Test Flight

The Air Force is testing a new short take off jet.

It uses a small portable runway.

It has a two man crew, one for weapons and one for the pilot.

A testing crew and security team deploy to the field.

Men swarm the jet with fuel, ammo, and crewmen.

.50 Caliber rounds.

 Preparing to load the fuel.

Propeller Plane and Jet

This Tim Mee airplane is based on the Cessna 310 series.

They were first delivered in 1954.  The aircraft is about 1/48th scale.

They were made for civilian and US Army and USAF and served in Vietnam.

This generic jet is part of the two aircraft set that includes the Cessna 310 from Tim Mee.

I use it as a short take off and landing jet.

It's a simple two piece model, a very durable toy.

Tim Mee markings, jet made in the USA.

William Le'Mon Jr. and the Aircraft Pilots

Master Modeller William Le'Mon Jr. sent me a mighty host of 1/72nd scale aircrew.

I build my aircraft models with crews.

He likes to build his aircraft models without crews.

 So I got a vast supply of crews, and he cleaned out his spares box a little.  Thanks Bill Junior!

Babs

I am building the LS Mitsubishi Ki-15-I Babs light bomber, Japanese World War Two.

It is a single engine plane with two crew, the model in 1/72nd scale.

I have built eight of them before this, and I am building eight of them at a time now.

When I have ten or more models I like to build a couple of them and learn their unique problems.  Then I build all the rest at one time.  I find it a much faster and better way to build models in large numbers.

I paint the interior and crew but don't paint the exterior until after construction.

My crew gets only a basic paint job, uniform; then boots, gloves and helmet in brown leather; skin; and silver goggles.

I like to keep one of the previously constructed planes handy as a reference model.

Japanese Light Bomber Babs

Mitsubishi Ki-15 BABS.

Model kit in 1/72nd scale.

Kit manufactured by LS.

Kit has been languishing in my collection for 20 years or more, and I purchased it used, so who knows how old it actually is?

Four of them ready for flight sit outside the hanger.

Wonder Woman Jet

Wonder Woman in her invisible jet.

It's a great model.

It comes fully assembled and is only $20.

Since it is a Christmas decoration it has a little hook on the top.

The hook is on the perfect balance point for the jet to fly flat, straight, and level.

It's not a very large jet, and works perfectly with 1/72nd scale figures.

Here Wonder Woman has responded to the scene of a disaster.

US Army Air Service

I have been building some of my WWI aircraft.

These are old Revell kits.

1/72nd scale SPAD and Camel planes.

During World War One the US Army used mostly French and British planes.

But within a very few years after the end of the war they were all out of service.

Welcome readers from Paraguay.

JU-52

As I unpack the collection I am cleaning the models, here a box of three JU-52.

Two are painted in a light gray primer color.

The third one is in a green camouflage paint scheme.

I have a total of four of these, one is in another box.

Long term plan is to buy a couple more so I can parachute about 100 troops in a single attack. They usually carry about 18 paratroopers in each plane.

Lyon Museum

 http://lyonairmuseum.org/about-us  Recently my friend COL Jim and my daughter Sarah and I visited the Lyon Air Museum, in Orange County California.

It is a small, but excellent museum.  They have a C47, a DC3, B17, B25, B26, and a number of vehicles and a few other aircraft.  All the aircraft are flyers and all the vehicles run.

The museum is spotlessly clean, even in the tiny corners.

The planes are beautiful.  I have been so several museums and have seen these types of aircraft before, but not any that were this well maintained.

It is amazing how shiny the aluminum is on these planes, the B17 is spectacular.

American Airlines US Mail carrier passenger plane.

Great nose art!