[section9]

Ignorant poltroon. The Editor should be hogtied to a Pumpkin Bomb, loaded aboard Enola Gay or another SILVERPLATE B-29 and dropped, Slim Pickens style, over Hiroshima or Nagasaki to atone for the error. This is sheer ignorance.

Ashworth had a flying career in Europe prior to his stint at Los Alamos. Basically, he became an atomic ballistics guy like Deak Parsons. Ashworth's job was much easier than Parson's. Ashworth, iirc, only had to switch the arming plugs on Fat Man from Green (Safe) to Red (Live). Parsons had to actually go into the bomb bay and arm the rifle in Little Boy's ass end.

Brave men, all.

BTW, Bock's Car is in flyable condition, with some restoration at the Boeing facility in Wichita. Enola Gay has been restored to such condition that it, too, could be brought into airworthy condition after reworking and rewiring at Boeing.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Al Gator]

When was Bocks Car moved from Wright Patterson? I saw it there in the nuke display 3 years ago.

[Al Gator]

From Wikipedia:

"Bockscar is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio."

That's Wright Patterson.

[Al Gator]

Chris,

My apologies.

I re-read your post and applied english grammar from Sister Ann Marie.

Sorry.

[Tallguy]

OK, help me here Section...I thought I remembered USAF General Sweeney -- recently deceased and the commander of "Bock's Car" that day -- say that "Fat Man" was essentially armed before takeoff. Is that true? Maybe I remember it wrong, or perhaps Gen. Sweeney was alluding to the uncertainty of the bombs "safe mode". Either way the Island of Tinian and all of it's inhabitants could have been vaporized if "Bock's Car" had failed to get off the ground.

[Cyber Liberty]

Yer busted. Bock's Car is at Wright. I saw it on line. My wife and I were going to visit her, but Katrina was blowing through Ohio when we were there....