The Convair XP-92 (redesignated XF-92 in 1948) was originally developed in response to a requirement issued by the USAAF in August of 1945 for a supersonic interceptor. However, the single prototype would eventually become a test vehicle that paved the way for more well-known and successful Convair types such as the F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart, and B-58 Hustler. Anyhoo, today we present a way-cool inflight photo of the XF-92A.
Enjoy...
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Today we present the latest in our mascot series: a fine photo showing 'Pincher', resident mouser aboard the Royal Navy seaplane carrier HMS Vindex, perched atop the propeller hub of a Sopwith Camel during the Great War.
Enjoy...
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Today we bring you a rather passively dramatic shot from 1968 showing a Blackburn Buccaneer of the Royal Navy loaded up for the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) role, displaying an impressive load of four Matra AS.37 Martel anti-radiation missiles.
Enjoy, and keep that radar set switched off...
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Your blogmeister likes his running series, but cannot recall if he's already started one in which today's photo would fit. And he's too lazy to go a'lookin' at the moment. So, we shall either begin or continue our running series known as 'How Low Can You Go?' with this here shot of a Vickers Wellington from 11 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force, beatin' up the field for an undoubtedly nervous but thrilled photographer at RAF Bassingbourn in July of 1940.
Enjoy... and duck...
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Aside from real purty pikshurs, we here at TWW also kinda like just plain-'ole nice pikshurs. And this one here certainly qualifies. Hawker Hunter F.6 XF389 of the Royal Air Force was snapped in fine fashion by an unknown (to us) shutterbug for 'The Aeroplane' during a demo flight at the Farnborough Airshow back in 1958. This jet was later transferred to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, then to the Royal Air Force of Oman.
Enjoy...
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Hält die Klappe Karl.
Zu Schwarz verblassen...
Today, a purty one. An F-16 of the Flyvevåbnet captured before a beautiful Danish evening sky.
Nyde...
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Today we bring you a real purty pikshur showing a flight of P-38Es from a well-known series of photos, taken just off the Southern California coast for Lockheed by Eric Miller during early-mid 1942. Miller was able to grab this stellar shot and others in the series from inside the open bomb bay of a Lockheed Hudson.
Enjoy...
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Today we start a new running series that your blogmeister hopes to make a regular thing here at TWW... a series we shall dub 'Planes & Dames'. 'Tis'nt all that original, we concede, but what the hey, sometimes you have to run with the standards.
For the inaugural edition of 'Planes & Dames', we present this atmospheric photo showing a lovely gal posing all gorgeous-like on the assembly line at Consolidated-Vultee's Fort Worth facility with a B-24 as backdrop. And it's not just any B-24; the ship in the photo was B-24J 44-44501, which we believe was the last Lib to roll off the line at Forth Worth in 1944, hence all the extra paint seen applied over the standard OD and gray paint job.
Enjoy...
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Your blogmeister doesn't know a whole helluvalot about Meatballs, but he sure do dig 'em. So today we present a neato-keen shot showing fifteen Meatballs of the Mitsubishi variety... the Mitsubishi G3M 'Rikko', allied code-name 'Nell' variety, to be exact. The Nell was dubbed the 'Flying Cigar' by allied airmen, for obvious reasons.
The ships shown here are from the Genzan Kokutai, which took part in the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse on December 10th, 1941, though we don't know where or when the photo was taken.
Enjoy...
A closer look at the trio closest to the camera ship:
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We're partial to the F-14 around these parts, and for today's quickie we bring you an F-14D Super Tomcat of VF-31 'Tomcatters' that's pulling some streamers during a demo put on for the benefit of sailors aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in June of 2006. Just a few months later, in September, the mighty Tomcat would be retired from active U.S. Navy service.
Ahhhh... Memories, Baby...
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Say that ten times fast...
In today's installment of TWW we bring you a purty pikshur showing an English Electric Lightning operated by 23 Squadron of the Royal Air Force during an interception of a Russkie Tu-95 'Bear' that came'a snoopin'. We don't have an exact date for this particular meeting, but 23 Squadron, then based at RAF Leuchars, flew the Lightning from 1964 to 1975, so that narrows things down some. More digging on the net would undoubtedly yield something more precise, but your blogmeister is a bit short on time at the moment, so y'all'll hafta grab your own cyber-shovels. Have fun...
