So the discussion earlier this week revolved around quantity vs quality and used as an argument in favor of quality that the Navy in the 1920’s and 30’s chose to press technology (and hence chose quality) over quantity (maintaining a large force structure), developing the tools, tactics and laying the groundwork for success in the…
trans·for·ma·tion (trÄns’fÉ™r-mÄ’shÉ™n): the act of changing in form or shape or appearance. 1928. Boeing is rolling the dice and has invested its own money in developing two prototype aircraft it hopes to demonstrate to the Navy and later the Army as replacements for the F3B, currently serving with the Navy, and PW-9, serving with the…
9 August 1952 The flight of four Hawker Sea Furies were in a loose formation, scanning the terrain below hunting for targets of opportunity – opportunity in this case being trains carrying elements of the Chinese "peoples volunteer" army south to fight UN forces. Battles were still fierce this late in 1952 – even as…
Yep – the fabulous Hawker Sea Fury will be the next Flightdeck Friday subject — next week when we are back from TDY. In the meantime, here’s a look at next week’s subject flying form with a previous Flightdeck Friday star. More? OK — look below the fold…
As the emerging theme this week is hypersonics, what with the reference to the Shenlong and the upload to the Virtual Library of a comprehensive 3-volume history of the US hypersonic effort from the X-15 through the NASP, reader and frequent correspondent Thommy Thomason joins the scene as a guest author of this week’s Flightdeck…
Like many other aircraft during WWII, the Corsair found itself being produced by companies other than its originator, Chance-Vought. Here, the alternate producers were the Brewster Aircraft Company, builder of the F2A Buffalo (a future Flightdeck Friday topic, BTW) and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, producer of non-rigid airships or blimps. With production lines…
One of these will be next week’s feature (hint: not the the F7F – it’s already been done). Oh, and it will have a prop too… — Now, having said that, we could be persuaded by the readership towards one of the remaining tailhook candidates… Leave your vote in the comments section (international candidates…
Part I Part II Here was a case where McNamara, I think, expected me to keep the admirals in line. The more I looked into it, the more I became convinced that the matter had reached such an emotional state that even if the F-111B, the Navy version, turned out to be an excellent airplane,…
Not to worry — Flightdeck Friday will be up, just a wee bit later than normal (like maybe this weekend?) whilst yon not-so-patient scribe wrestles with yet another undocumented feature from the seventh circle of hades, otherwise known as Micro$oft and their late$t flaming dart inflicted on the masses – Vi$ta. We are so looking…
*Telegraph from Patrol Wing Two Headquarters warning of the attack on Pearl Harbor Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval…
