ChesshireCat
-
Content Count
3,088 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Calendar
Posts posted by ChesshireCat
-
-
On 10/29/2023 at 9:34 PM, KursadA said:
I enjoyed reading this one :
I have the invite, but will probably go with the 40&8 guys
gary
-
On 10/22/2023 at 10:43 AM, dragonfire56 said:
Gary, I have built them both and will tell you hands down the Trumpeter kit is far better. Yes, a bit pricey, but the Revell kit is truly junk! The spine is way off on the Revell kit that you'll spend a great of time and putty to resculpt it as close to accurate as possible. Even $50 is more than the Revell kit is worth. Does not fit together well at all.
the 32nd scale kits are really bigger than I have space for. Still have two or three 1/48th scales kits gathering dust.
I once read a full build log on the Revell kit, and I could see a lot of extra work involved. Have never see the Trumpeter kit in the flesh. Still not exactly fond of Trumpeter as they've rooked me a couple times in the past
gary
-
had to be down south as all the O1's and O2's were pretty much taken for FAC use. Add to this that pretty much two thirds of I-Corp was a free fire zone, so there wasn't much use for leaflets. I did see them out on the coast being dropped by slicks.
gary
-
5 hours ago, Roadie800 said:
The company was based at Indianapolis Intl Airport when I worked there.
can't recall ever seeing a DC-3 from that company
gary
-
On 10/7/2023 at 11:05 PM, Jonathan Smith said:
speaker or leaflet dispenser gear. AOA decals offers some nice options for a few of these aircraft, some of the best schemes in my opinion on that aircraft. Would be nice if one could take advantage of this except there is no conversion. Heck, might even help AOA sell a few more sheets. I can make one I believe but have only a few distant images that show what is going on on the starboard side. Don't even know what is going on inside with details. I would like to do something about this issue. Help!..Anyone?
TIA,
JS
CrosseyedModeler@hotmail.comI'm an I-Corp Rat; class of 68. I never saw a fixed wing ever dropping leaflets up my way, but saw choppers doing it along Highway One. Not saying it never happened, but betting it happened down south
gary
-
4 hours ago, Cat Barf said:
The photo captions on the host site says they were at Danville-Vemillion Regional.
must be Danville IL. Danville IN doesn't have an airport
gary
-
On 8/31/2023 at 9:32 AM, Roadie800 said:
You are correct. Both of the Airliners.net photos are DC-3s, and N222TS likely an original AA airplane. Also, Douglas produced far more C-47s but many of these were converted back to DC-3s with the passenger doors after the war.
National Jet, DBA Air Indiana, had between 8 and 10 DC-3/C-47s (most with the cargo doors) as I recall, and like many of the other shady freight operators during that period, operated on a shoestring with routine cut-corner maintenance practices. The FAA generally looked the other way as they had bigger fish to fry and these freight operators flew nighttime under-the-radar and out of the public view. One or two of Air Indiana's DC-3s were passenger configured and the company had a major accident that killed members of the Evansville University basketball team in 1977.
I was apprehensive about working there, but I was very young and green with only a few hundred hours on a fresh commercial / instrument / multi ticket and had to take what I could get to build experience. Looking back, it was quite an adventure.
I see you're from CLT. I was based at CLT until my retirement as a corporate pilot in 2016.
just a note: The lend lease airframes sent to Russia had the cargo doors on the otherside (or maybe entry doors). I think Finland was similar.
gary
-
On 8/30/2023 at 2:08 PM, Roadie800 said:
I'm in the middle of a Monogram C-47 build. The kit is a very nice historical setup for depicting the C-47 during the D Day Invasion. However, I would like to create this model as a worn out night freighter from the 70s and 80s. My first flying gig was in this aircraft and I still have some photos of a few of the airplanes I flew - the company was a night hauler outfit called Air Indiana which went defunct in the early eighties.
I can fairly replicate the paint schemes but cannot find any lettering decals of about 1/4" that would approximate the "AIR INDIANA" fuselage titles and N numbers. Anyone know where I can get such a set of lettering decals?
