The official Airplane thread . . .

[Kingair]

Another great bird

http://www.businessinsider.com/photo...-bomber-2013-9

HAGOne

[Kingair]

http://player.vimeo.com/video/31549908?autoplay=1

HAGOne

[GED]

B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97BG) Crew

Pilot- Ken Bragg Jr.
Copilot- G. Boyd Jr.
Navigator- Harry C. Nuessle
Bombardier- Ralph Burbridge
Engineer- Joe C. James
Radio Operator- Paul A. Galloway
Ball Turret Gunner- Elton Conda
Waist Gunner- Michael Zuk
Tail Gunner- Sam T. Sarpolus
Ground Crew Chief- Hank Hyland

"In 1943 a mid-air collision on February 1, 1943, between a B-17 and a German fighter over the Tunis dock area, became the subject of one of the most famous photographs of WW II. An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group formation went out of control, probably with a wounded pilot, then continued its crashing descent into the rear of the fuselage of a Fortress named "All American", piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th Bomb Squadron. When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but left some pieces in the B-17. The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress and left elevator were completely torn away. The two right engines were out and one on the left had a serious oil pump leak. The vertical fin and the rudder had been damaged, the fuselage had been cut almost completely through connected only at two small parts of the frame, and the radios, electrical and oxygen systems were damaged. There was also a hole in the top that was over 16 feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest;the split in the fuselage went all the way to the top gunner's turret."



"Although the tail actually bounced and swayed in the wind and twisted when the plane turned and all the control cables were severed, except one single elevator cable still worked, and the aircraft miraculously still flew!

The tail gunner was trapped because there was no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane. The waist and tail gunners used parts of the German fighter and their own parachute harnesses in an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart.

While the crew was trying to keep the bomber from coming apart, the pilot continued on his bomb run and released his bombs over the target."



"When the bomb bay doors were opened, the wind turbulence was so great that it blew one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section. It took several minutes and four crew members to pass him ropes from parachutes and haul him back into the forward part of the plane. When they tried to do the same for the tail gunner, the tail began flapping so hard that it began to break off. The weight of the gunner was adding some stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position. The turn back toward England had to be very slow to keep the tail from twisting off. They actually covered almost 70 miles to make the turn home. The bomber was so badly damaged that it was losing altitude and speed and was soon alone in the sky.

For a brief time, two more Me-109 German fighters attacked the All American. Despite the extensive damage, all of the machine gunners were able to respond to these attacks and soon drove off the fighters. The two waist gunners stood up with their heads sticking out through the hole in the top of the fuselage to aim and fire their machine guns. The tail gunner had to shoot in short bursts because the recoil was actually causing the plane to turn."



"Allied P-51 fighters intercepted the All American as it crossed over the Channel and took one of the pictures shown. They also radioed to the base describing that the appendage was waving like a fish tail and that the plane would not make it and to send out boats to rescue the crew when they bailed out."

The fighters stayed with the Fortress, taking hand signals from Lt. Bragg and relaying them to the base. Lt. Bragg signaled that 5 parachutes and the spare had been "used" so five of the crew could not bail out. He made the decision that if they could not bail out safely, then he would stay with the plane to land it."



"Two and a half hours after being hit, the aircraft made its final turn to line up with the runway while it was still over 40 miles away. It descended into an emergency landing and a normal roll-out on its landing gear."



"When the ambulance pulled alongside, it was waved off because not a single member of the crew had been injured. No one could believe that the aircraft could still fly in such a condition. The Fortress sat placidly until the crew all exited through the door in the fuselage and the tail gunner had climbed down a ladder, at which time the entire rear section of the aircraft collapsed."



"This old bird had done its job and brought the entire crew home uninjured."

[Angrypuppy]

Amazing.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by GED

B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron, 97BG) Crew

Now this is a story

Never heard about it

Really appreciate that you shared it

Many thanks

HAGONe

[GED]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/09/living...lry/index.html

[GED]

Originally Posted by Kingair

Now this is a story

Never heard about it

Really appreciate that you shared it

Many thanks

HAGONe

Unfortunately, parts of what I originally posted was a "story" and just that-but not accurate.

My bad.

I was so amazed by the photos, I didn't read the story carefully(which I received in an email from a friend). The story talks about Tunis which is of course in N. Africa. Later, it tells about flying back over the English Channel to England. This does not make sense.

