Photo of the week
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This weekends extra.
Lockheed P-322, c/n 322-3144,this aircraft was originally ordered by the Anglo-French Purchasing Committee,it was taken over by the US government, and was given the military serial number 43-2035. and was used to test torpedo drops,at Muroc AAB Dec 1942.
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This midweeks photos.
From the movie "Air Force", B-17B 38-584 (#10) as Mary Ann, fictional B-17D 40-5564
Link -- https://aerovintage.com/airforce.htm -
This weekends photo.
A nice air to air of Spitfire VII prototype AB.450 which was converted from a Spitfire V. This performance test was only done using M.S. gear as the aircraft was required by Rolls-Royce for further work before the trial could be completed. The aircraft was approximately 10 mph faster than Spitfire IX BF.274, also equipped with a Merlin 61 engine, tested during the same period at Boscombe Down. AB.450 served with the Special Service (High Altitude) Flight at Northolt, then with 124 Squadron.
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This weekends extra.
And a crystal clear photo of a Canadian built Sea Hurricane IIb JS327 which due to fuel starvation crash landed at St Leu in Algeria.
"The Sea Hurricanes entered combat with the Vichy regime’s French Air Force already in the early morning hours of the operation. While protecting allied strike machines, the bomb-laden Albacores, No. 800 Squadron engaged the intervening Dewoitine D.520s. It is noteworthy that the Mk IIB fighters were flown by very experienced pilots, while the cannon-armed Mk IICs were piloted by less known ones. Most likely, the machine gun-armed ones were positioned forward on the flight deck of HMS ‘Biter’ due to being less heavy, and were allocated to the commanders. Six pilots engaged the French fighters. Sub-Lt Blyth Ritchie in a Mk IIC shot down the first D.520. Lt Cdr J.M. Bruen, the commander, in a Mk IIB (JS355), claimed the next one. The well-known Sub-Lt Crosley in a Mk IIB (AG334) downed two more, and his wingman, Sub-Lt R. Thompson (JS273) scored another one as a probable. However, their return to the aircraft carrier was not as fortunate. Two fighters were unable to locate the ship and landed at Lourmel, fortunately already taken by the Americans. Three others ended up on HMS ‘Dasher’. The remaining one crashed on the beach. The six 804 Sqn Sea Hurries from HMS ‘Dasher’, flown by fresher pilots, failed to return to their carrier. Five of them landed at the racing grounds at St Leu, near the coast (two crashed their Sea Hurries: Mk IIC AM277 and Mk IIB JS327) and the sixth took to his parachute."
From here - https://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2023/10/23/sea-hurricane-in-operation-torch/ -
This midweeks photo.
B-17 Flying Fortress drones on the line at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands; the planes will be used during the atomic bomb test at Bikini in July 1946.
"The first test on July 1, called Able, was an air drop explosion from a B-29 Superfortress, Dave’s Dream, on a 90-ship target fleet. After just eight minutes, a B-17 drone entered the mushroom cloud at 24,000 feet, followed a few minutes later by three other B-17 drones at 30,000, 18,000, and 13,000 feet. The Navy, meanwhile, sent in three F6F drones assigned to the carrier Shangri-La at altitudes of 20,000 feet, 15,000 feet, and 10,000 feet. All the drones were remotely operated by pilots flying in similar aircraft.
The drones collected air samples while their automatic cameras took photographs before returning to base (Enewetok for the B-17s, Roi Island off Kwajalein for the Hellcats). The samples were sent to Kwajalein for analysis. No manned aircraft flew over the center of the blast, called Zeropoint, until four hours later, although manned boats were on the scene after two hours. " -
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This weekends extra.
And a nice colour photo of a brand new B-17F taken Stateside.
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This midweeks photos.
The Avro Lancaster was made in sections at many works and then transported to be assembled at the main factories, like Woodford._loaded_for_despatch-1.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds "1")
_loaded_for_despatch.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds "Loaded For Despatch")
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This weekends photos.
PB4Y-1 resting mainly on the property of the Marine Corps Base having crashed through the guard fence at the end of the Lindbergh Field extension, San Diego, California.
