Heritage Flight Performers...Image heavy -- for C&C please....

[IzzieK]

1 CAF Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” -- The Navy used PB-1Ws as the original Airborne Warning and Command System or AWACS aircraft, as well as for electronic countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and hurricane hunters. The Navy sealed up the bomb bay doors and installed 300 gallon wing-mounted drop tanks and the AN/APS-20 Seasearch radar equipment in a bulbous housing below the former bomb bay. Radio direction finder(RDF), instrument landing system (ILS), and long range navigation (LORAN) was also installed at this time. She was not painted, but waxed to prevent corrosion, and kept her original Browning M2 machine guns.



2 CAF Grumman TBM Avenger – George Herbert Walker Bush piloted one of the four Grumman TBM Avenger aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese installations on Chichi Jima when he was just 20years of age. He was among the 9 airmen who escaped from their planes after being shot down during that raid. So when this airplane was passing by, the announcer said that this airplane is known as the GHW Bush airplane.



3 Fighters & Legends Chance Vought F4U-5N Corsair
the Corsair was known to the Japanese on the ground as "Whistling Death", because of the unique sound generated by the air flowing over the oil coolers in a dive. The Marines referred to the Corsair as their best friend for the excellent air support it provided when troops were pinned down on the ground. The Corsair was also called into service during the Korean conflict as an attack and close air support aircraft.



4 Eric Downing-Douglas AD-5 Skyraider For the second time Eric Downing showed off his Skyraider at the Spirit of St. Louis airshow. His three commercial hangars are located at Creve Coeur airport full of several airplanes and antique collection of cars and other equipments. Anyway few aircraft have been known by so many names as the Skyraider. At various times in its career, it was designated the BT2D, AD (Able Dog), A -1, and was also affectionately called the Destroyer, Hobo, Spad, Sandy, and the Flying Dump Truck. I has a horsepower of 3020 with fuel capacity of 380 gallons. It has four 20mm cannons. Various ordnance: conventional bombs, high explosive rockets, torpedoes, mines, 7.62 mm gatling gun, fragmentation clusters, napalm, and bomblets. (Eric Downing and his family are our airport acquaintance.)


5 USAF Northrop B-2 Spirit The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy penetration strategic bomber, featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses; it is a flying wing design with a crew of two.^[1][4] The bomber can deploy both conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as eighty 500 lb (230 kg)-class (Mk 82) JDAM Global Positioning System-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.
​

6 F-22 Raptor The F-22 Raptor is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft. Its combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.

The F-22, a critical component of the Global Strike Task Force, is designed to project air dominance, rapidly and at great distances and defeat threats attempting to deny access to our nation's Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.



7 Raptor with Armament Bay opened...



8 Missouri CAF B-25 The North American B-25 was among the famous twin engine medium bombers used during World War II. It was the most widely produced American twin engine combat aircraft, with approximately 10,000 produced, in a total of 8 major models. No doubt, part of its heroic stature derives from its namesake, the outspoken Gen. Billy Mitchell who proved once and for all that bombers could destroy targets, and that wars would nevermore be decided only on land or sea. The B-25 achieved worldwide fame on April 18, 1942. Sixteen B-25's, under the command of Lt. Col. James Doolittle, were launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet in a daring raid on five Japanese cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Kobe.



9 Raptor with the P51 Mustang



10 The T-6 wasn't part of the show so it only did a few fly-byes and one of them was with the Rapto.



11 Stealth bomber -- side view



These are it. Two was a no-show...For C&C please...will appreciate any comments even if you don't know much about airplanes. I just researched what they are and/or asked Bill to ID them for me. Not much about asking Bill because I will stay with one airplane all day listening to the history of a certain vintage aircraft from the time it was conceived.

Thank you all for looking...

[rpcrowe]

Nice collection of Images, Izzie. I can't wait for my next airshow.

I especially like the Corsair image. When I stood next to the Corsair, I was astounded how large this aircraft was.

Unless you are interested in some archaic Naval history, you can skip the rest of this post

The VMF-312 painted on the side of the aircraft is the Marine Corps Squadron designator:

V = fixed wing aircraft as opposed to H for rotary wing (or helicopters)
M = Marine Squadron
F = fighter squadron
-312 = the squadron number. I am sure that there is some rhyme or reason how they arrive at these numbers for squadrons but, that remains a mystery to me!

