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Old 05-15-2012, 12:23 PM   #1
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Trains, Planes, Automobiles, and Ships!

Airstreams obviously attract those who like to be on the move. I think it would be fair to say we admire all forms of locomotion.

Here are a few of my favourite airplanes.

The airplane with the most mispronounced name, but it is like sitting in the back seat of a 1939 Buick.....



I wrote an article about the Lanc for an aviation rag. While standing at the fence during the Abby Airshow, overheard many comments like "I wanted my grandchildren to see the sacrifices their grandfather made" or "My brother was a naviator on the Lanc - he never came home" or "My great uncle earned his Distinguished Flying Cross - 40 sorties on the Lancaster" etc. How many memories continued to spin long after the stilling of these propellers?.....


The airplane that taught the world how to fly.....


Finally......pretty smooth landing there "M"......

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Old 05-15-2012, 01:15 PM   #2
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I am not an expert on planes but this one would make a nice airplane camper. It is a De Havilland Caribou

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Old 05-15-2012, 01:45 PM   #3
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Good Stuff

I flew a 1937 Waco UPF-7 biplane once. Pretty airplane. Very heavy in roll but light in pitch. Oh yeah, you say it like Rock-Oh but with a W instead of an R

Better still, I flew a 1941 Stearman PT-17 as well. I like the Stearman better than the Waco, even if it's slower. On the Stearman, everything was heavy, but it was harmoniously heavy. It had the inertial starter too, where you had to stick a glorified tire iron into a hole in the side of the bird and slowly spin this flywheel up to speed. You then jump in the cockpit and quickly flip the clutch to dump the flywheel energy into the motor to start it. I had her to a whopping 95mph (knots are for sailors ) in a slight dive....this is with the original Continental 220hp. Now put a P&W R-985 on her and double the power and now we're talking!

Of course, nothing beats the XB-70. Look it up. Pure awesome!

I'm working on the design of a plane that is basically a modernized Helio Courier. Great STOL on the low end but fairly quick cruise as well. I hope to have it done some time in the next 100 years....

see ya,
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Old 05-15-2012, 01:57 PM   #4
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I flew a 1937 Waco UPF-7 biplane once. Pretty airplane. Very heavy in roll but light in pitch. Oh yeah, you say it like Rock-Oh but with a W instead of an R

Better still, I flew a 1941 Stearman PT-17 as well. I like the Stearman better than the Waco, even if it's slower. On the Stearman, everything was heavy, but it was harmoniously heavy. It had the inertial starter too, where you had to stick a glorified tire iron into a hole in the side of the bird and slowly spin this flywheel up to speed. You then jump in the cockpit and quickly flip the clutch to dump the flywheel energy into the motor to start it. I had her to a whopping 95mph (knots are for sailors ) in a slight dive....this is with the original Continental 220hp. Now put a P&W R-985 on her and double the power and now we're talking!

Of course, nothing beats the XB-70. Look it up. Pure awesome!

I'm working on the design of a plane that is basically a modernized Helio Courier. Great STOL on the low end but fairly quick cruise as well. I hope to have it done some time in the next 100 years....

see ya,
OK, Stearman to XB-70. That pretty much covers the spectrum.
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:40 PM   #5
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Hey! This isn't just about airplanes. Let's have some of those trains, cars, and boats/ships.

I like this because it's planes on a train.....


The quintessential Canadian experience, the CPR through the Rockies....


This is one kewl car, although I've never seen one in person.....


The beautiful but ill-fated Art Deco Normandie....


And one more airplane for the road. There's something about the music.....
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:48 PM   #6
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I am not an expert on planes but this one would make a nice airplane camper. It is a De Havilland Caribou

Loth, I went to a DC-3 fly-in - one couple did just that. Turned a DC-3 into a flying RV. And we think Airstreaming is expensive!!!
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:51 PM   #7
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I flew a 1937 Waco UPF-7 biplane once. Pretty airplane. Very heavy in roll but light in pitch. Oh yeah, you say it like Rock-Oh but with a W instead of an R

Better still, I flew a 1941 Stearman PT-17 as well. I like the Stearman better than the Waco, even if it's slower. On the Stearman, everything was heavy, but it was harmoniously heavy. It had the inertial starter too, where you had to stick a glorified tire iron into a hole in the side of the bird and slowly spin this flywheel up to speed. You then jump in the cockpit and quickly flip the clutch to dump the flywheel energy into the motor to start it. I had her to a whopping 95mph (knots are for sailors ) in a slight dive....this is with the original Continental 220hp. Now put a P&W R-985 on her and double the power and now we're talking!

Of course, nothing beats the XB-70. Look it up. Pure awesome!

