RE: Picture of the day 16/12/01

Nice one philo!I have to admit to never having been to old Warden,so I’ll make it one of my new year resolutions to go in 2002.Incidently, does anyone know when ‘Dixie’ last flew?I’ve heard that she hasn’t been active for a while.

RE: phred’s comment

The rocket projectile arrangement was known as a ‘Christmas Tree’ (appropriate for the time of year).There was another rocket carrying arrangement whereby the 12 rockets were suspended in the conventional way beneath the wings.Considering the greater number of rockets that this arrangement allowed it seems strange that it was superseded by the christams tree arrangement.
As a side note,some P38’s were also fitted with the Bazooka style rockets like those carried on P47’s and occasionally P51’s.These were carried on the inboard wings rather than outboard in the conventional position,but if I remember correctly,it meant that other stores couldn’t be carried on the inboard pylons.

RE: F4U-4 to be rebuilt

It certainly looks like it was nothing short of a miracle that he wasn’t killed.The idea of someone surviving that mess seems pretty remote.
With regards to the Paul Morgan SeaFury crash,it’s possible that it would have saved him,but then you have to remember that it occured on a grass strip.A few years ago there was an incident involving a T6 Harvard.It overturned on a grass field,and despite the pilot’s re enforced headrest,his injuries were still fatal,the headrest having dug into the soft ground.We can only wonder…
With regards to Buchons,I’ve had quite a disliking of them for some time.The question with them is not ‘if’ they will have an accident but ‘when’,and how serious.I personally wouldn’t mind never seeing one take to the air again.What are other people’s opinion on this?

RE: F4U-4 to be rebuilt

I think I’d probably agree with you there David,although considering the footage I saw of the accident,it seems amazing that there is even as much as this left in recognisable condition!Perhaps the centre section and some of the wing components are redeemable,but it sure look like one hell of a job…
Does anyone know what’s happening with the Bearcat that was damaged in the same incident?I heard that despite it’s outward appearance it was pretty much a write-off.Anybody know if she’ll fly again?

RE: phred’s comment

I’m not convinced that what the A&AEE tested would have been a proper P38.A small number(three?) of the Lockheed twin-boom fighter were sent there,but they were known as Lockheed 322’s.They lacked turbo superchargers (they still had the first stage,two speed superchargers)
and both props turned in the same direction.This basically means that it behaved very differently to your average P38 both in terms of handling and performance,so perhaps this explains the figures above.
I’d always heard that the P38 could crack 400mph.I belive the prototype was one of the first aircraft in the world to exceed 400mph in straight and level flight.
As for it’s manouvrability,there are substantial numbers of combat reports where Lightning pilots managed to turn INSIDE aircraft like the Zero-sen and Nakajima Oscar,and subsequently to shoot em down!
IMHO,the P38 was therefore no lumbering bohemoth.

RE: 56th FG Thunderbolts

The 56th’s Thunderbolts were painted in a variety of colour schemes during wartime.To begin with,in 1942-43,they wore the standard olive drab top surfaces and slate grey undersides,and were without thier characteristic red cowling rings until about the summer of 1943,instead wearing the standard white ID markings on the nose and and tail surfaces.
You do see some later machines in RAF style grey/green camouflage (such as the aircraft of Gabby Gabreski),aswell as unpainted natural metal schemes (eg LM-Q ‘Penrod & Sam’ flown by Robert Johnson).To add to this diversity,there was also a mixture of Razorback and low-back models.
I can’t find anything on the blue scheme you refer to,but I think some P47M’s that were supplied to the 56th may have been painted in two tone bluish grey camouflage,although the majority of the 56th’s M’s were in natural metal.
Just as additional information,all the groups aircraft had the charactersitic red cowling,with the 63rd squadron having blue rudders and the codes ‘UN’,the 62nd yellow rudders and the codes ‘LM’ and the 61st squadron had red rudders and the codes ‘HV’.
Hope this is of some help. 🙂