On the Road Again...

[Jaws2002]

Relax guys. He's coming to me, to talk about IAR-80. ?

[MajorMagee]

1 hour ago, JLean said:

Ok if the target will land there:  

 

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/WWII-Gallery/

 

we have lot of juicy options for coming plane speculations

 

Almost confimed announcement "the duet"  

B-25 "William" Mitchell (Collector plane)

B-26 "Glen" Marauder (Collector plane)

 

Future:

A-20G (Collector plane)

P-39Q (Easter front -44 /  Battle of Finland)

P-36A (Battle of Finland & Battle of France)

Beaufighter (Battle of Mediterranean)

Macchi MC.200 (Battle of Mediterranean)

A-36A Mustang (Battle of Mediterranean)

Spitfire MK Vc (Battle of Mediterranean)

 

+ options for the Pacific

 JLean

I've been known to give guided tours for out of town visitors. ? Just two weeks ago we hosted a retired veteran from California, who flew their C-123 mosquito spray operations bird out of Vietnam, so he could get back inside his old cockpit one last time. It was quite an honor to spend the day taking him through the museum after the official ceremonies were completed.

[Feathered_IV]

Don’t stop Jason.
Don’t stop until you get to the Pacific. 

[itsbillyfrazier]

3 hours ago, Irishratticus72 said:

 

Damn this guy has got it made... fishing on a floatplane... living the dream.

[BlitzPig_EL]

3 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

 

Great theme idea - the aircraft of Indiana Jones.

 

Make mine the Pan-Am Clipper from Raiders. Why you ask? Because flying boats are cool, and float-planes/Flying boats are in fact, sorely lacking. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Except that is a Short Sunderland, a type not used by Pan Am.  a Boeing 314 is what is needed.

 

 

[Gambit21]

3 minutes ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

 

Except that is a Short Sunderland, a type not used by Pan Am.  a Boeing 314 is what is needed.

 

 

 

I'll take any of them.

This Grumman Goose was at the 2019 Reno Air Race that I attended...a true beauty.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRMCxDtjf48

 

 

[oc2209]

9 minutes ago, Feathered_IV said:

Don’t stop Jason.
Don’t stop until you get to the Pacific. 

 

I'm going back to my original guess of the https://kansasaviationmuseum.org/education/research-archives

 

They also have a B-52.

 

Also, they're going to be closed on Saturday for a 'private event'.

 

Clearly, they're closing the whole museum for Jason's benefit. It's all coming together perfectly.

 

As to why he went north first, I predict it's a brief foray into Canada to pick up some authentic poutine:

 

 

Yup. Infallible logic on my part. Absolutely infallible.

[Jason_Williams]

I made it to wherever I am going. Need to prep the DD for tomorrow and clouds made it into Alpha for the weekend. I forgot a couple of my dad's pics. Who knew what was in the nose?

 

 

 

Jason

[Chief_Mouser]

From wikipedia:

 

55-0677 - Yankee Air Museum, Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is marked as "677" and was operated by the 43rd BW at Andersen AFB, Guam and participated in Linebacker II as part of the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas.

 

 

[Guest deleted@191198]

RADAR?

[Jason_Williams]

10 minutes ago, 216th_Cat said:

From wikipedia:

 

55-0677 - Yankee Air Museum, Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is marked as "677" and was operated by the 43rd BW at Andersen AFB, Guam and participated in Linebacker II as part of the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas.

 

 

 

That pic is not from Anderson or LBII. U-Tapao Air Base and Arc Light. Should also be the 307th BW also at this time. Wiki does not seem to have the full story. So LOL

 

Jason

[Noisemaker]

26 minutes ago, Jason_Williams said:

I made it to wherever I am going. Need to prep the DD for tomorrow and clouds made it into Alpha for the weekend.

 

[Rjel]

8 hours ago, Voidhunger said:

I would rather have B26 than B25

B-25 B-26.... whatever it takes.

[LukeFF]

44 minutes ago, startzug1101 said:

RADAR?

 

P-61 ?

[Gambit21]

35 minutes ago, LukeFF said:

 

P-61 ?

 

Oh...that would be epic.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Indeed it would be.

[DD_Arthur]

But pointless....

[oc2209]

1 hour ago, Jason_Williams said:

 Who knew what was in the nose?

 

 

1 hour ago, Jason_Williams said:

That pic is not from Anderson or LBII. U-Tapao Air Base and Arc Light. Should also be the 307th BW also at this time. Wiki does not seem to have the full story. So LOL

 

 

Hey man, Wikipedia's totally reliable.

 

I just did some research into B-52 navigation systems, and I found there was a top secret project in the early 70s to develop realtime GPS tracking (before the modern version was perfected) using pigeons.

 

It turns out that pigeons have limited telepathic abilities. Selective breeding was used to enhance these latent abilities, until eventually a vast network of psychically-linked pigeons could be used to triangulate and track any airborne object.

 

A B-52 typically carried 3 pigeons aboard; 2 in reserve, and 1 in the nose at all times:

 

 

The project went well until, predictably, the pigeons turned on their masters. The incident was covered up as usual, but not before at least 600 casualties were inflicted (mostly light wounds from telekinetically-launched pigeon droppings) across several air force bases.

