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Finny

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Viewing 15 posts - 121 through 135 (of 140 total)
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  • in reply to: Republic RC.3 Seabee #1399969
    Finny
    Participant

    And here is another one from Oshkosh (04), took some time to locate it 😉

    Except this one is a SIAI-Marchetti FN.333 Riviera….

    in reply to: What is this aircraft #1426227
    Finny
    Participant

    Adaridi it is, and not in the Finnish Air Force Museum, but in the Finnish Aviation Museum at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Adaridi was named after its designer, was a very light aeroplane, did a few flights and was stored. One of those early experimental designs that were not really good for any practical purpose.

    in reply to: Brewster Buffalo #1373519
    Finny
    Participant

    Funnily enough, Finnish pilots regarded the Spitfire (Mk.V) as flown by the Russians an inferior fighter at lower altitudes:
    http://www.virtualpilots.fi/en/hist/WW2History-CaptainWindsAirCombatTacticsLecture.html

    Well, true that they regarded the Russian Spitfires inferior to the Brewster. As true is also that Russians had no Spitfires in the Finnish front, nor any other front IIRC. So this was a case of mistaken identity in the heat of combat, maybe they were actually Yak-7s or something.
    Also, early in the war the Russians claimed to have had combat engagement with Finnish Spitfires, while in actual fact the Finnish aircraft were Fiat G50s…

    in reply to: Brewster Buffalo #1374689
    Finny
    Participant

    I find Snapper’s comment on the “highest suicide rate in the world” out of place and certainly way off-topic in an aviation history forum. Certainly something for the moderators, if there are any.
    Besides, talking about highest rates, the Brewster 239, in Finnish AF service, achieved the highest kill to loss ratio in WWII, and that is a fact.

    Edit: Just to think what we could have done with Spitfires. We did have a few Hurricanes, but they were considered crap.

    in reply to: Finns Want Their Brewster Back From The US Navy #1383609
    Finny
    Participant

    PS For my own peace of mind. I *thought* I read somewhere that a Brewster F2A-1 wasn’t technically a Buffalo. (I think it was in my copy of “IL-2 Sturmovik – Forgotten Battles”). When is a Brewster F2A a Buffalo and when isn’t it?

    Rob

    I guess an F2A became a Buffalo when exported to UK, in Finland it was known just as a Brewster 239.

    in reply to: Finns Want Their Brewster Back From The US Navy #1389144
    Finny
    Participant

    Grendel, I agree with you that the good people of Pensacola certainly take good care of BW-372. But what makes you think it wouldn’t be taken equally good care of in Finland?
    AFAIK, US Navy prohibits any wrecks of their old aeroplanes to be surfaced, and thus restored, on the grounds that they are still legal property of USN.
    If finally Finnish officials have woken up and realised that a piece of Finnish AF property lies in Pensacola, and want it back to Finland, what is wrong with that?

    in reply to: Which Aircraft Are Still In Their Original Paint? #1352194
    Finny
    Participant

    The Finnish Hurricane I HC-452 is in its original paint (or at least paint applied during WWII), I believe it is on loan to South-East Finland’s Aviation Museum (or something like that) in Lappeenranta at the moment. Normally it is stored at the Finnish AF Museum (also known as the Aviation Museum of Central Finland) at Tikkakoski, near Jyväskylä airport. Another airplane preserved in its war time paint job in Finland is the Bristol Bulldog IV serial BU-59 at Hallinportti Aviation Museum, at Halli AFB.

    in reply to: buffalo success of finland #1411282
    Finny
    Participant

    I have to disagree with Oleg on 80% inflation of the Finnish kill numbers. Assuming there is same amount of exaggeration of the numbers in all air arms, the Brewster’s success still is nothing short of amazing.
    On the same token, Grendel, I do not believe that 80% of the kills have been verified from Russian archives. Mr C-F Geust has done a great job on studying the Russian archives and comparing them to the Finnsh claims. I haven’t spoken to him for a long time, but I wish he would contribute here and give his educated opinion on this subject. On the other hand, he may not want to do it until the last ace has passed on to the next squadron…
    As for JägerMarty’s claim for Finns having had a well trained air force compared to Russia, well, maybe, but in the beginning of the war at least the Germans did not have any part of its training. I remember the late head of CAA Finland K.J. Temmes, ex MS.406 pilot himself, once saying that in the war between Russia and Finland there were two bad Air Forces against each other. I am afraid he may have been right, considering the lack of equipment and funds in Finland especially just before the war. But the motivation of Finns was probably far superior to that of Russians.
    I am sure there were lots of inflated victory claims in all aerial combat units, some of which are kept alive by well intended, and often well-written biographies, memoirs and novels. There is a legend of the last flight of one of the top-scoring Finnish aces which has been repeated in a great number of books about aerial war in Finland, a great read, but it bears no resemblance of the description of the flight that can be found in the official war archives in Helsinki. But again, this subject is obviously so sensitive that no aviation historian has dared to publish the facts. Neither dare I here. Grendel, maybe you will? Or wait another 15 years..?

    in reply to: Curtiss Hawk in New Zealand #1355617
    Finny
    Participant

    I’m not sure if this has been discussed here but Mike Nicholls has recently imported a Hawk 75 and will be restoring it at Omaka Aerodrome, Blenheim, NZ. It has an interesting history, flown by the Germans in Russia.

