Golden Era Aircraft

[Diamondback]

Looks like either a Lockheed Vega or Electra--both single-engine miniairliners that also made decent executive- or longhaul race-planes. (A favorite of both Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, IIRC.)

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Now playing: Jerry Goldsmith - The Knife
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[Aristaeus]

Hello NicknNORA
That would be a Lockheed Vega, the Electra is a twin engine job. The Vega was the Aircraft Amelia used to cross the atlantic and from Hawaii to CA. Wiley flew around the world with one and both can be found in Museums. The Vega didn't last long as an airliner since single engined aircraft were deemed unsafe and banned as passengers liners.

 

[NicknNora]

Thanks guys. I knew someone would know what it was.:eusa_clap

 

[Aristaeus]

Amelia's Lockheed Electra L10E over Northern Mexico.
FS2004.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-10_Electra

 

[MisterCairo]

The Lancaster bomber:

 

[Warrussia]

My favorite airplane has to be the DC-3. I just love the way it has the angles. but my other airplane I like that is in realm of owning is the piper J-3,

It was first built in 1938. It is a nice two seater taildragger that dosn't burn alot fuel. I am really thinking about getting my pilots license.

 

[Aristaeus]

PZL-11 in CFS2 1939 Polish Campaign.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/poland/pzl_p-11.php

 

[NicknNora]

My favorite airplane has to be the DC-3. I just love the way it has the angles. but my other airplane I like that is in realm of owning is the piper J-3,

It was first built in 1938. It is a nice two seater taildragger that dosn't burn alot fuel. I am really thinking about getting my pilots license.

Nice plane.:eusa_clap

 

[JohnnieT]

Boeing.

I'd like to offer up the Boeing 247D for this conversation. Carrying out roles similar to those of the DC-3, it accomplished the job with a little more style. It was, however, a little less versatile.

Another fantastic addition to the vintage aircraft category that deserves mention is the Grumman flying boat series. The Widgeon and the Albatross. The Widgeon was the smaller of the two carrying out coastal rescue and resupply, while the Albatross was a long range, heavy capacity aircraft capable of landing in open ocean if need be. The Albatross was used by the US Coast Guard into the early '90's. Musician Jimmy Buffett flies his personal Albatros, the "Hemisphere Dancer" throughout the Carribbean.

We also can't forget the classic bush plane, the DeHavilland Beaver. One of the longest lasting and most popular radial engine float planes. Still seen in the air today, mostly for adventuring through the back country of the northern US, Canada, and Alaska.

These are a few of my favorites. I apologize for not adding pictures, but connection speeds in Iraq prevent me from doing anything too taxing on our limited bandwidth.

 

[Diamondback]

Good choice. Would you believe the DC line only came about because Boeing couldn't/wouldn't build enough 247's? (Then-subsidiary United Airlines had first call on the production lines and every design.)

This monopoly also led, in its breakup, to the creation of United Aircraft (now United Technologies) from Boeing/United Aircraft & Transport's eastern-US operations.

 

[JohnnieT]

Thanks Diamondback.

Thank you sir.
That is an interesting tidbit about one of my favorite aircraft. It's a shame too because in all the research I've done it seems that, although capacity wasn't comporable, the 247 out-classed the DC-3 in both speed and comfort. I find it more pleasing to the eye as well. On the other hand, no one can argue the versatility and durability of the DC-3 and it's military counterpart, the C-47.

I can't believe that I also left out two of the greatest workhorses of the late twenties and early thirties, the Ford and Fokker tri-motors. I don't know terribly much about either, but they were definitely the Sherpas of their time. Both have been featured in Clive Cussler's "Dirk Pitt" novels. One, the Ford, piloted by Pitt himself. The Fokker was featured in one of the historical introductions as a cargo plane for an archaeological dig that was shot down by a Japanese bomber during the Japan-China war. I wish I could offer more information than that.

 

[Boodles]

Constellation - Thanks Aristaeus

Was there ever a better looking flying machine than the Constellation? Thanks for the Pan Am photo. Before now I don't think I've seen anything except the those in TWA dress. Someone once said that Howard Hughes (Herod Huge - Mad Magazine's spoof) had a role in the design. He did good.

 

[Diamondback]

Doubtful, Boodles--the Connie was a Kelly Johnson show all the way, and the only thing those two titanic egos could agree on aside from the twin-engine/twin-boom-joined-by-tail platform for high-speed work was their mutual hostility.

 

[Boodles]

Constellation - Kelly Johnson

Mr Diamondback, Thanks for putting me on the correct path with the Kelly Johnson news. In days gone by I have told way too many people that the Connie was a brainstorm of HH. It sounded good anyway, but the credit for that beauty needs to go to its rightful owner.

As an aside, your avatar never fails to remind me of two things 1) the beautiful 2-1/2 inch and the 4 inch pieces from Hartford resting in my safe and 2) both the pose and the corncob in the photo remind me of something I learned recently which is that some of MacArthur's troops had nicknamed him "Dugout" Doug (This I offer without comment). Thanks for both, sir.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I was taking a little hike by myself at a nature preserve in Croton-on-Hudson, NY late yesterday afternoon, when I heard a distant rumble that grew louder and louder: the approach of a large prop-driven plane. I rushed to get to an opening in the tree cover on the off chance that it would go right overhead. Sure enough, it did. It was flying slowly and fairly low, and even though I only got about a half-second view, I shouted out loud (to nobody!), "My God, that's... that's a B-17!"

I'm no big aircraft expert, I've never seen one of these in flight before, but there was no question in my mind. And then in today's local paper, I saw this:

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009908280356

Very, very cool!

 

[Aristaeus]

Hello all
You are right when you say H.H. did not design the Connie but it was H.H. and TWA that set the standard for this aircraft. Had it not been for TWA and the fact H.H. had control over it the connie as we know it today would not exist.

 

[Dinerman]

Saw this yesterday an the Auburn, Maine airport.

 

[Diamondback]

DM, that might be the bird that's being dismantled to ship out here.

Aristaeus, possible--but the only reason I can see for HRH not aborting the project after finding out that his archrival (it makes sense, Kelly was the by-the-book trained professional engineer, Hughes was a lucky amateur who had the money to buy whatever talent he needed) was going to be spearheading Lockheed's design-team (unless Hall Hibbard was still around, then they might have used him as a "smokescreen" to cover Kelly) would be if the technical merit of the design was that spectacular. (Hughes tried to claim the P-38 was a ripoff of his XF-11, Kelly thought vice versa with some good reason, as the Lightning clearly came along well before the Hughes bird saw ink-on-paper. Personally, I think it was just a matter of great minds thinking alike, much like how von Braun inadvertently triggered a patent-infringement suit from reinventing Goddard's patented components.) If you can find a copy of Kelly: More Than My Share Of It All, he does have a humorous anecdote about teaching HRH to fly the Connie.

fftopic: Boodles, both my small and large corncobs are Missouri Meerschaum, Mac's preferred corncob-pipemaker, and the nickname is a misnomer--he was known to, while Japanese air-raids were hitting Corregidor, stand out in the open as if he were daring them to hit him.

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Now playing: James Horner - Re-Entry And Splashdown
via FoxyTunes

 

[Talbot]

Liking the heck out of this thread

Couple from FS9:

Apols for the jaggies. Just upgraded to a newer box and haven't got the hang of the nvidia settings. Let me dig out some FSX screen shots.

 

[Talbot]

Couple from FSX