On 8/30/2023 at 2:08 PM, Roadie800 said:I'm in the middle of a Monogram C-47 build. The kit is a very nice historical setup for depicting the C-47 during the D Day Invasion. However, I would like to create this model as a worn out night freighter from the 70s and 80s. My first flying gig was in this aircraft and I still have some photos of a few of the airplanes I flew - the company was a night hauler outfit called Air Indiana which went defunct in the early eighties.
I can fairly replicate the paint schemes but cannot find any lettering decals of about 1/4" that would approximate the "AIR INDIANA" fuselage titles and N numbers. Anyone know where I can get such a set of lettering decals?
OK; I gotta ask you a question. What field did this DC 3 fly out of? Sorta reminds me of Freeman Field (corn field and all)
gary
-
unless it just has to be a Monogram kit, you might look for an Accurate Miniatures P39. I've got a couple and they see to be a good kit
gary
-
what a year! Two A10c's that look out of this world, and only to be followed by the F16 to end all F16's!
Is it me, or do I see some wrinkles in the skin?
gary
-
and I've been wanting a good Mig17 for eons and eons! I'm good for two
gary
-
just slightly off topic, but still concerns the B26b. Did the RAF ever fly the B26b?
gary
-
4 hours ago, Drifterdon said:
Gary,
My plan is to build Ye Olde Pub which was I believe an earlier B-17F. Here are some links to paintings of Pub before and after her mission where she got all shot up and Franz Stigler helped to shepherd them out of Germany.
B-17 "Ye Olde Pub" profile art print by Jim Laurier – ValorStudios
"The Guardian" an A Higher Call print by Nicolas Trudgian – ValorStudios
"The Guardian Returns" Franz Stigler art by Nicolas Trudgian – ValorStudios
thanks for answering a question that's been on my mind for years. Which B17f was Charlie Brown's plane of course. I kinda want to combine a B17f with a B17g and some after market to build a "late" B17f someday. Ye Old Pub has always been on my bucket list after reading the book No Higher Call. Want to do Mr. Stigler's 109 as well.
gary
-
8 hours ago, Drifterdon said:
I ended up purchasing this kit from the Bay. Price was reasonable and some of the on-line builds had it looking like what I was after.
good kit, but there are at least three different B17f's made. Not sure which one fits your bill, but doubt it's the very late one with the chin turret.
gary
-
On 3/31/2023 at 7:19 PM, Drifterdon said:
Gary, which is the old Promodeler kit? Is this the Revell Germany kit?
I'd guess it to be the older Monogram kit. Revell may have reboxed it under their name, but not sure it's the same plastic.
gary
-
3 hours ago, Dave Williams said:
Probably the newer tool Revell kit. The Hasegawa and Academy kits are older (much older in the case of Hasegawa) and not very detailed.
I still like the Revell B17's, but as much as I like them; I liked the old Promodeler even more. Have not had one in a while, but see them for sale regularly. Would really like to see HKM do a small scale B17
gary
-
12 hours ago, Orion Field said:
The USAF 6th Special Operations Sqn used a Basler BT-67 (Turboprop C-47) until 2010, unfortunately, photos are few and far between.
There is also N161PR, which is in use currently by the US Navy.Allison had a C47 in Indy that had a T56 turbo prop in the nose. I seen a few pictures of it.
gary
-
13 hours ago, f5guy said:
Hi Gary,
I'm guessing that the whole 72" tiger musky report is some sort of misprint. They simply don't get that big. Also, their life span is only about ten years at best, so around here they top out at about 52" realistically. The Utah state record is just shy of 54", but there's a lot of controversary over it as the fish in the one pic that is available clearly does not look to be that big. And with the biggest pure strain muskies topping out at close to 60", I just don't see a 72"er happening.
We've got a few lakes around here that are super clear as well, and just like your lakes, they make for some tough fishing. In those lakes I will use a long 50lb test florocarbon leader that I make myself. The muskies rarely get teeth on them, and if they do, they still hold up well unless the fish engulfs the lure. There's certain lures that they tend to inhale, so for those type's I'll use an 80 lb floro leader. The smaller pound test leaders make a huge difference in those, clear water, tough fishing lakes for me.
