Fighters On The Wing

[Horch]

.................

[Geek44]

What a GREAT photo!
From a modeller's point of view it doesn't get much better...the look of the hand-painted nose art, the brake lines on the landing gear...that's a beauty.
This is a P-40E of 11th Squadron, 343rd Fighter Group in the Aleutians in 1942. Known as the 'Aleutian Tigers' as a tribute to Claire Chennault of the AVG (American Volunteer Group...better known as the 'Flying Tigers'. Charles Older, a pilot of the AVG wore a flying tiger marking designed by Walt Disney on his aircraft for the trivia nuts).

[Horch]

Thanks for the info Geek. I didn't know that. It was just one of a bunch.Good work!

[Geek44]

The pleasure was all mine Horch...that photo really grabbed me. Thanks.

[Randy]

Well . . . I'm not so sure the name "Aleutian Tigers" was as much a tribute to Claire Chenault as it was to its commander's, John "Jack" Chennault, relationship to him. It's all in the family.

[Wolster]

IWM Duxford has a restored and flying 'Aleutian Tiger', G-KITT, if you fancy seeing one up close!

[Geek44]

Originally Posted by Randy

Well . . . I'm not so sure the name "Aleutian Tigers" was as much a tribute to Claire Chenault as it was to its commander's, John "Jack" Chennault, relationship to him. It's all in the family.

Well there ya go.

[Wustenfuchs]

While it was mostly a pre war plane it did see service in the Philippines in 1941.

P-26 "Peashooter"

[Randy]

YAY - a peashooter!

I would really love to fly one of these (like the Air Museum's). Known for squirliness on the ground . . . due to the longitudinal distance between the main tire's contact patches and the CG while in three point position. (Good Grief, that sounds complicated) The greater this distance the more severe the handling. One can get a rough idea of an airplane's ground handling by eyeballing the distance between the main tires and the wing's leading edge. Try pushing a shopping cart backwards - STRAIGHT and you'll see first hand what a taildragger is constantly trying to due while rolling on the ground. And, because the Peashooter's gear was tall and narrow, when the plane spun around (a groundloop) it would tip over onto it's wingtip and then onto it's nose and then very likely it's back. That is why the Peashooter has that funny looking headrest; it has an overturn structure (a rollbar) built in to it.

[Wustenfuchs]

Originally Posted by Randy

YAY - a peashooter!

I would really love to fly one of these (like the Air Museum's). Known for squirliness on the ground . . . due to the longitudinal distance between the main tire's contact patches and the CG while in three point position. (Good Grief, that sounds complicated) The greater this distance the more severe the handling. One can get a rough idea of an airplane's ground handling by eyeballing the distance between the main tires and the wing's leading edge. Try pushing a shopping cart backwards - STRAIGHT and you'll see first hand what a taildragger is constantly trying to due while rolling on the ground. And, because the Peashooter's gear was tall and narrow, when the plane spun around (a groundloop) it would tip over onto it's wingtip and then onto it's nose and then very likely it's back. That is why the Peashooter has that funny looking headrest; it has an overturn structure (a rollbar) built in to it.

Coolness, a man that knows his peashooters!!! One of my favorite planes btw Then again the Ju 87 is probably my favorite plane so it's a matter of looks rather than ability.