Henri Farman

Farman at the controls of the Henri Farman n°1. Notice the spring shock absorbers. (Also, if you see a photo of Farman, he almost always has a cigarette at the ready)
The Henri Farman n°1 was also known as the Voisin-Farman, or Farman I.
An autographed photo from Farman signed to aviation enthusiast, William J. Hammer.

Early aeroplanes and aeronauts

Captain Halstead Dorey, the Hon. James Beck, Wilbur Wright, and William Hammer at the Fulton-Hudson Celebration in 1909. Taking off from Governors Island, Wright flew his aircraft on a 33 minute flight up and down the Hudson River. A canoe was attached to the underside of the craft in case Wilbur found himself in the Hudson.
A detailed shot of Wilbur’s canoe. With an American flag fluttering in its bow, this vessel won the distinction as the “World’s first flying canoe”.
Another participant in the Hudson-Fulton extravaganza was the upstart Glenn Curtiss.
Curtiss’s machine at Governors Island, NY.
Curtiss and William Hammer discuss the goings on during the celebration. A “fly-off” between Curtiss and Wright was much anticipated, but Curtiss’s endeavors were lackluster and it was Wright who stole the show with flights up and down the Hudson, around the Statue of Liberty, etc.
Curtiss managed one brief flight before packing up for home. He had just returned from France and was flying a spare aircraft that was ill-suited for his purposes.
Curtiss was usually found at the controls of his more successful machines like the No. 2, seen here.
An early aviator whose name escapes me at the controls of a Curtiss D.
William J. Hammer poses with what the photo caption states is a Blériot No. 9. Hammer, from where these photos originated, was influential in early aviation matters. He was also a brilliant electrician who worked with Thomas Edison.

Note: These images may not be the ultimate in quality, but they are original photos that are over 110 years old.

337th Fighter Interceptor Squadron

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The location of this photo is Taoyuan Air Base, Taiwan, where the 337th was deployed in response to the Quemoy Crisis in late 1958. Such deployments were unusual for an Air Defense Command unit but the F-104 Starfighters of the 337th were ready.

Arriving in October of ’58, the 337th relieved the 83rd FIS who departed sans F-104s so the 337th would have something to fly – The 83rd had disassembled their Starfighters in order to have them airlifted to Taiwan and the Air Force saw no sense in requiring the 337th to do the same thing to theirs. The 337th was at Taoyuan less than two months before they were ordered back to their home of Westover AFB, Mass. (It was now their turn to disassemble some Starfighters.)

Several noteworthy aspects to this photo: Sitting at center on his “throne”, and holding a big cigar (the smoking of which he was quite fond of), is squadron commander Major James Jabara, Korean War ace extraordinaire. 

It is also of note that in this photo there are about half a dozen patches worn that are from squadrons other than the 337th. The 49th FIS, 56th, 331st, etc.; most likely new guys who did not get their 337th patches sewn on before the deployment.

PS. I wonder whose job it was to organize the water buffalos seen on each end of the picture?

PBY Catalina Day

A PBY-5A (33979) of NAS Seattle refuels from the seaplane tender USS Pine Island in Alaskan waters, July, 1949.
A bunch of newly hatched PBY drivers, NAS Corpus Christi, 1944.
NAS Seattle, 1939. Most of the aircraft are P2Ys, but a lone PBY can be seen on the ramp.
The only PBY sold to a civilian in the pre-war years was this example. Nicknamed “Guba”, it was used for research in the South Pacific.
Men of VPB 43 on duty in the Aleutian Islands.
VPB 43 had its share of arctic mishaps. What appears to be scratches on the photo is actually a blizzard of snow.
The bent wing leads one to conclude this PBY was taking off or landing in a crosswind and spun off the runway. This was repairable given that the outer wings on the PBY were removable. Note the depth bombs mounted under the inner wings.
Less repairable is this VPB 43 PBY that experienced engine trouble, landed in the sea, and while being towed back to the harbor had the towline break. Adak Island, May, 1945.
Same aircraft. As can be seen, this PBY’s flying days were done.
Men examine the wreckage to gather up classified material and personal belongings. Nature would soon take care of the rest.

