Title: Re: Not model aviation BUT, if you like the sound of radials -----------------
Post by: Randy Ryan on August 25, 2015, 12:46:42 PM
Music! I've always been impressed at the beauty of the B-25, the functionality of the B-17 and the total homeliness of the B-24. But no matter what, they all did their jobs superbly.
Title: Re: Not model aviation BUT, if you like the sound of radials -----------------
Post by: Bob Matiska on August 25, 2015, 04:20:39 PM
I visited the Hazleton, Pa Municipal Airport today and climbed all through the B-17 that's visiting there. Amazing how relatively primitive planes were then, but the objective was apparently to crank out aircraft that did the job and could be made as fast as possible. The only hydraulics were for the brakes, for instance; cables moved the flight surfaces. The bomb bay seemed awful small, but after loading nukes in B-52s, any other bomb bay will seem small to me, I guess. The B-24 that was supposed to be there is stuck in Poughkeepsie (sp?) with carburetor problems. The P-51 fired up and taxied to a hangar for an oil change, so I didn't get a good look at it, but its engine sounded awesome! I'm glad I finally made it to see the planes' annual appearance there. Suggest anybody here try to see these legends of aviation while you can.
Bob in NEPA
Added: Rusty, 30 minute flights were available in the B-17 for $450, or $2200 in the 2-seat P-51. An hour in the fighter was $3200. A local paper had an article about a woman who bought a full hour for her boyfriend. He's a pilot, so he did a few maneuvers and had a ball. Don't we all wish we had a wife or girlfriend like that?
Title: Re: Not model aviation BUT, if you like the sound of radials -----------------
Post by: Joe Connelly on August 25, 2015, 08:16:20 PM
I was 5 years old on Dec 7 1941. I turned 6 six days later on Dec 13, 1941. I was 9 years old on Aug 15 1945 when the war ended. I thrilled to the sounds then and I still get the same thrill now when I hear these beauties that won the war for us. Those planes and the others like the P47 and and P51 started my lifetime love of aircraft and model building. I was only capable of building mostly solid models and some efforts at building stick models with mostly just single edge razors and a lot of cut fingers stinging from getting glue or dope in the cuts. Wish I could do it all over again. Thanks for posting Robert.
Title: Re: Not model aviation BUT, if you like the sound of radials -----------------
Post by: Bill Johnson on August 26, 2015, 06:36:10 AM
A sweeter sound has never been heard!
I have an audio CD that's 45 minutes of nothing but the sound of radial engines, either starting or flying by. I used to play it in the hangar during open house at the A&P school I worked at. People loved it.