I'm working on the design of a plane that is basically a modernized Helio Courier. Great STOL on the low end but fairly quick cruise as well. I hope to have it done some time in the next 100 years....

see ya,
Jim, I'm not a pilot so always enjoy these views from the cockpit. I took some flying lessons but....don't laugh....was always airsick! Now I'm just an airplane geek who seldom leaves the ground.

Looked up the XB-70. Amazing!

All the best with your Helio, and happy contrails!
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Old 05-16-2012, 05:39 AM   #8
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Thumbs up From a great Airstream'n album....

Enjoy....
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Old 05-16-2012, 06:58 AM   #9
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Beechcraft Staggerwing

If you want to see the most beautiful cars ever built, go to the Auburn-Deusenberg-Cord Museum in Auburn, IN. I think the Cord Convertible Coupe is the most beautiful car ever built but you may find another model that you like even more.
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Old 05-16-2012, 08:21 AM   #10
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Great Museum for sure....but

Partial to one built right here in Buffalo...

"The Silver Arrow"


Bob
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Old 05-16-2012, 09:46 AM   #11
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Wow, this might be the funnest thread ever!
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Old 05-16-2012, 06:44 PM   #12
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Boy, these are all good!

I always liked the Auburn 852 (I think that's the model...), the boat tailed speedster. Beautiful cars. There was a junkyard near me when I was a kid that had a Packard Clipper in it. That thing was really cool too. Had a straight-8 engine and the hood was about 8' long. Inside looked like a Victorian era coach fit for British royalty. It even had curtains

Beech Staggerwings are very pretty. Some guys made a modern knockoff of it; I think it was called the Lionheart or similar. Very nice looking plane.

I really like the 4-8-4 steam trains built by Norfolk and Western (they actually built their own engines as opposed to buying them from Baldwin, etc.) I forget the name they had for them, but they were really streamlined. They had large diameter drive wheels and could cruise pretty easily at 90mph and could top over 100mph. They ran them from Norfolk through WV and into NJ and NY or so, hauling both passengers and freight. They built them in the early 50's and, as I understand it, were the last of the great steam Expresses. I know there's at least one left and they keep it down in Roanoke I believe. I have the MTH O-gauge version of it. Pretty sweet!

On the ocean liners, I'd have to go with the S.S. United States. The Big U is just awesome! When I hit the lottery for $300M, I'm going to buy it (it's sitting in Philly deteriorating right now) and repower it with a nuclear reactor and return it to more than it's former glory. But even as it was, United States had 275,000 hp and could go faster in reverse than just about any current tub liner can go in forward. And going forward, The Big U could do over 40 knots (that's 47mph for those of us who aren't sailors...) She was built to U.S. Navy standards and so really was built like a battleship. At least a cruiser anyway

As for planes though, the XB-70 is hard to beat. North American Aviation (same guys who brought us the P-51 Mustang) was tasked with building a Mach 3 (2000mph+) super bomber during the cold war. They didn't have ICBM's yet. Couldn't build it from aluminum because at those speeds (faster than a .30-06 bullet) the friction from the air rubbing against it would heat the skin up hotter than the melting point of aluminum. They wound up coming up with a stainless steel honeycomb material. Most of the XB-70 was made of stainless steel. First time I went to the USAF Museum at Wright Pat (a totally awesome experience, and not that far from Jackson Center....if you go to one you should definitely go to the other...I've been to both haha) I went directly to the X-planes section. I'm looking all over for the big bomber. Finally in frustration, I ask a lady working there "Where is the Valkyrie? I came to see the XB-70!" She sort of grinned and said "Look up." DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!! They parked all the other X-planes UNDER it! The thing is a beast! I used to work for Boeing. This plane is nearly the size of a 777. The air intakes are tall enough you could walk into them. And the really cool feature is the outer wing tips which fold down to cup the planes own shock wave underneath it. So it basically "surfs" on it's own shockwave. That provides a ton of lift, which means the wings don't need to make as much lift, which means you have less induced drag, which means you can go faster. Freaking awesome machine!

The mark of a cool machine is if it (A) Goes really fast (B) Is really loud, or (C) Burns a lot of gas Any two of these are sufficient, but all three and you've got a winner!

Of course my good bud's dad had a buddy who bought himself a surplus P-51 Mustang in 1951 or thereabouts. Fellow paid $2000 for the Mustang, and proceeded to spend $3000 in high test gasoline for it in the first month...in 1951 dollars. He promptly sold the Mustang. Well, my three criteria sounded good in theory anyway....

Yes, I am an airplane geek

All things shiny and silver are cool!
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Old 05-16-2012, 07:16 PM   #13
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Jim,

"J" Class 4-8-4.

Went on a Railfan excursion on the #911 a few years back, 100mph on the Level Line between Buffalo and Cleveland....SOOPER trip.

Check out the N&W prints by O. Winston Link.