So, I Googled and came up with this: "The Read Story of WWII B-17 "All American".

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-...t-fiction.html

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by GED

. . . The story talks about Tunis which is of course in N. Africa. Later, it tells about flying back over the English Channel to England. This does not make sense.
]

I noticed it and checked the web already

HAGOne

[Angrypuppy]

Cool video from the flight deck of an A380 approach and landing at KSFO.

http://www.tested.com/tech/457482-pi...0-landing-sfo/

[jpl20]

Some B-17 shots I tool at a local plane show in New York a few years back:

[jpl20]

A couple more:

[joeychitwood]

A 2,400 mile range at 250 mph sitting on a piece of wood in an uninsulated fuselage? Sounds almost worse than flying Coach today.

[jpl20]

Originally Posted by SUBversive

I flew single engine fighters in the Air Force, but this plane has four engines. It's an entirely different kind of flying, altogether.

Originally Posted by mikkibarry

It's an entirely different kind of flying.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

A 2,400 mile range at 250 mph sitting on a piece of wood in an uninsulated fuselage? Sounds almost worse than flying Coach today.

HAGOne

[GED]

According to a friend who flew in F-4Cs and F-4Ds, these are F-4E Phantoms flying out of Tyndall AFB, Florida "back in the day".

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by GED

According to a friend who flew in F-4Cs and F-4Ds, these are F-4E Phantoms flying out of Tyndall AFB, Florida "back in the day".

No problem when flying at almost 600 mph cruise speed

HAGWe

[Kingair]

A flight of F-15E Strike Eagles of the 366th Fighter Wing deployed from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, receive fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker belonging to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron during a mission over the Persian Gulf, on Aug. 30, 2013.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLusqk2-MV4

Peanuts . . .

HAGWe

[Kingair]

Now this is a story with lots of great pics

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNe...Wagon-Rut.aspx

HAGWe

[GED]

Originally Posted by Kingair

Now this is a story with lots of great pics

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNe...Wagon-Rut.aspx

HAGWe

Marc, included in your great link are photos of the Boston A-20 bomber(a.k.a. Douglas A20 Havoc)in action.

Here I'd like to memorialize a family member(who is still alive and well)-not only because he flew in an A-20 but, being this is a Rolex forum, it was he who was actually responsible for my initial interest(or infatuation)with all things Rolex which started when he bought a YG President Day-Date while on a trip to Hong Kong in the 70s.

He's standing on the left in this photo in front of A-20 "Mopsy", 644th SQ., 410BG, 9th AAF, Gosfield, England, an hour or so before he was shot down south of Rouen, France on August 4th, 1944. He spent the rest of the war a POW.



About an hour later this photo was taken by a crew member of the plane
flying directly below Mopsy as her tail was shot off by flak:



Here's to you, K. Thank you for your service, thanks for your(very animated)take on corporate ladders, and thanks for wearing a Rolex!

[MitchSteel]

Very cool, guys, love the b-17 a true legend.Im not an Aerosexual, but those b-17's get me spooled up.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

A 2,400 mile range at 250 mph sitting on a piece of wood in an uninsulated fuselage? Sounds almost worse than flying Coach today.

Imagine sitting that long in the belly turret while it's freezing outside


Pretty interesting story:



Squadron Leader Boleslaw Michal ‘Mike’ Gladych




Reversing his turn and craning his neck to check the skies behind his heavy fighter, the lone Thunderbolt pilot winced as he saw the relentless pair of Focke-Wulf 190s line up to fire again at his damaged aircraft. Low on fuel and critically low on ammunition, he realized that he was running out of options. Unable to evade the enemy fighters in his near crippled P-47, the pilot breathed a sigh of relief as the German fighters decelerated to fly to either side of him, signaling for him to land. Exhausted, frantically searching for options, the pilot continued for nearly ten minutes with his enemies sat on either wing. There – up ahead, the rough strip runway of a German airfield was visible. Blinking a bead of sweat from his eyes, the Thunderbolt pilot lowered his gear and flaps to signal his surrender. The two German fighters moved in to escort him down the approach path to land. As the airfield swam closer into view, the Thunderbolt pilot allowed himself a faint smile. He centered his gunsights over one of the AA gun pits and thumbed his fire button. The eight fifty caliber Brownings burst into life, sending rounds smashing down into the gun pit. Almost instantly the air around the three fighters was filled with tracer as the gunners returned fire. The two Focke-Wulfs broke away rapidly, debris falling from one of them. Seizing his opportunity, Polish ace Boleslaw ‘Mike’ Gladych opened the throttle of his P47 and darted for the coast.


