P40 Model

The annual-tradition of the Geneseo skies became another crowd-pleaser with its in-air and on-the-ground sights and sounds. The 1941 Historical Aircraft group hosted and organized last weekend’s “The Greatest Show on Turf” Air Show happened last July 14-15, 2012.

The air show features the iconic aircraft from World War I, World War II, civilian aerobatic acts and current military aircraft. Featured this year is the AVRO Lancaster bomber (one of only two remaining flying in the world), the B-17 “Memphis Belle” that was used in the filming of the movie by the same name, a P-40 Warhawk  ”Flying Tiger” and a FW (Focke-Wulf ) 190 German fighter from WWII. Along that same event, a 15-minute traveling Tuskegee tribute movie was also new this year, and drew crowds, plus a Tuskegee airman spoke about his experiences during Thursday night’s Chamber of Commerce “After Hours” event. The American Airpower Museum (AAM), based in Farmingdale, New York, has sent a P-40 Warhawk fighter and a B-25 Mitchell bomber to the show.

Kenneth Weber, 89, a World War II veteran, flew with the 362nd Fighter Group of the 9th Air Force from 1943 to 1945 and coninues to enjoy the Geneseo skies for the airshow. World War II veteran Kenneth Weber, 89 of Wyoming County, NY visited the airfield today. Mr. Weber flew with the 362nd Fighter Group of the 9th Air Force from 1943 to 1945. Mr. Weber has been attending the Geneseo air show for over 20 years. He met Steve Socolosky of East Hartford, CT in 1991. The pair have been attending the show together ever since.

The Geneseo air show is unique since it is held on a grass airfield. This allows spectators to see the historic aircraft exactly as they would have been during WWI and WWII. Crowds were given an up-close and personal look at historic war birds on the ground, and watched them relive their glory days in the air. Spectators can also walk right up to aircraft, many of which will perform in the show throughout the day, and see, hear and smell the war birds and interact with their pilots.

Like the veteran pilots, relive your WWII memories and avail this P-40 Warhawk Flying Tiger model airplane in Showcase Models. Explore the many highly valued hand-carved wood civilian model planes and other excellent military aircraft models only in ShowcaseModels.com Get your own now!

Source: http://www.dansvilleonline.com

Flying season begins at the Museum of Flight with rides in the Liberty Foundation’s Boeing B-17 bomber and Curtiss P-40 fighter on April 30 and May 1. Both aircraft are part of the Liberty Foundation’s “Salute to the Veteran’s Tour.”

The B-17 has arrived Monday and be on view at the Museum Ramp. The P-40 will arrive on Friday for weekend rides.

Rides on both planes will be available April 30 and May 1 hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by ground tours of the planes from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Flight experiences in the bomber last about 45 minutes, with 30 minutes in the air; P-40 flights are about 20 minutes in the air.

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum (CFM) will fly many of its treasured WWII, Korean and Vietnam-era airplanes, including: the P-51 Mustang,FM2 Wildcat, T-28B Trojan, OV1D Mohawk and “FiFi” the world’s only flyable Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

Along with these great warbirds is the P-40 Warhawk. The Cavanaugh Flight Museum’s P-40N (serial number 44-7369) was constructed at the Curtiss-Wright plant in Buffalo, New York and was delivered to the Army Air Force (AAF.) On May 26,1944. The plane was sent in June 1944 to Peterson Army Air Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado and served with the 268th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training Station-Fighter, Second Air Force).

In March 1945, the P40 aircraft was transferred to the 232nd AAF Base Unit (2nd A.F.), stationed at the Dalhart Army Air Field (Texas). In June 1945, the plane was disposed as surplus.

The P-40N was purchased by the museum in 1995 from Joseph Mabee, who had owned the aircraft since 1978. Today, the aircraft is painted in the scheme of Major General Charles R. Bond, Jr.’s No. 5 and is representative of P-40Bs and P-40Es flown by the Flying Tigers in the early days of World War II. The aircraft often appears at air shows across the country.

Source: prlog.org, cavanaughflightmuseum.com

Robert Fairbairn graduated in the class of 43F (June, 1943) from Craig Field Alabama and with 7 ½ hours P-40 time, was the sent to the 30th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group, 6th Air Force, Panama where he flew P-40s, P-40Bs and C’s. Upon completion of 35 flying hours he was then assigned to the 43rd tactical fighter squadron, 16th Fighter Group, 26th Fighter Command, 6th Air Force until May, 1945.

After graduating as a 2nd Lieutenant from flying school in June of 1943, he arrived in Panama and realized the Panama Canal was a prime target for the enemy, it was protected by a four fighter squadron flying P-39‘s , barrage balloons, and elements of the U.S. Navy. Everything entering the canal zone was intercepted, identified, and reported to central command.

