The Longest Bombing Mission Ever

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Never heard the P-38 called that. The A-20, on the other hand. (One of them attack bombers anyway, -20, -22, -26.)

The B-26 - see my post above.

From wiki:

B-26 crews gave the aircraft the nickname "Widowmaker".[7] Other colorful nicknames included "Martin Murderer", "Flying Coffin", "B-Dash-Crash", "Flying Prostitute" (so-named because it was so fast and had "no visible means of support,"
referring to its small wings) and "Baltimore Whore" (a reference to the city where Martin was based).[14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_B-2 ... #Accidents

Re "Flying Prostitute": A lightweight version of the P-40 - the l - was called the "Gypsy Rose Lee" because it too had "no visible means of support".

B-26 and Z-26 were the same plane, with different roles. I knowed me it was one of them there flying contraptions.

[Jason]

This is the only hybrid I ever want to use for long-range bombing:

What about the lovely Tupolev 95?

[Jason]

Can you imagine designing that with a slide rule. Fuck 1962 - - Kelly Johnson was a time traveller or what. and the P38 is also a stunning plane. Guy was brilliant. Every flight it has to be refueled just after take off as it leaks so much fuel until the skin gets up to temperature.

Ironically, the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model had assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down on the hangar floor. At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams, but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints.

Origins
The SR-71 was the brainchild of Kelly Johnson, the famed Lockheed designer who created the P-38, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2. After the Soviets shot down Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960, Johnson began to develop an aircraft that would fly three miles higher and five times faster than the spy plane-and still be capable of photographing your license plate. However, flying at 2,000 mph would create intense heat on the aircraft's skin. Lockheed engineers used a titanium alloy to construct more than 90 percent of the SR-71, creating special tools and manufacturing procedures to hand-build each of the 40 planes. Special heat-resistant fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluids that would function at 85,000 feet and higher also had to be developed.

some more info

http://gizmodo.com/5511236/the-thrill-o ... -blackbird

Didn't they call the P-38 the "flying coffin"?

I always loved the way that plane looked.

And as for the SR-71 - it is the most beautiful plane ever made. (Followed closely by the Spitfire and the Concorde).

The p-38 was a beaut. Fast and deadly, but required a different style of combat to engage other fighters (sort of like the Beaufighter, but somewhat more nimble). By late war it no longer had a significant speed advantage and its poor maneuverability made it a liability. The P-47 was a better ground attack craft and a better fighter. All hail the 'jug'!

[Jason]

Here's a beaut. I believe they stripped the tin off shacks all over Russia to skin these babies.

[Cormac]

Can you imagine designing that with a slide rule. Fuck 1962 - - Kelly Johnson was a time traveller or what. and the P38 is also a stunning plane. Guy was brilliant. Every flight it has to be refueled just after take off as it leaks so much fuel until the skin gets up to temperature.

Ironically, the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model had assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down on the hangar floor. At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams, but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints.

Origins
The SR-71 was the brainchild of Kelly Johnson, the famed Lockheed designer who created the P-38, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2. After the Soviets shot down Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960, Johnson began to develop an aircraft that would fly three miles higher and five times faster than the spy plane-and still be capable of photographing your license plate. However, flying at 2,000 mph would create intense heat on the aircraft's skin. Lockheed engineers used a titanium alloy to construct more than 90 percent of the SR-71, creating special tools and manufacturing procedures to hand-build each of the 40 planes. Special heat-resistant fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluids that would function at 85,000 feet and higher also had to be developed.

some more info

http://gizmodo.com/5511236/the-thrill-o ... -blackbird

Didn't they call the P-38 the "flying coffin"?

I always loved the way that plane looked.

And as for the SR-71 - it is the most beautiful plane ever made. (Followed closely by the Spitfire and the Concorde).

The p-38 was a beaut. Fast and deadly, but required a different style of combat to engage other fighters (sort of like the Beaufighter, but somewhat more nimble). By late war it no longer had a significant speed advantage and its poor maneuverability made it a liability. The P-47 was a better ground attack craft and a better fighter. All hail the 'jug'!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

P-47 or Typhoon?

[klr]

You mean which was better? Probably the P-47, as it was also an excellent dog-fighter, especially at high altitude, which the Typhoon wasn't. Now, as for the Tempest ...

[Jason]

Tough choice. The Typhoon is purtier IMO.

[Jason]

Well the Tempest is my favouritest fighter of WWII so..

[macdoc]

aw c'mon - except for the Spitfire this got be the best looker



especially the night fighter version

two classics...

[klr]

BTW, here's a poser: Which Pacific battle featured possible the shortest ever bombing missions?

[JimC]

BTW, here's a poser: Which Pacific battle featured possible the shortest ever bombing missions?

From land or a carrier?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

From land. A bomber took of and bombed the enemy within sight of the strip. Location forgotten, of course.

[klr]

BTW, here's a poser: Which Pacific battle featured possible the shortest ever bombing missions?

From land or a carrier?

Land. If there were even shorter missions flown from off a carrier, I'd be shocked ...

From land. A bomber took of and bombed the enemy within sight of the strip. Location forgotten, of course.

Yup, that's the one. But can you remember the name?

[JimC]

From land. A bomber took of and bombed the enemy within sight of the strip. Location forgotten, of course.

One of the Solomon Islands, where the marines were heavily engaged?