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100 Years of Aviation


Steindaddie
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I thought I would share part of a collection of aviation photos dating back 100 years. There are several tons of photographs, negatives, and other ephemera numbering in the hundred's of thousands, all amassed by a collector who started in the 1930's.

 

What better way than to start of with the Wright Flyer Model A in 1909

 

~Will

 

PS. That's Wilbur Wright second on the right.

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This dates from 1934 and is titled "Report on 1934 Navy Cruise April 9, 1934 to May 31, 1934" It is a report on aircraft operations aboard USS Saratoga compiled by a Boeing representive. The accompanying document is what the pilots used to plot their naviagation.

 

The report is informative and amusing. The Boeing rep documented feedback from the pilots on their thoughts pertaining to aircraft. One pilot stated that speeds of over 200 MPH were undesirable, and another said folding wings were a bad idea, Most of the pilot's agreed however, that planes of the future should have rudder pedals that are adjustable in flight!

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There are a bunch of glider pics too. Here we see a Waco CG-4 at Big Delta Alaska, July 1947, and another CG-4 about to go places. The caption reads " 0-100 in 10 seconds"

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Steindaddie,

Great photo finds. Would like to see more of the gliders.

FWIW,

the first glider is not a CG-4A, but is a CG-15A, one of a handfull which had a gasoline heater installed (the big hump on top).

 

Would like to know the date of the snatch photo. Because of the crowd, it definitely was made at an open house demonstration of the snatch. Note the inclined "acceleration" runway in back ground behind nose of glider. This indicates the location is likely Wright Field, USAAF aircraft test base at Dayton, OH. Also, the snatch speed would have been clooser to 125-130 mph in just under 7 seconds.

 

C Day

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Great photos, I love the shot of the Saratoga, a favorite ship.

 

I would also like to see more glider photos,

 

RC

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the first glider is not a CG-4A, but is a CG-15A.

 

Would like to know the date of the snatch photo. Because of the crowd, it definitely was made at an open house demonstration of the snatch. Note the inclined "acceleration" runway in back ground behind nose of glider. This indicates the location is likely Wright Field, USAAF aircraft test base at Dayton, OH.

C Day

 

Sharper eyes than mine on the CG-15! And yes, that is definitely Wright Field OH, but the date is a mystery because the photo is unmarked.

 

Here's a few more gliders per request.

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Good photos!

 

The last photo, I used in my book. It is the inside of the second XCG-4 which was approved June 21, 1942 after test flights at Clinton County Army Air Field or Wright Field, hence becoming the production CG-4A. The photo was not released for publication by newspaper/magazine until August 1942. Phone conversation between Maj Fred Dent, Jr and Maj Lewin Barringer indicate the flights could have been at CCAAF. The driver is Lt Chester "Chet" Decker who was two time National Soaring Champion assigned to CCAAF. The Assistant driver is Maj Bruce Price assistant to Maj Dent at Wirght Field (both Dent and Price shortly became Col). The Corporal is Elwin Gardner, assigned to CCAAF who gave me his copy of this print. Elwin was S/Sgt when the photo was made, but he had not had time to sew on his new stripes. Elwin became Dent's favorite crew chief and flew with Dent to check gliders at all 16 manufacturers, CA to NJ. He also flew as crew chief in both the XPG-1, XPG-2, XPG-2A and was on Long Island when the German Gotha 242 was dropped while unloading from the aircraft carrier. Per Elwin, the man on right is a Dayton Daily News reporter. Notice the glider is single steering and has SCR-585 radio system installed. Note too the seat back support tubing. One end is bent 45 dgrees and the two pieces are welded together. There are several variations of this tubing depending on the mfg. Only the frames built by Lloyd for Ford used one piece tubing that was formed into a 90 degree bend.

 

The first two are CG-13A. The photos are likely at L-M, Ft. Bragg or Greenville, SC but i am not sure. The 55281 glider is the 48th CG-15A poduction article built by WACO at Troy, OH. It and the other CG-4A photos were likely also made at one of the above locations. The 13A and 15A would have been late 1944 and early 1945. All the gldlier pictures showing the star and bars were made before 1947 when the USAF added the horizontal red stripe to the center of the bars. The snatch photo likely was at the public open house held at Wright Field in 1946 (I believe it was in October)..

 

C Day

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First negative in the collection I've scanned: a Vought O3U-3 from USS Lexington going over the side in the late 1930's. Interesting in that a carrier had straight floatplanes assigned.

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Steindaddie,

 

Nice glider photos. Many of them I do have as well -- chemically processed originals of WWII era. The XCG-4 photo is rare case when glider correctly took-off using jettisonable tactical take-off gear and next correctly landed on the skids according to the best glider (and not glider only) flight safety standard for off-field/rough field landing procedures.

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Gregory,

How did you determine that June C or Bobbe BJ was one of the two XCG-4 gliders as opposed to early production CG-4A gliders at an airborne trainign camp with drop off wheel carriage being used for loading training of glider riders?

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