Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The war was long and bloody. A stalemate, but then the Union developed the F-14 Tomcat.


12 comments:

  1. ...and THAT has made all the difference.

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  2. I visited a Union airfield last year. The revetments and fuel bunkers are still visible.

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  3. Thanks, CW. This picture made me laugh out loud.

    The Tomcat was primarily built by Grumman and according to Wikipedia, "Upon winning the contract for the F-14, Grumman greatly expanded its Calverton, Long Island, New York facility for evaluating the aircraft." So one would assume that the "Turkey Bird" was a Yankee endeavor.

    But General Dynamics also played a role in the development of the aircraft and they are headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. So it is hard to tell from the picture if this is a Northern or Confederate Tomcat.

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    1. If it was one of Lee's birds, Grant wouldn't be sitting so sanguine on that horse.

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    2. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dis---"

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  4. A very interesting thought.
    I read a short sci-fi story years ago
    A French Mirage had been transported back in time to WWI
    All the pilot could do was try to burn up the WW1 aircraft with its afterburners....the AAM's couldn't detect the biplanes
    and then fuel....kerosene was the closest to jet fuel

    just saying

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    1. "A Hawk Among the Sparrows"? Analog from the 70s I think...

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  5. At the 1938 Gettysburg reunion of Union and Confederate soldiers,,,,from Wikipedia

    "Army aircraft staged a simulated air raid on Gettysburg at dusk, and searchlights were directed from the ground at the planes while they dropped flares."

    Here

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_Gettysburg_reunion

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  6. High speed plate in that camera to freeze the action ;-D

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