Biplanes and triplanes and Zeppelins-- Oh My!
October 16, 2007 8:16 AM Subscribe
Ahh, brings back great memories as a child when I was so into the WWI air war. Model planes and Red Baron 3D. Thanks, dersins!
posted by NationalKato at 8:23 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by NationalKato at 8:23 AM on October 16, 2007
Nice post - it inspired me to look up how the guns were synchronized to fire past the prop.
posted by exogenous at 8:34 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by exogenous at 8:34 AM on October 16, 2007
Great pics, thanks dersins. A weird side note: I woke up this morning with the theme from Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines ("Stop the Pigeon") running through my head.
posted by doctor_negative at 8:43 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by doctor_negative at 8:43 AM on October 16, 2007
Zeppelins rule. How much does this photo remind you of the clsoing battle in return of the Jedi?
Alas, no photos of dirigibles dogfighting...
posted by Pastabagel at 8:53 AM on October 16, 2007
Alas, no photos of dirigibles dogfighting...
posted by Pastabagel at 8:53 AM on October 16, 2007
Low speed, (comparatively) low tech, highly cool. Thanks.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:55 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:55 AM on October 16, 2007
Pastabagel, that photo looks fake. Amazing that it's not.
posted by NationalKato at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by NationalKato at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2007
They finally got the Fokker.
Not bad for a bunch of Sopwiths.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:04 AM on October 16, 2007
Not bad for a bunch of Sopwiths.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:04 AM on October 16, 2007
Pastabagel, that photo looks fake. Amazing that it's not.
Definitely an illustration. It's listed under sketches.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:25 AM on October 16, 2007
Definitely an illustration. It's listed under sketches.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:25 AM on October 16, 2007
If you're ever going to be near Dayton, Ohio, I can recommend the WW I-era exhibits at this place.
posted by pax digita at 9:32 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by pax digita at 9:32 AM on October 16, 2007
Definitely an illustration. It's listed under sketches.
Ah, too bad.
posted by NationalKato at 9:56 AM on October 16, 2007
Ah, too bad.
posted by NationalKato at 9:56 AM on October 16, 2007
And if you're ever near Rhinebeck, NY I can recommend the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome where they still fly these things. I love the smell of castor oil in the morning!
posted by Camofrog at 9:57 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by Camofrog at 9:57 AM on October 16, 2007
Great Post dersins!
Camofrog when are they flying, through the winter, on Saturdays?
posted by Rancid Badger at 10:21 AM on October 16, 2007
Camofrog when are they flying, through the winter, on Saturdays?
posted by Rancid Badger at 10:21 AM on October 16, 2007
Rancid: They stop flying in a couple of weeks, and start up again in May I believe. They have two shows each weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Saturdays they fly the really old stuff and do some barnstorming; Sundays they do a somewhat hokey but still great mock-WWI dogfight routine, where they have a damsel in distress and make the audience boo and hiss at the bad guy and all that. If you can only make one day, I'd go Saturday, but they're both completely fun.
And for $50 they'll take you for a spin in an open-cockpit bipe over the Hudson River. Worth every penny.
posted by Camofrog at 10:44 AM on October 16, 2007
And for $50 they'll take you for a spin in an open-cockpit bipe over the Hudson River. Worth every penny.
posted by Camofrog at 10:44 AM on October 16, 2007
Correction: They are done flying for this season and will resume flying in mid-June.
posted by Camofrog at 10:49 AM on October 16, 2007
posted by Camofrog at 10:49 AM on October 16, 2007
I should read before I post. I do appreciate the link Camofrog. By collecting WW1 stuff most of it plane photos and artwork; I have acquired a nice little collection. Phillips 66 gas had a sketch litho of a biplane on top of a balloon signed by Willy Coppens Belgium balloon Ace. He had 37 kills and once ended up on top of a German Balloon when it ascended rapidly. He cut the motor to keep from fouling up and slid off the plane. Reading the Osprey book on Balloon Aces it said that it was much harder to kill a balloon and you stood a much greater chance of dying fighting the sausages as opposed to other planes. The other thing I also have is a Almeda Navy Base in
Ca original photo 11" by 9" of one of the Wright Brothers and a passenger flying over the fair grounds. I am pretty sure this is a photo of the first plane to fly in CA and is the first to fly the future Almeda Navy Base.
