This weekend was the "Thunder Over Michigan" airshow. We didn't go, but I did drive by the Willow Run airport just a a flight of 8 WWII bombers flew over. They were probably a couple of thousand feet up. 7 B-17s and a Lancaster, formed up in 2 vees. Just an awesome sight!!
I.
Hate.
You.
I'm still hoping that the folks that host airshows with WW2 aircraft will allow them to gain enough altitude to do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFYzHfjTGtk
It's amazing to see what they really looked like in 1944.
Last summer the "Lanc" was flying over my house at low altitude. (I live near an airport.) It passed over about 10 times.
Two years ago I was in Hamilton and we toured the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. I got to sit in the Lancaster and talked with the pilot for about a 1/2 an hour. What a beautiful aircraft and the sound of those 4 Merlin's - sweet! 
The only thing better was one year they had an Avro Shackleton show up at Oshkosh. Four R/R Griffons turning eight counter rotating props. Unreal.
...
Awesome.
I have vague memories of sitting in a Lancaster when I was much younger, at an aircraft museum.
Also, 'watched 'The War Lover' a couple of weeks back - neat Steve McQueen film with some great B-17 footage.
And lastly, here's a cool clip of a low flying Spitfire - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3UtmHLKUU
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is a really good one. Twice, I've booked flights in their Harvard, and both times weather caused cancellations. The Kalamazoo Air Zoo is another good one, too. The best one I've been to though, is the US Air Force Museum in Dayton. It's an all-day affair, maybe two for a real aircraft freak.
DeadSkunk wrote: The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is a really good one. Twice, I've booked flights in their Harvard, and both times weather caused cancellations. The Kalamazoo Air Zoo is another good one, too. The best one I've been to though, is the US Air Force Museum in Dayton. It's an all-day affair, maybe two for a real aircraft freak.
Dayton is a week, easy.
If you're around the east coast at the begining of June of any year, you might want to check this event out. I've gone a couple of times, it's amazing.
http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html
If you read everything, 4 days. More for the outside stuff.
foxtrapper wrote: If you're around the east coast at the begining of June of any year, you might want to check this event out. I've gone a couple of times, it's amazing. http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html
HIGHLY recommended. Lots of fun, great turn out, and go back to the airport the morning after it's over. Free show, and lots of approachable owners.
:kickingself: Passed near Dayton this summer on the way back from Indy. Would have LOVED to stop there. Probably explains the molded jet plane in the concrete of the over pass near there. I'm such a dunce.
friedgreencorrado wrote: I'm still hoping that the folks that host airshows with WW2 aircraft will allow them to gain enough altitude to do *this*: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFYzHfjTGtk It's amazing to see what they *really* looked like in 1944.
I am almost certain the remove the turbos on the engines these days to simplify maintenance. Those things were pretty damn uncomfortable at altitude from what I have read anyway.
I am still waiting for someone to make a good, bigger budget movie about the air war in Europe or the Pacific (i.e. Private Ryan style) and put a bunch of money into building / refurbishing a bunch of old planes (obviously the German / Japanese planes would suck up a lot of the cash)
P.S.
The six flying P-38's in the US are supposed to be a Reno (sept) this year, and at the Sacramento show before it. That should be quite a site:
Also scheduled to show up is one of the newly build FW190 replicas (might create a few flashbacks with the 38's).:
My dad was an RAF squad leader in WWII - he flew Spitfires and Lancaster bombers.
aircooled wrote: I am almost certain the remove the turbos on the engines these days to simplify maintenance. Those things were pretty damn uncomfortable at altitude from what I have read anyway.
That would be Superchargers. Any museum aircraft- which most of the ones that fly shows are, they don't remove them. And for the private owned ones... Well if you could afford something like that would you pull the 'Charger?!
Neither aircraft are pressurized, and I know the 17's werent heated, cant remember for the Mustang... so yeah.
The bomber crews used to wear jackets with electric heating elements in them... also not very comfortable.
If any of you are ever on Long Island, go to Republic airport (yeah, named for THAT Republic) and hit the American Airpower Museum.
15 to get in. Its small, in two hangars on New Highway next to the Cemetery. The two hangars are whats left of Republic Avaition's older production hangars. This is where they built P-47's, and where they kept storage while they built the earlyer A-10's. How is that for history? Thats just the building... inside is a mix of American aircraft, all taken care of by volunteers, some of WWII vintage or damned close. The older guys just give tours. My god do they have stories.
Everything in the building Flys, can fly, needs parts or was dismantled by the gov't before they got/saved it
Some examples... A D-day vet CH47 that was sold to Israel after the war. All gauges in Hebrew. A wicked P-40 with the proper paint. "SkyBoss" the Corsair with Yosemite Sam painted on the side. If you see a poster of a Corsair its probably this plane.
Go There.
BobOfTheFuture wrote: A wicked P-40 with the proper paint.
Is this the "proper" paint you refer to? Asked because they were used in multiple theaters and didn't always use the familiar AVG markings.
B-17 is turbocharged, but they are not used now. Other turbocharged WWII airplanes are P-38, P-47, B-24. I also believe that the B-29 was turbocharged.
BobOfTheFuture wrote: That would be Superchargers. Any museum aircraft- which most of the ones that fly shows are, they don't remove them. And for the private owned ones... Well if you could afford something like that would you pull the 'Charger?!
You may be correct. The superchargers on those radials are kind of part of the block. I was thinking about the P-38's, which it is very common to remove the turbos (and yes they had turbos). The P-47's also rarely have the turbo anymore, which was mounted in the tail, so there is LOTS of plumbing involved. You can tell when p-47 has the turbo because the exhaust will be coming out near the tail gear.
Edit: Nope, I guess I remember correctly the first time, the Cyclones did have turbos:
"Four 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-97 Cyclones nine cylinder air-cooled single row radial engines. General Electric Type B-22 exhaust driven turbo-superchargers, installed under engine nacelles. "
Wow, I am shocked about the P-38. I was so sure it had supers.
Welp, thanks for straightining that out.
Oldsaw- absolutely. Its kinda like the GT40. There was other great paint schemes. But a propert GT40 is blue and orange 
Either way, dont let my inacuracys distract you, check out the AAP. Its so very worth it.
Luke wrote: Awesome.
Heh. Here's an outtake from Alain de Cadenet doing his "aviation stuff" for the BBC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT46V3mmWRE
Appleseed wrote:DeadSkunk wrote: The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is a really good one. Twice, I've booked flights in their Harvard, and both times weather caused cancellations. The Kalamazoo Air Zoo is another good one, too. The best one I've been to though, is the US Air Force Museum in Dayton. It's an all-day affair, maybe two for a real aircraft freak.Dayton is a week, easy.
Yeah, I gotta get to Dayton one day. I know the place is there, I just haven't done the deed yet.
Appleseed, have you ever been tempted to visit the Naval Avation Museum in Pensacola, FL? After all, an aircraft carrier is a very large ship..but it's a very small airport (an F-14 pilot in Norfolk told me that back when I was a teenager sneaking into bars in Virginia Beach in the late 1970s).
In reply to friedgreencorrado: You gotta do the NavAir museum in Pensacola. The aircraft are limited to USN and USMC, but it is an amazing collection.
War, it sucks.
But, everybody does it, so you may as well be good at it.
EricM wrote: War, it sucks. But, everybody does it, so you may as well be good at it.
Yeppers, it does.
Those who are really good at it get to build, use, preserve and display the things as memorials to those who sacrificed so much - so that others might have some appreciation of why they are free.
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