During the early days of WW-II, Navy squadron numbers were designated by the hull number of the carrier that they flew off:
Thus the fighter squadrom attached and flying off USS Enterprise CV-6 (How the Navy arrived at ship designations is a different story for a different time) was designated VF-6...

V = fixed wing
F = fighter
6 = hull number of USS Enterprise

Normally the fighter squadrons were called "Fighting Six", when flying off the Enterprise, etc., etc...


By the way, the designations of Navy and Marine Corps aircraft prior to the joint designation system (adopted about 1962), that we now use, was quite confusing and the exact same model aircraft could be designated in different ways

As an example of how an aircraft was designated: F4U-5N (shown above)

The first letter designator was the purpose of the aircraft:

F = fighter
T = torpedo plane
S = scout-dive bomber
P = patrol Etc..

Second digit:

The number of this major type model made by the original manufacturer:

4 = fourth model fighter developed by this manufacturer

Third letter:

Each manufacturer had its own letter designator.

U = Chance Vought - made this aircraft
F = Grumman
M = General Motors under license from Grumman

-5 = this is the fifth version of this particular aircraft

N = this indicates that this model was equipped as a night fighter

When I first joined the Navy I worked on the F8U-1P Photo-Crusader aircraft

F = fighter
8 = eighth major fighter model from Chance Vought
-1 = first modification
P = photo reconnaissance

These planes flying from Key West and returning to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, did the major low level reconnaissance work over Cuba during the Missile Crisis.

Here's where the designation system could become confusing: The actual manufacturer of the aircraft would result in a designator change for that aircraft

Thus the TBF and the TBM Avenger were the same aircraft;
T = Torpedo
no number because this was the first Torpedo plane developed by Grumman
F = indicates the aircraft was made by Grumman M = indicates the aircraft was made by General Motors

Another confusing thing was that there were planes flown jointly by the Navy + Marine Corps and the Army Air Corps that were virtually the same but, had different designations.

Thus the Army B-25 Mitchell bomber was flown by the Marines as the PBJ or patrol bomber made by North American

The consolidated identification system is far more simple... The planes of the same model are designated the same whether flown by Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps. As far as I know, there have been no aircraft manufactured by other than the basic company since the Second World War. Thus no Grumman planes manufactured by General Motors.

To muddy the waters even further, there were name differences between the same aircraft flown by the Americans, British, Australians and New Zealanders...

Some of my shots of the Flying Leatherneck Museum aircraft, Marine Corps Air Staton, Miramar, (as well as some more information regarding designations) are located at:
https://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Airplane...TION/i-mJR22Rg

[Wavelength]

Superb shots; thrilling!!!

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[wrench]

Wow! Really nice shots!

[arith]

I don't know about the stealth but I just had to say #10 is lovely.

[Rita]

Hi Izzie,
A nice set here. The F22 Raptor was out our way last year for the Abbotsford Airshow. It is VERY impressive.

[IzzieK]

Thank you Richard...for all the explanations of the capital letters. Now I know something more...when we registered our (Bill's) vintage airplanes we (he) usually chooses our own N numbers unless our choice is already taken. I will print/show these to Bill. I am sure he will say he already knows them but will go on and on to teach me some more details too.

Also thanks to Nandy, John, Ernie and Steve for commenting and your preferences.

Rita, I went to the airshow #1 because it is just about 10 minutes from where we live, make it 20 minutes max with trafffic. And #2 because this is the first time I will get to see the Canadian Snowbirds. They sure did give the Angels a run for their money...almost. (Sorry for being biased...I live here on this side, what is why...) What disappointed us that their smokes were not the red, white and blue ones -- just white. I took a lot of shots of them as I may never see them again this way. This airshow here happens only every two years. There is another one way down in Illinois but they have the same Thunderbirds each year. My favourites are the stunt pilots like Peggy Wagstaff (she wasn't there this year) and of course Skip Stewart. It is really nice to watch these guys trying to meet their makers early in life and they are fun. Sometimes I get invited to photograph Peggy doing her practice stuff (because a friend is one of her official photographer). I will upload some more shots later on...especially of Skip.

Thank you all for commenting and your kind words. I really do appreciate it a lot.

[Ziggy]

Very nice series Izzie, enjoyed viewing.

[NorthernFocus]

Nice set and excellent commentary, Izzie. Purely from a photography standpoint I like the first and last best. The first because it's a great shot of a B-17. The last for the angle of the shot, the sun glint, and the PP which all combine to make the B-2 look like a UFO.