Born in Warsaw on May 17th 1918, Boleslaw Michal Gladych inherited a passion for all things technical and mechanical from his father, a technical high school teacher. However, Gladych did not inherit his father’s academic disciplines and so changed schools three times before finally being admitted to a military high school in Lwow in 1932, two years before his father passed away. He completed his secondary education at Lwow, obtained a degree in Maths-Science, showed promise as a keen musician and after a very brief amount of time with the 72nd Infantry Regiment in Radom he joined the Polish Air Force in January 1938. A graduate of the ‘Last 13th’ class at the Polish Air Force College, Deblin, Gladych was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on September 1st 1939; the very day that Germany invaded Poland. He had, however, only just completed his flying training and due to his natural ability he had already been selected to fly fighters. With only limited experience flying the PWS-26, RWD-10, PZL P.7 and PZL P.11 Gladych did not see combat during the German invasion and managed to escape to France with a group of fellow aviators via an internment camp in Rumania and a Greek ship to Marseille. Eager to fly in combat, Gladych volunteered for service in the ‘Finland’ squadron of the French Armee de l’air; a unit intended for use in the Finnish-Soviet war. Gladych trained on the Caudron C.714 and MS406 fighters, but before the unit could be sent to combat a cease-fire had been signed between Finland and the Soviet Union.

The unit was now designated Groupe de Chasse 1/145 “Varsovie” and was added to the French order of battle in preparation for a German invasion of France. GC 1/145 was the only full Polish unit in the French Armee de l'air. Gladych was part of the 2nd Escadrille, under the command of Capt Juliusz Frey. Although still equipped with the hopelessly outclassed C.714 fighters, the Polish aviators flew out to meet the modern machines and veteran fliers of the Luftwaffe. By late May of 1940, the French Minister of War ordered than the substandard C.714 fighters were to be withdrawn from service immediately. As a low priority, the Polish fliers were not assigned replacement aircraft and so elected to continue to fight in their woefully outclassed C.714s. Even though flying against far superior aircraft, the pilots of GC 1/145 were still able to shoot down at least 12 German aircraft in the skies over France, including the several of the dreaded Bf109Es. Gladych himself was involved in the thick of the action whilst flying C.714 side number ‘13’; on one occasion surviving his aircraft being shot down. Gladych later recalled an engagement in June where, after a drawn out encounter with a 109E, his aircraft was severely damaged. The German pilot waggled his wings at the crippled French fighter and then broke off the engagement rather than finishing him off. However, despite the brave efforts of the defending forces, France fell to the German advance and a surrender was signed on June 22nd 1940. Gladych and the survivors from his unit fled to Great Britain onboard a British ship; due to the speed of the withdrawal, no records concerning Gladych’s personal combats over France are known to have survived.

After arriving in Britain, Gladych was accepted into the Polish Air Force arm of the RAF, and given the rank of Pilot Officer in RAF Fighter Command. It was not until February 1941 that Gladych was posted to No.57 Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden near Chester for single seat fighter training. After converting to the Spitfire Mk.I, Gladych joined the famous No.303 (Polish) Squadron based at RAF Northolt in April, where he now flew alongside some of Poland’s most battle hardened pilots including Battleof Britain veteran Jan Zumbach. It was only five days until he was credited with his first recorded aerial victory.

Perhaps Gladych’s most successful day was on June 23rd 1941, when No.303 Sqn was involved in two sorties over occupied France, the first escorting bombers from Redhill to Bethune and the second mission from Dungeness and Le Touquet. Gladych, now flying a Spitfire Mk.IIb, shot down three Bf109s and claimed a forth probable ‘kill’ over the course of the two sorties, but after sustaining damage and injuries following a collision where his propeller cut off the tail of a Bf109 (which some sources claim he intentionally rammed) he crashed his damaged Spitfire at RAF Manston in Kent on returning to Britain, colliding with a telegraph pole on landing. The collision and subsequent crash landing left him with a fractured skull, fractured collarbone and a permanent scar over his right eye. Following surgery at Ramsgate hospital and two months of recuperation, Gladych returned to No.303 Sqn at the end of August, confirming another aerial victory the next month before being promoted to Flying Officer in December.




