MAU MAU wrote:Bring back the Saturn V!

I saw one yesterday!

My favorite aviation print. A local aviation Pioneer.

Yellowbelly wrote:Looking at the photo, I should point out that Rutan and the boys had to go above 100,000 meters to win the prize. That's 328,000 ft (and some change). Notice the registration number on the spaceship?

YB

Really cool! I hadn't put that together!

Also, I found out it was registered as a glider: http://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N328KF

Very cool pictures, thanks for sharing!

UngaWunga wrote:This picture is hanging in the office of the Hampton airfield...

The original owner of the Hampton airfield landed his Cub on top of Mt Washington in NH in 1947. I've been up there in the winter. It's a little brutal at times.

There is more to that story. This was actually one of 44 flights he made to that site. On the 44th he wrecked on landing, and had to leave the plane while parts were obtained- a prop and a ski gear as I recall. A blizzard ensued. When the sky cleared, he made the necessary repairs, pre-flighted, and took off. No one realized that the blizzard had packed the tail with snow. The entire descent to the valley was made at full power, on the ragged edge of stall.

-DP

Here's one writeup about it:

Few outside NH's North Country know about Carmen Onofrio (from Milan, NH) and his 43 successful landings and take-offs from the summit of Mt Washington. All flights were during the 1940's, in his Piper Cub, carrying people, equipment, and supplies. Most landings were on a 40' by 125' strip in a parking lot on Home Stretch, near the tank farm and the turn on the Cog RR track.

Actually he made a 44th flight, crash landed and walked away from it. After his plane was repaired, Onofrio took off from the summit and almost crashed in the Great Gulf. The cause being snow blew into the entire tail section during repairs and no one realized this. He wisely retired from these summit landings.

A memorial at the Berlin Airport (in Milan) reads, "I can say with a good deal of joy that I have seen the great and wonderful work of our creator from the vantage point of a high flying eagle."

It was difficult for me to believe when the locals told me until I read articles sent to me by a generous and knowledgeable staff member from Mt Washington's Observatory. Articles were published in Yankee Magazine (March 197, Jean Batchelder's History and Heros of NH Aviation, Northern NH Magazine, The Berlin Daily Sun and in the Mt Washington Observatory magazine Windswept (Summer 1997 & Spring 2002). It is still difficult for me to believe, but it is absolutely true.

The first time my Dad took me to Osh. Had to have been early 80's. (me in the Guys and Dolls shirt) Besides my dad, you can tell Im the only one that is enjoying himself.

I'd wager 1985 or so, judging by the plaid shorts and topsiders. I had many outfits exactly like this between 84 and 88.

A friend passed this link along to me today...

http://jonproctor.net/chicago-through-the-years/

Many photos of older passenger airplanes in vintage liveries.

This one is not that old 1960

My Grandpa was in WW2. He mainly flew P-40's, and P-39's in the South Pacific. I watched the movie "Memphis Belle" in 1990 and was obsessed with everything about World War 2 after that. My grandpa never told me much about his flying until recently. He is still alive at 93 and I love "talking shop" with him. I know he is living vicariously through me right now. I am working on scanning some of his pictures from training and life in the South Pacific at the time. I could look at those pictures for hours.

In the mean time, here are a few of mine:


Me manning the Browning M2 Waist Gun on the B24 Liberator "All American." Probably around 1991? I'm guessing..... I would've been 10 years old.


I still love B-17's. Without question my favorite WW2 Bomber. Nine O Nine and the All American came to Parkersburg one cold day. My dad took me and my siblings and the neighbor to see them. I was in hog heaven!!!


Hooked on taildraggers for life.



Remember Aerial Solutions???
These are the dudes who gave me my first taste of flight in 1988. I will never forget it. They landed in the ol man's hay field to tear the saw down and load it out for the next move. They asked dad if they cold leave it in the field for the night and fly it out in the morning to the next job. Dad said, "Sure!" Rides for parking!!!






Little Brother getting out with Dad




Dad and little Bro again. I can't find the pictures with me and the choppa!!


I'm hiding behind the neighbor just leanin' on the skid... (You know just chillin, talkin pilot talk)


Tearing down the saw.

I'll never forget those days.

Not a vintage pic, I just took this a few days ago. But, it's the front office of a WW2 troop transport glider Those guys had a pretty rough job and suffered some high casualty rates I believe. The construction looked extremely robust, overbuilt almost, but probably not when taking in account the way they used them

courierguy wrote:Not a vintage pic, I just took this a few days ago. But, it's the front office of a WW2 troop transport glider Those guys had a pretty rough job and suffered some high casualty rates I believe. The construction looked extremely robust, overbuilt almost, but probably not when taking in account the way they used them

Wow, that has some meaning to me. My neighbor who passed away in his '90s last year was involved with those in WWII. I think he was in command of a glider unit, or flew them in any case. His stories certainly corroborated your remark about heavy casualties. I believe he said they were skinned with plywood. His unit was tasked with developing landing sites. They would glide down with grub hoes and other hand tools, and create an airstrip for the powered aircraft to use. I was fascinated by it, but he didn't talk about it too often. Maybe something to do with those heavy casualties. Where is that one you photographed?
Thanks,
-DP

courierguy wrote:Not a vintage pic, I just took this a few days ago. But, it's the front office of a WW2 troop transport glider Those guys had a pretty rough job and suffered some high casualty rates I believe. The construction looked extremely robust, overbuilt almost, but probably not when taking in account the way they used them

Very interesting history, consistent with the period where great sacrifices were accepted as necessary by so many. Lots of these crafts were actually built by a casket company:

"Their fragile craft made of wood, canvas and metal tubing (often built under government contract by furniture companies and, ironically, by a casket company) performed duties that today are handled by helicopters."

http://www.pointvista.com/WW2GliderPilo ... cation.htm

...and the most improbable rescue of WW-II when a C-47 crashed in the jungle of New Guinea, killing most of the 24 people on board. To rescue the three survivors, they eventually landed one of these gliders in a gully, then snatched it back into the air with a C-47 flying overhead.