Bob
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Old 05-16-2012, 07:19 PM   #14
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I really like the 4-8-4 steam trains built by Norfolk and Western (they actually built their own engines as opposed to buying them from Baldwin, etc.) I forget the name they had for them, but they were really streamlined. They had large diameter drive wheels and could cruise pretty easily at 90mph and could top over 100mph. They ran them from Norfolk through WV and into NJ and NY or so, hauling both passengers and freight. They built them in the early 50's and, as I understand it, were the last of the great steam Expresses. I know there's at least one left and they keep it down in Roanoke I believe. I have the MTH O-gauge version of it. Pretty sweet!
That is called a J. There is one remaining on permanent display at the museum in Roanoke, #611. They were dynamically balanced to operate at speeds of 140 mph+, it's too bad there were no stretches of railroad straight and long enough to reach that design speed. The main driving wheels were 70" in diameter. I have an HO scale model of it sitting on my mantel. Two bits of trivia, N&W never named their engine classes, they were almost exclusively lettered, such as A, Y, J, K, etc. The second is the original name of Roanoke was Big Lick.
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Old 05-17-2012, 12:36 AM   #15
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More O. Winston Link

"Hot Shot Eastbound" - an amazing photo!

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Old 05-17-2012, 04:21 AM   #16
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Yep, J Class. That's it! I need to run down to Roanoke (I live only 3 hours from there) and check that out. I've seen it on Youtube videos. What a beautiful engine!

We did go up to Strausburg PA to their train museum a while back. They have a lot of nice stuff up there.

Bob, that's awesome you got to ride that fast on one! I think the fastest I've been on a steam train was about 35mph. The ones at Cass, WV, are lucky to hit 12mph...but those are Shay engines with the big jackscrew that drives all the wheels so they can climb steep grades.

I've seen that photo in a WV magazine....supposedly it was taken at a drive in somewhere in southern WV in the 50's and the train went by during the movie. At least that's what the magazine said....
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Old 05-17-2012, 04:56 AM   #17
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"Hot Shot Eastbound" - an amazing photo!

This photo is in "The Last Steam Railroad in America", all Link prints, if you look real close you can see his reflection in the rear view mirror.

Very interesting photograph contrasting the "jet age" with the era of Steam Trains.

Whats really amazing is how he set-up his night shots with hundreds of synchronized arrays of flash bulbs and reflectors.

Another famous photo....

Bob
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Old 05-17-2012, 09:23 AM   #18
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Sailboats

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Old 05-17-2012, 10:44 AM   #19
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For me, one of the most memorable automobiles has to be the Tucker. I will never forget seeing one for the first time . . . it was at the Momence, IL Gladiola Antique Car Show around 1977. The car was whisper quiet as it was driven onto the show field . . . it was either jonquil yellow or spring yellow.



My second choice for most memorable automobile would be the Studebaker Lark VIII Convertible. My friends call my 1960 Lark VIII Regal Convertible homely (its unrestored), but it is so homely that I find it cute.



My neighbors had owned a white 1960 Lark VIII convertible through the early 1970s; and I gradually came to admire the car . . . purchased a jonquil yellow convertible like the one in the advertising postcard above (mine needs total restoration).


I have always enjoyed train travel, and was introduced to that mode of travel as a child when we traveled from Kankakee, IL to Carbondale, IL on a frequent basis as it took so much less time than driving (before Interstate 57 opened). My most memorable train is the Bay Ara Rapid Transit traings. My cousin introduced me to BART travel in the late 1970s, and I always make it a point to take the BART somewhere when I visit the San Francisco Bay Area.


My favorite form of boat for travel is the horse-drawn barge. There are several of these attractions operating in the Upper Midwest, and I had the opportunity to take one of the tours while on the 1999 VAC Wagon Wheels Caravan.

Kevin
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Old 05-17-2012, 10:45 AM   #20
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If you are interested in those photos, the O Winston Link museum is next door to the museum that houses the J.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimGolden View Post
Yep, J Class. That's it! I need to run down to Roanoke (I live only 3 hours from there) and check that out. I've seen it on Youtube videos. What a beautiful engine!

We did go up to Strausburg PA to their train museum a while back. They have a lot of nice stuff up there.

Bob, that's awesome you got to ride that fast on one! I think the fastest I've been on a steam train was about 35mph. The ones at Cass, WV, are lucky to hit 12mph...but those are Shay engines with the big jackscrew that drives all the wheels so they can climb steep grades.

I've seen that photo in a WV magazine....supposedly it was taken at a drive in somewhere in southern WV in the 50's and the train went by during the movie. At least that's what the magazine said....
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This photo is in "The Last Steam Railroad in America", all Link prints, if you look real close you can see his reflection in the rear view mirror.

Very interesting photograph contrasting the "jet age" with the era of Steam Trains.

Whats really amazing is how he set-up his night shots with hundreds of synchronized arrays of flash bulbs and reflectors.

Another famous photo....

Bob
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