As for your smallies..... a 7 pounder is a real tank 👍 Congrats on those! Regards, Fred.
I can't think of the name, but it's called "Blue" something leader materials. They do a lot of off shore stuff with hard mono. You won't see it out west much, but it's the best I've seen. The state record for a Musky here is 42lb and it seems that it was listed as a 60" fish last year. (they didn't publish as much data this spring in their hand outs). I've caught three or four 22" large mouth bass on a fly rod, and actually tied the record fish for last year, but never turned it in (never thought about it). Besides I've been chasing one fish for two or three years now, and he's at least a 24" bass. Also a very expensive bass! I've broken two rods on him.
I have a bucket list of fish to catch, and one may not happen. Peacock bass are real high on my list right now. Very hard on equipment, but just got to catch a few before I die. Another major one is to go to Labrador CA for Brook trout. Maine is good, but Labrador is way better. Downside is that it's expensive. Smallmouth fishing may already be done around here for the year. We have had some big time flooding on most of the best smallmouth streams, and it'll take you a year and a half to learn the streams all over again. (last I looked the water is at least ten feet above flood stage) Lakes don't look real bad, but are still about a foot and a half higher than the norm.
gary
-
On 3/27/2023 at 1:05 AM, Specter1075 said:
Are there any official reports or pictures? Tiger Musky dont get larger than true musky because they dont live as long. A 72" tiger would be bigger than the record for biggest musky. I must say, Im pretty skeptical.
that's exactly what I said when I heard he statement. The DNR does a yearly shocking in that lake, but rarely release data. It's a hard lake to fish because the water is so clear, but do know there are some big fish in there. Biggest tiger I've seen in there would be in the forty four inch range, and that's been a few years back. There's another lake further south that I've seen several fifty to fifty five inch musky come out of, but these are true musky's instead of being a hybrid. Tigers could get that big because they tend to retain most of the traits of a northern pike, and they are well known to reach some serious sizes where the food is good (Europe mostly). I've seen northerns in photos out of Canada that were well over four feet long. As a rule a huge one around here is gonna be about forty five at best. As for the life span I have no idea, but suspect they'll live twenty years in good water. I remember when they released the first batch of them in that lake, and that's pushing forty years by now, and some folks get hook ups every year if you use the right stuff. Myself; i'm constantly chasing that seven pound small mouth (I've caught two).
gary
-
16 hours ago, Lusitanian said:
Surprised to see no comments now that the kit is on the streets. It’s very nice, and easily the best Mk.I ever in 1/32. Not perfect, but nothing ever is.
I thought about it and simply passed on it! Wrong kit at the right time. They should have done a MK.Vb or C, or a new MK.XII. My money is going to Revell this year with their new Hurricane (thinking I need three or four kits) as this was one of the most desperately needed kits for eons. Add to this that somehow I have to get the money together to buy two P40b kits from GWH.
gary
-
just heard a couple days ago that they shocked a 72.6" tiger musky a few minutes from my house. That fish would be dangerous! Also much larger than the state record Musky. The lake that tiger lives in is known to have them in there, but also seem to be hard to catch. Had a few follows and maybe two or three on, but have yet to actually get one in. If it ever stops raining, I plan on running four to six inch streamers at them. If I get hits, I'll move up to eight and ten inch ones. Yesterday I went over to have a good look at three of the best small mouth streams in the midwest, and they all were in a massive flooding condition. I doubt I'll be in there six weeks from now, and will have to learn where all the new holes are again
gary
-
On 3/8/2023 at 10:56 PM, Lusitanian said:
The majority of B-26Bs were built with the long wing. B-10s through B-55s had the long wing.
then you could build a 1942 bomber
gary
-
7 hours ago, ikar said:
One day I was talking to a C-47 Load Master and he said a few days previously they had a load of perforated planks for a base a bit up north. He said the pilots had a tough time getting off the ground and he saw both straining at their wheels and just barely got off the ground. They were having trouble getting altitude and he went and checked the cargo. According to the manifest they were hauling perforated aluminum planks but when he really checked he found out it was actually steel planks and they were almost 1/3 past their gross weight limit. Tough little aircraft. My Father was flying them for a time during WWII until he got grounded and could only be a passenger, but he had nothing but praise for them.