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During the Vietnam War, inadequacies within the USAF fleet of KC-135
air-refuelers were brought to light, and so the KC-10 Extender was developed as
result. Here's a rather picturesque McDonnell Douglas promo photo showing the first two KC-10s built for the US Air Force during an early test flight over the Mojave Desert, waaaaaay back in the early 1980s. The jet closest to the camera is the first KC-10A, USAF serial 79-0433 (though here she wears the civil registration N110KC), while the other is Extender number two, 79-0434.
Drink up and enjoy...
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Today we bring you a quickie showing a pair of one of your blogmeister's faves, the F-14 Tomcat. These particular Toms are from what was arguably the most famous F-14 RON, VF-84, the Jolly Rogers. We're not sure of the exact date here, but judging by the paint schemes and other details, it was the late 1970s or early 1980s. Photo-bombing in fine fashion off in the distance is the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), roost to VF-84 and the rest of Carrier Air Wing 8.
Enjoy...
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Your blogmeister doesn't know a whole heckuvalot about the de Havilland D.H.86 Express, just that it was a forerunner of the more well-known and slightly more graceful'n smarter-lookin' D.H.89 Dragon Rapide.
This particular example was built as a D.H.86A in 1936, but converted to a D.H.86B later that same year, evidenced mainly by the 'auxiliary fins' fitted to the tips of the horizontal tail surfaces. She was owned and operated with the civil registration G-AEJM by Wrightways, Ltd. of Croydon until her transfer to 24 Squadron of the Royal Air Force in April of 1940, when her identity was changed to X9441. Sadly, she would be written off after an engine fire during startup at RAF Hendon in February of 1943.
Anyhoo, enjoy the photo, y'all...
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For our annual appearance here at TWW we bring you, the readership of not more than half-a-dozen and hopefully not less than zero, yep, you guessed it...
...a quickie.
Only this time, it's a quickie in more ways than one.
The Convair B-58 Hustler was designed to do just two things: drop nukes on commies and do it real fast-like.
Like, Mach 2 fast-like.
Hence the type's name, 'Hustler'.
Anyhoo, as the aforementioned readership is undoubtedly aware, we like us some purty-pikshurs here at TWW, and this-here quickie fits that bill fairly nicely.
Enjoy... but don't blink...
USAF photo
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Today we bring you a quickie in the form of this rather dramatic snap showing a Kette of Legion Condor Junkers Ju 87B-1 Stukas on their way to support Franco's Nationalists by dropping things that go boom on Republican forces.
Disfrutar...
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We love us some purty-pikshurs around here... so for today's quickie we offer this super-freakin-groovy shot of F-35C BuNo. 168735 of the VX-9 Edwards Detachment at Edwards Air Force Base, snapped at sunset during September of 2013.
Enjoy...
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Today we present a pikshur that is well-known to those who dig Soviet aviation of the Great Patriotic War.
The photo was taken at Vnukovo Airfield near Moscow on March 7th, 1942 and shows MiG-3s of the 120th Fighter Aviation Regiment on occasion of said regiment being renamed as the 12th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
For the model builders out there and/or for those who simply appreciate colors and markings... contrary to decades of popular belief, the outer wings of the ship closest to the camera were undoubtedly not red, but green. More info on that HERE.
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A long time back we shared a photo from 1977 showing an F-14 Tomcat of VF-14 'Tophatters' during an intercept of a Russkie Tu-95 'Bear', and mentioned that we kinda-sorta dig stuff like that. Also mentioned was that more such photos would be forthcoming.
Well, it took a while but today we offer another coolish intercept shot. This time the Tomcat squadron is currently unknown to us, as any identifying markings are hidden in high-contrast shadow. However, a little messin' 'wit the image in Photoshop has revealed an 'N' as the first letter of the air wing code, making it a RON from the left coast. We do have a date for the photo, August 1st, 1985... though we're not sure if that was the date on which the shutter was tripped or if that's when the photo was released to Joe Q. Public. Whatever the case, the ballpark date, 'N_' code, and '2XX' modex combine to provide a good basis for some digging and eventual ID of the RON. However, your blogmeister is more than a bit tired and lazy at the moment, and said digging won't take place just yet.
Anyhoo, for now we simply offer up this atmospheric image from the height of the Cold War and ask that you enjoy...
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