    Actually, this one was captured by Germans in Norway, then supplied to Finnish AF and used in combat until shot down over Russia.

    in reply to: Brewster Buffalo picture. #1426394
    Finny
    Participant

    The VL Humu was a Brewster 239 produced in Finland by Valtion Lentokonetehdas (State Aircraft Factory). Essentially a Buffalo with wooden wing and a captured Russian M-63 engine. Only the prototype was built before the end of the war. This still remains preserved in mint condition at the Finnish AF museum at Tikkakoski, next to Jyväskylä airport in Central Finland.
    A photo can be seen among the other Buffalo pictures, it’s the one with serial HM-671.

    in reply to: Anyone know much about this Gloster Gauntlet. #1426907
    Finny
    Participant

    Actually the airplane in question was found in a farm, where the wings (I remember there were a total of five wings, so one extra) were used for fencing in sheep. The fuselage was complete, with remains of a Mercury mounted in the nose, with a single cylinder left. At some time, it had been modified to run on one cylinder to provide electricity for some outhouse. This all happened in the 70’s, the remains were bought from the farm by a local antique car collector, who then called a couple of aviation enthusiasts, myself being one of them, to have a look at the remains and try to recognise the type. It was a very easy task to recognise the Gauntlet, you can all imagine how we felt!!!
    Only the serial of the Mercury was found, and old Air Force paperwork suggested that this Mercury was last fitted on GT-400, which serial the airplane now carries.
    The car collector donated the Gauntlet to the Guild of Air Force Technicians, who in turn restored it to superior condition. Unfortunately, Alvis Leonides was the only engine available at that time. The airplane is registered OH-XGT in the Finnsih Civil Aircraft Registry, and is regularly flown in air displays by
    retired Finnish AF test pilot, Colonel Jyrki Laukkanen.

    in reply to: biplane fighters of 1930 and ww2 #1350460
    Finny
    Participant

    In the Finnsih AF at least the following victories were scored with biplanes:
    W/O Oiva Tuominen 6 1/2 with Gladiator (2 I-16, 3 1/2 SB-2, 1 R-5) out of a total of 44 kills.
    Lt Olavi Puro 2 with I-153 (1 I-153, 1 Pe-2) out of 36 total.
    Capt Paavo Berg 5 with Gladiator (2 I-153, 3 SB-2) out of 9 1/2 total.
    w/O Valio Porvari 1 with Bristol Bulldog (!!) (I-16) and 2 with Gladiator (1 DB-3 and 1 I-16) out of 7 1/2 total.
    W/O Lauri Lautamäki 1 1/2 with Gladiator (1/2 SB-2 and 1 I-16) out of 5 1/2 total.
    These are confirmed kills by Finnish aces (with 5 or more total victories), there may be other biplane victories by pilots with a total of less than 5 kills.
    BTW, in the photo above of the Finnish I-153 with number 5 on rudder stands Senior Sgt Matti Durchmann, who scored a total of 6 kills, all with Bf-109.

    in reply to: Moscow Aviation museum #1421973
    Finny
    Participant

    Does this museum still exist? Several years ago I spent a night in the Aerostar Hotel next to it, not knowing that I was sleeping around the corner from an aviation museum. You can imagine my surprise next morning when, going out for a morning walk, I came across all these aeroplanes… No camera with me, of course.
    I recall reading somewhere that the place has been closed down, but cannot be sure. Maybe somebody knows better.

    in reply to: Anyone recognise this? #1578058
    Finny
    Participant

    Pitts Samson.

    in reply to: Brewster Buffalo Picture #1614487
    Finny
    Participant

    Sigh…

    So Brewster F2A Buffalo HM-671 on display in the Aviation Museum of Central Finland is a figment of my overheated imagination? (OK, strkly speeking, its a development of the Buffalo, but…) And it’s in Finnish markings. What else do we want?

    The perapatetic machine, is, indeed, ultra rare, but NOT unique.

    Cheers!

    Actually the airplane you are talking about is the prototype, and sole built example of VL Humu, indeed a development of the Brewster. Different engine, different wing etc. What I (and several others) would have wanted was a genuine Brewster 239 in Finnish markings in a Finnish museum. I am afraid Mike J is correct that it will now be painted in US Navy colours.
    Also I must agree that it is better to have it restored in any markings than have it rot away in some obscure place.

Viewing 15 posts - 121 through 135 (of 140 total)