Bgrigg wrote:

I personally believe Lindbergh would have been one of the best aces (he actually shot down an enemy plane while flying as a "civilian" observor) but I don't think he would have willingly fought in the European theatre. Shame, really, his accomplishments were almost eclipsed by his personal short-comings.

Actually, Lindbergh flew Corsairs on bombing missions in the Pacific, according to the December 2005 issue of Flight Journal, flying with VMF 331, Group 31, off Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

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osher wrote:

Wasn't the French Air Force given some Hurricane's?

we havent gotten to oshers answer yet

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rudy_102 wrote:

we havent gotten to this guys answer yet

Is "this guy" on the level?

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"Messerschmitts, Messerschmitts a whole mess of Messerschmitts!"-Daffy Duck

"Except in the fundamentals, think and let think"- J. Wesley

"I am impatient with stupidity, my people have learned to live without it"

Platu:"The Day the Earth Stood Still"

rudy_102 wrote:

Actually, Lindbergh flew Corsair on bombing missions in the Pacific, according to the December 2005 issue of Flight Journal, flying with VMF 331, Group 31, off Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

I read he participated in that also, but wasn't that where they "unoficially" "patched him in" as a "civilian advisor"and he could not technically take credit for them?

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"Messerschmitts, Messerschmitts a whole mess of Messerschmitts!"-Daffy Duck

"Except in the fundamentals, think and let think"- J. Wesley

"I am impatient with stupidity, my people have learned to live without it"

Platu:"The Day the Earth Stood Still"

RemcoGrob wrote:

So then I can ask a question: Name two types fighter planes that where used by the french airforce in 1940 and where made by a foreign (a non-french) manufacturer?  Please note the the types, at least, must have been delivered before the fall of France, so no p-38's or p-39's etc. (which where on order but never deliverd)

Gentlemen, please, let's leave out the discussions of politics about Lindbergh, Hitler, Roosevelt, Churchill, etc and concentrate on the original theme of this thread, ie, aircraft trivia questions.

In reference to the above question by RemcoGrob,

France operated 98 of the US made Curtis 75 Hawk and 50 of the Dutch made Koolhaven FK.58.

Darwin, O.F.

Koolhaven FK-58                                                                                                                           

Curtis Hawk 75

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"Yea though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, because I am 80,000 feet and climbing!
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The B-52 and me, we have grown old, gray and overweight together.

well done RemcoGrob- the dinah's performance was well ahead of the curve when it was built in 1940 but it was never really developed/improved during the wartime.

Great answer, Keith

As for England losing it's world power status after WW I, I'd have to disagree (politely, of course). Britain had, of course, lost none of it's colonies/territories and with the dissolution of Germany's short lived empire, had increased it's possesions substantially after the war- there was no vacuum to be "filled"-much less by a (then) second rate power such as the U.S.

Things are much clearer in hindsight,

Keith

T_Terrific wrote:

hudskit wrote: Wow- where did all the aircraft go? As I understand from some friends of mine in the UK, England literally dumped them into the ocean to avoid paying for them

rudy_102 wrote:

Bgrigg wrote: I personally believe Lindbergh would have been one of the best aces (he actually shot down an enemy plane while flying as a "civilian" observor) but I don't think he would have willingly fought in the European theatre. Shame, really, his accomplishments were almost eclipsed by his personal short-comings.   Actually, Lindbergh flew Corsairs on bombing missions in the Pacific, according to the December 2005 issue of Flight Journal, flying with VMF 331, Group 31, off Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Hudskit,

I believe you are referring to the Lockheed Electre 10-E (NR16020) ordered by Purdue University and flown by Amelia earhart. It had uprated engines and additional fuel and oil tanks for her "around the world" attempt. The conspiracy theory is that she was sent by the U.S. Govt. to spy on the Japanese fortifications in the South Pacific. She was, according to the conspiracy theary, shot down by the Japanese, taken prisoner, and executed. The theary has little if any credibility. AE and the navigator Fred Noonan, had reserve commissions in the Navy. At that time most experienced pilots were given reserve commissions in the Navy or Army. 

Secondly there was a high altitude Electra Model 10, pressurized if I remember right, that has been thearorized to have been built for Earhart and the spy mission. No connection has ever been made between the aircraft and Earhart. In fact the aircraft was built after AE left on her flight into history! I'm not sure of the designation but U-36 comes to mind.

A certain gentleman was the first to fly the B-36, the first to fly the YB-60, the first to fly the B-58 and the first to log 100 hours supersonic time.  What was his name? 

I had the pleasure of meeting this man during a tour of the Paul E Garber Storage and Restoration Facility in Silver Hill, Maryland in 1999 and then to listen to his presentation later that evening on his life as chief test pilot for Convair.

Darwin, O.F.

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"Yea though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, because I am 80,000 feet and climbing!
,,

The B-52 and me, we have grown old, gray and overweight together.