Saturday, June 22, 2019

One rickety flying machine


10 comments:

  1. Goetz von BerlichingenJune 22, 2019 at 7:24 AM

    Visited the RAF museum in the UK some years ago. Viewing the WW1 collection of airplanes, I was astounded to see a plane similar to this one with an observer's position out on the nose. The observer sat in a wicker basket, very similar to my clothes hamper at home. Wicker!
    Made me appreciate the benefits of being a grunt.

    MfG Goetz

    P.S. Greetings from lovely, temperate Pine Grove where the temps have been in the low 80's the past few days. Perfect Sierra Nevada weather.

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    Replies
    1. Greetings back atcha! In Herald today prepping to move the big furniture up to Redding. High 90's and low 100's predicted there next week. Warm and comfy.

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  2. Goetz von BerlichingenJune 22, 2019 at 8:29 AM

    if you ever need a fishing partner.......

    Goetz

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  3. Anyone know what plane that is?

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  4. If you haven't ever flown in a Travel air or a Stearman you have missed the true wonder of flight.

    With three guns is it a three place?

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  5. That's a British Airco DH-1 captured by the Germans and being inspected by aces Oswald Boelcke and Manfred von Richthofen.

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    Replies
    1. No, it's an RAF Fe. 2b. The Wiki article for it has a picture of this very plane and crew, with the observer demonstrating the use of the rear-facing machine gun.

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  6. the aircraft in the photo is a Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b, the later type. The observer/gunner in front is looking at the camera, behind his swivel gun.
    The pilot sitting has a fixed weapon. Either crew could use the high mount gun to fire backwards over the prop/wing. Notice the bags on the side of the Lewis guns? They are for catching empty brass so they do not eject into the prop.

    The Airco DH-1 is a single seat fighter.

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  7. whoops - someone already caught that one.

    yall need to get " Flying Fury" by J McCudden and " Winged Victory" by VM Yates if you don't already have them ... fine reads.

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