National Museum of Naval Aviation pics

[jus2mch]

It's just paint. They can color more than one. Or sometimes it depends on which one isn't broken.

 

[HeyJoe]

Here's one that I missed. I believe that this one is a Ki-84...someone correct me if I'm wrong. Weren't those refered to as the Oscar?

Oscar was graceful like the Zero with a tapered fuselage. This looks like a Kawanishi N1K Shiden AKA George


"George"

Ki-84 "Frank"

 

[Xtndr50boom]

It's just paint. They can color more than one. Or sometimes it depends on which one isn't broken.

Learning has been had

 

[EvilGN]

That Vought F7U Cutlass is sweet. Can you still booze in there?

Just as good as Udvar-Hazy, and if you can booze too...well

Yes they sell beer in the Cubi Pt. Cafe

 

[bunk22]

Here's one that I missed. I believe that this one is a Ki-84...someone correct me if I'm wrong. Weren't those refered to as the Oscar?

It still had bullet holes in the sides of the fuselage from GIs who wanted to make sure there weren't any Japs waiting inside to take pot shots.

They are in the process of designing an LSO exhibit upstairs as well. There were meatball lights and other Fresnel Lens pieces laying around with various other tools, etc. It should be pretty good, hopefully I'll get to see it on the next trip.

I also noticed a few USAF WSO types having lunch in the Cubi Cafe. Perhaps they were some of the first CSOs....

That is a N1K2-J Shiden-Kai, a George fighter. The first version was a mid wing design, called the N1k1-J Shiden, the second (this one) a superior low wing design. Low to med altitudes, it was the equal of the Hellcat and Corsair. This one flew with the 343rd AG, the squadron of experts the Japanese put together at the end of the war (under Genda). Many of the surviving Imperial Navy aces (Sakai, Muto, Sugita) and any new pilot that demonstrated skill flew with them. It was said the average flight time of their new pilots was 500hrs, a lot at that stage of the war. This example is on record as being used on a mission that found the George's attacking a pair of Navy Liberators (PB4Y I think). It has a .50 cal hole in the side and on the right wing leading edge I believe.

 

[retnavycpo]

Da SLUF is KING!

The SLUF is my favorite aircraft of all. But then I am biased:

VA-15 (1981-1984)

AMEC(AW) Peter C. Ward, USN, (Ret.)

 

[bunk22]

The SLUF is my favorite aircraft of all. But then I am biased:

VA-15 (1981-1984)

AMEC(AW) Peter C. Ward, USN, (Ret.)

As a NROTC midshipman, I had 6.3 hours in the TA-7C Corsair II. Still have a pic of me in the back, riding along on the wing. Love that plane as well for those two little flights :icon_smil

 

[A4sForever]

......They are in the process of designing an LSO exhibit upstairs as well....

Jesus Christ. Finally. Some of us were complaining about the lack thereof in '90-'93 or there 'bout's ... even volunteered to help ... heard nothing back, of course .... glad to see they've been .... responsive ...

At least former B/N Box-Man left his (and CUBI's) imprint with the .... *ahem* CUBI "cafe" ....

Good pix, Fast .... thanks.

 

[A4sForever]

I went out to NAS Pensacola on Monday.....

This was a really cool looking little plane. IIRC it's an F-11 something or other.

.....

Great stuff!!! I THINK the above is a Grumman F3F GulfHawk, forerunner to the Grumman F4F Wildcat --- just remove the upper wing and .... PRESTO!!!

I cheated ... had a plastic scale model of the F3F when I was a kid.

 

[A4sForever]

Great stuff!!! I THINK the above is a Grumman F3F GulfHawk, forerunner to the Grumman F4F Wildcat --- just remove the upper wing and .... PRESTO!!!

I cheated ... had a plastic scale model of the F3F when I was a kid.

I stand corrected by HeyJoe and I think he's right -- I saw the engine cowling and what I thought was an enclosed canopy slid back .... but "heyjoe" pointed out to me the fixed aero wing pants are a giveaway in person, but they are (partially) hidden in the photo. F3F , while it's very bulbous (like F4F Wildcat), but F11C is much more angular in the forward fueslage area.

PLUS .... after shooting from the "lip/hip" ... I looked again at the tail with it's "BFC" letters and the squadron markings, i.e. "2-B" which was the "High-Hat" squadron during one of it's relettering/redesignations.

Time for limes ... oooops, mebbe too early .... mebbe coffee.

 

[HeyJoe]

I stand corrected by HeyJoe and I think he's right -- I saw the engine cowling and what I thought was an enclosed canopy slid back .... but "heyjoe" pointed out to me the fixed aero wing pants are a giveaway in person, but they are (partially) hidden in the photo. F3F , while it's very bulbous (like F4F Wildcat), but F11C is much more angular in the forward fueslage area.

PLUS .... after shooting from the "lip/hip" ... I looked again at the tail with it's "BFC" letters and the squadron markings, i.e. "2-B" which was the "High-Hat" squadron during one of it's relettering/redesignations.

Time for limes ... oooops, mebbe too early .... mebbe coffee.

Pretty rare bird as only the VF-1B "High Hats" had the (Curtiss) F11C and when they picked up fighter bomber role and joined the Sara air group the aircraft was redesignated as the BFC-1 and the squadron became VB-2B. They had the aircraft from 1933-38 and were only one to get the BFC-1 variant so it's quite a rare bird to have survived. The squadron later began calling themselves the Tophatters and are the oldest squadron of any type in the Navy. They are now the VFA-14 Tophatters flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

 

[FastMover]

Time for limes ... oooops, mebbe too early .... mebbe coffee.

Too early? Nahh...after all, it's 10AM somewhere!

The airplane is indeed a Curtiss F11C. Looks like it would be a blast to fly.

Here's a few more pics I dug up.