Free Republic

Freepers, today is the final rounds @ Reno for the Championships! Live Steam here: https://airrace.org/live-stream/

The P-47 Thunderbolt crashed Friday during a promotion for the American Airpower Museum, which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the P-47 this weekend. Scuba divers recovered the body of the pilot, 56-year-old William Gordon, of Key West, Florida, about three hours after the crash. Gordon was a veteran air show pilot with more than 25 years of experience, according to promotional material for a Key West air show last month. The website for the April 2-3 air show says Gordon was an "aerobatic competency evaluator" who certified performers to perform low-level aerobatics.

Soaring into the skies above the green and pleasant land they so spectacularly fought to defend 76 years ago, they are the last of the few airworthy Spitfires left. Now an air-to-air photographer has completed an exhilarating project - getting up close and personal to the legendary fighter planes in order to capture them like never before. Using the skill and experience of former RAF pilot Tim Ellison, John Dibbs was able to fly to within 15ft of different Spitfire marks.

Hang around aircraft restorers and you’ll inevitably hear tales of priceless historical relics hidden in barns, buried in shrink wrap, or otherwise stuck in time awaiting discovery. These stories are almost always wild exaggerations or outright fiction. But if you’ve ever heard of the cache of iconic warbirds at Wilson Connell “Connie” Edwards’ west Texas ranch, it’s absolutely real. The irascible former movie pilot who made a fortune in the oil business has added to his vast inventory of mostly World War II-era fighters, seaplanes, and surplus parts for more than a half century. Now, he’s decided to sell many...

P-47 pilot Ed Fisher, 1944: 7 enemy planes,3 V-1s,25 enemy trucks,5 locomotives,40 bombing missions,25 dive bombing missions,15 clean sweeps. -Helldiver, B25 plant, Hangar deck 1945, Guam 1945, Bell YFM-1 Airacuda, Piper L-4 and B-24, Dauntless, PBY....

As with years past, all eyes will be on the skies when the U.S. Aviation Museum launches its annual air show, Gathering of Eagles, in Willoughby this July. The annual air show was canceled in 2008 because of economic troubles and Aviation Museum chief executive officer Tony Mazzolini said the organization is hoping for a big year in 2011 to ensure the event can continue in 2012. "Today the appearance fee for some of these (planes) can be $8,000 or more," Mazzolini said. "With that and the rising cost of fuel, it takes a little bit of a fortune to...

WHEELER, Ore. - In a heavily wooded area somewhere near this small coastal town, a piece of World War II history was found scattered in dozens of pieces - hidden for more than 60 years - and unknown until last week. According to local officials and the U.S. Navy, the find is a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, the Navy’s primary attack and bombing plane during World War II. Even more intriguing, is that it may also contain remains of the two crew members.

Using a tweezers, the controls can be moved. All cables and linkages are in place to work the wing control surfaces as well. Young Park has since carved a pilot's face and hands from solid aluminum and built an articulated pilot to sit in the cockpit?Remember this as you look at the pics........... All the controls work as designed, by cables, chains, linkages and levers.Every single part hand made and fitted.

A real ride back in time. One of my fellow passengers flew these in WW2. Click on the link for a few more pictures.

<p>Provenance Fighter Sales is benefiting from growing interest in WWII-era aircraft.</p> <p>The World War II-era P-38 fighter made an emergency landing on a Greenland ice cap in July 1942 while on a flight from Maine to England. The aircraft eventually was buried under a layer of ice and snow more than 200 feet thick.</p>

NEW YORK - Sixty-five years after an American P-38 fighter plane ran out of gas and crash-landed on a beach in Wales, the long-forgotten World War II relic has emerged from the surf and sand where it lay buried. Beach strollers, sunbathers and swimmers often frolicked within a few yards of the aircraft, unaware of its existence until last summer, when unusual weather caused the sand to shift and erode. The revelation of the Lockheed "Lightning" fighter, with its distinctive twin-boom design, has stirred interest in British aviation circles and among officials of the country's aircraft museums, ready to reclaim...

