• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Who Likes Aircraft ?

Colt 1911
Owen John Baggett was born in 1920 in Graham, Texas. By 1941 he graduated from college and went on to work on Wall Street, but by the following year, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps (now USAF) when the United States entered the war.
b24-liberator-1024x566.jpg

A studious man, he graduated from pilot training in just five months and was sent to Burma, flying a B-24 Liberator. What happened the following year is one of those stories we just described.
On March 31st, 1943, Baggett and his squadron were sent on a mission to destroy a bridge of strategic importance. On their way, the B-24s got intercepted by Japanese Zeros which hit the squadron hard. Baggett's' plane was riddled with bullets to such an extent that the crew was forced to bail out.
While parachuting, a Japanese pilot decided that downing the plane wasn't enough. He circled around and started shooting at the bailed out pilots, killing two of the crew. Seeing this, Baggett did the only thing he could. He played dead.
owen-j-baggett-1024x566.jpg

Not convinced Baggett was dead, the Zero pulled up to him at near stall speed, the pilot opening his canopy to check on his horrendous work. Not wasting any time and thinking on his feet (no pun intended), Baggett pulled out his pistol and shot the pilot right in the head.
m1911-pistol-1024x566.jpg

This is considered the best shot by a Caliber .45 M911 pistol of ALL TIME.
The last thing he saw was the Zero spiraling toward earth.
When he landed, he and the other bailed out crew members were captured and sent to a POW camp where they remained till the end of the war. They were liberated by OSS agents and Baggett was recognized as the only person during the war to shoot down a Zero with a pistol.
Verification of story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Owen_J._Baggett
 
The Memphis Belle, restoration complete, being towed to the WWll Hanger at The Air Force Museum

180314-F-IO108-012.JPG



The Memphis Belle and Shoo Shoo Baby, both combat veterans, both served with the 91st Bomb Group (H)

180314-F-IO108-013.JPG
 
The Memphis Belle, restoration complete, being towed to the WWll Hanger at The Air Force Museum

180314-F-IO108-012.JPG



The Memphis Belle and Shoo Shoo Baby, both combat veterans, both served with the 91st Bomb Group (H)

180314-F-IO108-013.JPG
++1
 
The Memphis Belle, restoration complete, being towed to the WWll Hanger at The Air Force Museum

180314-F-IO108-012.JPG



The Memphis Belle and Shoo Shoo Baby, both combat veterans, both served with the 91st Bomb Group (H)

180314-F-IO108-013.JPG
Wow, what a great picture of the two of them! It really shows how small those bombers were - only 12 feet longer than a modern F-22 fighter jet...and a lot lighter too.
 
Wright Patt now has four buildings for displays, from WWl to the modern stuff. First you look at the WWl planes...fabric over metal/wood frame work, usually with a big ol gas tank right in front of the pilot.
Then onto WWll, you see the fighters and Heavy Bombers, B-17,B-24, and the B-29. Then onto Korea and The Cold War..the massive B-36, dwarfs the Superfortress. Then to Vietnam and the B-52, and that sucker is BIG, then the R&D where the supersonic B-70, and that plane is TALL and BIG!.
 
Luv the BUFF, best of all. 50+ Yrs of service? Gotta luv it!
 
Not military power.. but I have a few around here from time to time.. :realcrazy:

Almost forgot about my two Yugoslavian UTVA 66 V51's...

hangarfall2011 015.jpg DCP00663.JPG DCP01618.JPG DCP01428.JPG DCP01478.JPG DCP00238.JPG
 
Was at an air show down at Seymour Johnson AFB N.C.The pilot is Dale Snodgrass, retired U.S.NAVY mowing the grass so to speek. He was in charge of all F-14 Tom Cats while he was in Command. He can fly anything

You may have seen this F-14 photo—which is real. It was taken aboard the USS America in 1989. All the online rumors that "the insane maneuver" got the pilot time in the brig, a suspension, and/or court-martial: Just rumors. In fact, the pilot, Navy Captain Dale "Snort" Snodgrass, was asked to perform the maneuver again the following day, in a demonstration at sea.
?format=500w.jpg


DSC_0737.JPG DSC_0330.JPG DSC_0373.JPG DSC_0336.JPG DSC_0383.JPG DSC_0384.JPG
 
p38-jpg.jpg


This monument is located in Francavilla al Mare (CH, Italy) in frot of the Adriatic sea.
The engine is from a P.38-G10 serial number SN42-23460, nick name of the aircraft "Bar fly" of the 1st FG - 94th Sq. - 15th Air Force based at Salsola (Foggia, Southern Italy). The Pilot was the Flight Lt Cyril L. Nolen, 22, native of St. Cloud (Minnesota), at his 50th mission of war. Nolen was declared "MIA".
 
The biggest airshow in the southern hemisphere is on this weekend in New Zealand - more than 50,000 people are expected to attend - and pilots come from around the globe.
The stars of this years show include 2 x American F-16's from duty in Japan (that's what they said on TV at least)
Here's one clip I just found to share....


I would love to see that show one day, but it's cheaper for me to go to Hawaii for a week than down the bottom of my own country. :(
 
The biggest airshow in the southern hemisphere is on this weekend in New Zealand - more than 50,000 people are expected to attend - and pilots come from around the globe.
The stars of this years show include 2 x American F-16's from duty in Japan (that's what they said on TV at least)
Here's one clip I just found to share....


I would love to see that show one day, but it's cheaper for me to go to Hawaii for a week than down the bottom of my own country. :(

I love aircraft, but that choice would be a no-brained for me. “Go northeast young man”!
 
On this date in 1955, the RCAF accepted it's first Lockhed P2V-7 Neptune. Used for anti-shipping, anti-submarine and maritime patrols, we ended up with twenty-five of them in service until 1968 when they were replaced by the Canadair CP-107 Argus.
29354637_10155419428365418_44443529277851472_o.jpg
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top