Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled "Project Pinball: Worst Idea of World War II?" and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/project-pinball-worst-idea-of-world-war-ii/.
Project Pinball: Worst Idea of World War II?
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
Snake45
Professional
When I went through Lackland in the early '70s, they had a rare P-63 on display painted as a pinball. Dunno if that actual airplane ever served in that role, but it was quite colorful. I understand it's now displayed in a more normal silver finish, but I found a couple pics of it on the net from when it was still red.
KillerFord1977
SAINT
You had to have some balls of steel to fly against friendly fire on purpose.
Jfal
Professional
That kind of training would certainly NOT be allowed today! I have to think more than a few P-63's were shot down. One frangible round to the propeller...done. One to the canopy? Reminds me of the grunts sitting on their battle helmets in the back of the Hueys in Apocalypse Now.
Old_Me
SAINT
well as i read it, they needed gunners and fast. back in those days, they did what had to be done to train the gunners. not ike today when they have computerized simulators, and no one gets hurt.
if i recall, the military "experimented" with our men in other ways too, like that LSD, and other drugs
https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/12/01/131724898/lsd-testing
let's face it, the war was on, and the military experimented in many ways, some of which are most likely still secret.
did soldiers get killed, injured, during these trials..??
most likely again...yes.
but that's the way it was back then..
just like today and the Covid crisis......no one knew in the beginning how to combat it, so it's still an ongoing learning curve
if i recall, the military "experimented" with our men in other ways too, like that LSD, and other drugs
https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/12/01/131724898/lsd-testing
let's face it, the war was on, and the military experimented in many ways, some of which are most likely still secret.
did soldiers get killed, injured, during these trials..??
most likely again...yes.
but that's the way it was back then..
just like today and the Covid crisis......no one knew in the beginning how to combat it, so it's still an ongoing learning curve
Bassbob
Emissary
A learning curve that's making a lot of people rich and giving a lot of politicians leverage.
Rather, it's making a lot of rich people richer.
MaxWedge413
Alpha
The Soviets liked the P-39 because that 37mm cannon was tough on German armor. Also the mid-fuselage positioning of the Allison V-1710 engine made it particularly maneuverable at low altitudes thus well suited for close support of ground troops. That's why it was ordered without the turbo-supercharger found on most V-1710's.
John Wayne
Operator
Fascinating article! One of my uncles was a B-17 ball turret gunner and the other flew Corsairs. Dad flew the big Waco glider. Most of the young men of that generation were really capable, not so much today.
Bassbob is correct.
Bassbob is correct.
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Flyboy514
Operator
I'll take a pass on flying against friendly fire... but I'd sure have fun taking a P-63 for a spin around the airfield!
My dad took Navy B 24 nose gunner and bombardier training in 1943. He often told of training in those days. The crews either would pull parachute cloth behind them so crews could shoot at the cloth trailing them or they got to be the crews shooting at the trailing cloth following another B 24 Privateer. Guys painted their ammo tips different colors so once on the ground they could who got hits.Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled "Project Pinball: Worst Idea of World War II?" and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/project-pinball-worst-idea-of-world-war-ii/.
MaxWedge413
Alpha
The A-10 Warthog is officially called the Thunderbolt II a homage to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The P-47 was the biggest and heaviest single engine fighter of WWII and was used later in the war as an effective ground attack (Mustangs were better suited for bomber escort) and close air support platform because it was damned near impossible to shoot out of the air. Many American fighter aces flew P-47's in Europe.
Flyboy514
Operator
My "bucketlist" of aircraft to fly:
5. B-1 Stealth Bomber
4. F-35 Stealth Fighter
3. P-47 Thunderbolt
2. A-10 Warthog
1. P-51 Mustang
MaxWedge413
Alpha
Excellent List... Hey while we're one the subject of P-47's, has anyone heard anything about the P-47D called "Jacky's Revenge"? It crashed landed in the Hudson a couple years back, killing the pilot/owner. It was confiscated by the FAA and I haven't heard anything about it since. I know we can always trust the Federal Gov't to do the right thing but was just wondering what's happening.
Flyboy514
Operator
The FAA ruled the cause of the crash was a "catastrophic engine failure" perhaps cause by the initial failure of the Turbo-Charger. The engine seized and evidence of metal in the T-C may have caused it. The pilot drowned because he did not jettison the canopy, prior to hitting the water. Another pilot in his formation (3 total), said the canopy was partially open, while on the water. Once the plane hit the water, he was unable to open the canopy to get out.
MaxWedge413
Alpha
Sad... Those P&W R-2800's were considered nearly bulletproof (many fighters returned their pilots to England with multiple cylinders shot away) and were the primary reason the 'Bolt was preferred over the Mustang for ground attack.
Any word on that 47 ever flying again?
Any word on that 47 ever flying again?
Bear007
Custom
I've always loved this plane since I first saw it when I was a young kid at an air show at Andrew's Airforce Base. Turn on a dime and has the meanest machine gun. It has to be one of the best ground support aircraft ever, imo.
I watched a 1 hour show on the A-10 where a female pilot providing close ground support over Iraq had huge holes blown all through the aircraft and its wings. She completed her mission and ended up flying the aircraft on it's 3rd backup system all the way back to her base and became the first to fly it that far and land it on that 3rd backup system. I guess the 3rd backup was only meant to barely fly it far enough away to an ejection location.
If I were fighting a war I would flood the sky with this aircraft.
Flyboy514
Operator
Once I was flying a Cessna 172 over the Pine Barrens of South Jersey when TWO A-10's from the Air Natl. Guard base in Atlantic City, "buzzed" me... scared the bejesuz out of me!
Bear007
Custom
I flew private pilot C-172s back in the late 70s thru early 80s out of a small field just west of Andrews Airforce Base. I too have been buzzed a couple of times by military jets.
One day I was flying south from my airfield below the 3000' TCA limit when a C5A flew about 500' over me from behind. About 30 seconds later my airplane and I got tossed all over the sky for about 10 seconds it seemed like, good ole wing tip vortices from one huge aircraft. My head slammed the window twice along with being tossed up down and every which way I could be tossed. When it was over I found my head between my legs under the yoke in a slight dive. After getting my head out I slowly looked left and right to see if I still had wings attached then looked out the back to see I still had a tail section. I slowly turned back and returned to my airfield. Told the club owner what had happened so he could check the airplane over good.
I'm just glad I lived through that flight! Scared the you know what out of me. I just thought at that moment I was gonna be beaten and tossed around until the plane was torn apart and then die after falling to the ground.
I only ever made it to private pilot for the same reason I was 4F trying to join the Navy in the early 70's, I was born completely deaf in my right ear. I knew I couldn't ever make flying or the military my career but I still gave them both a shot.