This weeks photo's.
Pilot shaking out his parachute in front of a U. S. Coast Guard Grumman JF-2 Duck with engines running, Floyd Bennett Field, N.Y. ca. 1940.

A U. S. Coast Guard Grumman JF-2 Duck, Floyd Bennett Field, N.Y. ca. 1940.

Weekend extra.
Lockheed P-80A Shooting Stars of the 94th Fighter Squadron,taken 1948

Mid-week pics.
Six very detailed shots of He111C-02 W.Nr. 1829 D-AQYF "Leipzig" seen prewar at D?bendorf .
During WWII these aircraft were impressed into Luftwaffe service as high-speed courier's, a role to which they were well suited.


Below note the sign on the door.

Weekend photo's.
Four this week of P-51 Mustang (serial number 44-72181), nicknamed "Sunny VIII", flown by Colonel Everett Stewart, of the 4th Fighter Group.

Below Colonel Everett W. Stewart in the cockpit of "Sunny VIII".

Below Crew Chief Staff Sergeant Glesner E. Weckbacher leans on the wing of "Sunny VIII".

Below Colonel Everett W. Stewart, with Crew Chief: S/Sgt Glesner Weckbacher. Ass't Crew Chief: S/Sgt L. K. Brown. Armourer: Cpl Vervene W. Young.

Weekend bonus.
Dummy replica aircraft (Helldiver) used by the US Navy to train aircraft ordnance technicians during the war.

Wednesdays photo.
A wonderful detailed shot of the fourth prototype Ju87-V4-D-UBIP-WrkN4924.

This weeks pics taken post war at Zurich.
B-17G 44-8906 was assigned to Tulln Air Base at Tulln, Austria in the immediate post-war period. This base was used for troop-carrier squadrons and an airways communications unit.

Weekend bonus.
The aircraft was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 19 June 1945 as 44-85784, too late to see active service in the war. After being converted to both a TB-17G training variant and then an EB-17G it was struck off charge in 1954.
Still flying today at Duxford as "Sally B".

Wednesdays pic's.
Spitfire F Mk.3 clipped wing version used as a test-bed for various engines.

And two shots of Spitfire HF Mk. VII undergoing tests at NACA Langley in the United States. Both photographs were taken in July 1944. The aircraft is EN474, 13th production high-altitude Mk. VII which was supplied to USA for evaluation.


EN474 survived the war and can be seen today in the collection of Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.

Fridays fix.
And a wonderful shot of a rare bird.
"On August 24th, 1942 British Lt Wooll of No. 1 PRU had to shut down one of the engines on a recognition flight over Venice due to overheating. He realised he could not make it back to GB and decided to land in Bern-Belp. He did not manage to destroy the aircraft before the Swiss military took control over it. Although Switzerland was neutral in WWII, Britain was afraid the aircraft could fall into the hands of the German military. This was the first Mosquito to fall into non-allied hands. On August 1st, 1943 Switzerland and Britain agreed, that the aircraft was allowed to fly under swiss registration E-42. It was first used for test flights by swiss military and was sold to Swissair in July 1944. In October 1944 Swissair started doing postal-flights with the aircraft beginning January 1945 under the Registration HB-IMO. It was also used for instruction flights for Swissair pilots.
After the end of the war Swissair stopped its postal operations and returned the aircraft to the Swiss military which flew it until August 1946. Thereafter the aircraft was broken up and used for spare parts, being deleted from the Swiss register on July 1st, 1951. "