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How do you make that mistake in the web era?


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You know that T-6 which crashed in California recently, TMZ had this to say about it,

http://www.tmz.com/2018/10/23/nazi-plane-crash-101-highway-flames-the-valley/

Quote

"WWII Nazi Plane Crashes in Flames on Highway 101 in the Valley
Breaking News
Nazi Plane Up in Flames on L.A. Freeway
10/23/2018 2:32 PM PDT
The aircraft appears to be a Bf-109, a workhorse aircraft in the German Luftwaffe. It's unclear if the plane is a replica or the real deal. The pilot was the only person on board, and was somehow uninjured."

How do you make that mistake in the web era?

That round thing that's kinda in your face there on the front should be the first clue - the Bf-109 was inline engine, not radial.

That it is a 2 blade prop should be the second clue, the 109 used a 3 blade prop.

The landing gear configuration should be the third clue as the 109 had differently shaped doors on the other side of the struts.

The canopy frames should be the fourth clue as the 109 had square corners not arches.

The tail shape visible in other images should be the fifth clue.

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How dare you criticize the almighty TMZ!! They are beyond reproach and never err! Do you not realize their word is cut in stone? Any entity that think the kardashians are greater than God could never be incorrect! Go do your homework; everyone knows that the North American T-6 was a superlative Nazi designed fighter built at the Messerschmidt GmBH factory in Regensberg, Germany. Dummkopf!  (BTW, excellent spotting points, southwestforests!👍); Maybe you should brief TMZ...

Sincerely,

afoxbat

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1) You/we are well-informed

2) People continue to be generally ill-informed.

3) "Nazi plane..." is a far-stronger headline/click-bait than the T-6, even though both date from 1935

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5 hours ago, southwestforests said:

You know that T-6 which crashed in California recently, TMZ had this to say about it,

http://www.tmz.com/2018/10/23/nazi-plane-crash-101-highway-flames-the-valley/

How do you make that mistake in the web era?

That round thing that's kinda in your face there on the front should be the first clue - the Bf-109 was inline engine, not radial.

That it is a 2 blade prop should be the second clue, the 109 used a 3 blade prop.

The landing gear configuration should be the third clue as the 109 had differently shaped doors on the other side of the struts.

The canopy frames should be the fourth clue as the 109 had square corners not arches.

The tail shape visible in other images should be the fifth clue.

 

You know what a T-6 and Bf-109 look like, most people - especially if you aren't a WWII or aviation fan - don't.  Heck, even on the Warbird Information Exchange page on FB, several people thought it was an Fw-190 from the first pictures, and it took a while before people figured out what it really was.  I've flown in the T-6, and spent hours around them at my museum back on Long Island, and even I had to take a close look at the photos to figure out it was a T-6.

Edited by Moose135
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A bit more on the thing: when the crash happened I was in a chat on a railroad webcam at the Amtrak station at La Plata, Missouri, and one chat member who lives and/or works near the crash site told of it so I went playing in Google to see what might be out there. 

That the plane was a T-6 popped in to mind the second I saw it.

Now, true, I can't even begin to i.d. what specific version of T-6 it is/was.

A factor may be that my Dad began his USN career in the 1960s flying (Grandad was a general aviation pilot) and the T-6 had long been a favorite plane of his.

Over the next couple days I occasionally looked in Google for more detailed reports about the thing.

Maybe it is merely my imagination, but I expect the TMZ staffer looked up possible types it could be.

18 seconds in Google and it would be clear there was zero possibility of it being a 109.

And maybe a bit longer to determine it wasn't the 190 the propellor spinner paint pattern copies.

 

But, yeah, clickbait and sensationalism, probably quite accurate assessments.

 

Sometimes I'm very frustrated and disappointed that the effects of that autism and a few other things have made it so that watching TV and movies is un-doable for me.

But then I come across yet another example of the shallowness and superficiality, and discord and chaos, that TV is saturated with and saturates the whole house, even your life, with when the machine is running.

And the loss is not at all a bad thing any more. 

Edited by southwestforests
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