Albatross D.III of the Polish Air Force
Poland’s fledgling air force began with top of the line machines such as the German-built Albatross. When war came with the Soviet Union in 1919, the untried Polish air force gave a good account of themselves and were instrumental in the victory over the USSR.
Curtiss P-36 Hawk, 1940-41
We see a rather rare photo here: a pre-war P-36 sporting a bare metal finish with national insignia on its fuselage. Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that in late 1940, the Air Corps was conducting experiments with camouflage as well as the placement of the national insignia. This P-36 is assigned to Maxwell Field’s 23rd Composite Group – the unit that carried out such testing.
Junior Birdmen of 1959
T-34
When this photo was taken, T-37 58-1896 was fresh off the assembly line
A photo to show to the folks back home.
T-37A 56-3563 has a long life ahead of it. Today, it is on display in the appropriately named town of Jet, Oklahoma.
The number of pilots who trained in the “Tweet” is beyond counting.
Rainy (and humid) afternoon at Graham Air Base.
By the book, or “Buy the Farm”.
With bulging briefcases, students of the 3300th Pilot Training Group prepare to march.
He is about to be trusted with a multi-million dollar aircraft.
These shots were taken at Graham Air Base, Florida, in the latter half of 1959. The aircraft are the T-34 and, of course, the then new T-37 “Tweet”. Graham was an air force training base, but was operated primarily by civilian contractors and not air force personnel. As such, it did not carry the title “Air Force Base”. By 1959, the era of civilian operated training schools was coming to a close, and Graham Air Base closed the following year.
The Vickers Valiant
The third Valiant built, WP201 was used for training missions and testing with No. 1321 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight at RAF Wittering.
On the ground, the Valiant could be an ungainly-looking beast. Looks are deceiving things though – the Valiant was a highly respected aircraft and marked the RAF’s commitment to nuclear defense.
The VC-137A & B
- 58-6960 sports the VC-137’s original markings on an early test flight prior to its delivery to the USAF.
“Regular Army Officers”
The aircraft is, of course, a DH-4. The place is somewhere hot (note the sun’s x-ray effect on the wings). The date is sometime in the 1920s.
The man in the center is Hap Arnold who wears his Military Aviator badge beneath his wings.
