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One of the best looking "original" P-51D schemes you'll ever see ...
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Interesting to note that the inboard gun on the left wing is missing and apparently has been for a while.
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If I recall correctly, and I could be wrong, it was an unapproved, but sometimes performed, mod to remove the inboard gun and part of a ammo/gun locker rib to provide room for longer ammo belts, thus more ammo could be carried. The 50 cals were prone to jamming unless the armorer really knew his stuff and lapped and lubed the actions with fine, low temp oil. Think about it: these guns went from -60 degrees to several hundred degrees temperature when fired at altitude.
So whatever became of ol' 222? What's her story and Lt. Foster's story?
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Great photos! The original P-51B models only had 4 .50 cals.
Compare these photos of a real, combat vet aircraft to the photo schemes of today's warbirds. I read articles about how 'accurate' some wardbird paint jobs are, the highly polished metal, etc and yet did any pilot EVER fly a shiny, polished, high gloss fighter into combat?
Just once, I'd love to see a fighter with a dull, weather worn, flat matte, years old paint job and maybe with a few dents and maybe a few bullet hole patches in it! You know, sort of like a REAL combat veteran!
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Gary, sounds like you are describing my O-2A (although not a fighter.) I have pix of my plane in SEA which provide solid documentation that it looks better today than it did then. Nonetheless, I know I will never win "best in" anything in the warbirds category at AirVenture. I keep entering anyway. I have a nice collection of "Judges Appreciation" plaques on the wall of my study.
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Unfortunately Gary, awards are often given more for nurturing fantasy than exhibiting reality. I used to wonder what the officials would do if someone flew in with a fighter with flak and bullet holes in it and blood spattered on the inside of the canopy and across the instrument panel and throughout the cockpit. Skin patched with pieces of steel beer can, where you can still see the label and identify the brewer, would also be a nice touch. Would the plane be ordered to be removed? Heck, now they even rub away the exhaust stains, and there's no powder residue on the wings around the gun ports...I can understand polishing these old gals up and spraying them down with Imron to honor those who designed, built, maintained, and flew them to ensure our freedom, but some cross the line into just glorifying a war that wasn't glorious, something very few who ever flew through flak would ever appreciate.
I recall one fella showed up at AirDisney with his navy blue Corsair and he had these odd-looking gray stripes on the top of the fuselage, just ahead of the cockpit. I said to him, "they make pretty good fuel tank sealants now, why didn't you just use that?" He didn't have a clue what I was talking about. He just had his bird painted to look like the Revell plastic model he'd built as a kid. The "original" gray stripes were an attempt to seal a fuel tank in the field, but somehow photographs of it ended up in Revell's hands and they put the "unusual paint scheme" on their model, without explaining the unromantic reason for the stripes. It shouldn't have to take an old curmudgeon like me to come by and explain this to a guy who had spent millions on an airplane so it could look like another plane that he didn't know the complete history of.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mayhemxpc
Gary, sounds like you are describing my O-2A (although not a fighter.) I have pix of my plane in SEA which provide solid documentation that it looks better today than it did then. Nonetheless, I know I will never win "best in" anything in the warbirds category at AirVenture. I keep entering anyway. I have a nice collection of "Judges Appreciation" plaques on the wall of my study.
Would love to see your O-2A as I flew a lot with a Viet Nam USAF O-2A driver who flew out of Thailand.
I recently visited the RAF Museum and inside that had a crashed Halifax bomber that was basically in the condition that it was recovered in. I was seeing 'real' history........ with not a shiny thing in sight.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gary737
I recently visited the RAF Museum and inside that had a crashed Halifax bomber that was basically in the condition that it was recovered in. I was seeing 'real' history........ with not a shiny thing in sight.
I'm with you Gary. The US Museum of Naval Aviation (favorite hangout) has a Kawanishi "George" on display with un repaired battle damage. .50 cal hole in the R wing root. Probably flown for a while in that condition. It also has the haiku that the pilot painted on the fuselage under the L hor stabilizer. Something to do with dying over the Pacific and opening up like a flower.
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I saw an 'original' P-51D that was used by NACA after the war in high speed dives/data at an event in Kissimee, Fl. It was highly polished and had extra 'probes' on it! I'm sorry now that I did not take any photos of it....