I didn't think much about the 130s until my second tour where we had several different types of C-130s based there and eventually got the AC-130A and H models When I got to Little Rock, I got to see what a C-130 Trash Hauler could really do and sometimes we would get some very strange ones stop by. I was impressed by them.
But I still hate flying, Too many near misses with other aircraft and the copter we were in, and even a light fight one night.
the one thing I loved about the C130 was that there was one based out of Chu Lai, and had seven crew men. They actually built a large mess hall for those guys even though the Marines had a similar one a quarter mile east. This was the best food in Chu Lai, and the mess sargent had pineapple upside down cake every day. I headed strait over there everytime I flowed thru Chu Lai That mess hall would probably hold fifty or sixty people at a time!
In I-Corp most SF camps saw almost nothing but C7's and choppers. A102 probably saw 10 or 12 choppers a day with all the need be stuff to survive on. During the hot dry season you often would see four loads of 155mm rounds a day and three or four loads of powder. Slicks usually brought food and things they don't like to mix with HE rounds (fuses, small arms ammo, etc) twice a day. Then there was water, Mogas, and diesel fuel. Just a constant in and out during daylight. C-7's usually did pallet drops, and their stuff went to everybody
gary
-
On 2/19/2023 at 9:59 PM, ikar said:
The only C-47s I saw over there were for lighter cargo and passenger runs, and these were seldom seen. I had to take one to Bangkok once and it was a unforgettable flight. The best thing about it, besides getting out of it, was that it sounded just like it did in the movies. My Father used to fly them for a while but after he was grounded, he ended up jumping out of them into Europe as a member of the OSS.
On me second tour I did see a civilian marked C-46 make an emergency landing at our base with a blown out engine. We had to assign a guard who was given orders by the crew to shoot anyone trying to get to the aircraft without escort. That was my first and only actual contact with the CIA.
Prior to hitting Cam Rhon in Dec. 67, my only flying time was on a Lockheed Electra, a Boeing 707, and lastly a Convair 880 (been that long). My flight out of Cam Rhon was in the back of a C130, and thought it was going down at any minute! I vowed to never every get inside one again (it was all the screeching and grinding back there). So about the third week of January Top says I have to go back to Cam Rhon as they forgot to have me sign the pay roll card and next of kin cards. We got about a six or seven mile jaunt up Highway One to get to Chu Lai. Sure as hell it was a C130! Might have been the same one! Top and are into it out front of that garage they used as a control tower. Guy says there a second flight leaving in about fifteen minutes and it was a C47 (what's that?) Top says it's a great plane and he'd jumped out of them many times. We go over to the white with blue stripes DC-3 just setting there. I go up the boarding ramp in it has real seats!!! I jump into the first seat by the door on the left, and fasten my seat belt. Right away I hear somebody slam the door closed while they start the engines with smoke going everywhere. Then it hit me! What is that smell? Like I was in a barnyard. About this time a bunch of chickens come running down the center walkway. I turn to see that they removed all the seats to the right of the door, and there were two pigs in crates and a cow in a crate! This is nuts I thought as the plane is taxing out on the runway. That's when I see that I'm on a South Vietnamese Navy plane. Now I'm real scared and can't get out of the plane! We take off and head south. Plane was quiet and smooth as glass. It landed with out even a bump, and is still the best flight I've ever had. Wish I could say that about coming back. That flight was on a C123, and to call it junk would have been a compliment. Two weeks later I watch that same plane fly strait into a mountain side with 19 kids inside it.
gary
Rye Field Model MiG-21
in Jet Modeling
Posted
built a lot of RFM stuff from their entry, and always top notch.
I'll buy one is it's in 1/48th or even 32nd scale
gary