Delivering the Mail

In this installment of 'TWW' we bring you a super-groovy shot of a brand-spankin' new Republic F-84F Thunderstreak opening a can-o-whoopass on some unsuspecting, uh... sand and scrub... in the Mojave Desert. (just pretend it's unsuspecting Commie sand and scrub) Included below the photo is a way-cool facsimilified-copy of the news tag from the reverse of the print that your blogmeister whipped up in Photoshop because he was bored and too lazy to type it all out...

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

Two Ghost Riders and a Tiger

In this installment of our little cyber-rag, we present a gorgeous shot showing an AD-2 or AD-3 of VA-195 'Tigers', moments away from leaving the deck of USS Boxer (CV-21). Waiting their turn off to port is a pair of F8F-1 Bearcats of VF-193 'Ghost Riders'. The photo was taken during CVG-19's NorPac cruise which ran from January 13th to February 25th, 1949.

National Naval Aviation Museum (Robert Lawson collection)

Fade to Black...

Thirsty Thud

In this quickie installment we bring you a rather groovy shot of an F-105D about to gas up in Southeast-Asian skies... enjoy...

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

It's Voodoo

In this installment of 'TWW' we bring you something from your blogmeister's neck of the woods...

As a fighter-interceptor, photo-recce platform, and nuke-lugging fighter-bomber, the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo served the USAF in almost all suitable roles, except that for which it was originally envisioned; a penetration fighter to escort SAC's BUFFs to Moscow. Thankfully, it was never actually needed to fill that particular role. However, the very vital role for which the Voodoo is perhaps most-well known, that of fighter-interceptor, was filled admirably by the F-101B variant.

Of all the outfits that flew the 'Bravo' in defense of North America, the 136th Fighter Interceptor Squadron is nearest and dearest to your blogmeister's heart, if only because that particular outfit was nearest to the place he and his dearest call home. Based at Niagara Falls, NY, the 136th, as part of the Aerospace Defense Command, was responsible for protecting certain areas of the Northeastern United States, and flew the 'One-Oh-Wonder' in that role from 1971 to 1982.

Anyhoo, here's a fine view of F-101B 58-0279 in the 136th's original livery, from sometime in the 1970s... enjoy...

Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection)

Fade to Black...

Polski MiG

Today we bring you a super-quickie... a slick-lookin' Polish Navy MiG-21Bis snapped over the Baltic Sea in September of 2002. POLSKA!

Mariusz Adamski photo

Fade to Black...

French Tank Buster

Today we continue a series that we like to call, 'So ugly only a mother could love it', or... 'That thing flies?' with this more-than-less-than-visually-appealing little 1950s French number.

Your blogmeister doesn't know a whole helluvalot about the Potez 75 except that it was envisioned as a tank-buster. Quite frankly, the only thing we can envision right at the moment is a buncha tankers bustin'-out-laffin' upon seeing this contraption coming their way. But looks can be deceiving and you should never judge a book by its cover, right? Well, sometimes, maybe. But in this particular case... 'eh, judge all you like.

By all accounts we've come across, the Potez 75 was a dismal failure in its intended role as a platform from which to fire wire-guided anti-tank missiles, specifically the Nord SS.10, and production orders were not forthcoming. Undaunted, the folks at Potez saw that certain 'improvements' were made and that the type was re-branded under the good 'ole fashioned 'close air support' label. This time an order was placed for some 100 examples, but cancelled a short while later, apparently due to budget concerns.

In the end, though the Potez 75 may have been a flop, you can't say that it isn't an interesting machine. An interesting, frakkin' fugly little machine...

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

Atlantic Cat

In this installment of our little cyber-rag we present a pretty nice photo showing an FM-2 Wildcat of VC-36 just coming off the cat while launching from USS Core (CVE-13) during anti-submarine operations in the North Atlantic on April 12th, 1944. You're welcome...

NARA - US Navy photo by Photographer's Mate N.H. Seehafer

Fade to Black...

The Dragon Slayer

Alrighty folks, here's a quickie for y'all. Your blogmeister doesn't know a whole lot about meatballs... well, the kind that go with spaghetti, yeah. But not those from Nihon-koku. Anyhoo, although he may not be knowledgeable on the subject of Birds of the Rising Sun, he sure do like 'em, especially this variety here... the Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Dragon Slayer), known to the Allies during the Second World War by the code-name 'Nick'. Enjoy!

