Spitfire WWII

[RSKY]

One can loose quite a bit of time on YouTube and the Internet. One day or two, I somehow surfed into a website about the SR-71 and the U2. The website had quite a bit of information that used to be classified, such as missions over Vietnam, China and the Middle East. Made for some really interesting reading. The engine and fuel development for the SR-71 was very interesting.

When I was a kid, we lived near a SAC base and we went to the air shows a couple of times. We could walk into the C-5s and C-141s and walk up too and look into the cockpits of the B-52s and F4s. They had a SR-71 on displace but it was roped off and had airman guarding the plane with M16s/AR15s. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing: You were not getting TOOOO close to the SR-71.

Later,
Dan

We attended an airshow at Millington TN back in the nineties right after the first Gulf War and they had one of the Stealth fighters on display. We actually talked to the pilot. The plane was enclosed by two roped off spaces with a 10-15' gap between them. He said they would shoot him if he crossed the second rope and, "I flew the dang thing here". Three nervous looking teenaged MPs with M-16s and a girl that looked thirteen with a happy looking German Shepard were the guards.

RSKY

 

[bunyip]

At our flying training school they decided to have an open day so the public could see our budding hero's in action, they also hooked up the control tower to the PA system.
All was going well with the radio banter coming across the PA although not what we were used to hearing everyday, this is blue fox to red leader etc etc.
Anyway the PA burst into life and announced that Squadron Leader X would come over the runway upside down at 100', then we cut to the radio, blue fox to red leader I am approaching the runway, and over he went, I am now upside down and over he came.
Where the two runways cross he hit an airpocket and dropped about 50' before recovering, the PA was still on and we heard a loud voice shout 'F### that was close' followed by a click as the system was turned off, too late....
The PA was never hooked up to the tower again.
The aircraft were Winjeels, a single engine trainer that could hover in decent head wind, faster than an A model Ford.... just, but the first step for our budding flyers who then moved on to the next school for bigger or faster things.

 

[bcp]

Winjeel:

CAC, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-25 Winjeel - Specifications - Technical Data / Description



More:
CAC Winjeel - Wikipedia

Bruce

 

[PILOON]

I owned a FBO and avionics shop based in YUL (Dorval) and sat in the cockpit of a V12 AC while doing radio checks.
Man U had to be shorter than me to wear that AC. (I'm 6 ft)
Forget exactly which AC it was but later as he flew away he did a low 'fly by', sweet sounding it was.
Might have been a DH as seem to recall wood structure.

Being at YUL we saw lots of amazing AC and more than a few 'gear up' incidents.
I was an official witness to quite a few incidents being both a pilot and A & P.

Weirdest I recall was a 'gear up twin' that you'd swear they were shooting at him as he belly gear up landed.
It was the sparks that ignited the spilled avgas as he slid along the runway 'gear up'. The puffs of smoke followed him about 30-40 ft behind him.

 

[turnkey4099]

At our flying training school they decided to have an open day so the public could see our budding hero's in action, they also hooked up the control tower to the PA system.
All was going well with the radio banter coming across the PA although not what we were used to hearing everyday, this is blue fox to red leader etc etc.
Anyway the PA burst into life and announced that Squadron Leader X would come over the runway upside down at 100', then we cut to the radio, blue fox to red leader I am approaching the runway, and over he went, I am now upside down and over he came.
Where the two runways cross he hit an airpocket and dropped about 50' before recovering, the PA was still on and we heard a loud voice shout 'F### that was close' followed by a click as the system was turned off, too late....
The PA was never hooked up to the tower again.
The aircraft were Winjeels, a single engine trainer that could hover in decent head wind, faster than an A model Ford.... just, but the first step for our budding flyers who then moved on to the next school for bigger or faster things.

I was a Russian linguist in the AF. We copied tactical air traffic. In Germany I heard a Mig-21 pilot have in emergence - flame out. Mig-21 were new to the force and had many problems. Drill was . He had taken off for the morning weather reconnaissance, got up around 20,000 and flamed out. Drill was, 'flame out - punch out'. He didn't and dead-sticked it back onto the field. He froze on the mike on the way down and was talking to himiself all the way..."easy....e a s y......so....hold it there....easy" etc. Quite entertaining.