Mirages From Down Under

 Today we bring you a bonzer portrait of two Aussie Mirages.

The photo was taken back in September of 1980, during a joint US-Australian exercise called PACIFIC CONSORT. The two jets are a Mirage IIIO(F), serial A3-11, and Miarge IIID, serial A3-113, both of No.2 Operational Conversion Unit, Royal Australian Air Force.

Enjoy, hooroo, and have a good one...

USAF photo by T/Sgt. Curt Eddings

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Pursuit For Two

Here at TWW we generally present images that we've found around the interwebz. However, aside from trawling the net for other folks' scans of their old photos, your blogmeister also has his own collection of  old photos to scan, and every now and again he likes to share 'em here and there. So today we picked something at random from the blogmeister's vault for your viewing pleasure.

This golden oldie is a Consolidated PB-2A. Originally introduced in 1934 under the designation P-30, the type was re-designated PB-2 (PB = Pursuit, Biplace) within its first year or so of service. Though relatively successful and an example of somewhat forward-thinking in being equipped with a turbo-supercharger (the first Air Corps pursuit in regular squadron service to be so-equipped), by the time of the type's introduction the two-place pursuit was already a dated, largely obsolete concept. So further development of the PB-2 was not pursued (pun intended), with just sixty being constructed.

The ship in the photo is serial number 35-25 of the 1st Pursuit Group, based at Selfridge Field, Michigan. That she bears the group heraldry and not a squadron emblem makes her a ship from the group headquarters flight. This scene was snapped by Bob Cavanagh at Selfridge, likely during the winter of 1935-'36.

Enjoy, and remember: flying is way-more-funner with a friend...

Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection)

As this edition of our little cyber-rag features a photo from your blogmeister's collection, this seems as good a time as any to plug another of his web 'projects'. Actually, it's a Facebook group called 'Aviation Photo Collectors', which is a place for folks to share whatever wings may be within their personal photo collections. So if you're inclined, and you're on Facebook, please check it out.

Oh, and just an FYI: APC is a private group, and membership is carefully vetted to avoid the spammers and scammers, so you'll have to answer some questions to get in.


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Starfire

 For our first post in a while, we bring you a way-cool pikshur showing a Lockheed F-94 Starfire lighting up in the barn at Thule Airbase, Greenland waaaay back in November of 1953.

The F-94 was the first operational jet in USAF service to be powered by an engine that had an afterburner, and was also the first USAF all-weather jet fighter to see combat. That former fact is very well illustrated in the photo, which was taken by George Silk for a little 'ole rag called LIFE Magazine.

Oh... the jet is an F-94B, serial number 51-5494 of the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. The 318th was stationed at Thule for just over a year, from June 1953 to August 1954.

Enjoy, and light 'em if ya got 'em...

 

LIFE Photo Archives (George Silk photo)

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