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

Devil Cat Corsairs

In this installment of our little cyber-rag we present a fine shot showing six F4U Corsairs from VMF-212, the 'Devil Cats', aboard the escort carrier USS Rendova (CVE-114) off the coast of Korea during 1951. Rendova and the Devil Cats would spend the majority of that year participating in the 'Forgotten War'.

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

Shining Star

As has been stated a few times previous, we like us some purty pikshurs around these parts... and in this installment of 'TWW' we bring you a good'un showing a Canadair CT-133 Silver Star of the Canadian Armed Forces with a star of another sort as backdrop... enjoy!

From the Canadian Military Aircraft Group on Facebook
Posted by Mr. Chris Charland

Fade to Black...

Persian Hunter

Back in the day, when things were still cool between Iran and the USA, the latter supplied the former with all sortsa neat toys... including things with wings, among them the Lockheed P-3 Orion. In fact, six of the sub-hunters were supplied to the Imperial Iranian Air Force in the mid 1970s, before things went south in the Shah's kingdom and the IIAF became the IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force).

These days only four Iranian P-3Fs remain in service with the 71st ASW Squadron, based at Shahid Douran Air Base; this one was photographed on March 11th, 2004 by a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Here's the official CAF caption for the photo:

"An occasional visitor to the Coalition Forces in the Northern Arabian Sea, an Iranian P-3 Orion flies over HMCS Toronto. HMCS Toronto is taking part in Operation Altair, joining the USS George Washington Aircraft Carrier Task Group to help monitor shipping in the Persian Gulf. By restricting the flow of weapons, drugs, and other illicit trade, HMCS Toronto and her crew are helping to end terrorism and bring long-term stability to the region."

MCpl Colin Kelley, Formation Imaging Services Halifax

Fade to Black...

Kiwi Scooter

Some time back we ran a fairly lengthy series on the A-4 Skyhawk. Eventually we hit the pause button 'cuz your blogmeister figured that not every one of our readership of half-a-dozen or so was as crazy about Heineman's Hotrod as he is. Besides, said series could always be resumed at some point in the future... right? Well, the future is now. And although we're not gonna go ape with a virtual barrage of Bantam Bombers like before, be forewarned that you may see a sprinkling of Scooters here and there for a while, starting with this installment of our little cyber-rag.

Here we present a rather groovy shot of a family-model flown by 75 Squadron, RNZAF during COPE THUNDER '84-7. The official USAF caption follows:

A TA-4K Skyhawk aircraft of the 75th Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, evades simulated anti-aircraft missiles at the Crow Valley Electronic Warfare Tactical Range during Exercise COPE THUNDER '84-7

USAF photo by SSGT D. Perez

Fade to Black...

Gutless

Today on 'TWW' we depart a bit from the norm and offer for your viewing pleasure a rather groovy piece of artwork depicting a really groovy-lookin' P.O.S.

The Vought F7U Cutlass was, in a word, something of a freakin' fiasco. Quirky handling due to an underdeveloped flight control system, woefully under-powered by highly unreliable powerplants, and a host of other problems pegged the type as a killer. Literally. A total of twenty-five pilots were killed while flying the Cutlass, with more than one quarter of the entire production run being destroyed in accidents. The nicknames 'Gutless Cutlass', 'Ensign Eliminator', and 'Widow Maker' were well-earned, as was 'Praying Mantis'. Although, one has to wonder if the latter was due solely to the type's appearance, or if the alarmingly common practice of the female mantis devouring her mate after 'fun time'  had anything to do with it. Who knows... *shrug*

All your blogmeister knows for sure, aside from the fact that it was a disaster, is that the Cutlass was one cool lookin' bird.

Artwork by Darryl Legg

Fade to Black...

Generic Medium

Around these parts we like us some Mitchells. The B-25 is your blogmeister's favorite USAAF medium bomber... this week. Any other week it would probably be #2, but this week it's in the top spot. Anyhoo, looking through the archives for a purty pikshur of a Mitchell, we came across this fine view of a B-25D sans paint and with only the requisite minimum of markings. (They're there... just gotta look.)

It ain't flashy or anything, 'tis just a real nice shot of a beautiful Plane-Jane B-25. Enjoy...

Project 914 Archives

Fade to Black...

Sage Wisdom

Today we bring you an old favorite.

No further comment from your blogmeister is necessary...

Fade to Black...

Myrsky Me, What a Storm

In this installment of 'TWW' we bring y'all something that you just don't see every day... a VL Myrsky.

