Flying

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Thanks, Peter... there are 34 copies of 'The Day of The Typhoon' available on ABE!

On my way... and I'll look up the other one. Any further ideas, PLEASE chirp!

Gotta love this place...

Edit to add: 14 of the 2nd book available too!

[Keith Webb]

I'm back at Temora again, this time for a week or so.. today we're cabling some of the aircraft for "lipstick" camera filming - we plan to shoot the "Oscan Deuce", A37, Vampire, Meteor, Canberra, Tiger Moth, Wirraway and more next time...
I'll post some frame grabs when I get a chance.

[Peter Nenadovich]

Hello Again Geoff,

Was just looking at my bookshelf and thought of two other books that deal somewhat with the TAF. The first would be Richard Rohmer's "Patton's Gap - Mustangs Over Normandy". This book's narrative is split between Rohmer's reminiscences of flying recce Mustangs with 430 Squadron, part of 39 Recce Wing and the larger question of the Falaise battle. My copy is a Stoddart second edition.

The second book I was thinking of was "The Big Show" by Pierre Clostermann. He flew Spits and Tempests through 'til the end of the war. It was one of those flying books that makes you wish (from the safety of your armchair) that just once you could've strapped into a Spit and headed off over France.

Happy Reading

Peter Nenadovich

[Snowtractor]

Nice detailed photo of Navy planes and hangar and tanker and cleatrac in Alaska in 1961. If you like planes its a great shot http://209.165.152.119/navy/jessup_vp931.jpg

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

All I spotted was an A-26/PBY/& a C-47.Where's the tractor??As an aside,for your parts coming from Europe,there's a water shipping company up your way called Northern Transportation.They have offices in Yellowknife & Montreal.Look them up & let me know on the thread."Per Ardua Ad Astra"-To The Stars

[Snowtractor]

...is located just north of the tanker trucks bonnet and just south of the sign on the hanger that says "beware propellers".
Sean

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Garry Shipton
All I spotted was an A-26/PBY/& a C-47.Where's the tractor??As an aside,for your parts coming from Europe,there's a water shipping company up your way called Northern Transportation.They have offices in Yellowknife & Montreal.Look them up & let me know on the thread."Per Ardua Ad Astra"-To The Stars

Gary: Per Ardua Ad Astra properly translates from the Latin, thus:

Through Adversity to the Stars.

The Latin quote is engraved on my yet-to-be-used tombstone, hence my nit-picking correction.

Regards

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

I think "To The Stars" is either 412 or 426 Squadron's motto.My mistake.Too much cold Molson barley soup last night.

[servicepub (RIP)]

Also available on ABEbooks

Halliday, Hugh A.
Typhoon and Tempest -The Canadian Story
Canav Books, 1992. The Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II, 300 photographs, illustrated end-papers, appendices, a comprehensive account Fine/NF DJ. Bookseller Inventory #006326
Price: US$ 35.00 (C$ 48.97) (Convert Currency)
Bookseller: Mainly Books, Holicong, PA, U.S.A.

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by Dave Downs (LT Ducky)
The picture of the Spitfire is magnificent, but it was the mention of the A-37's that really caught my eye. I was a TACP (Tactical Air Control Party, Enlisted) with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard back in the late 1980's, and we flew the OA-37B, and was fortunate enough to get an ride in one and actually fly it for about 20 minutes. I understand there are several A-37's in civilian hands in Australia (well, at least 2!); do you have any history on them? Did the Australian Air Force fly them? I know they are still active in South America.

Dave,
Last week I flew in one of the A37s during an aerobatic routine - what an experience! We were flying lead at the time with the other A37 responsible for collision avoidance part of the time (we crossed over during the 360 turn, where they change roles with the other setting up the hit and us setting the miss). We were pulling about 3 1/2 Gs which might not sound a lot but it was hard to lift my arms, let alone hold a camera AND see the viewfinder without egressing my insides...
The routine was over very quickly, punctuated by the terse commands... smoke on...GO! Up..GO... combat turn... GO! Derry...GO! All the time with G forces and the view from the cockpit green, blue, green blue.
We mounted small cameras on the top of the fin looking forward, port mainplane looking at the cockpit, and also looking to the rear which is the best shot when the other A37 was 10 feet behind in a vertical climb with smoke on...
I also did some air to air of other aircraft from the 02, including filming the Wirraway and 01. I filmed the 02 from the back of the Wirraway. Quite a week and a half!.
Later this month I'll be back to do the same treatment for the Canberra (shooting from a T28 with modded canopy) and the Spitfire.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

You.... you.... BUGGER!!!!

Why can't the rest of us mortals get to do this??!!

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
You.... you.... BUGGER!!!!

Why can't the rest of us mortals get to do this??!!

At least I can share it with you guys...
there WILL be a DVD...

No, it's not quite as much fun as riding in a CMP, just different!

