Boss Birds & Fuji-san

Today we present a real purty pikshur taken roughly ten years ago...

This fine family portrait of Carrier Air Wing Five's CAG birds and one of the CODs was snapped in April of 2007, with Fujiyama providing a fine backdrop.

Here's the official US Navy caption:

MOUNT FUJI, Japan (April 12, 2007) - Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 perform a formation flight in front of Mount Fuji. CVW-5 is embarked aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). Kitty Hawk operates from Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jarod Hodge

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's some close-ups...



E-2C Hawkeye from VAW-113 'Liberty Bells' and C-2A Greyhound from VRC-30 'Passwords' Det.5.

EA-6B Prowler from VAQ-136 'Gauntlets' and F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-102 'Diamondbacks'.

F/A-18E Super Hornet from VFA-27 'Royal Maces' and F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-192 'Golden Dragons'.

F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-195 'Dambusters'.

Fade to Black...

Hans und sein Hund, Maximillian

Been a while...

In this installment of our little cyber-rag, we continue a running series on mascots with this fine shot of a Luftwaffe 109 driver, who we shall refer to as Hans, and his poochie, who we shall refer to as Maximillian. Now, your blogmeister is no authority on poochie body language but, for some reason, he can't help thinking that Max looks somewhat less than enthused about the whole situation in which he finds himself...

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

Gibralter After Dark

Today we bring you a quickie in the form of a super-groovy purty-pikshur. Some sources state that the Dakota shown in this photo from 1944 was operated by BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation), while others state that it was an RAF-operated machine. Either way, seems as though it's a British ship... and with that backdrop, it really doesn't matter a whole helluvalot, does it?

Enjoy...

Imperial War Museum

Fade to Black...

Night Hurricane

For our little cyber-rag's first installment of the new year we bring you a striking photo which has fascinated your blogmeister since his childhood and which helped foster an intense interest in nocturnal aerial combat which persists to this day.

First seen by yours truly on a postcard purchased at an airshow, this super-groovy photo from early 1942 shows a Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc flown by Squadron leader Dennis Smallwood, C.O. of 87 Squadron, RAF. During the Battle of Britain 87 Squadron was busy both night and day, eventually becoming one of the first dedicated night-fighter outfits of the RAF. It is this role for which the squadron is best-known, and the reason that this Hurri is finished in the all-black paint scheme referred to as 'Special Night'.

Imperial War Museum

Fade to Black...