By the way the images and descriptions are reversed for nos.2 and 3. The grounded plane is the F-4 Corsair. I'm very familiar with the TBM Avenger. My dad was a Navy pilot. When I was a kid at one of the bases where he was stationed there was a TBM that sat on display. Poking around it one day a buddy and I discovered that the entry hatch wasn't locked. Well, what would any self respecting 12 year old kid do in such a situation

[Dave A]

Enjoyed the series Izzie.

Dave

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Great set of images Izzie!
And thanks to Richard for the explanation of the designators, I've always wondered about that.

[flashback]

Izzie, all great shots. You're getting (gotten) the hang of shooting aircraft. For me it's the B-25 (would, I think be striking in B&W) and the last shot of the Stealth Bomber. I don't know if that nose glint is real or added but it's perfect either way.

Richard, you made the Navy a career, I was one and done, one enlistment but even still I quickly learned that so much of what the military does defies logic.

[mknittle]

Nice set Izzie. Like Jack said B&W for the B-25 and the B-17 I think the clouds would work well in those shots.

Oh yeah check your numbers the F4U (one of my favorite WWII fighters) should be #2. I have a time of it loading lots of images and keeping the descriptions in order

For those that don't know the wings swung up like that to fit on the aircraft carrier elevator for below deck storage.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Izzie,

You know me, I give it to you straight, on the usual terms; to be helpful.

First off, all the compositions and exposures are all good, any I initially had reservations about, I studied more closely and then saw why you had framed as you have.

#1 - Looks to have a sharpening halo around its darker parts against the sky, otherwise this is good.

#2 - Good detail, I like the unusual shot with the wings folded.

#3, #4, #5 and #6 - Too much camera shake/panning smear for me on these - I have countless similar I have shot, so I recognise the problem.

#7 - Very nice view and detail.

#8 - Another nice one.

#9 and #10 - Two more spoiled, at this size*, by the camera shake/panning smear issue. #9 looks like you were panning with the Raptor and the Mustang was on a somewhat different speed vector, since that is somewhat softer.

#11 - I like the nose glint, did you apply that?

Your choice of shutter speed for the props was good, although, as I've already mentioned, this often results in more pan failures, as I know only too well.

* If they are not as sharp as ideal, you could always 'cheat' and not enlarge them so much.

Hope those comments are all helpful, Dave

[Sam W]

Great series. I thought you did very well to capture the fast movements. My favorites are the F22.

[Rita]

And #2 because this is the first time I will get to see the Canadian Snowbirds. They sure did give the Angels a run for their money...almost. [SIZE=1](Sorry for being biased...I live here on this side, what is why...)

I am biased toward the Snowbirds for the same reason But you are right, the Blue Angels and the Snowbirds are both fantastic teams.

[IzzieK]

Nice set and excellent commentary, Izzie. Purely from a photography standpoint I like the first and last best. The first because it's a great shot of a B-17. The last for the angle of the shot, the sun glint, and the PP which all combine to make the B-2 look like a UFO.

By the way the images and descriptions are reversed for nos.2 and 3. The grounded plane is the F-4 Corsair. I'm very familiar with the TBM Avenger. My dad was a Navy pilot. When I was a kid at one of the bases where he was stationed there was a TBM that sat on display. Poking around it one day a buddy and I discovered that the entry hatch wasn't locked. Well, what would any self respecting 12 year old kid do in such a situation

That is interesting...Thanks for the corrections. The photos must have switched in Word when I was arranging my commentary for submission. That is what happens when I avoid asking Bill for details -- he gives me too much details. I think next time, I will run to him the images first for ID..

Thanks for the corrections and for passing by and commenting. I really do appreciate it very much.

[IzzieK]

Thank you too to Alan, Dave, Ziggy and Sam...'appreciate your passing by and commenting too.

[IzzieK]

Izzie, all great shots. You're getting (gotten) the hang of shooting aircraft. For me it's the B-25 (would, I think be striking in B&W) and the last shot of the Stealth Bomber. I don't know if that nose glint is real or added but it's perfect either way.

Richard, you made the Navy a career, I was one and done, one enlistment but even still I quickly learned that so much of what the military does defies logic.

Thank you so much for the kind words, Jack...I am glad you like them, including the mistakes of ID-ing. 'Appreciate your comments as usual.