"Wuzzat", you ask? Read on, look at the pikshur, and ye shall be enlightened.

In 1939 the Finnish Air Force was seeking fighter aircraft to defend itself from the onslaught of the Russian Bear. Several foreign types would serve under the siniristilippu, but the Finns also produced a number of domestic designs... among them, the VL Myrsky. (VL = 'Valtion lentokonetehdas'; the State aircraft factory.)

The Myrsky had wooden wings and a metal fuselage structure covered largely in fabric and plywood, leading some to refer to the type as the 'Finnish Hurricane'. Even the name strikes a synonymous chord; 'Myrsky' is Finnish for 'storm'.

But there the similarities end, as the Finnish type did not enjoy the same level of success achieved by its distant British cousin. Not even close. The prototype Myrsky flew on December 23rd, 1941 and proved to be a tad on the heavy side. Changes were made and three pre-production aircraft (Myrsky I) produced, but structural problems cropped up, particularly at high-speeds, and all three were destroyed during testing, with the loss of two pilots killed and nearly the third. Despite this, the type entered production, with 47 examples (Myrsky II) being produced. From there, it all came unglued... literally. The glues used in the Myrsky's wooden construction did not stand up well to the cold or wet, resulting in widespread failure of glue seams. Ten Myrskys II were destroyed in accidents from 1943 to 1947, with 4 pilots killed... who knows how many other 'near misses' there may have been. The type was retired from operations in May of 1947.

Despite all its problems, the Myrsky was well-liked by pilots because it was fast and maneuverable, comfortable to fly, and handled well not only in the air but also on the ground. Anyhoo, we present here for your viewing pleasure a fine view of 'MY-5', the first production Myrsky II. Nauti!

Suomen Ilmailumuseo (Finnish Aviation Museum)

Fade to Black...

"Don't look now, but..."

"...I think someone's watching us."

Since first laying eyes on one, your blogmeister has always found F-16s of the Venezuelan Air Force to be singularly attractive on account of their unique and groovy camo, and was reminded of this earlier tonight by a friend. Also reminded of the fact that subject matter for this installment of 'TWW' had yet to be decided upon, your blogmeister made a rather quick and easy decision.

So, here and now, we present to you a unique shot of a curious Aviación Militar Nacional Bolivariana de Venezuela Viper driver who has spied something interesting and brought his Bic in for a closer look... disfruta!

Manuel E. Silva photo

Fade to Black...

A Bird Dog Goes West

Today we bring you another in our running series on mascots. It's a sad one, though...

A couple'a years ago, through a series of 'viral' videos, your blogmeister, indeed the entire world, was introduced to a Border Collie named Piper, the 'Wildlife Control Officer' at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan. His job: chase away the birds. Here's one of those videos:

Wildlife poses a potential hazard to aviators, with thousands of 'strikes' reported each year; bird strikes chief among them. (More info on that HERE.) Through his bird-dogging, Piper has helped to keep aviation a bit safer in his little corner of the woods, and became something of a celebrity to boot.

Sadly, in early 2018, Piper went West... but he will always be fondly remembered.

All images: AirportK9.org

Fade to Black...

Wo ist Papa?

With this installment of 'TWW' we continue our running series on mascots with a fine shot of 'Seddy', whose master was Luftwaffe fighter pilot Oberleutnant Ulrich Steinhilper of I/JG52. Steinhilper was shot down during the Battle of Britain, on October 27th, 1940, and captured.

One has to wonder... what goes through the mind of a poochie like Seddy when their master fails to return home?

From: 'Spitfire On My Tail' by Ulrich Steinhilper

Fade to Black...

Wet Jet

For this installment of 'TWW' we bring you yet another purty pikshur. Generally we like to keep things military-like around here, but are not in any way averse to civvies. Anyhoo, this time 'round we solicited suggestions as to subject matter from our readership of about a half-dozen or so, and the suggestion we liked most, by far, was 'Boeing 777'.

So... here's a rather nice photo showing a FedEx 777 departing Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, snapped at the very moment that someone in the cockpit switched on the cloud machine. Dig-it, y'all...

Steve Neel photo

Fade to Black...

Starfighter Sunset

We've said it before... we say it again. We love us some purty pikshurs around here... so here's one for your viewing pleasure.
'Tis a pair of Luftwaffe F-104Gs silhouetted against a fiery sunset... genießen!

Gottfried 'Blacky' Schwarz foto

Fade to Black...