The pilot of the 02 was a genuine Vietnam FAC - very interesting man and a good interview on the subject.
He has an excellent 16mm film of himself flying the 02 in 1969, with good footage of "Willy Petes" being fired with COIN A37s attacking. These were flown by South Vietnamese who would always hit the target - it was no good trying to tell them to put their weapons a few yards either side - they just didn't understand. There's also a sequence with a RAAF Canberra bombing.
One of the other pilots was also a FAC - he flew OV-10s. The Australians who flew these missions (with the USAF) were all fighter pilots who volunteered for the job. Their normal job was to fly the Mirage IIIc.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Keith Webb
One of the other pilots was also a FAC - he flew OV-10s. The Australians who flew these missions (with the USAF) were all fighter pilots who volunteered for the job. Their normal job was to fly the Mirage IIIc.

There's a couple of great references to Aussie OV-10 FACs in a number of the RVN flying books of a decade or so ago. The best is A LONELY KIND OF WAR, by Michael Harrison. Read it. Then ask your pals whether they were, or know, these guys. Awesome people.

Just use the call-sign SIDEWINDER, and mention a filthy place called Lai Khe.... be interested to hear what comes back...

[Dave Downs (LT Ducky)]

Keith;

3-1/2 is plenty of 'G's!! I start to black-out at 4. Holding and aiming a camera under those conditions is quite a challenge.

Do you need an assistant? It must be really hard work, flying in all those neat airplanes!

[Dave Downs (LT Ducky)]

Geoff;

'LONELY KIND OF WAR' is a classic; 'THE RAVENS' by Christopher Robbins is another one. It gives the history of the 'secret' air war in Laos run by 'sheep-dipped' UASF pilots flying O-1's and T-28's. When I flew the T-34 in ACM my instructor pilot was a RAVEN FAC who was born the same day I was. A really great guy, killed in a T-6 accident 2 years after I flew with him.

RIP D.Craig Morrison.

[Snowtractor]

30's vintage flying boat, would have been used in WWII for sure, dropped by yesterday. ONly 5 in the world apparently.
Sean

[Snowtractor]

Piaggia

[Snowtractor]

Okay, this came by too 1918ish Fokker super universal Byrd crashed one on the south pole that New Zealand is recovering and restoring but this is the only flying one in the world.
Sean

[Dave Downs (LT Ducky)]

I think that the Piaggia (sp?) is a 1950's/60's design; It has modern 'opposed' engines rather than radials and the vertical/horizontal tail doesn't have that '30's' "look".

IIRC, I remember reading about that as a new airplane when I first started flying in the '60's

....I have been wrong, though

edit-
I ran the registration number and came up with the following:

PIAGGIO model P.136-L2 serial #224

Air Worthiness certificate issued in 1957

Presently a total of 4 such aircraft in the US Registry (this one is based in Anchorage Alaska)

[Snowtractor]

Its Piaggio, and just try to spell Partenavia. Thanks for the info, its down in my acft designator as an p-136 not as an Avanti as one of the passengers told me. The avanti is down as a light 2 engine turboprop retractable gear. the p-136 is the piston twin amphib. Sheesh , I'l have to stop listening to those old retired flyers and airfield foremen.
Sean
neat plane though

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

Originally posted by Garry Shipton
While at the beach last summer with the family on Lake Champlain at Plattsburg NY,I was entertained for a couple of hours by an olive drab C-47 in USAAF markings including WW2 invasion stripes who finaly climbed & dropped a load of skydivers over the Plattsburg municipal airport

While browsing the net.I found the WW2 Skytrain I saw over Plattsburg N.Y, last summer in full invasion stripes.Log & type in American Air Power Museum Events,et voila,the plane I saw over th beach
Garry

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Keith Webb
....but I've been having a ball this week filming everything from a Meteor to a Spitfire.

OK Keith... we know you got up with the Spit last weekend... you'd better cough up some pics ASAP, if you know what's good for you!!!!

[Keith Webb]

OK, OK...
I'll post some more pics when I get a chance to do some frame grabs... but here's a shot of yours truly working on rigging one of the lipstick cameras. The recorder, battery and other bits go under the wing in the ammo bay (which I was trusted to close and do up as the engine was running).
We also mounted a camera on the underside of the wing, and two in the cockpit.
The experience of looking out at a Spitfire flying alongside in the late afternoon light was truly one I'll always remember. Just gorgeous!

[Keith Webb]

This is the view from the back seat of the Museum's Wirraway as they edge up into frame... The camera ship is the Cessna 02A.

It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it...

[Keith Webb]

Isn't she beautiful?

[Keith Webb]

The undercarriage retraction described as looking like the aircraft hit a railway sleeper on takeoff...

[Dave Downs (LT Ducky)]

During the 1980's the O-2 was refered to as the 'Duck' due to the configuration of the landing gear going into 'trail' during retraction.

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by Dave Downs (LT Ducky)
During the 1980's the O-2 was refered to as the 'Duck' due to the configuration of the landing gear going into 'trail' during retraction.

Also Kenny Love, who flew the 02 for our filming and runs the Museum tells me there was a "mod" for the 02 which incorporated a strengthened keel to counter the frequent accidents due to landing gear troubles.

It has a distinctive sound, doesn't it.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Here ya go, Keefy... this'll keep you (and Ducky!) busy for a while...

http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/aviation.html

[Dave Downs (LT Ducky)]

Damn Geoff....I do have a life other than the internet, now you've shown me another place to waste time!!!!


GREAT site!