Nothing was impossible to those folks. I read the book a while ago: "Lost in Shangri-La". Some neat pictures of the whole affair too.

My hat is permanently off to those guys (and gals).

YB

denalipilot wrote:

courierguy wrote:Not a vintage pic, I just took this a few days ago. But, it's the front office of a WW2 troop transport glider Those guys had a pretty rough job and suffered some high casualty rates I believe. The construction looked extremely robust, overbuilt almost, but probably not when taking in account the way they used them

Wow, that has some meaning to me. My neighbor who passed away in his '90s last year was involved with those in WWII. I think he was in command of a glider unit, or flew them in any case. His stories certainly corroborated your remark about heavy casualties. I believe he said they were skinned with plywood. His unit was tasked with developing landing sites. They would glide down with grub hoes and other hand tools, and create an airstrip for the powered aircraft to use. I was fascinated by it, but he didn't talk about it too often. Maybe something to do with those heavy casualties. Where is that one you photographed?
Thanks,
-DP

SE Idaho, at a crop duster strip. The pilot owner respects it's history and is also an old tractor collector.

We purchased a building in Minneapolis in 1997. In the back room was a plaque about five feet high and 10 feet long. At the top is said " THESE PARTS BUILT FOR WWII AIRCRAFT". Their where maybe thirty small parts of differing sizes attached to the plaque. When we sold the business it was time to clean everything out to rent the space. I contacted the local civil air force to see if they where interested in it as I didn't think something like that belonged in my hanger. After three attempts with them saying they where interested and so and so would call. I finally called the fourth time and finally someone called me back saying they where looking for parts. He showed up looked at them and said these aren't parts that I'm looking for, but I may know someone who is. At this point I resolved that I would take the plaque to my hanger. Three weeks later a guy calls asking about airplane parts. I tell him they really aren't usable parts, but come look. Two fellas show up and I take them back to the plaque. They stand their looking at it and finally one say's can you believe this Pete that's the center control column. Turns out all these parts where for the gliders in WWII. The company that originally was in the building was a machine shop. In Minneapolis at that time their where many furniture factories also. So machine shops made the metal parts and furniture shops did the wood work. They where assembled in St. Paul then shipped over seas. The two fellas that came that day where trying to rebuild a glider, but many parts where missing. The day they came to pick it up I went to take some pictures, but camera battery's where dead. What amasses me most is after all those years of different business in the building that that plaque survived.
46tcrft

Yellowbelly wrote:...and the most improbable rescue of WW-II when a C-47 crashed in the jungle of New Guinea, killing most of the 24 people on board. To rescue the three survivors, they eventually landed one of these gliders in a gully, then snatched it back into the air with a C-47 flying overhead.

Nothing was impossible to those folks. I read the book a while ago: "Lost in Shangri-La". Some neat pictures of the whole affair too.

YB

I remember reading the same account in another book, Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors. The three survivors had quite a harrowing time just getting to the rendezvous site, and getting found in the first place.
-DP

Yellowbelly wrote:...and the most improbable rescue of WW-II when a C-47 crashed in the jungle of New Guinea, killing most of the 24 people on board. To rescue the three survivors, they eventually landed one of these gliders in a gully, then snatched it back into the air with a C-47 flying overhead.

Nothing was impossible to those folks. I read the book a while ago: "Lost in Shangri-La". Some neat pictures of the whole affair too.

My hat is permanently off to those guys (and gals).

YB

I listened to that audio book while on a road trip from Oregon to Kansas. An excellent book and a great way to burn 8 hours of the trip. A must read IMO.

There is a book called "Black Sunday", when over 100 aircraft got stranded on the north side of New Guinea. The pilots couldn't fly instruments, so most bailed out and some belly landed on the grass plains in the valleys. I most of the instances, when they found the crew. They dropped machetes, shovels and some food from an L4. Included where instructions to "hack a runway, this long and this wide, when your done we will fly back and pick you up one at a time."

Any idea who the author is dogpilot?

I was just looking for my copy, seems I loaned it to somebody and it has never returned! It was done by an Aussie diplomat I met who also had a birddog he recovered from Vietnam and was piecing together. I unfortunately keep re-purposing the few neurons I have left and have forgotten his name. It was not a widely published book, most likely only available in OZ. He interviewed scores of pilots, who had stories like, the gyros had never even been uncaged in the P-38's, ever. Even the B-25 crews couldn't do IFR, besides the spine of New Guinea is rather high and pointy. So most chose to bail out rather than try to get throughout he thunderstorms and then avoid the really high obscured peaks. Remember, we really didn't have maps with like, small details, such as elevation on them for that area. It was one of the largest single day loss of aircraft in the Pacific theatre for the war.