2007 Heritage Flight Promo http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=a90b6882 "Take from the altars of the past the fire, not the ashes." I like that quote. Here is the source site... http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/ Others I like... http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=00acbca5 http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=7455b62d http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=540356f1

Hero's family sought by Scottish company By MICHAEL OTTO - North Shore Times | Thursday, 17 May 2007 INTERNATIONAL HERO: Information is sought about World War Two pilot Carlisle Everiss of Mangere. Organisers of a Scottish memorial to World War Two Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot Carlisle Everiss from Mangere want to get in touch with members of his family. The memorial will be unveiled on Saturday at the Cowie Bowling Club in Stirlingshire, Scotland. Carlisle Everiss was pilot officer 41318 with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and was on a familiarisation sortie above Cowie on October 2,...

FORT MYERS: Two historic World War II bombers will be landing in Fort Myers Monday. The planes will be open for public tours and even flights. A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy Bomber and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator Heavy Bomber will be at Page Field from January 29th – 31st. The B-17 Flying Fortress, one of the most recognizable bomber aircraft of WWII, is one of only nine in the nation that are still airworthy. The B-24, the most produced aircraft during WWII, is the only restored B-24 still in flying operation. The bombers are owned by the Collings Foundation,...

Peter Jackson is to produce a remake of the classic British war film The Dambusters, about the intrepid mission of a Royal Air Force squadron. According to Screen Daily, the film is budgeted at between $30-40m and will be mark the directing debut of Christian Rivers. A long-time colleague of Jackson, Rivers served as animation director on King Kong and a visual effects director on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Speculation over a possible Dambusters remake was initially sparked in May, when Jackson reportedly spent a day filming one of the last surviving Lancaster bombers that took part in...

Here's a pretty cool video of one of the reproduction 262's flying at a German air show. stormbirds.com ...

Ok just FYI to all the Aviation nut Frepper in So Cal the Chino Airshow is on for Tomorrow & Sunday Some of the Warbirds flying are: NORTH AMERICAN P-51D MUSTANG LOCKHEED P-38J LIGHTNING REPUBLIC P-47D THUNDERBOLT VOUGHT F4U-1A CORSAIR DOUGLAS SBD-5 DAUNTLESS MITSUBISHI A6M5 ZERO (A real ZERO with real Nakajima Sakae 21 engine ...not a T6 fake) SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MK IX HAWKER HURRICANE MK X GRUMMAN F6F HELLCAT CURTISS P-40N WARHAWK NORTH AMERICAN F-86F SABRE MIKOYAN MiG-15 BOEING P-26 PEASHOOTER(As rare at it gets to see one let alone see one fly)

Russian ace wows Wanaka 17 April 2006 By DEBBIE JAMIESON in WANAKA She elegantly steps from her cockpit, unravels her long blonde hair and shakes it free before smiling shyly through pink painted lips to the gathered, awe-stuck crowd. This is no advertisement. This is Russian pilot Svetlana Kapanina, world champion aerobatic pilot and a key attraction at the Easter break Warbirds Over Wanaka air show. Her petite frame belies the strength of a woman who can spin and control a Sukhoi SU-29 pulling up to 10 Gs, a level that could see most people pass out. Her past as...

This weekend be sure to look up into the sky and catch a glimpse of modern and historic military aircraft. The event allows pilots to practice formation flying for the 2006 Air Show Circuit. From historic warplanes, to advanced and sophisticated jets. The F-22A Raptor is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft. It's only been in circulation a few months and there are only 62 in the world like it. Lieutenant Colonel Jim Hecker says luck was on his side when he was picked to fly a Raptor. Hecker said, It's a stealth aircraft and has the ability to super...

Once there was a farm located by a tranquil river. One day a duck from the river bumped into a chicken from the farm, and they immediately fell head over heels in love with each other. Sadly, no one else in the barnyard community could appreciate their romance, and both were mocked by all the other animals. "Ducks and chickens were not meant to fall in love," guffawed the cows and the dogs and the roosters — especially the roosters. Deeply mortified by the ridicule, the duck told his beloved hen, "We will flee these narrow-minded bigots. Come, let us...