This is really neat post!
posted by Rancid Badger at 11:06 AM on October 16, 2007
Ca original photo 11" by 9" of one of the Wright Brothers and a passenger flying over the fair grounds. I am pretty sure this is a photo of the first plane to fly in CA and is the first to fly the future Almeda Navy Base.
This is really neat post!
posted by Rancid Badger at 11:06 AM on October 16, 2007
Great post. I think next year my winter project is going to be one of these.
posted by Tenuki at 11:22 AM on October 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Tenuki at 11:22 AM on October 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
It was not unusual for the pilot or observer to actually see the shell as it stopped at the top of its climb before plummeting downward. It was not unknown for the planes to be hit by those shells.
That would be wild.
posted by Mitheral at 11:47 AM on October 16, 2007
That would be wild.
posted by Mitheral at 11:47 AM on October 16, 2007
Great Post! I love old biplanes; they have more in common with furniture than modern aircraft.
Pax digita is right (wright?) about the AF museum in Dayton, OH. It's great. A few years back, I got to visit the restoration area and saw the Caproni triplane being restored. A friend and I got to wander the floor and explore the junkyard outside, a very fun experience. ("Look! it's a wing from a Fokker DR1! It's a tail from a Ki-45! it's the engines from an Atlas missile!)
posted by Mcable at 11:49 AM on October 16, 2007
Pax digita is right (wright?) about the AF museum in Dayton, OH. It's great. A few years back, I got to visit the restoration area and saw the Caproni triplane being restored. A friend and I got to wander the floor and explore the junkyard outside, a very fun experience. ("Look! it's a wing from a Fokker DR1! It's a tail from a Ki-45! it's the engines from an Atlas missile!)
posted by Mcable at 11:49 AM on October 16, 2007
Nifty
posted by Smedleyman at 12:02 PM on October 16, 2007
posted by Smedleyman at 12:02 PM on October 16, 2007
I love old biplanes; they have more in common with furniture than modern aircraft.
I know what you mean, but in fact even the Wright Flyer worked essentially the same as modern aircraft. Just one of the things that made those boys so brilliant ... powered aircraft were born fully formed, and it's just been a series of relatively minor refinements ever since.
posted by Camofrog at 3:13 PM on October 16, 2007
I know what you mean, but in fact even the Wright Flyer worked essentially the same as modern aircraft. Just one of the things that made those boys so brilliant ... powered aircraft were born fully formed, and it's just been a series of relatively minor refinements ever since.
posted by Camofrog at 3:13 PM on October 16, 2007
The Flying Circus Airshow in Virginia is supposed to be nice, with at least one open-cockpit biplane. It's running two more weekends, and unfortunately I probably won't make it.
posted by exogenous at 3:33 PM on October 16, 2007
posted by exogenous at 3:33 PM on October 16, 2007
Camofrog Thank you very much. I'm not that far away WMass and being a pig I'll do both days and the flight. Did you ever see Hell Angels by Howard Hughes, it had great Dog fights and there were a number of pilots that had fought in WW1. Thanks again It like waiting for Xmas.
posted by Rancid Badger at 3:20 AM on October 17, 2007
posted by Rancid Badger at 3:20 AM on October 17, 2007
We took the kids to see the Flying Circus Airshow that exogenous mentioned, and it was very definitely worth it.
The show we saw had 10 or 12 planes, and only one was not an open cockpit.
They also offer rides...
posted by Irontom at 10:12 AM on October 17, 2007
The show we saw had 10 or 12 planes, and only one was not an open cockpit.
They also offer rides...
posted by Irontom at 10:12 AM on October 17, 2007
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posted by dersins at 8:18 AM on October 16, 2007