For fans of the B-25 Mitchell

A B-25J (43-27540) of the 340th Bomb Group, 487th Bomb Squadron floats in for a landing. Nicknamed “Watch Copier”, this aircraft bears the markings of 120 missions flown.
Another veteran of many missions is 43-27662 of the 340th Bomb Group’s 486th Bomb Squadron.
“Dog Daize” was name given to this B-25H (43-4381) of the 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Bomb Squadron.
“Candy” was another well-worn combat veteran. Note the soot from its forward .50 caliber guns.
B-25H (43-4978) shows its markings for 78 missions.
B-25J of the 345th Bomb Group, the famous “Air Apaches”.
“Chow Hound Junior” (41-30606) was a B-25D of the 345th Bomb Group, 500th Bomb Squadron.
A close up of “Chow Hound Junior” illustrates the artist’s skillful hand.
B-25H (43-4110) was the sixth “H” model built.

Tales the flightsuits tell

5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Minot AFB. The squadron patch is a rather poor rendition of a lynx, and was certainly not what they guys had in mind (the patch on the right is added to the scene for the purpose of comparison). Not only is the former an unappealing design, it has misspellings: the motto, and worst of all, “InterceRtor” rather than “Interceptor”. It would be easy for one to dismiss this as a poorly-designed and rejected patch, or even a fake. However, it is as real as they get. The lesson: just because a patch is not what it ought to be does not disqualify or diminish its authenticity. And, of course, being sewn to a period flightsuit with other proper patches for the period (the “F-106 Dart”) only helps in its provenance. This flightsuit was worn by a pilot assigned to the 5th FIS, 1961-63.
95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Andrews AFB. What sets this one apart is the F-106 patch; as we have already seen, the same patch was worn by the 5th FIS. This is no big deal except that said patch is attributed to that squadron, not the 95th. Why was the 95th pirating a patch from the 5th? Because they (or this pilot) felt like doing so. Lesson: anything goes when it comes to patches.
This patch design of the 2nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron is always attributed to its later years as a training squadron in the mid-1970s. Fine, but what is it doing on a flightsuit from the early 1950s? This is the first pattern of K-2B flightsuit: big collar, only one chest pocket. The nametape is certainly of the era, not the 70s. It and the patch were sewn on by the same man at the same time – a long time ago (the thread and stitching show that). Anything is possible, and one should be conservative in their judgement on such matters, but one also has a hard time believing that when the squadron reactivated in 1974 one of its pilots dusted off a 20 year old flightsuit and said “make sure you sew on my outdated nametape at the same time”.
I have often wondered why a patch from the 15th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, (a land of cacti, scorpions, and gila monsters) is sewn to a winter-weight flightsuit. Yes, the pilots of Air Defense Command had to be ready for anything, but issuing arctic equipment at a base in the blazing desert seems a bit extreme. I know, I know; they do have winter there, but still…

P2V Neptune, and the boss

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Seen here with the bird that bears his name, Commander Bill Hodges, CO of VP-11, poses while on a deployment to Malta in the mid-1950s.

Note: Hodges had a long career that included surviving the sinking of his ship, USS West Virginia, at Pearl Harbor (a good swimmer, Hodges took a few deep breaths and dove down into the wreck to retrieve his wallet). 

Mississippi National Guard, 1939

Your well-dressed aerial gunner of the 1930s.
One of the squadron’s pilots is preparing for some aerial gunnery himself. He will not hit a thing, but will have fun trying.
The squadron was new when these photos were taken in 1939, but the aircraft were hand-me-down O-38s. Here, they certainly show their age. This plane, 34-12, was wrecked in 1941.
Time to grease some lifters.
A more modern aircraft assigned to Key Field was this A-17.

The Mississippi National Guard was just starting out in the aviation world when these photos were taken back in ’39. The newly-minted 153rd Observation Squadron took to the skies with a gaggle of decidedly well-worn O-38s, but they were no doubt happy to have something to fly.

If you are a Frenchman, this “April Fools’ Day” postcard makes perfect sense

April Fools’ Day in France is the day of “Poisson d’Avril” – April Fish. Jokes revolve around the sea critter – especially that of attaching a paper fish to the back of an unsuspecting individual who goes about his day never suspecting he has a paper trout dangling on the back of his jacket.

What does that have to do with aircraft? Not a thing. However, with aeroplanes being the newest thing back in 1909 (when this card was posted) it is not surprising the old tradition of “Poisson d’Avril” was given a new twist. Note: when visiting France on April 1st, always check your back.

