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Of Wings & Things

‘Dottie Mae’ debut highlights Warbird Roundup 2017

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There’s an old-hat easygoing comfort in the way the Warhawk Air Museum hosts its annual Warbird Roundup in Nampa, Idaho, every summer, but the event is far from the same each year.

This year, in addition to rousing start-ups and fly-bys with the Planes of Fame Museum’s P-38, F4U, and B-25, Warbird Roundup hosted the public debut of the combat P-47D Thunderbolt named “Dottie Mae.”

Other warbird owners brought P-51s and Texan trainers to the party, and the Warhawk Air Museum fired up its two P-40s, its P-51C Mustang, and its N3N biplane and Cessna O-1 Bird Dog. [Read more…]

‘Cobras come calling

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It was rare — almost like lottery-winning rare — as three World War II Bell P-63 Kingcobras and one predecessor P-39 Airacobra landed at Wittman Field in late July for EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

These aluminum ‘Cobras have become more furtive than their reptilian namesakes. To see one at an air show is a treat. To see four is, well, it’s Oshkosh.

The warbird ramp where the four ‘Cobras parked was awash in questions from visitors. So here’s a recap of the Oshkosh ‘Cobra convention, beginning with a brief background history on the P-39 and P-63. [Read more…]

Want two, three, or no engines with that Gooney Bird?

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It was not uncommon for mass-produced aircraft of the 20th Century to stick with one type of engine, albeit with model advances as the engines improved.

All production B-17s except the Model 299 prototype flew with some version of the Wright R1820 radial; B-24s were loyal to Pratt & Whitney R1830s.

The Douglas DC-3/C-47 series bucked that trend early, as commercial DC-3 variants tended to ride on Wright 1820s, while military C-47 versions were typically powered by Pratt 1830s. [Read more…]

Jenny a century later

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The World War I Curtiss Jenny trainer evolved from less-than-optimal JN-1 and JN-2 models of 1915 to the definitive JN-4D that found its stride 100 years ago.

In the spirit of centennial commemorations, a look back at the Jenny is in order. [Read more…]

End of an Air Force: Germany after World War II

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The World War II German air force — the Luftwaffe — was a force to be reckoned with.

It can be argued that the last six months of World War II in Europe saw a calculated battle of attrition in which the Allies pitted large numbers of good aircraft and well-trained crews against smaller numbers of advanced German fighters and the facilities that built them and made their fuel.

[Read more…]

Planes of Fame Air Show brings out the best

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The Planes of Fame Museum presented its 2017 warbird air show at Chino, California, on May 6-7, with practice flights and arrivals on the preceding Friday.

The museum, a long-time pillar of the busy warbird scene at Chino, has earned a reputation for attracting top warbirds from several states for its annual air show, in addition to flying some of its own one-of-a-kind military machines. This year, about 50 warbirds were in attendance. [Read more…]

Of Wings & Things returns

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This is the inaugural relaunch of a grand tradition, the wonderful and eclectic “Of Wings & Things” column created in 1972 by aviation historian and renaissance man Peter M. Bowers.

For more than three decades, Pete blended a series of photographs with his encyclopedic knowledge of aviation to create an interesting story in each column. Sometimes vintage, sometimes current, sometimes military, and always intriguing, Pete’s column was a package I looked forward to receiving when I was editor of General Aviation News‘ predecessor, Western Flyer, in the late 1970s.

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