Two posts today…one for bondage aficionados, one for my airplane fans. Remember yesterday, I said I had to rush off? This is the reason why…I went to the Davis Monthan Air Force Base Air Show! 🙂 Here’s some random air plane shots…hope you all like!
Tolstoy
I want to say that this is a Corsair…but I could be wrong.
Off to the far right is my bud ElCoyote that you’ve heard me talk about here. 🙂
If I had gone into the military myself, this is what I would’ve wanted to do…be an Apache pilot. 🙂 I love these copters! 🙂
Unless I’m mistaken, this is a C-130…El was a mechanic for one of these. 🙂
A-10 Warthog…the pride and joy of AZ aviation. 🙂 I love these birds too. 🙂
Unless I’m mistaken, this is a P-51 Mustang. Awesome plane…one of my favorite designs!
Nose art. 🙂 If she were real, wouldn’t she look nice on my site? The woman, that is…not the plane. 😛
Ah, I wish I’d gotten a better shot of her. Still, gorgeous plane, no?
Is it wrong that some of those shots of airplanes are giving me serious wood, Tony?
I’ve always loved Apache helicopters – they look beautiful and dangerous, just like a helicopter should. And I love the old WWII fighters – they just look great, better than most jets these days….
Nothing wrong with the wood at all…I was right there with ya. 😉 I do love the WW2 planes, but the jets are just a tad bit more for me. I was hoping to see some Phantom fighters…eh, maybe next year.
Greetings from Texas,
Fantastic photos Tony. Like Drdarkeny, I have serious ‘interest’ in some the these birds.
The first shot is actually a North American AT-6. Anyone whe flew a Corsair spents lots of hours in the rear cockpit of an AT-6, or SNJ (Navy version) first.
The second is a Stearman, PT-13 or PT-17 depending on the engine.
The one you asked me about is a Douglas C-47 or DC-3, but the nose is modified. This could be to hold a weather radar unit.
My two favorites are the P-51, Lady Alice, and the B-25. I may know Lady Alice under a different name. Often when Warbirds are sold their names are changed.
I’m afraid you may be out of luck on Phantoms. It is my understanding there are no more flying examples in this country. They are too expensive of an individual to operate. The museum may have a static display.
Thanks again,
Art
Great pictures, Tony!
The best place to find an F-4 Phantom (aka Rhino) is at an air museum. Most of the AF birds were used as targets for tests and target practice.
Old Iron is what many of us call the WWII aircraft. There were some great ones there!
Yes, that is a C-130, specifically an EC-130H. I worked on these birds the last half of my career, having my name on the side of one at one time. Before that, I worked on HC-130H/N/P and MC-130H/P birds. A lot of the birds I worked on at my first base are showing up here in the boneyard 🙁
The funniest thing about this airshow? We walked on ramps and parking aprons that I used to walk on… ages ago as a Dedicated Crew Chief!
Waitaseccond…they used the Phantoms as shooting fodder????? Ohhhhhhh, man! If they were gonna waste those birds like that, they should’a just given me one…lmao! 😛 Still, necessary training, yes? 🙂
Greetings from Texas,
I know how you feel Tony. I remember seeing a video of an air to air missle being demonstrated for VIPs in the late 1950s. The target was a radio controled drone built from A GRUMAN F6F HELLCAT! I think I actually threw and smashed something that day. First and last time I ever did that.
Today the Hellcat is one of the Rarest of the WWII fighters. They deserved better man.
Art
Yes, Tony, they are using those F-4s as missile fodder (and I think it’s a good use of them… for various reasons). In fact, Star Wars Episode I got a bunch of aircraft parts and engines to use in the movie-in fact, the two “engines” in Anakin’s pod racer are actually J-79 engines out of an F-4 Phantom (dressed up, of course!), and there’s a lot of junk in Watto’s junkyard that I recognize! (Been an aircraft mechanic for too damn long… LOL)
Perhaps we can repeat this trip at the next airshow… 😉
I know that I’ll be in far better shape by then!
This post was supposed to have my nickname on it… don’t know why that happened!