Men and Mustangs: The 357th Fighter Group

Ace Don Bochkay poses with his scoreboard. All the photos in this post are courtesy of Major Bochkay.
“Pappy’s Answer”, a P-51D (44-14736) piloted by Lt. John Stern, 363rd Fighter Squadron.
Chuck Yeager’s “Glamorous Glen III”.
Leonard “Kit” Carson, top ace of the 357th Fighter Group.
Clarence “Bud” Anderson’s well-known bird, “Old Crow”.
“Gentleman Jim” flown by James “Jim” Browning.
“Reluctant Rebel” was piloted by Robert Foy.
“Horses Itch” was piloted by Major Ed Hiro. Both he and the aircraft were lost on 19 September, 1944.
Don Bochkay had an eventful landing in 44-15422.

Whale-o-rama

A3D-2 of VAH-123 at an NAS Whidbey Island airshow in the early 1960s. In the background, RCAF men enjoy the show from the top of their CF-100.
Big plane, little girl.
EKA-3B of VAQ – 308 in the early 1980s. Note both the whale on the tail and the pilot taking a break atop the aircraft. 147666 was among the last Skywarriors built and is now on display in Oakland, CA.
VA-3B (142672) was assigned as a VIP aircraft when this photo was taken in the early 1970s.
142672 again. This was not just any VIP bird, but was reserved for only the top brass. I imagine the interior was rather plush.
In a typical landing for the Skywarrior, A3D-2 of VAH – 4 comes aboard bouncing.
142651, like many a Skywarrior, was in service long enough to undergo major changes to its original purpose. It ended its days as a tanker/electronic warfare bird.
142236 of VAH-8. This aircraft crashed in 1962.
142250 and its sister, 142251 of VAH-4 in the early days. The former crashed in 1964, the latter is on display aboard the USS Midway.
A3D-1 135444 at an open house in the early 60s.
‘444 again, same open house. Day-glo orange was, of course, all the rage back then.

Air Force One and the Skyranger

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Two aircraft that one does not often see in the same photo would be the VC-137 and the Commonwealth Skyranger. Taken at the Renton Airport/Boeing plant in the summer of 1962, VC-137, “SAM 2600”, is undergoing finishing touches before it is delivered to the Air Force for the use of President Kennedy. This photo illustrates the classic adage of “I seen ’em come, I seen ’em go” by virtue of the fact that while SAM 2600 is now retired to the Air Force Museum, the Skyranger (N90682, built in 1946) is still registered and flying today. Really, about the only thing that shows this photo was not taken in recent times are the vintage automobiles.

One of the perks of being a general is…

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…having a fighter plane to call your own. Major General William Kepner was no exception; as boss of the 8th Fighter Command, he got around in style in his P-47 (42-26637) nicknamed “Kokomo”. Here we see it wears the name of an additional city, “Buffalo”. Or, perhaps, it is referring to the animal of the same name. Before the war, Kepner was more associated with balloons & such rather than fighter aircraft. He held six ratings, most rather quaint: command pilot, combat observer, senior balloon pilot, zeppelin pilot, semirigid pilot, and metal-clad airship pilot.

The color photo is courtesy of Bob Livingstone from the sunburnt country, the Land Down Under.

By request…

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Several people have asked me for the full photo of the image that appears on the header for this site. Nice guy that I am, here it is: The 6th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, circa 1935. The 6th Pursuit (later Night Fighter) Squadron was inactivated in 1947, and despite being one of the older units (activated in 1917) it entered a long post-war slumber*. This was rectified in 2017, and once again the 6th is an active component of the USAF.

*Note: Wikipedia states that the 6th was reactivated in 1968, assigned to the 11th Air Force, and flew F-4 Phantoms for 25 years at “Alberts Air Base” in the “San Francesco Islands”. Not a word of this is even remotely true thus serving as a helpful reminder why Wikipedia is not an accepted source at any college or university.

The “Dash 80”

Very early shot of the 367-80 at Boeing Field in 1954. Not the first flight, but early enough to garner a crowd of Boeing employees.
Most of the men in this photo look old enough to remember when the Ford Trimotor was the greatest thing in airline travel.
The -80 later in its life.
I will date this photo from the late 60s when the -80 was nearing the end of its operational days.
It is a testament to Boeing that even with the external design of the 367-80 now pushing 70 years of age, one could swap its four turbojets for a pair of turbofans, give it a modern paint scheme, and still have an airliner that would differ very little from those of today.

