Who Likes Aircraft ?

[Virg464]

"Der Gabelschwanz Teufel". Some German pilots may have called it that, but originally the name came from Rommel's ground troops when the P-38s were strafing convoys and supply bunkers.

Interesting. I did a report on the P-38 (decades ago) when I was attending a military school (Air Force). Didn't come across the reference to the ground troops, but I can certainly see where they would have hated the P-38 just as much as anyone else that was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of an encounter with it.

 

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[DeltaV]

 

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[DeltaV]

Speaking of AVRO, something big happening in Britain soon. I would absolutely go if I was there: just to hear the howling again; and engine runs are always grand.

First 2026 Avro Vulcan XH558 Ground-Run Experience Dates Now Available - Vintage Aviation News

First 2026 Avro Vulcan XH558 Ground-Run Experience Dates Now Available

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In flight once upon a time:

 

[DeltaV]

A nice shot of the AVRO Arrow:

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[Photon440]

Another cancelled project, the CAC (Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation) CA-23 was an Australian design that came about in 1949. Intended to be a twin engine mach 1.5 fighter, the design didn't progress much past wind tunnel testing. Note the oval nose air inlet for the two Rolls Royce Avon engines.

After cancellation, the project, which had generated very positive test numbers, was shelved. But the design and wind tunnel data was offered to the major British aircraft manufacturers, as well as Avro Canada. Some people have suggested that this may have been the reason for the similarity to the Mach 2.3 English Electric fighter that was in service until the late 1980s.

Due to the discovery of Soviet agents working at Royal Aircraft Establishment doing the wind tunnel testing, it was conjectured that some of the plans were taken and used to influence the Sukhoi Su-7 as well.

 

[Richard Cranium]

That's one homely jet.

 

[Dave6T4]

That's one homely jet.

When thinking of design, I tend to compare with other contemporary designs. If you park it beside a 1949 Plymouth, it does not look so bad. LOL.

 

[DeltaV]

M-21 & D-21 above.


B-52 & D-21 below.

 

[Photon440]

 

[Photon440]

When the Beatles sang "I am the walrus", it's likely that they weren't talking about this seaplane. The Supermarine Walrus was used for maritime patrol, with its first flight in 1933.

Unlike the usual upgrades and improvements that many designs enjoy, the Walrus was actually originally designed and built with a metal hull, but to save material during the war years it was converted to be built of wood.

Besides gunnery spotting, its small bomb load enabled it to sink at least one U-Boat.

Able to be launched by catapult from battleships, perhaps its greatest claim to fame was the ability to land and retrieve downed airmen in the water, who would likely succumb to hypothermia before a boat could get to them. They'd be greeted with a warm blanket and a thermos of hot rum-laced tea. On one memorable occasion, they picked up a full crew of ten American airmen from a ditched B-17. Being too heavy to take off with that load, the pilot merely turned around and did a taxi run all the way back to England.

 

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Captured Japanese warplanes that were transported to the U.S. for evaluation

 

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