My aviation tribute thread

ThatOwlWoman said:
Those are so much cooler than the crappy balsa play planes we got as kids! They'd fly maybe 2-3 times then fall apart.
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Some of the cheap balsa planes were actually pretty good, you had to know how to tweak them. And also have tape and glue on hand, lol. Another good one were the great big styrofoam gliders they used to make. Had some great flights with those. They had like a five or six foot wing span.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Those are so much cooler than the crappy balsa play planes we got as kids! They'd fly maybe 2-3 times then fall apart.
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Here ya go Owl. https://www.guillow.com/fokkerdr-1triplane.aspx

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ThatOwlWoman said:
Oh WOWWWW!

Damn, $55 bucks. Yikes.
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I know, that's what I said. I don't remember how much the kits were when I was a kid, but I don't think they were inexpensive then either. I started working odd jobs at a very young age, to fund my hobbies. I was big into model rocketry too, and those rocket engines were expensive.
 
Always had a keen interest in helicopters as well. Have only hitched rides on wimpy Eurocopter EC135s and civilian Sikorskys servicing offshore oil rigs, but I would leap at the opportunity to ride shotgun in this bad boy.

The Eurocopter Tiger was jointly developed by France and Germany. It is a medium-weight attack helicopter, which entered service in 2002. It is also in service with Australia and Spain. The Tiger has seen combat in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. This helicopter incorporates stealth technology as well as other advanced features to increase its survivability. The Tiger is available in attack and fire support (escort) configurations. The attack version is fitted with Trigat or HOT-3 anti-tank missiles, as well as unguided rockets. It also carries Stinger air-to-air missiles. http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/top_9_attack_helicopters.htm
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The F-100 ruled the skies in my theater in Vietnam! F-100 Super Sabre Flew Most Missions in Vietnam
Use to watch them drop 500 pound bombs and napalm on the enemy!

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The first supersonic fighter too!

The F-100 destroyed the energy creature Kronos in the 1957 sci-fi movie classic!

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countryboy said:
Some of the cheap balsa planes were actually pretty good, you had to know how to tweak them. And also have tape and glue on hand, lol. Another good one were the great big styrofoam gliders they used to make. Had some great flights with those. They had like a five or six foot wing span.
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My own kids had the styrofoam gliders; I don't remember them when I was a kid. Probably the material hadn't been invented yet. We were lucky to have balsa wood back then. lol

Speaking of way-back-when-we-were-kids stuff.... remember those Jarts? We had those, then they were banned. I could see why because my brothers would try to aim for our feet rather than the hoops. lol
 
countryboy said:
I know, that's what I said. I don't remember how much the kits were when I was a kid, but I don't think they were inexpensive then either. I started working odd jobs at a very young age, to fund my hobbies. I was big into model rocketry too, and those rocket engines were expensive.
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Oh good lords yes... they are still super expensive. What kinds of odd jobs did you do for your hobby addiction? I cleaned our house and the neighbors' and also sewed clothing for them as well, and babysat. (I liked sewing a LOT better than babysitting... lol). As I recall the model kits I got (made by Revell) were $5-6 each. It took me a month to earn that much. My other addiction was doing beadwork. I'll be 65 in a couple weeks, and that is still my addiction. It's good to have come home to a world where I'm among my fellow addicts on that one.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Oh good lords yes... they are still super expensive. What kinds of odd jobs did you do for your hobby addiction? I cleaned our house and the neighbors' and also sewed clothing for them as well, and babysat. (I liked sewing a LOT better than babysitting... lol). As I recall the model kits I got (made by Revell) were $5-6 each. It took me a month to earn that much. My other addiction was doing beadwork. I'll be 65 in a couple weeks, and that is still my addiction. It's good to have come home to a world where I'm among my fellow addicts on that one.
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I would mow lawns and do yard work. Then I started working as a go-fer for a man who had a Sanford and Son type of operation. Then I had two paper routes for a while. My first real job was at a fast food chicken joint as a fry cook for minimum wage. I believe it was $2.90 an hour at the time.

I did some bead work as a kid, mostly with those little tiny beads. We had some kind of little loom and we would weave Indian type stuff. Did all kinds of crafts in cub scouts.

I did the Revel car and plane kits too.
 
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Flying Submarine

An experimental design that never reached operational status, but stands as a testament to human imagination and aviation history.

Ushakov Flying Submarine
The Soviet Union tried to develop a flying submarine during World War II, whose production never exceeded design phase. At the Naval Engineering Institute, a flying submarine project was headed by engineer Boris Ushakov.
The design was supposed to be built as an all-metal construction and operate at 100 knots in the air and 3 knots under water. The engines were supposed to be sealed shut by metal plates while under water. The flying submarine was supposed to house six hermetically sealed chambers in its hull and wings: Three chambers to hermetically seal the three aircraft engine as well as the hermetically sealed pilot’s chamber, As a corrosion prevention, the flying submarine was supposed to be treated with special paints and varnishes. Two special mounts for 18 inch torpedoes were supposed to be placed under the hull. For surfacing, the excess water was supposed to be pumped out of the empty spaces. The electric engine was designed as an underwater drive.

In 1939 the project was temporarily suspended and classified. In 1943, on the orders of NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria, the project was resumed. In 1947 the first test of the flying submarine was performed. In 1953, the project was closed by order of Communist Party First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev. The design never "got off the ground
 
This one is a beauty

The Lockheed Vega is an American six-passenger high-wing monoplane airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation starting in 1927. It became famous for its use by a number of record-breaking pilots who were attracted to the rugged and very long-range design. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo in one, and Wiley Post used his to prove the existence of the jet stream after having flown around the world twice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Vega
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Amelia Earhart and the Lockheed Vega
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I had the great pleasure of seeing some US Marine Viper attack helicopters up close and personal today.
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