Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

[skypilot_1]

Originally Posted by FL420

EJECT! EJECT!...OH, NO, WAIT! DON'T EJECT!...OK! NOW EJECT! EJECT!




Pretty soon we saw two dark black smoke trails approaching from the port aft quarter of the boat. Funny, I had never noticed A-7s as being much of a smoker. Nothing like the F-4 anyway. Entering the VFR pattern at the boat usually required approaching the starboard side of the boat from a mile or two dead astern, flying parallel to the Fox Corpen(ship's course) at a moderate cruising speed and breaking port a little ahead of the ship turning crosswind to a reciprocal heading downwind.




I guess that's another story for another time.
[emoji40]

Great tail, as always.
Begs the question....how did the wing-man trap on a fouled deck ?

[BobinICT]

I was not a trained flight control tower guy so I was not authorized to clear aircraft for landing or takeoff so it had to be pilots discretion. Could only advise on known conditions.

[FL420]

Originally Posted by skypilot_1

Great tail, as always.
Begs the question....how did the wing-man trap on a fouled deck ?

Thanks.
Bingoed to Da Nang or went into a Delta Pattern where he was refueled by the tanker that was just launched and recovered after a quick FOD walk down determined the deck was ready. Probably the former because they probably had to deal with spare airplane parts in the spud locker. Fortunately, the fantail is off limits to all personnel during flight ops. I was surprised to not see any fire from the crash . There might have been a flash fire in the spud locker but I was concentrating on the pilot.
I really wasn't paying attention to the wingman.
[emoji40]

[hewebb]

https://photos.shutterfly.com/full/1685422845428561

This is the airplane that got me married. She was in the Marshaling Detachment and I was flying this airplane in air shows.


It is a WWII TBM torpedo bomber built by Eastern.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by hewebb

https://photos.shutterfly.com/full/1685422845428561

This is the airplane that got me married. She was in the Marshaling Detachment and I was flying this airplane in air shows.

It is a WWII TBM torpedo bomber built by Eastern.

I'm sure the pic is nice, but I'm not starting an account just to view it!

[FL420]

Nor am I.
[emoji40]

[hewebb]

I'm sure the pic is nice, but I'm not starting an account just to view it!

Sorry guys.



I did not know you had to log in to see photo. I will try to find another way to load photos.

[hewebb]

Figured out a way to show photo.
This airplane brought my wife ans I together. I was flying shows with it and she was a ground handler. (directed parking on ramp) She has been trying to tell me where to go every since.

[hewebb]

This is our wedding photo.

[FL420]

Originally Posted by hewebb

This is our wedding photo.

Nice[emoji847]
The round engine taildraggers too.[emoji56]
[emoji40]

[VanDiemen23]

Just along for the ride - a look out the back of a V-22 while Dash2 tries to make the flight appear as a single return....

[zipmart]

Originally Posted by hewebb

Figured out a way to show photo.
This airplane brought my wife ans I together. I was flying shows with it and she was a ground handler. (directed parking on ramp) She has been trying to tell me where to go every since.

In 1993 I was stationed at NAS Dallas when we hosted the last airshow at the base before it was decommissioned. One of the aircraft that we had on static display was a TBF/TBM. The following spring, several of us Navy types helped the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field host their airshow, and the same TBF/TBM was there. The operator and owner(?) was an individual by the name of Bob Schneider, if I remember correctly. He was quite a character. I later ran into him again when I was flying for SWA. We had just circumnavigated some pretty severe t-storms flying into Love Field and he was onboard the a/c. He stopped by the cockpit as he was deplaning to inquire about the storms, and we recognized each other from years before. Just wondered if you knew him or had ever run into him. BTW, I reside just down the road from you in Midlothian. Do you fly out of Spinks? I once knew a Navy guy who owned a Stearman and kept it there. He gave my eldest son and me a ride in it just before I retired. Sadly, I read where he bought the farm in a CAF P-51 in Houston years ago.

[hewebb]

This airplane brought my wife ans I together. I was flying shows with it and she was a ground handler. (directed parking on ramp) She has been trying to tell me where to go every since.
---End Quote---
I
I do know Bob-his nickname is Snackbar. He dropped a 6' Subway sandwich at a show in Nacogdoches for the bomb crew. We flew together a few times. I flew the air shows at Love Field for a few years, but not always in the TBM. I also flew for the CAF and at some shows I flew their airplanes. Over the years I have kept some airplanes (UC-78, PT-23, Cessna 195 & a Pitts) at Oak Grove before it became Spinks. After it was rebuilt and the City of Fort Worth owned it I kept a U3-A there for awhile. I quit flying about 4 years ago because the insurance got to expensive for what I was doing; Spending 6 month each summer traveling. I took up sailing and am enjoying that as much as flying.


You brought back some nice old memories.

[FL420]

Short YouTube of some F-35 carrier ops you might like.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qVPmy00md1s