[Jaws2002]

1 hour ago, Jason_Williams said:

Who knew what was in the nose?

Cocaine.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Jaws2002

[Diggun]

9 minutes ago, oc2209 said:

pigeons

Like, you know about that time when the British Army was seriously considering using chickens as the fusing device for a 10 kiloton nuclear landmine? 

[DD_Arthur]

4 minutes ago, oc2209 said:

 

I just did some research into B-52 navigation systems, and I found there was a top secret project in the early 70s to develop realtime GPS tracking (before the modern version was perfected) using pigeons.

 

It turns out that pigeons have limited telepathic abilities. Selective breeding was used to enhance these latent abilities, until eventually a vast network of psychically-linked pigeons could be used to triangulate and track any airborne object.

 

A B-52 typically carried 3 pigeons aboard; 2 in reserve, and 1 in the nose at all times:

 

 

Convair used bears to test the crew escape capsules on the B58. 

I think that trumps pigeons in B52’s.

Gotta try harder?

 

[[F.Circus]sith1144]

613 could be 56-0613, here's a look inside the nose https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_e_abbott/16207305161

 

Edit: anyone feel like buying a book? "The Stratofortress Catalog: Tail Numbers: 56-0613 To 56-0712" boasts "the complete operational history" of said planes

Edited November 5, 2021 by [F.Circus]sith1144

[oc2209]

52 minutes ago, Diggun said:

Like, you know about that time when the British Army was seriously considering using chickens as the fusing device for a 10 kiloton nuclear landmine? 

 

Yeah, I know. It was the original plot point of Chicken Run until rewrites scrubbed it all.

 

 

52 minutes ago, DD_Arthur said:

 

Convair used bears to test the crew escape capsules on the B58. 

I think that trumps pigeons in B52’s.

Gotta try harder?

 

 

I just wanted to use the picture of a pigeon in a sciency-looking metal box, okay? Don't expect too much here.

 

Also, I'm betting those capsules looked something like this, afterwards:

 

[Jason_Williams]

1 hour ago, [F.Circus]sith1144 said:

613 could be 56-0613, here's a look inside the nose https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_e_abbott/16207305161

 

Edit: anyone feel like buying a book? "The Stratofortress Catalog: Tail Numbers: 56-0613 To 56-0712" boasts "the complete operational history" of said planes

 

Oh this is so sad.

 

Jason

[ATAG_SKUD]

6 hours ago, Jason_Williams said:

Who knew what was in the nose?

AN\ASQ-48?

we're finally getting nav aids for bombers?-yay

skud

[[CPT]milopugdog]

The START treaty brought about the death of many B-52s, among a multitude of other nuclear arms. STARTII of course brought about the end of the Peacekeeper, which was an interesting weapon system even though it had plenty of flaws. Now New START has come and left, which further limited numbers of deployed bombers/ICBMs and warheads even further.

 

Putting the lecture on nuclear treaties aside (for educational context); it would seem that your B-52, Mr. Jason, might have fell victim to the initial START treaty along side 365 other airframes of that type. Many of them were B-52Gs, with the last one being dismantled in 2013. For those who don't know, these aircraft are the ones cut up at the Arizona boneyard; left out as a show of treaty compliance.

Edited November 5, 2021 by [CPT]milopugdog

[AEthelraedUnraed]

17 hours ago, oc2209 said:

Logical guess, but what about this complication I just discovered on the website:

 

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Collections/Research/

 

Copy paste of what I mean:

 

Important Announcement

Until further notice, the Research Division is not able to accept public requests for historical information nor permitting researchers to conduct in-person research. We apologize for any inconvenience. The museum will update the webpage when the situation changes.

Thank you.

Research Division Staff

 

It's possible they've made an exception for him, but we should maybe think of alternative museums.

I don't think the purpose of Jason's visit has to necessarily be research. I mean, both the B-25 and B-26 are well-known US-built aircraft and as such it shouldn't be too hard to find plenty of data. It could simply be a pleasure trip as well as a fancy way to announce those aircraft. Even if it is a research trip, the visit might have been requested ages ago or it might be an unofficial "off the records" visit if Jason knows the right persons. I don't think we need to look too much into this notice.

 

My money is still on the National Museum of the USAF. It also nicely fits with the route he's taking: we know he spent the night in Denver and drove 850+ miles afterwards. That would bring him to St. Louis which is a nice place to stop with some 365 miles to go.

 

The Yankee Air Museum would also still be a possibility, although they don't have a B-26 and it's especially this combination of a B-25 and 26 that ties in so nicely to Jason's first post.

 

EDIT: they also have a B-52 in the National Museum of the USAF, and 52 is 25 the other way around

EDIT2: alright, so the new DD confirms that the purpose of Jason's trip *is* in fact research.

Edited November 5, 2021 by AEthelraedUnraed

[KG_S_Kalle_Kalutz82]

Hmmm....

 

 

...why Jason brings up fotos from his Dad in a B52?

 

South-East Asia DLC  ?