In February 1942 Gladych was removed from flying duties to carry out a two month Intelligence Officer’s Course before returning to No.303 Sqn in April. During this period he had volunteered to join the elite Polish unit which would become known as the ‘Skalski Circus’ under the command of leading Polish ace Stanislaw Skalski, but due to health problems Skalski’s Polish Fighting Team deployed to Tunisia without him. By May he had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant and now a seasoned veteran, was leading a flight of four Spitfires on operational sorties.

In July 1942 Gladych was posted to No.302 “City of Poznan” squadron, flying the Spitfire Mk.V. Operations over occupied France were now increasing in tempo, and Gladych accompanied his colleagues in attacks of enemy airfields at the end of the month, using hand grenades dropped from the cockpit of their aircraft as well as gunfire. He was rotated out of front line duties from mid September to early December, but continued a busy programme of offensive sorties during early 1943, confirming a further enemy aircraft destroyed over Lille. During this encounter he was attacked and severely damaged by an FW 190 which, echoing his earlier encounter whilst flying with GC 1/145, resulted in the German pilot waggling his wings before disengaging. Gladych later maintained that he believed this to be the same pilot, although post war research indicated this to be unlikely. Gladych spent the summer of 1943 operating out of Perranporth in Cornwall, before returning to the busier South East of England. He claimed a Bf109G and a probable FW190 on Spetember 8th. Shortly after this he converted to the Spitfire IX and in November was presented with the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari as well as received the British Distinguished Flying Cross from AOC 11 Group, Air Vice Marshall Hugh Saunders.

Another anecdote which Gladych would later recite occurred in Autumn of 1943, where in a case of mistaken identity he reputedly nearly succeeded in shooting down an aircraft transporting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Gladych was allegedly grounded as a punishment.

During the previous year, Gladych had become acquainted with Captain Francis Gabreski, a fighter pilot in the US Army Air Force who was of Polish descent. After a period of inactivity in England, Gabreski had visited the Polish squadrons at RAF Northolt and had even flown Spitfire on operations. In February 1944, Gladych called in the favour with the now Major Gabreski and together with fellow Pole Witold Lanowski, flew P47 Thunderbolts with the 61st Fighter Squadron of the USAAF’s 56th Fighter Group. This secondment was carried out entirely without approval. It was also whilst flying a P47 that Gladysch again encountered the mysterious German pilot who he believed he had fought with twice before; in March 1944 he shot down an FW 190 whilst escorting US bombers to Germany but, with both fuel and ammunition low and now separated from the rest of his flight, he was attacked by a pair of FW 190s. Forced low in the encounter, Gladych lowered his landing gear and made out to line up for an approach to a German airfield near Vechta. His attackers, believing he was surrendering, followed him along his approach but, as he neared the airfield, he opened fire on the aerodrome’s AA gunners with the last of his ammunition. The German defenses burst into life, accidentally hitting one of the FW 190s and allowing Gladych to make his escape in the confusion, although he ran out of fuel and was forced to bail out. For his actions, the USAAF awarded Gladych the Silver Star. In June 1944 Gladych, now a Squadron Leader, was made the Polish Liaison Officer to HQ of No.12 Group RAF, but was threatened with disciplinary action when he continued to fly unofficially with Gabreski’s P47 Group, including combat sorties in support of Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings in Normandy. Gladych shot down a Bf109 on D-Day itself, and a similar type the following day.