(From a stash of old negatives I recently found hidden in one of my file cabinets.)

George AFB in the early 50s

F-86A (49-1244) of George AFB’s 94th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flares for landing.
F-84E of the 158th Fighter Bomber Squadron which was assigned to George during the Korean War.
F-86A of the 94th FIS
George AFB closed in the early 90s, but even then the flightline had changed very little from when this photo was taken almost 70 years ago. The hangars still stand today, but now the ramp is crowded with civil aircraft.

Aloha from the 4th Observation Squadron

The location is Luke Field, Territory of Hawaii. The date, oh, sometime in the 1930s. The aircraft, the Thomas Morse O-19. The 4th had obviously just done something worthy of the sizable trophy held by the officer in the middle. Given the sedate performance of the O-19, it is safe to assume the trophy does not reflect the squadron’s establishment of a new world record for airspeed.

Y1B-7 pilots of the 31st Bomb Squadron

Taken at March Field, California, in about 1933, the pilots are as follows: Front row, left to right, Squadron Commander Lt. Ralph A. Snavely, Lieutenants Lewis, Allison, and Eaker. Top row, Lieutenants Stone, Messer, Gardner, and Skaer. Although the number of B-7 (and its variants) were small (14 built in total) it marked a revolution in Air Corps bombers: all-metal, and a monoplane to boot. This revolutionary aspect can be seen when one compares the Y1B-7 with another 31st Bomb Squadron bird lurking in the background – a Keystone B-4 – which looks right out of World War 1.

Johnson Air Base, Japan, early 1950s

Here’s the man who took most of the photos. Unfortunately, we do not know his name. He sits in squadron CO, Major Carl D. Peterson’s bird.
F-94s of the 339th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Serials are 51-5460, 465, and 470. The latter crashed in 1954.
51-5452 zooms past a T-33.
51-5467 of the 339th FIS.
467 gets its guns armed for another mission.
The 339th “Gremlins”.
F-80s of the 41st Fighter Interceptor Squadron. 49-774 leads the way.
49-433 of the 41st FIS
Hurrying past the camera are 49-430 and 473 of the 41st FIS. are
A couple of 25th FIS birds: 49-700 and 739.
“Hawg” was name given to 49-775 of the 35th FIW.
F-80 of the 35th FIW glides in on short final.
A couple of hard working maintenance men show off their strength.
A P2V Neptune of VP-1 forms the backdrop for 49-514 of the 41st FIS.
VP-1 P2V on deployment from NAS Whidbey Island.
A pair of visiting F9F-5 Panthers of VF-192. On this deployment to the Far East in 1953-4, VF-192 had a starring role in the immortal film “The Bridges at Toko-ri”. No doubt these are two of the aircraft seen in that picture.
An F-51 Mustang gets a quick engine change while a C-47 waits its turn.
Sikorsky H-19 of the 39 Air Rescue Squadron visits Johnson AB. The remains of this aircraft are currently in an Arizona salvage yard.
Line up of A-26s of the 6th Tow Target Squadron.
Another visitor to Johnson AB was “Rough Knight” (44-35388), an A-26 of the 13th Bomb Squadron. This aircraft was shot down in 1951.
Pass in review for men of the 35th Fighter Interceptor Wing. SA-16s in the background.

No. 356 Squadron, RAAF, in the Cocos Islands, 1945

Liberators of No. 356 Squadron on West Island. Photo credit to Robert Livingstone whose father served as an RAAF navigator in No. 160 Squadron.
Surrounded by all the trappings of a tropical paradise, a MK VI Liberator idly awaits its next mission.
A “tropical paradise” had its limits: a soggy days days on West Island were the norm.
Armourers of 356 Sqn prep their bombs on the rain-drenched hardstand.
Although constituted late in the war, No. 356 Squadron made a name for themselves with attacks against Japanese shipping and land targets.

Flying the Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI, 356 Sqn operated from the balmy Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. An outfit that included Canadians as well as Australians, they proved a good mixture as the squadron amply proved in combat.

The Skyraider

Flown by 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom Air Base, Thailand, this Skyraider (52-139598) had its picture taken while on display at nearby Korat Air Base in 1970. Unfortunately, time was running out for 598: On 24 December of that same year, the aircraft was lost while escorting rescue helicopters deep into hostile country. The pilot, Major Albro L. Lundy, was killed, his body being recovered and identified decades later. R.I.P.