Re: OT: Obsolete Aircraft

That is the nice thing about memories - there are cool things stashed away.

My memories (about aircraft) cover two items. One was a B-36 flying over when I was a kid. It seemed very impressive.

Second memory was a Cub Scout visit to military side of O'Hare with a row of "modern" jets ready to go. They were F-80's (as far as I recall). On same trip we went through a hanger of aircraft in kind of a hodge-podge & not really set up for formal display. They included German & Japanese WWII aircraft but the one that stuck in my mind was the Bell XP-?? twin engine pusher fighter.

More recent (1960) is memories of trying to sleep in my barracks near foot of runway at Keesler with noisy Grumman Albatross's taking off (and they were quieter than B-52's were at Kelly & barracks there was pretty far from flight line).

There is a F-104 team doing the circuit. Nice all red color scheme.

Drool factor sets in whenever I see their TF-104. Never got my promissed time "back in the days" and I can afford it now.

Tom

Sitting in the observer's hatch of a C-124 at Torrejon AB, near Madrid. Spanish

104's doing a formation overhead pattern and a CASA 111 waiting ahead of us to take active with two Buchon's behind us.

EVERYTHING but the 104's was obsolete!

Oxmoron1 MFE

I doubt it, unfortunately. I seem to recall that Congress passed legislation decades ago prohibiting the sale of combat jet aircraft (not cargo or training planes) to private individuals following a spate of crashes involving privately owned surplus US military aircraft (in the early 1960's, IIRC).

So, unless the Navy and Airforce were to institute some sort of "heritage flights".......

Art Anderson

Collings Foundation (B17 "Nine-O-Nine" / B24 "Dragon and His Tail") also have an F4 Phantom II...

FWIW...

There is an F7U undergoing restoration to non flying status at the Museum of Flight center at Paine Field (Everett WA). Not sure they could find a pilot even if it could fly...

Jack

A few months ago, an article in the Times 'over here' described a private South African firm that bought up a number of surplus BAC Lightnings for use in contract ACM training.

IIRC, 30 minute 1V1 joyrides, including a supersonic low pass over the beach, were on offer as well.

Scott G. Welch

Very possible! Clay Lacey, the race pilot, owned an F-104 Starfighter for a while as well. Lacey was reported to have built up the F-104 from scrapyard parts. It is possible to do that, I believe. However, I believe the federal law against the sale of combat jet aircraft to private owners by the USDOD is still in effect.

Art

Ummm No, not "possible"...Fact:

Not Clay Lacey - it was Darrel Greenamayer who rebuilt the 104. He lost the airplane when he had to eject 'cos he couldn't get the gear down, but he did set a civilian speed record.

also have 3 Buccaneers and 2 Hunters, all painted in nice shiny black. It's my birthday next week if anyone's feeling generous..... ;-)

Nick

Thanks for the website. And many Happy Returns on your Birthday (that's as generous as I get this early in the AM) 8-)

-- John ___ __[xxx]__ (o - ) --------o00o--(_)--o00o-------

The history of things that didn't happen has never been written - Henry Kissinger

Hah.

Got lucky this year and went to Air Power 2003 at Zeltweg, Austria. Never thought I would ever see a Sea Wixen even in a museum, but I saw it FLY. It makes more noise than some of the new jets.

cheers,

Vedran

Reminds me of a barbecue I went to a number of years ago here in northeast Ohio.... In the midst of a wonderful pig roast, I hear this roar overhead. What a thought was an RN Vampire cruising around overhead. Everyone thought I was absolutely crazy when I jumped into my car and followed it.

It landed at an airport about fifteen miles away and the pilot/owner was kind enough to allow me to crawl all over it. It was a Venom, but the way, not a Vampire.

Never saw it again after that day. And have never seen another one in the air.

Andy

You're gonna hate me for this..... I saw a Hunter and a Vampire in formation over North Weald last week, the Sea Vixen at Southend a few months back and I've seen most of the De Havilland family of jets :-). My Gran worked for De Havilland during WW2 and once told me about a 'bloody noisy testing aircraft called the Spider' she saw at work one time. She'd seen her first jet aircraft (the Spider Crab, aka the Vampire) long before many other people did.

Nick

The best for this was my dad, who wasn't really interested in planes but on a visit to Duxford could name everything from 47-60 vintage, it was only when visiting his Mothers place I realised why, the hill immediately behind it looked across at Farnborough Airfield and they were on the flight path for landings......

-- estarriol

Seriously, this is the upside of joining the Air Training Corps as it's possible to fly in aircraft that become obsolete. Mine were the Britannia, Belfast, Andover and Chipmunk. The VC10 is yet to become obsolete.

Richard.