P-51B 43-24856, 319th Fighter Squadron
Crew chief is putting the final touches to the words “The Third Dallas Blonde.” Aircraft was shot down in November, 1944. The pilot, Donald P. Kerns, bailed out but unfortunately became a POW and died in captivity.
F-51 44-63495, Michigan Air Guard.
F-51, Minnesota Air National Guard
This aircraft, 44-73656, belongs to the 109th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Check out the gopher emblem on the tale. Gopher = Minnesota’s favorite beast.
California Air National Guard P-51 Mustangs
Well, come to think of it, by the time these photos were taken, it was the F-51, but let’s not split hairs. Serials are 44-74720, 44-74825, and 44-74607.
Grumman Goose of the Coast Guard
New & Shiny KC-135A 56-3594
This is one of the so-called “short tail” tankers, a feature found on the earliest 135’s. Photo taken at Walker AFB, NM. Although closed decades ago, Walker is used for many aviation activities (the now former Reno Air Races will soon be one of them). The massive SAC hangar in the background is still in use today.
KC-97 receives a new prop
C-97F 51-0391, Illinois Air National Guard
She started life as a tanker, but was eventually modified to a straight trash-hauler. When this photo was taken at Boeing Field, the plane was part of the 126th Air Refueling Group. Aircraft was scrapped in 1964.
YC-97 at Boeing Field
This hand-tinted YC-97 belongs to the 1st Strategic Support Squadron at Biggs AFB. The 1st Strategic Support Squadron had the interesting mission of hauling atomic bombs from point A to point B. The squadron’s mission was not dropping the bombs, but transporting them.
Société Pour L’Aviation et ses Dérivés S.XIII (The Spad)
RF-4C 65-0879, 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
The B-52 arrives at Mather AFB, 1958
Dubbed “The City of Sacramento”, this B-52F (57-0163) arrived to great fanfare to become part of Mather’s 4134th Strategic Wing. The original post was supplemented by the later contribution of the photo seen at the top. Such contributions from readers are always welcome.
(Photo #1, courtesy of Max Pashnev, Jim Webb Collection)
B-52D 56-0687
Seen here with it’s .50 cal guns getting a look over, 687 was the last B-52D to fly when it arrived in 1984 for permanent display at Orlando Airport (AKA former SAC base, McCoy AFB.)
F3B (7726) of NAS San Diego Parked on Its Home Turf
Beautiful F3B (7763) of the Marine Corps
Photo looks to be taken at Langley Field. Check out the snazzy wheel pants.
Life with “Willy Victor”
The Lockheed WV (later the EC-121) flew the Pacific Barrier missions during the Cold War. Operating from places such as the Midway Islands, the Lockheed WV (Willy Victor) crews flew long missions over the north and central Pacific. Plenty of good info at sites such as WillyVictor.com. Photos here show:
1. Pilots at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii.
2. Willy Victor raft and survival gear. Despite the humor (“Royal Hawaiian”, as in the fancy hotel on Waikiki), the Pacific Barrier flights consisted of endless hours flown over endless seas. This raft and related equipment seen here were not to be taken for granted.
3. Barbers Point with plenty of WV’s to gawk at.
4. Lower radome of a WV after taking out a goony bird at Midway. Having flown in and out of Midway a time or two myself, I can attest that bird strikes there are a common occurrence.
BT-14 of the 52nd School Squadron
The uniquely shaped air base in the background is it’s home : Randolph Field. Photo taken in the pre-urban sprawl year of 1940. Now the area around Randolph is home to thousands.
It’s time for a Clipper-rama
The Jive Bomber 