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Favourite Picture.....


Hercules

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Aviation;

 

here's one of my favourite pictures (and it ties in with the earlier thread about nose art).

 

I took it while standing behind the pilot of 'Yankee Lady', the B-17 owned and operated by the Yankee Air Museum in Michigan, USA. On the ground, if you look closely, you can see 6 more B-17's parked up before the afternoon's display (an 8th B-17 came in the following day!!)

 

Suffice it to say, it was some sight to see 8 B-17's flying in loose formation in the blue skies over Michigan.

 

Keep 'em Rolling!

 

S.

 

 

 

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Fave pic is a hard one. I've got so many airshow pics, many of which have merit for one reason or another, but I think this one of my own B-17 has to rank pretty much in the top few. Over 60 mission markings can be seen painted along the fuselage. Several B-17's with over 100 missions had bomb symbols all the way to the tail!!

 

7.JPG

 

Steve

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The oil streaks are actually painted on, though the spray out of the carb does also blow across the wing. If you look at the attached picture, you'll see that the oil/dirt curves in on the right wing, towards the fuselage. On the left wing, the streaks travel pretty much straight back as the spiral airflow off the props is I think bounced back off the fuselage on this side, forcing the oil straight across the wing.

 

Something the artists got wrong on the 'Memphis Belle' film aircraft, and many modellers make the same mistake, is to paint four oil streaks coming out of the vents on the wing behind each engine. They are VENTS, and air from inside the wing is drawn OUT of the wing at this point. Any oil streaks from the engines are lifted away from the wing by the outflowing air, so the only marks that appear on the wing behind here are from the three gaps between the vents.

 

Steve

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There are a few models that use multi-blade props, but they either have a reduced diameter to keep the engine revs at a usable level, or the engines are geared to drive the larger props. Most engines for model use are not geared like a fullsize aircraft engine, and so can not turn a scale prop.

 

I tend to go for a scale diameter, two blade prop. When running, you get the correct sized yellow prop tip arc, and better thrust than you would with a small three blade prop. Thrust quickly is very useful on a go-around, and two blade props will rev better and pick up faster than three blade. Also, if you loose and engine, you can't feather the props, so one less blade causing drag is an advantage.

 

Many people replace the props on the ground with a scale three blade prop, especially when entering competitions.

 

Steve

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Great pic Paul ( Sorry - Simon!!!) -

 

I am hoping to take a B17 flight this year, and was looking at the Collings Foundation for a flight, simply because someone had recommended them - any reasoning behind your choice of operator?

 

 

Hi Shirley :D,

 

We went over to the Yankee Air Museum for their 'Thunder Over Michigan' show that year because of the assembly of B-17's. The show was predominantly a fund raiser as almost their entire collection had gone up in smoke earlier in the year. When we saw the chance for a flight...... well, what ya gonna do!!?? :D

 

My comrade on the trip also snagged a flight in a B-24 the following day.

 

I'm not sure how the operators compare, but my advice; DO IT!

 

Here are a couple more photos from the flight; first one is yours truly in the bombers seat as we fly around Detroit, and the second is Neil Stevens enjoying the view out of the open top during the flight.

 

The only tricky part was when I came back from the flight deck along the narrow 'bridge' over the bomb bay, and they opened the doors.....

 

Keep 'em Rolling

 

S.

 

 

 

 

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Hi N.O.S.

 

Sorry I can't find your actual name, which I think I may have mentioned just once before, but in the words of Basil Fawty, "I think i got away with it!"

 

I flew aboard the Collins Foundation B-17 G Nine-O-Nine eleven years ago. I found them to be exceptionally friendly, helpful and literally bent-over backwards when they realised we had journeyed from across the pond to take the flight.

 

So much so, they had us on-board 10 mins before everyone else and up on the flight-deck stood behind the pilots for pre-flight, taxi and take-off and subsequent landing. After we were up, we were let loose, down into the nose, back to the waist, up and peering out of the radio roof hatch. It was 50 mins duration and just awesome.

 

I had my A2 jacket painted with Nine-O-Nine on the back and offered it to the pilot after the flight as a gift, because he had not only made my day, but made my life........! He wouldn't accept it because he said he just couldn't, no matter how much he admired it. The pilot was Jimmy Leawauld who I later found out ownes what they calla warbird farm in Florida.

 

This is where you buy a house on a housing estate which has a double garage one side and a hangar the other side. A runway connects to the housing estate. A multi-millionaire, but a very normal and gracious individual, who's decisions on the day allowed me a flight far above and beyond my wildest expectations.

 

I will get the photos transferred one day and post them - but their not digital of course.

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  • 4 months later...

I like this one for nose art.

 

Anyone in Lancashire today, particularly around Lytham Hall then you will see and here 509. We're supporting their open day from 12.30 until 4. It's to say thank you for their help when we re-united members of the 129th Assault Helicopter Company with one of their old machines.

 

We're down at Beaulieu next weekend and on the 31st May/1st June were at the Airborne Forces do at Newby Hall near Ripon.

 

May see you around.

 

Olivedrab

43.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

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