[ARC5] (no subject)

[Richard C. Grosser]

They are not "oppressions", they are reasonable safety precautions.
Obviously, I don't want to get killed in a plane that I am flying, but more
importantly, I don't want to kill people on the ground. To say that these
aircraft have negligible historical value isn't even wrong. They have the
same airframes, engines, props and support equipment (fuel pumps, mags,
hydraulic systems, etc. They fly the same way and have the same
peculiarities. If you will talk to anyone connected with Air Force, Navy,
Army and Marine history, you will find that their attitude is exactly the
reverse; the empty shells on static museum floors have little or no historic
value compared to flying aircraft. I am a member of the Association for
military history and the U.S. Naval institute and I assure you that they
share my opinion.

 

Richard

 

Dave wrote:

 

> If this is true, than no flying aircraft burdened with Federal 

> oppressions can ever be a true representation of a WWII aircraft.

 

> That's so sad it hurts my heart- sincerely.

> Thank God for the static displays at NASM; they may not fly, but at 

> least those are REAL WWII aircraft...

 

I agree completely.  There is negligible historical value to "vintage"

aircraft that only mimic the real thing on the outside.

 

But in addition to the NASM, the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB is
likely one of the single best facilities to be found anywhere.  Even as a
Navy man, whenever my changes in duty station or other trips took me near
W-P AFB, I always paused to see the USAF Museum.  I wouldn't even consider a
trip to the Dayton Hamvention if the Museum wasn't there to make it
worthwhile.

 

The NASM can sometimes be affected by the politically correct attitudes of
the Smithsonian.  Military museums seem less affected by revisionist offal.

I've still got to see the US Army Aviation Museum at Ft. Rucker, AL.  And in
particular, I've got to see the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola
to see what model of the GO-* their PBY cut-away is using.  Their website
says GO-9, but it's earlier, either a Western Electric GO-1 or -2, or a
General Electric GO-4, -5, or -6.  I'm hoping that it's a GE model, and that
I can get panel pictures of the only military aircraft liaison transmitter
that operated up to 26,500 kHz before WWII.

 

Mike / KK5F

 

Richard C. Grosser

Palm Springs Air Museum

745 N. Gene Autry Trail

Palm Springs, CA 92260

(760) 778-6262 X231

Cell: (760)-898-6888