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Vol 16 No 4 2009 [Issue 72]
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Author Tom Gaylord has spent 15 years hanging around Vintage Aviation Service’s shops in Kingsbury, Texas and has been very fortunate to see Roger Freeman and his crew complete several amazing WWI era aircraft projects, among them completing the restoration of the Champlin Fighter Museum’s (now the Seattle Museum of Flight’s) original N.28. In the same time frame he has seen some pretty cheesy replicas. Consequently his expectations were low when he first went to look at Blake and Sandy Thomas’s N.28 replica. To say his attitude changed is an understatement-Tom describes what happened to cause him to have a change of heart!
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Among the more obscure Mustang variants are the airframes that were modified for use as target tugs. Although widely used by many air forces they are rarely photographed; most references ignore them completely. The biggest operator appears to have been the USAAF/USAF (and the Air National Guard) with smaller numbers used by the Italian Air Force, the RAF, the RCAF, and locally by the RAAF, the RNZAF and a civilian contractor in Australia. David Muir, author of ‘Southern Cross Mustangs’ describes the aircraft and towing systems used ‘Downunder.’ A wonderful photo essay is included, featuring some fanciful colour schemes, and the article finishes by taking a look at the current ‘Cart Horse’ survivors.
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The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first operational turbojet powered aircraft, bringing forth many design advances. Sometimes viewed as a last ditch Nazi ‘wonder weapon’, the jet had actually been under development before the outbreak of WWII and this development continued to its very end. The aircraft suffered from several ‘teething troubles’, only to be expected from such an advanced piece of engineering-these problems compounded by the ever increasing pressure the war was bringing to the Reich and to a degree, indecision from the German High Command. Despite this, the Luftwaffe was able on many occasions to put the fighter to effective use, however in the overall scheme of the massive air battles over the Reich - it was a case of too little-too late. The first part of our series on the jet fighter takes a short look at the development, before concentrating on its use in battle-by day and night. The post war scramble to secure examples of the aircraft is looked at as a prelude to a detailed look at surviving airframes in the next edition.
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Our Mystery Aeroplane is the ‘Judy’ which ended the war as the fastest carrier borne dive bomber aircraft in the Pacific. This article looks at the type’s development and service, rounding out with an overview of the very few survivors.
Thunder over Michigan Reno Oshkosh Wattsbridge |
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Vol 16 No 4 2009 [Issue 72]
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<< Previous | Back To Volume 16 Past Issues | Next >>
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Thunder over Michigan Reno Oshkosh Wattsbridge |