A26?

+

Announcement of HMS Nelson and HMS Campbell for Normandy?

B25?

 

 

And where the heck is our Ju87-D5 in all of this??

 

 

EDIT:

Someone mentioned in the beginning of this discussion here, that somewhere a VAL is renovated on the way where Jason drove?

Hmmm....

Edited November 5, 2021 by KG_S_Kalle_Kalutz82

[sevenless]

4 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

The Yankee Air Museum would also still be a possibility, although they don't have a B-26 and it's especially this combination of a B-25 and 26 that ties in so nicely to Jason's first post.

 

As for B26. This Pathe offers some very nice footage:

 

 

[oc2209]

8 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

It could simply be a pleasure trip as well as a fancy way to announce those aircraft. Even if it is a research trip, the visit might have been requested ages ago or it might be an unofficial "off the records" visit if Jason knows the right persons. I don't think we need to look too much into this notice.

 

Trust me, if you've ever driven (or been driven) across the US, you'd quickly realize that the grueling distances involved drain any pleasure from the trip.

 

A pleasure trip in my mind is usually within a day's drive. A reasonable day. So, that means less than about 600 miles. Unless there's a lot of scenery involved, most of the time you'd rather fly for anything longer than that. I'm assuming he's forced to drive for equipment reasons.

 

As for when he planned the trip/got permission, yeah, that likely would've been months ago. I have no clue when that notice was first posted.

 

Ultimately there aren't many really strong contenders as museums go, within driving range of what we know/suspect going from Denver on. Based on what he said after the 850 mile leg, or rather when he said he was done driving on the following day, it wasn't very far.

[IckyATLAS]

We have a B25 and frankly a B26 would be overkill. Better then work on a B17.

But if For Jason the B26 is a personal affair then I am go for the B26. ?

[Avimimus]

23 hours ago, MajorMagee said:

I've been known to give guided tours for out of town visitors. ? Just two weeks ago we hosted a retired veteran from California, who flew their C-123 mosquito spray operations bird out of Vietnam, so he could get back inside his old cockpit one last time. It was quite an honor to spend the day taking him through the museum after the official ceremonies were completed.

 

Yes, if anyone is dropping by the Museum in Ottawa  - post pandemic - I probably wouldn't mind the tour. We have an AEG G, Junkers J.I, Me-163, He-162 and a few dozen other rarities that are worth the visit.

[MajorMagee]

We have a Ju52 in one of the renovation hangars that he might be coming here to look at.

[DD_Arthur]

9 minutes ago, MajorMagee said:

We have a Ju52 in one of the renovation hangars that he might be coming here to look at.

 

Has it got a bear or a pigeon onboard?

[BlitzPig_EL]

Ah, so finally got the Ju52 indoors?  Good news.

 

One of the more overlooked axis birds that the NMUSAF has is the Macchi MC 200.  Such a pretty little thing, and used in the East, and of course in the Med and North Africa... and it has been asked for repeatedly over the years.

 

I really need to jump on I-75 and get down there, it's been too long, and the book store there is always a good way to throw money at my airplane addiction, and support them beyond my membership.  Anyone that has not been there NEEDS to see it.  Aerogeek heaven it is.

[CUJO_1970]

On 11/4/2021 at 5:20 PM, Jaws2002 said:

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196264/messerschmitt-bf-109g-10/

 

?

 

A look in on Gambit if that happens:

 

[[F.Circus]FrangibleCover]

3 hours ago, IckyATLAS said:

We have a B25 and frankly a B26 would be overkill. Better then work on a B17.

But if For Jason the B26 is a personal affair then I am go for the B26. ?

We already know we're getting an AI B-26 for Normandy, which is fair enough because the B-25 wasn't actually in US service in NW Europe. Because the B-25 we have is an early one the two aircraft have significantly different defensive armaments and require different approaches by an interceptor for best effect. It's worth their time...

 

Having said that, my wished for Western Allied Medium Bomber longlist has two B-25s, a B-26, another A-20 or two, the Baltimore, the Maryland, the Welly, the Beaufort and the Ventura. So maybe don't listen to me!

[MajorMagee]

My view from the office.

 

 

[oc2209]

2 hours ago, CUJO_1970 said:

 

A look in on Gambit if that happens:

 

 

I'm ashamed to admit that I'm kind of excited about the 109G-10 (a few years from now, surely).

 

The G-6 Late surprised me in becoming my favorite late-model 109, so I expect the same of the G-10 relative to the K (which I've never loved). If the G-10's even 50lbs lighter than the K, or whatever other small differences there'd be, I'd prefer it. Maybe fewer components made of wood, I'unno.

 

Having said that, the G-10 should be the last 109. Unless they want to go backwards from the E series, which I doubt.

 

If there's a Mediterranean DLC at some point, Italian planes can fill out the Axis roster. At least as fighters are concerned.

[Gambit21]

2 hours ago, CUJO_1970 said:

 

A look in on Gambit if that happens:

 

 

 

 

LOL

 

 

 

 

More like this.

 

 

I have enough keeping me busy where I won't sweat it too much though.