For those in peril on the sea (or a local lake)

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Survival training in the late 1940s. Here is the scenario: this crew of a “downed” PBY Catalina are no doubt “miles behind enemy lines” and their only hope of salvation is the timely arrival of a rescue aircraft. Naturally, they utilize every trick in the survival kit to attract rescuers.

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Luckily for them, an eagle-eyed PBY pilot from their own squadron has them in sight.

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Swooping in just when all hope was lost…

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It was a close call, but help has arrived – and no doubt just in time for lunch.

So, this training was accomplished on Lake Washington, a body of water upon whose littoral there was once NAS Seattle (both the men in the raft and those in the PBY are, of course, from said air station.) A lot has changed since then: the naval base is no more, and the forested slopes along the lake are crammed with houses.

Inland Aviation

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Inland Aviation of Kansas was only around a few years, but they built some excellent aircraft such as the Inland Sport seen here.  One of its principal features was side-by-side seating.  You knew the modern age had arrived when whatever it was you invented for transporting people from one place to another gained the ability for two of those people to sit side-by-side.  Apparently, sitting next to your sweetie also keeps one’s hair in place — even when you’re going so fast blurry lines indicating speed are emanating from your windscreen.

A pair of small posters announcing big news in 1930.  Meet me in St. Louis at the World Air Fair, the International Aircraft Exposition. There’s also the All-American Airshow in Detroit.  Added bonus: you only have to wait six weeks between the two shows.Webp.net-resizeimage (11)Webp.net-resizeimage (22)

Radiators for the GA-1   

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Radiator assembly for Boeing’s GA-1, or “GAX.”  You ask “what is GAX?” I answer: “Ground Attack eXperimental.  GAX Almighty was a great armored triplane that was supposed to be impervious to the puny weapons of enemy soldiers.  While bullets pinged off its armored sides, GAX’s gunners amused themselves by shooting the enemy below like they were fish in a barrel.  Well, that was the idea.  In reality, GAX weighed so damned much you could hardly get it off the ground. The Air Service bought 10 of the beasts, flew them for a few years, and then moved on.

Radio & TV star (and Naval Reserve pilot) Arthur Godfrey

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Godfrey at the controls of an SNJ at NAS Pensacola in September, 1950. At that time, he was one of the busiest men in the entertainment world as well as being a tremendously successful pitchman. And, in case he was not busy enough, he was also an aviation advocate and veteran pilot who flew for both the Naval and Air Force Reserve (such was his fame, both wanted his association for recruitment purposes).