By early July 1944, Gladych had shot down seven German fighters whilst flying P47s with the USAAF, including two Bf109s in a single encounter and a Ju88 in August. After threats of expulsion from the Polish Air Force, Gladych and the five Poles who accompanied him during their operations with the US 61st Fighter Squadron had their status sanctioned in August 1944 as unpaid leave from the Polish Air Force. Differing sources quote Gladych as having shot down ten or eleven German aircraft whilst flying P47s. Gladych continued to fly with the USAAF until the end of the war, after which his life took a dramatic turn when the once aggressive ‘Mad Mike’ as he was nicknamed by his American friends then decided to put his military past behind him. He emigrated to the United States with his Canadian wife, Elizabeth, where he initially flew DC-3s for Rainbow Airlines out of New York and as a manager for Boeing before qualifying as a psychotherapist and settling in Seattle, Washington State. He did, however, continue to visit Europe and, whilst in Frankfurt, Germany, he met Luftwaffe ace Major Georg-Peter Eder; the pilot of the FW 190 who had spared his life over Lille in 1943 and one of the pilots he had escaped from when pretending to land his damaged P47 at Vechta. As with many wartime pilots, his ‘score’ cannot be verified but is largely credited as seventeen kills and two probables. He was awarded both the British and American Distinguished Flying Crosses in addition to his Silver Star and the Polish Cross of Valour.

‘Mike’ Gladych passed away on July 12th 2011, aged 93. One of the most prominent members of an elite fraternity who fought not only for their own country but also for allied nations, he was the last Polish fighter ace of the Second World War.

The aircraft: Gladych flew Republic P-47D-28 Thunderbolt 4419718 whilst operating with the USAAF 61st Fighter Squadron – part of the 56th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force. The 56th Fighter Group moved from RAF Halesworth to RAF Boxted in April 1944, and was one of the most successful fighter groups of the entire USAAF. Gladych named his aircraft ‘Pengie’ after his wife’s nickname; this particular aircraft was the forth to bear the name, hence ‘Pengie IV’.


http://warthunder.com/en/news/361-Ac...ike-Gladych-en

[GED]

For those who don't know "Gabby" Gabreski was the top American ace in the
ETO.

My dad knew him after the war. The were both enrolled in the Russian studies
program at Columbia, being part of the first generation of American intelligence officers that were chosen to study Russian language, Russian/Soviet history, politics, etc.

Every month or so while at Columbia they had to report back to Washington to confer with their COs. Gabby had his own plane, which he'd use to fly down to Washington. One time he invited my dad to hitch a ride with him. I don't know what kind of plane it was(P51?)but my dad said it was a tight fit, having to squeeze behind the pilots seat. Must have been awesome flying in a plane flown by one of America's top aces.

[Kingair]

Woooow nice add on to this post

HAGOne

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

Two legendary P-51 pilots and restorers from Casselton, North Dakota have died in the past few years. Bob Odegaard crashed his recently restored F2G Super Corsair last September.





Gerry Beck crashed his Mustang in 2007.

Add a third flying legend from Casselton, North Dakota. Jim "Fang" Maroney, a former leader of the ND ANG, Delta Airlines chief pilot and stunt pilot crashed his Super Chipmunk into a mountainside in Tennessee yesterday.

Maroney graduated Number One out of 1,500 pilots from Naval Flight Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida and was was rated No. 1 in his class at the U.S. Navy “Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar. He was one of four ANG pilots patrolling over Washington DC on September 11th.

RIP Jim Maroney. He was 59 years old.

[STEELINOX]

And... RIP Jimmy Leeward




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GED]

Just posted this photo on another forum and thought the contributors here to this thread would appreciate it too.

Pictured below are USAAF aces and former Eagle Squadron members Capt. Don S. Gentile(left) and Capt. Duane W. Beeson(Gentile is admiring a decoration Beeson had just won. Beeson was awarded the the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak clusters, the Silver Star, and the Air Medal. Gentile was awarded the same decorations along with the U.K's. Distinguished Flying Cross).

[pilot_bro]

Snapped this pic the other day while cruising. Props if anyone can ID the aircraft.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by pilot_bro

Snapped this pic the other day while cruising. Props if anyone can ID the aircraft.

If you showed me a few inch more . . . .

Ok let me guess . . .

Has to be a . . . Harrier . . .

HAGOne

[pilot_bro]

Originally Posted by Kingair

If you showed me a few inch more . . . .

Ok let me guess . . .

Has to be a . . . Harrier . . .

HAGOne

Haha almost... kinda. Hornet.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by pilot_bro

Haha almost... kinda. Hornet.

Aaaaaaah . . . . . .

Thought you where English by the color of your flight suit . . . . or are you out of the Country maybe ?

SuperHornet ?

HAGOne