The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Capt. Chuck Yeager - 357th Ftr. Grp. - Aug. 27th, 2003

www.acepilots.com ^

[Northern Yankee]

Morning Feather!

Isn't tonight the night Mars is going to be closet to the earth?

Think I'll build a fire in the backyard, get a cup of coffee, and enjoy the evening.

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
Bell P-39 "Airacobra"

The P-39 was the first instance where the aircraft was built around a gun.

The P-39 Airacobra was the first US Army fighter with tricycle landing gear, and was also unique for having its engine placed behind the pilot in the middle of the aircraft. Other interesting features included a 37mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, and access to the cockpit via a door in the fuselage (as opposed to a moveable canopy). While not noteable as an air-to-air fighter (in American hands), the P-39 performed well as a ground attack aircraft. However, the Russians received nearly 5000 P-39s through the lend-lease program, and they used them successfully as air defense fighters on the Eastern Front. About 200 P-39s originally designated for export to the British were repossessed by the USAAF, and were known as P-400s; these were used in the early Southwest Pacific campaigns such as at Guadalcanal.

Specifications:
Primary Function: Patrol
Contractor: Bell Aircraft
Crew: one
Unit Cost: $46,000
Powerplant: Allison V-1710 rated at 1,200 hp

Dimensions:
Length: 30 ft, 2 in
Wingspan: 34 ft
Height: 12 ft, 5 in
Weights: Empty: 5,610 lb / Max. Takeoff: 8,400 lb

Performance :
Speed: 376 mph
Ceiling: 35,000 ft
Range: 650 miles

Armaments:
One 37mm T9, four .50-caliber machine guns (two in nose, two under wing), 500 lbs of bombs.

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All photos Copyright of their respective websites

[Northern Yankee]

I love the smell of JP-4 in the morning!

Me too!

Nothing like having B-52's waking you up in the morning.

[Northern Yankee]

Great airplane, but hard to recover from a spin.

The Russians sure loved them.

[SAMWolf]

I used to go up there when I lived in Illinois.

IMHO one of the best airshows in the country. Thanks for the offer, if I go back to visit my parents, I'll make it a point to contact you.

[w_over_w]

Did you know Chuck Yearger did a cameo in The Right Stuff?

Absolutely! I remember his one line, "Pssss . . . Hey . . . you want some whiskey?" He looked like a desert bootlegger . . . probably loved every minute of it.

[Prof Engineer]

Nothing like having B-52's waking you up in the morning.

My better half used to live a few blocks from the Lockheed (General Dynamics/Northrop/North American) plant in Ft.Worth. Oh my G_d. The "sound of freedom" was never so prevalent.

C-130's are my weakness. LOL

[SAMWolf]

Morning Johnny.

The AiraCobra was a strange plane. The Soviets made pretty good use of them as ground attack planes under the lendlease program.

[Darksheare]

*sniff*
I had a telescope once, would have loved to have it still.
It would have come in handy for viewing Mars at this time.
But... my dear uncle, who was visiting at the time, stripped the traverse and elevating gears on it while trying to watch the chick across the street do her usual 'walk before the windows in the buff' routine.
Yes, he had been warned about two things:
1.) DO NOT TOUCH THE TELESCOPE.
2.) Cindy B across the street liked to flash the guys.

Cripes that was infuriating...

[SAMWolf]

Nothing like watching the heavenly bodies through a telescope. :-)

[Samwise]

Well, she didn't hate it. ;^) She started crying becasue she couldn't climb up the ladder. (She broke her knee last month at gymnastics.)

[SAMWolf]

Well, she didn't hate it

I guess that's a good sign. Give her a while and she'll be to 100% and you won't be able to keep her off.

[Darksheare]

I can't argue with that NOW, but at the time I was roughly 7 and more interested in stellar phenomena.

[Samwise]

Yep. It's where she and the neighbor girl go to sit in the shade and talk. They don't play pirates and stuffs any more.

[Samwise]

Hey guys! An airplane thread might be a good place to get an aeronautical idea.

Samwie Jr. and her dad want to build something for their RC club's Halloween fly in. They are supposed to build something "different" to see if they can make it fly. I thought a witch on a broom would be cool, but hubby can't quite figure out how to rig something. He can steal some pieces parts from old, crashed RCs.

Got any ideas for trying to make something funny fly?

[SAMWolf]

LOL! A late bloomer huh?

[SAMWolf]

Girls play pirates??? Maybe there's hope after all.

[Soaring Feather]

*sniff* *sniff*

Dang dirty old man and naughty Cindy!

Wreaked your scope! sheeeeesh enough to burn one's buns.

Maybe Cindy burned it out!

[Soaring Feather]

Nothing like watching the heavenly bodies through a telescope. :-)


SAM WOLF!!!! ROTFLOL!!!!!!!

[SAMWolf]