Some more WW II warbirds

[Absalom]

Another visit to the Evergreen Aviation Museum. Got talked into chaperoning a student group by a former colleague who knows that I know a bit about the history. I’ve posted some photos of their US planes before. They moved some planes, allowing for some slightly better angles on these here.

The WW II Luftwaffe is well represented, although both the Me-262 and the FW-190 are replicas (not models, though, but supposedly flyable, if anyone were willing to put in the effort and money to install powerplants and make them airworthy). The Me-109 is an original, as is the Spitfire.

 

[Mals9]

Is the ME262 an original? I think the FW190 is one of the best looking planes of the era along with the P-47 and the Hawker Sea Fury.

Mals

 

[PALADIN85020]

Best looking fighters?

1. P-51D Mustang.

1. (tie) P-38 Lightning.

2. British Spitfire.

3. Messerschmitt_Bf_109E

I rest my case.

John

P.S. I remember P-38s flying low over my home in Phoenix when I was a boy during WWII. The pilots were in training at nearby Luke Field, now Luke Air Force Base. Awesome birds.

 

[Mals9]

Paladin I will agree on the P-38, but an airplane should have a round engine in my opinion.

Mals

 

[Jack222]

Thanks for the Pics. Enjoyable. My Uncle flew a 24 Bomber during His Service. '
"Gallopin Ghost" I always enjoy Warbird pictures.

 

[Kurusu]

Paladin I will agree on the P-38, but an airplane should have a round engine in my opinion.

Mals

Like this?

 

[Kurusu]

Or like this?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Here’s our NM Corsair.
It’s got a round engine!

 

[Targets Guy]

 

[Targets Guy]

 

[Targets Guy]

The old and new of it.

 

[VaTom]

[/QUOTE]

Targets Guy

Thanks for posting the P-51A (or maybe an A36). My Uncle flew the A36A during WWII. Only 500 of these P-51 dive bomber variants were made. They had the Allison engine and dive brakes on the wings. They were made in 1942 and 1943 and served in Italy and China/Burma/India theater. He was killed in a training crash in one in January 1943 flying out of Fort Bragg, NC.

 

[Kurusu]

Targets Guy

Thanks for posting the P-51A (or maybe an A36). My Uncle flew the A36A during WWII. Only 500 of these P-51 dive bomber variants were made. They had the Allison engine and dive brakes on the wings. They were made in 1942 and 1943 and served in Italy and China/Burma/India theater. He was killed in a training crash in one in January 1943 flying out of Fort Bragg, NC.

Looks like an A36 to me.

 

[Targets Guy]

I'm not sure. I do know that photo was taken near Inglewood, CA in Oct 1942. The P-51 photo.

 

[jrm53]

The Walton grandsons in Bentonville Ar have a Spitfire, a P51 and a red Corsair that was rumored to cost 10 million. They are based at the municipal airport here. It just goes to show you what dividend reinvestment can do if you have enough stock. These aircraft are not repro's but the real deal. Jeff

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Rogers Jeff - we need pictures!
Not the BB Guns, the airplanes!
That probably prototype- pre- production P-51 sure has some funny looking guns!
It does appear to have the Allison Engine.
Look at the air intake just behind the prop.
Here’s a War Dog A-36 that’s gives a better view of that intake.

 

[Fred_G]

Great pictures! We recently did some prints for the Chenault Aviation Museum. Lots of paintings of the AVG planes in China during WWII. Nice place.

If you ever find yourself in northern Louisiana, it is worth a visit. Chennault Aviation Museum

 

[TomkinsSP]

[/QUOTE]

Sorry about your Uncle. Too many Good Guys were lost.

Dad always liked the A36, he flew A20s in the 12th AAF. The 36s got to his part of the war just before he made his missions and was rotated home, oops, sorry, still need ya, not home but to jolly old England until VJ day, they were packing up to go east when the war ended.

 

[VaTom]

Rogers Jeff - we need pictures!
Not the BB Guns, the airplanes!
That probably prototype- pre- production P-51 sure has some funny looking guns!
It does appear to have the Allison Engine.
Look at the air intake just behind the prop.
Here’s a War Dog A-36 that’s gives a better view of that intake.

The early Mustangs, originally designed and made for the RAF, had the Allison engine which had the air scoop on top of the engine cowling behind the prop. The early RAF models also had four cannons. The picture is probably one of those. The A36 contract kept the Mustang assembly line open through the end of 1942 when the Army Air Corps had run out of money for "pursuit" plans but had money for bombers and attack airplanes.

The A36 had .50 caliber machine guns that replaced the cannons and also had dive brakes in the wings to keep the dive speed to 350 mph. W/O the dive brakes the A36 would reach speeds of 450 mph in a dive.

The Army Air Corp had no dive bombing doctrine at that time and Navy/Marine pilots assisted them in training up the pilots. The story of the A36 variant of the the P-51 is very interesting indeed.

The early A36 pilots (including my uncle) had trained in outdated and slow Vultee Vengence dive bombers prior to getting the A36 in late 1942. It was a very high performance aircraft (compared to the Vultee) and thus there were many training accidents. My uncle only had 13 hours in the A36 when he crashed during strafing training in North Carolina.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I believe that ME-262 was built at Boeing field by a private company. I saw the 2nd or 3rd one under construction years ago not far from the museum. At the time the first one had not been flown but became flight ready a few years after it was completed. I'm not sure how many were completed but I was very impressed by the attention to detail of the replicas.

The one that is on display may be one of the ones that were never completed. My understanding is the German company Messerschmidt purchased a completed replica. Millions of dollars went into the project but it wasn't a successful business venture.

Some people love those old war birds enough to build one from existing engineering drawings and a few that survived WWII.

Messerschmitt Me 262