Warbirds, 2008

[Bob Hubbard]

Spent today at the Geneseo Air Show.

Here's a couple shots.

Saw some crazy acrobatic stuff, alot of great flying and took 1,600 shots. Gonna be a while weeding through them all. Clouds just wouldn't cooperate, even had a short cloud burst (not a good think when you're a mile from the car carrying a camera, lol).

Enjoy.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Great shots BOB

The first one is my favorite by far

 

[theletch1]

Uh-oh. Firefox must be acting up on me. I can't see anything, Bob.

Edit: If this thing is keeping me from seeing good pics of a Corsair I'm gonna be angry.

edit to the edit: odd it didn't show my edited post after I clicked save and I tried to quote your original to look for a link that I may have missed and it showed me the pics.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

They'e in my Misc. photo gallery here.

 

[MJS]

Great pics!!

 

[dart68]

Spent today at the Geneseo Air Show.

Here's a couple shots.

Saw some crazy acrobatic stuff, alot of great flying and took 1,600 shots. Gonna be a while weeding through them all. Clouds just wouldn't cooperate, even had a short cloud burst (not a good think when you're a mile from the car carrying a camera, lol).

Enjoy.

I picture that F-16 about to stall trying to go slow enough for P-40, and the P-40 about to blow it's engine trying to keep up with the F-16!

 

[terryl965]

Excellent pics Thanks

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I picture that F-16 about to stall trying to go slow enough for P-40, and the P-40 about to blow it's engine trying to keep up with the F-16!

Actually, they were humming along quite nice. That P40 had some serious zip in it, and the F16 did some pretty awesome manuvers, including a slow-speed pass that was actually slower than the duo flight.

Course, the crazy pilot was the guy who did the full on tumble...twice....then flew sideways.


Thanks for the compliments everyone. I'm still looking through the shots for 'keepers'. :

 

[arnisador]

Nice! I esp. like the second shot--very nicely framed.

 

[MA-Caver]

I picture that F-16 about to stall trying to go slow enough for P-40, and the P-40 about to blow it's engine trying to keep up with the F-16!

I was thinking somewhere along those same lines. Also at the amazing side by side comparison (in flight) of the two deadly war-machines. Both of them were the best in their heyday. Both were devastatingly effective combat machines. Great shot Bob, a great side by side shot of history.

As I understand it the Memphis Belle was damaged severely during it's last combat mission (movie not-withstanding). Almost ready for scrap. Did they actually managed to patch her together or is that just the same model of B-17F and given the nose-art of the Belle?
Ah wait... a snippet from Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Belle_(B-17)

Postwar history


The Memphis Belle on a War Bond campaign at Patterson Field during World War II.


After the war the Flying Fortress was saved from reclamation at Altus, Oklahoma, where it had been consigned since August 1, 1945, by the efforts of the mayor of Memphis, Walter Chandler, and the city bought the plane for $350. It was flown to Memphis in July 1946 and stored until the summer of 1949 when it was placed on display at the National Guard armory. It sat out-of-doors into the 1980s, slowly deteriorating due to weather and occasional vandalism.
In the early 1970s, another mayor had donated the historic plane back to the Air Force, but they allowed it to remain in Memphis contingent on it being maintained. Efforts by the locally-organized Memphis Belle Memorial Association, Inc. (MBMA) saw the aircraft moved to Mud Island in the Mississippi River in 1987 for display in a new pavilion with large tarp cover. It was still open to the elements, however, and prone to weathering. Pigeons would also nest inside the tarp and droppings were constantly needing removal from the plane. Dissatisfaction with the site led to efforts to create a new museum facility in nearby Shelby County. In the summer of 2003 the Belle was disassembled and moved to a restoration facility in Millington, Tennessee for work. In September 2004, however, the National Museum of the United States Air Force, apparently tiring of the ups and downs of the city's attempts to preserve the aircraft, indicated that they wanted it back for restoration and eventual display at the museum near Dayton, Ohio.

Film portrayal


The B-17 that portrayed Memphis Belle in the 1990 film at the Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base in 2008.

A former firebomber B-17G-85-DL, serial 44-83546, registered N3703G, was converted into a B-17F configuration by installing a Sperry top turret, early-style tail gunner's compartment and waist gunner's positions, and omitting the chin turret. It subsequently appeared in the 1990 fictionalized version of the Memphis Belle story and continues to make air show appearances in that guise. Originally painted with the Warner Bros. movie version of the nose art and markings, the B-17 (owned by David Tallichet) now carries the historic markings found on the actual Memphis Belle. It currently operates out of Geneseo, New York.

Guess that answered my question. Carry on.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

It's the Movie B17. The original is still undergoin restoration work AFAIK.

 

[jks9199]

The second shot is one of those "standard air show pics"; they're great pics, but kind of routine. I love the compare/contrast of the shot of the F16 and P40; that's a shot you don't see as often!

 

[Kacey]

I like the first one best; it's not the shot you see all the time, and the relative ages and decorations of the planes make a great contrast; it looks like the Warhawk is trying to bite the Viper, which adds an element of life and movement to the still picture that I really like.

 

[Mr G]

Great Pics! Thanks for sharing.

When did the F-16 become the "viper"? I always thought it was the "Fighting Falcon".

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Thank you

"Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter." - Wikipedia
I also found a number of other site referencing it by that name.

I think I do remember the announcer at the air show calling it by the Falcon name though.