EAA493 Mailing List: Re: Ford Tri-Motor Aerobatics!

[Dale Elliott (chippiepig]

Must be forwarded by a Navy guy.  Navy guys would compare to Grumman.  

Air Force guys talk about Republic when discussing truly heavy metal.  It was said that if someone paved the equator, Republic would build an airplane that needed all of it for takeoff.  Seriously tenacious damage-absorbers all, the Republic aircraft were already being produced before Lindbergh’s flight.  The P-47 Thunderbolt was known as the Hog, The F-84 Thunderjet was the Super Hog.  Doomed to be the Ultra Hog, the F-105 Thunderchief pilots fooled everybody and adopted Chief Thunder Thud’s name from the Howdy Doody show.  And of course my favorite, the A-10 Thunderbolt II—The Warthog.  Grumman makes some very nice squid equipment, but for dueling with tanks, I’ll take the Republic engineering solution.

An assistant Secretary of Defense, after visiting a Thud unit: 

"While these men might be of some significant value in the event of all-out conflict, I fear that they might not be susceptible to normal management techniques in any other situation.”

This guy needed a “familiarization” ride-along since he didn’t consider Vietnam an “all-out conflict”.

Al

On Jan 30, 2016, at 3:10 PM, Joe Christian <k5hmd [at] uppercanyon.us> wrote:

Early 1930s:  American pilot, Harold Johnson, conducts aerobatics and stunts in the Ford Tri-Motor ("NC-9610").  The Tri was a popular airliner at the time. Manoeuvres performed included loops, one wheel fast runs, spins and snap rolls!

Watch both parts.  Often loops were commenced from crowd height, (no margin for error).   Note also, how close the crowd was to the airfield action.  One mechanical failure, one pilot stuff-up, a wing tip hitting the ground – and the aircraft was into the crowd.

Luckily, no O.H.and S in those days.  Imagine fighting WW2 to O.H.and S rules?

It might be mentioned: the Tri-Motor was built like a brick shit-house.   Almost Grumman like in strength.  Grumman Aircraft Engineering was famously known as ‘the Grumman Iron works’.

Part 01:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6dWtDk_rOI

Part 02:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtFFzncAw0


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