Aircraft

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Some one slap Jeff please.

Consider me slapped ..

[Texas Lawdog]

As of the last reunion of the Raiders, there are 6 members left. They have a wooden case with silver cups engraved their names on them. They drink a toast to themselves and the departed members.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I just saw the Military Channel special on these heroes.  They showed 3 or 4 of the survivors that were able to come to the 2009 (I think) reunion.  They told of the silver cups and the bottle the last 2 will drink from & toasty the others with.  It was well worth watching.

[Texas Lawdog]

I would have enjoyed being there and getting to meet the surviving members. A bunch of B25s flew up there for the event. Dad's outfit was the reorganized outfit that had been the Raiders. It was neat to see all those B25s up there. I caught a glimpse of "Pacific Prowler" in the video.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid34757272001?bclid=0&bctid=87804472001

[Leo Tanner]

Good link Charles.  You don't hear much about the 39s.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

They made a better ground attack plane than a fighter. in the Pacific, the Zeros feasted on them.....

[Steel Horse Bailey]

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid34757272001?bclid=0&bctid=87804472001

Thanks for posting this, Sir. Chas!  While not a top-notch fighter compared to Mustangs, Spits, FW190s, etc. the P-39 was a solid performer, with many advanced features, and the Russians loved them.  As did ground attack units.  And I've personally admired them for a long time; they look very advanced and modernistic to me, and .... well, I often like the "underdogs" that didn't get near as much of the hoop-la that other, more swift or agile fighters did.  ("hoop-la" [adj.] is a scientific word for accolades and other terms of endearment.  [See: acclaim, appreciation, commendation, fuss, tributes, & gushing praises  with proposals of marriage.])
      

[Arcey]

The museum out in Pungo has one on the Army side. It’s airworthy. The fine fella guiding Tom and me thru the place said the locals don’t like to fly it. Something about the balance with the engine placement. It has Russian markings.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I've heard about the balance issues before.  The way I heard it, when the aircraft had a full load of fuel, the balance (and center of gravity) was right, but as fuel was used in flight, it  became less responsive and the balance was off.  For most flights nowadays, the tanks wouldn't be totally full; only enough for whatever show or whatever flight was needed.

On the other hand, the fabulous P-51 had a similar fault, but in reverse.  It had a rather large fuel tank right behind the pilot in the fuselage.  When the plane was totally full of fuel, for the long escort missions, it handled terribly.  However, the pilots soon learned to switch the fuel draw to that tank FIRST, so that tank was used first and the plane became much more responsive and the CG and balance was right.

[Arcey]

Appreciate the education, SHB. Put that way it would figure for the locals. Don’t think they take ‘em too far when they put ‘em up so I doubt they’d put a full load in ‘em.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

With the link below, you will be able pull up every airplane that was built in every country in the world and every aircraft company.  Want to check out almost any airplane ever built in the world?  Old, new, military, civilian?
Browse this site for a few minutes.  You will be amazed at what has been done in airplane design.  The amount of info available is unbelievable.  Virtual Airplane Museum.

http://www.aviastar.org/index2.html

[Leo Tanner]

I know what I will be doin taday.  Thanks fer the link!

[Texas Lawdog]

The P39 had a driveshaft that ran between the prop and the engine.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

The P39 had a driveshaft that ran between the prop and the engine.

And betwixt the pilot's feet, too - didn't it?  Covered, of course, but a hump on the floor.

Or not ...

 

[Texas Lawdog]

Yessir. That's the plane that my Dad wanted to fly when he joined the Air Corps, but he was 6'2" and was too tall for fighters. They made him a Bomber pilot.

[Arcey]

Found this when I was lookin' to see if the museum had an image of their's online:



I was an even 6' at 18. Don't guess I'd have fit either. Time ta time a camera lens will distort stuff but lookin' at that layout, the cockpit couldn't have been but so big. The museum has a collection of flight suits on the second level. I looked at some 'n wondered if they really made guys that small in the 40's.

[Texas Lawdog]

I visited the AF Museum at Wright-Patterson when I had a trip to Dayton to PU a Prisoner. It was an experience to visit there. I was in "hog heaven" up there.

[Leo Tanner]

My uncle Joe was built like my Dad, small enough ta stuff inta a tail gunner position.  The guys that got crammed in tanks weren't much bigger.  Most of the tall guys ended up in the Marines.  Six foot is (or was) a requirement to be a sea going Marine.    

[Texas Lawdog]

You also had to smaller to be a crew member on a WW2 submarine.

[Arcey]

The old perforated steel planks that stuff sits on brings back memories. When I was a kid some relatives had a couple cottages in Nags Head (Carolina Outer Banks or OBX) near the Wright Memorial. Uncle Tommy was a Seabee ‘n knew the stuff well. Bought it surplus ‘n used it for driveways, walks ‘n such.

[Texas Lawdog]

That stuff was their instant runways during the island hopping in the Pacific.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Marsden Matting Bailing out of a '39 could be pretty hairy considering the cockpit entry/exit was a door like a car. That drive shaft between the legs is an impediment,too.
Ball turret gunners had to be basically built like jockeys, the same aas the tail gunners on 17's. After going through the Cod, I can see why crewmen had to be somewhat smaller as well.............Buck

[Forty Rod]

I alway thought the P-39 was the A-10 of WWII.  One single heavy caliber gun, lots of armor, not too fast, and a born tank killer when it first came out.

[Leo Tanner]

Mister Rod, I do believe they called them Tank Killers.  They weren't so good in a dog fight.