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Interesting Aviation Photos and Videos

stevieboy

stevieboy

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Bob Womack said:
That is so cool - a little contact with history. The Conny was such a pretty bird, and so complicated. A friend's father was the last crew chief on the Boeing 707-based Air Force One and oversaw its decommissioning. She knew I loved aircraft so she brought me a crystal stein from the plane!

Bob
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That's cool. Who was the Prez? My dad very possibly knew the pilot, they usually came out of the same wing at the time--not sure now, it's a much more complex job as I understand it from the little reading I've done.

After this my dad flew a backup Connie on a couple of week long South America trip that Eisenhower took. He had some shwag from that. I have a some of it now.
 
Bob Womack

Bob Womack

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stevieboy said:
That's cool. Who was the Prez? My dad very possibly knew the pilot, they usually came out of the same wing at the time--not sure now, it's a much more complex job as I understand it from the little reading I've done.
Click to expand...
This was under Reagan and Bush I.

Bob
 
Bob Womack

Bob Womack

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Okay, aviation quiz day! One of these lovely P-51 Mustangs has an obvious problem. Can anyone spot it?

mustangs.jpg


These were two of three that, along with B-25 HAP, fluttered into a general aviation field to top off their tanks after a show. I walked over to the pilot and warned him but being a young twenty-something, he was too interested in hugging and mugging with the babes to pay attention. The problem cost him a weekend in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, a rare part shipped in from across the country, and a few hours of an airframe and powerplant mechanic's time.

Bob
 
Nick-O

Nick-O

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I live just a few miles from a large MCAS. They hold a free air show every two years. The planes started arriving for this weekend yesterday. Blue Angels came in last night and blasted the town and surrounding area. Most of the residents either served or are serving, so there are no complaints about the roaring sound of freedom here.
I live on the marsh so I have a clear view each year, but I almost like Friday best, cause as each plane comes in, they get to beat over the town. Something very cool about that. The Obama admin was not in favor of air shows, so it will be nice to see a full schedule this year.
Pictures to follow if I am quick enough!
 
Bob Womack

Bob Womack

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Zentar said:
I give up. Cant see anything with the 2 P51s
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Bald Eagle's inner landing gear doors are up and the engine is stopped. Normally, when the engine is running the doors are pumped up closed. When the engine stops they sag open. Later as I watched, the three young birdmen gallantly jumped into their steeds, dramatically took off (and it WAS dramatic), and sucked up their landing gear, but Bald Eagle's gear wouldn't come up. While his buddies turned north and flew home, he skulked off over the horizon and waited for the chicks to depart the field before he sneaked back in and got an A&P to look at it. It turned out that the bell crank that connected the inner gear doors had sheared and they were stuck closed. I kept my mouth shut but stuck my head up into the wheel well and could see it. Thank goodness the system was all protected by end-of-travel switches on the inner doors or the gear coming up would have mushed 'em. They had to fly in a replacement bell crank.

Ah, the noble power of pretty ladies over hot young pilots. I'm sure it has killed more than one.

Bob
 
T.Allen

T.Allen

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Check out this extremely rare footage of Baron Von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron. This film was taken in 1917 as the Baron prepared for a mission. He met his demise on April 21st 1918 when he was shot down by Roy Brown of the Royal Navy Air Service.



 
J T

J T

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Interesting.

At the end, was that a British pilot standing next to him? Different uniform from all the others in that shot. Captured then talking about the dogfight?
 
J T

J T

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T.Allen said:
Check out this extremely rare footage of Baron Von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron. This film was taken in 1917 as the Baron prepared for a mission. He met his demise on April 21st 1918 when he was shot down by Roy Brown of the Royal Navy Air Service.

...
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Another curiousity about the Baron.

What in the world is strapped to the top of his head?

At first it looks like the chin strap for his hat at 1:46, BUT he takes off his hat to put on his leather flying helmet, and the strap is still there, holding something on top of his head. Later in the footage, the strap is still there and appears to be UNDER his hat, not attached to it.

At 5:45 it's there but behind and over his left ear with something else going up under his hat.

I'll bet he had a traumatic head injury during a crash in one of his flying missions.
 
J T

J T

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Ooo I googled the answer to my own question.

The Baron was hit in the top of the head by machine gun fire nine months before he was shot down. Neuroscientists concluded that injury might have caused him to fixate on his target ahead and led him to disregard the airplane on his tail and got shot down as a result.

So there it was. In that footage. The photographic evidence of his traumatic brain injury.
 
J T

J T

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Man, that guy was flying missions for nine months after the top of his head was blown off.
 
John Vasco

John Vasco

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T.Allen said:
Check out this extremely rare footage of Baron Von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron. This film was taken in 1917 as the Baron prepared for a mission. He met his demise on April 21st 1918 when he was shot down by Roy Brown of the Royal Navy Air Service.

Click to expand...

He was shot down and killed by ground fire. The single entry & exit wound of the bullet proves conclusively that the bullet was not fired from the air. The exit would was diagonally upwards at around 45 degrees to the horizontal. Flying so low, it precluded it coming from any aircraft.
 
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