I'm still here--and with more aircraft!!

Sorry for the lack of posts. The trouble I'm having with this PC makes posting less fun than chasing French Quarter gals.

But I caught one last week and took her to Pensacola to see the Naval Air Museum, a place I've always wanted to visit. And I was not disappointed.

It's actually on the base, so get ready for the 100% security check.

Hey look--an F-14!

And just inside (after another security checkpoint), there was this Douglas A-4 Skyhawk!

And here is the only SBU-2 Vindicator left in the world. And this one only survived after being lost overboard during carrier training in Lake Michigan and being recovered and restored 47 years later! (Shown with Paige for scale.)

And here's a T-28 Trojan trainer hanging above a Grumman F9F Panther jet. Yep. I'm happy in here. And Paige is somewhat confused, as before we got here she had no idea that the Navy had airplanes.

And I found a Corsair!

Here's a Vought F7U-3 (not a 3M as marked...tsk!). Not one of the more successful early jets; they were under-powered and problematic and over a quarter of them were destroyed in crashes and they killed 21 Navy pilots and four test pilots before being withdrawn from service.

And here's a few older ones...A Grumman F4F-3 below, and a sweet Beechcraft UC Traveler above.

And here's an F3F-2 biplane. This one was also ditched at sea off San Diego in 1940. Rediscovered by the Navy in 1988, she was raised in 1991 and restored and here she is today.

By this time, Paige was like "Why are there so many?" Poor girl didn't even know yet how much she was about to learn.

More to come. Stay tuned.













































https://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/nnam/virtualtour/

T-28

Here's a T-28C at the Pima Air Museum. The C model was a big-engine B with a tailhook for carrier operations.

The B and C models have a 1,425 hp Wright R-1820-9 radial engine, three-blade propeller and a belly-mounted speed brake. The older A model was the Air Force version. These have a two-blade propeller and a 800 hp Wright R-1300-7 radial engine.

Plenty of these still fly today. The Air Force A Model is more common as more were made (1,194 vs. 755 B&C Models) but the B and C are desired for their improved performance. Many of them are flown by aerobatic groups like The Trojan Horsemen.

Sadly, these demonstrations aren't without risk. One of these T-28s crashed at the Martinsburg, WV airshow in 2011, killing the pilot, John Mangan. I happened to be there that day and saw it happen. And every time I see one of these T-28s, I remember that day. I probably always will.

Martinsburg Air Show...the rest of the photos

I took these before Saturday's tragic Trojan Horsemen T-28 crash.

This first one is my old pal, the F-86 gate guardian at the base. It's been moved to a nice display platform and restored nicely since the last times I photographed it here and here. It's great to see them finally taking proper care of this long-neglected aircraft.
Here's one of the C-5 galaxy transports of the 167th Airlift Wing that always seems to schedule their flights specifically to boot me off of the runway when I'm out to fly. But hey--they're bigger than my Cessna and they have actual work to do, so who am I to argue.
The business end of the C-5.
Here are some of the other ones that were moved across the field to make room for the airshow displays. They look funny sitting over there...and big.
Here's a smaller transport, a C-130 Hercules. These birds can land and take off from just about any sort of field, even dirt strips. This one came in from Minnesota for the show.
Here's a T-38 Talon trainer. Sweet-looking ride, isn't she?
Here it is from the other side with it's pilot. I was going to talk to the pilot but ran into some friends and never made it back to him before the crash.
An A-10 Warthog up from Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The pilot informed me and several others that it is a myth that the recoil of it's gun slows the plane down in flight. He said that tale came from a crash of one of the prototypes where the gases from the gun made the engines stall, causing the pilot to eject and the test aircraft to crash. That's why these now have those little vertical fins just forward of the wing, to direct gun gases away from the engine intakes.
Here's pilot Scott Yoak flying P-51D "Quick Silver" past the crowds. Beautiful.
As he flew by, you could hear a whistling sound from the air moving over the gun ports in the wing leading edges. My Cessna should whistle like that.
Quick Silver is called “The Resurrected Veteran.” The aircraft is comprised of parts from more than 200 different Mustangs.
The paint scheme celebrates veterans, with every marking a symbol representing something about our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. This P-51, “The Resurrected Veteran,” is a celebration of our nation’s Armed Forces. Every aspect of the paint represents those who have served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

While the identity of the pilot killed yesterday is still officially unconfirmed, he T-28 that crashed was owned and apparently flown by Jack "Flash" Mangan. His pilot's credentials are impressive. He was a graduate of the USAF Academy, and spent 13 years active duty as an Air Force fighter pilot flying over 2500 hours in the F-15 and F-4 aircraft. His aviation awards include three Meritorious Service Medals and Tactical Air Command's Instructor Pilot of the Year. He has over 4000 hours and held an Airline Transport Pilot and sailplane rating.
When my time comes, I could think of worse ways to go than quickly while doing something that I love.

The Trojan Horsemen

Here are the pics I got of the Trojan Horsemen performing at the Martinsburg Air Show today, just before the crash. They sure looked good.(click on the pictures to enlarge them.) There are no shots of the crash itself, and I wouldn't have posted one if I'd gotten one.











Not the way that an airshow is supposed to end. The remaining Horsemen continued to orbit the field in formation for quite a while, and I can't imagine what it must have been like to have to look down on that scene, knowing that a comrade who took off with you wasn't going to be landing with you. Prayers for the family of the pilot and the members of his team.

Martinsburg Air Show crash

I just came from the Martinsburg, WV airshow.

It was a beautiful day and the Trojan Horsemen aerobatic team were performing. The sky was filled with T-28 Trojans and the roar of their radial engines was blending with the music and the cheers of the crowd.

Then something happened. Two of the Trojans made a low pass from opposite directions and one of them dove into the ground right in front of me. There was an explosion and a pillar of flame and black smoke and the aircraft and it's pilot were gone, just like that.

I'll post more later. I really don't feel like it right now. I'll just ask your prayers for the family of that pilot and the members of his team.