In November, Robert’s squadron was assigned P-40N-5s. As time passed, the threat to the canal lessened and squadrons were reassigned out of the area leaving the 24th and 43rd and continue the mission. At the same time they were relocated to La Cherrera, a dirt fighter strip just west of the city.

“The P-40N’s were a stable, effective fighter below 15,000ft.. I believe they were the last model mass produced and engineer’s did all they could to reduce weight and wing loading including removing starters so that the airplane had to be hand cranked by the ground crew.”

“In a contest with a fellow pilot, the highest I could coach the plane to was 27,500ft.. and so much as the P-39‘s and P-40‘s were all we had operational at the beginning of the war, they did a magnificent job, only with the introduction of the supercharger and the ability to fly much higher were they superseded. The Merlin engine in the P-51, the placement of the supercharger in the rear of the P-47 and the P-38′s twin engines allowed the supercharged planes to fly higher and faster, yet below 15,000ft. The P-40 Warhawk could hold its own with any of them.”

 

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Read Complete Article and View Photos: Memories Of A P-40 Pilot

The Curtiss P-40 is one of the best-known American fighters of World War II. Despite it’s fame, it was not one of the period’s best performers, outclassed in virtually every way by other fighters of its time.

The Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk (Model H87-B2) was based on the existing Curtis P-40 design as famously used by Major General Claire Chennault’s Flying Tigers but with improved offensive armament and the unsatisfactory Allison engine replaced by a Rolls Royce Merlin V-1650-39 licence built Packard, the engine used by the British Spitfire and Hurricane fighters and later by the Mustang.

The Curtis P40E Kittyhawk was ordered by the French Government at the outbreak of WW2, but after their surrender to German forces the fighters were diverted into RAF service as the Curtis P40E Tomahawk, other air-forces who also flew the Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk include the RAAF, Russian air-force, RNZAF and the South African air-force.

Here’s how it looks like:

What follows are pictures of a surviving P-40E by Carey Dorset:

-ipmsstockholm.org
-military-aircraft.org.uk

The project started on a whim, it developed into a tribute to the AVG (American Volunteer Group) who were known as THE FLYING TIGERS.

Lonnie Gilbertson, has been famous on building and driving street rods, race cars and bikes since he was old enough to squeeze glue from a tube.About 12 years ago he fulfilled another dream and got his pilots license. Through work and his love of airplanes he became acquainted with Dean Zinter.

Dean owns a 172 Cessna that he completely restored when it was time to paint the plane he wanted something better than white with your color stripe here. Dean and Lonnie have spent many hours flying to these shows and hanging around with Military Flyboys. Dean also, spent many hours driving Lonnie’s Hot Rods and in turn Lonnie spends time flying Dean’s airplane.

One day Dean sends Lonnie an e-mail of an e-bay ad. Some guy had a Rat Rod done up with a military theme. It had a chopped pickup cab and on the doors was painted the shark jaws of the Flying Tigers. In a follow up phone call with Lonnie Dean was talking about how cool it would be to have a car like that.

Lonnie said that while the guy did a good job, he missed the target. To begin with the motor was wrong, Flying Tigers (P-40’s) had V-12’s and the shark jaw should be at the front.

For an aircraft look Lonnie chooses to use 72 fin Buick aluminum brake drums on both ends of the car. He used 48 Ford front and 65 Buick Rivera rear brakes to make it work. With the car on its feet the top was chopped 4” by Lonnie with the help of a friend, Gary Scrutton. Next Lonnie mounted a 32 Ford grill shell and chopped it 2”. The car was shaping up.

However, it needed a prop hub to look like an airplane. A 50 Studebaker billet nose was chosen, this was molded into the duce shell by Paul Gilbert. The aircraft theme was starting to show. Next it needed exhaust. This was formed by Lonnie and John Keller. Lonnie crafted baffles and inserted 3 in each pipe to create baby chambered mufflers.

Marty Strode created the hand made hood, it was the longest hood he had ever built, 55” long at the shortest point. Ron Wagner built the air scoops to look like the ones on a P-40. Lonnie and Dean installed the scoops with real aircraft rivets for the right look.

Steve Bradley, a musician friend of Lonnie’s, did the art work and sized the nose of a P-40 shark jaw into the size needed for the gauges. For instruments Lonnie went online with Auto Loc, where you can design your own gauge faces and Auto Loc will fit them into the gauges.

Own a piece of history and get your P-40 Model Plane at warplanes.com now!

Flying Tigers was the popular name of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force in 1941-1942. They were mostly former United States Army (USAAF), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC) pilots and ground crew, recruited under Presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The group consisted of three fighter squadrons with about 20 aircraft each.

Many US volunteer pilots flew on behalf of Britain, the Soviet Union and China before the United States entered the war. A group of them, equipped with P-40s, went to help the Chinese in their struggle against the Japanese in 1942, where they became known as the ‘Flying Tigers’ because of their uniquely painted aircraft. This group later became part of the USAAF proper, and P-40s were thereafter used widely in the Pacific.