A little something for everyone this week:
In keeping with the memory of the Cuban Missile Crisis which was 45 years ago this past week, a couple of video reminders, the first from Hollywood’s take (See last week for the real story. ): And what was risked…
Something here for everyone – props & jets, straight deck carriers and battleships ("…a typical task force consisted of 3-4 carriers and a couple of battleships…" *sigh* those were the days – ed.), UNREPing a Gearing-class DD and more. Transferred from home movies shot by an F9F pilot during the period 1953-54, the narrative is…
Don’t forget to head over to the Daily Briefing for Flightdeck Friday as well — this week, “Nuclear Fleas” 30 Jun 1941. The Navy’s search for a replacement for the F4F was on. Two of the premiere aircraft manufacturers in the nation, Grumman and Curtiss, were granted development contracts for three prototypes – Grumman for…
“Racing,” as the saying goes, “improves the breed.” And during the Roaring 20’s, the rage of the nation (and the world at large) was airplane racing. While the sport would reach its ultimate form in the 1930’s with the likes of the Thompson Trophy races, one of the earliest trophy races was the Schneider Trophy,…
The “Flying Prostitute” it was called – the design, radical for the time, featured wings so short in span that there appeared to be “no visible means of support,” hence the moniker. Later, as inexperienced crews were dropping more and more of them into the waters of Tampa Bay, it earned another – “widow maker.” …
Standby; standby; mark” In the relative cool of the early dawn, remote recording equipment began timing the grey and orange streak that thundered by at 125 ft above the desert floor. The date is 28 August 1961 and a second attempt at the world’s low altitude speed record is underway. Flying a 3km closed…
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Very cool! Sounds like some “Service Exchange” pilots in both, the TomBirds and the WarHummer.
-JC