1970 Challenger with GY Blimp, Fall Pics & IN. State Trooper Charger

[Skunkworks Challenger]

tommy29, thanks for the story.  I think you are right about the scarcity of f6f Hellcats.  I know of two Wildcats, a Bearcat and a Tigercat but no Hellcats.  The f6f's turned the Pacific air war tide in our favor in WW-2.  I'm a member of an air museum that has a very good P-51D and in it's documentation there was a sale in the late 50's where it went for $5,000.  Now it would get 1.5 to 2 MM.  PK

[jimynick]

Wish I'd been a kid around your house Tommy! While I agree about the F6, isn't the P61 the twin engine fighter they called the Black Widow? Had a upper rear dorsal turret? I think they're even more rare. I remember as a kid, seeing the rows of now-rare aircraft sitting in the desert and would've lived in that junkyard if I could've.

[Skunkworks Challenger]

My apologies for hijacking the thread but I thought it would be better to post my aircraft pictures on the same page with the previous ones.  This is what I did yesterday!  It was flight operations at the museum where I volunteer. All these aircraft flew yesterday 10-15-11 and I was part of the ground crew.  I'm not a pilot but enjoy helping launch these birds and do maintenance on them with a ride thrown in at times.

[GranCuda1970]

Sweet Love the Cav cobra.

[tommyg29]

really really cool pictures!
Is that a real zero?
Dont know my jap aircraft but it looks way too big and zeros were surfaced in canvas?
I know they were VERY light and highly maneuverable. Outclassed everything we had at the start of the war, and forced us to modify our dogfighting tactics.
A few times as a 7 or 8 year old kid I sat in the F6F with it at idle (with the wings unattached) and it was incredibly loud and crude. Almost terrifying to me actually when he revved the engine. The prop had a massive span, and the noise and smoke from that radial engine! It was all in green primer and I sat on a rattling metal box in the cockpit, which I assume had at least some cushioning during the war, but which was long gone by the 60's.
The guys that flew those off a carrier and into combat out over the middle of the pacific with crude instruments and only a compass and first generation radio navigation....had some serious balls. 

The P61...what I remember it was painted all black, and you entered through a rear hatch and crawled up through what seemed like a tunnel to get to the cockpit. That was kinda scary too with all the messy hydraulics and cables hanging everywhere. It was tight even for a skinny kid. The sounds and the smells of everything, with everything being operated by just about every mechanical doohicky you could imagine. Guess thats why Im attracted to muscle cars!

[Skunkworks Challenger]

The "Zero" is a replica, one of 7 created for the movie Tora-Tora-Tora.  They took AT-6's and did extensive modifications to make them look like Zeros.  They actually did pretty well at it.  Notice where the wings join the main frame next to the fuselage and you will see the characteristic T-6 jointing.  They also added Prat & Whitney engines from the DC-3's to give the replicas similar speed and climb rates to the Zero.  This thing is a HOT ROD!  I fully agree with the "balls" statement.  As for seating the seats were metal but the pilot sat on his parachute which was his cushion.  When the old war birds fly even today the pilot and "crew" are required to have chutes with exceptions for the rotary winged craft. PK

[Gumby]

Very cool thread with some great pics!