[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Just got back from a father's day outing at the Collins Foundation in Stow, MA. Great exhibits, as always, plus a lecture from a John Katsaros (Code Name: Burgundy), who described his ordeal after parachuting from a disintegrating B-17 over France, being captured by the Gestapo, freed by the Resistance (twice) and making it over the Pyrennes into Spain, just after (unbeknowst to him at the time) D-Day.

My grandsons' other grandfather and I were speculating about the purpose of a steel wire running from the mast just in front of the cockpit to forward part of the vertical stabilizer. Thought it might be an antenna for low power communications between members of the squadron. Anyone know for sure it's purpose?

[cripplecreek]

I saw the Screamin Rebels yesterday on their way to the flyover at MIS a few miles south of here.

[mad_as_he$$]

Radio antenna.

Six of them just went over the house several times yesterday. Time trials for the Reno Air Races.

[mad_as_he$$]

Radio antenna.

Six of them just went over the house several times yesterday. Time trials for the Reno Air Races.

[EGPWS]

HF radio antenna. VHF wasn't introduced until later in the forties.

I remember working on a P-51D that had push button VHF radio channel select in it.

Back when the AT-6 was introduced HF the the gig and it took a longer antenna at the time.

If you look for it, even in the movies at times, you will see antenna staffs that go from in front of the cockpit to the aft emmpenage or up the tail of aircraft on the WWII vintage warbirds.

[smokingfrog]

old school radio antenna

[taildragger]

It is now technically a homebuilt, or at least Experimental Exibition, but a give you the "Super 6", I can't wait to see this in person...

A T-6, with Clipped wings ( 6 ft total ) a DC-4 engine and the cockpit moved back to the passengers slot and a Bubble Canopy...

Oh man do I like this thing. Find the videos on YouTube, It goes

[raygun]

aviation ping (wire thingy)

[Little Ray]

Radio aerial.

[Dead Dog]

ADF. Automatic Direction Finder. The wire combined with a hoop allowed for direction sensing to AM radio transmitters (commercial stations and radio nav stations). They are consider obsolete now, but I like them...easy to navigate with, reliable, cheap, and you can listen to the game (which is important)

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pdf/AV-545.pdf

[Dead Dog]

http://www.avweb.com/news/avionics/183233-1.html

Good description of the puropose of the two antennas

[Lurker]

It’s for hanging wet flight suits out to dry.

[MindBender26]

A line to dry the instructor's underpants after he had to wash them after flying with many of the students.

Or...

A 1/4 wave tuned HF radio antenna.

:)

[SkyPilot]

I think it's a clothesline used for drying pilot scarves.