Von Richthofen

[Poncho]

Great 100 year old film, obviously no sound.  Iceman watch at 4:00 minute mark, hand swinging a rotary engine verses radial.  Rotary are harder to hand swing.  Anyway the Baron was shot down on 21 April 1918 by Roy Brown of the Royal Navy Air Services, a prelude of the R.A.F.

 

[ICEMAN!]

Cool video.  I was trying to figure out what type the downed plane is at 4:45.  It looks like a LeRhone 9c and maybe it's a Pup, but the cowl has a very defined edge to it and Pup cowls are more gradually rounded frim what I've seen.

[bussman]

Cool video.

 

I never shared this but my grandfather was a pilot before WW2 and ended up in Ohio during the war as an engineer, assembler and test pilot for Curtis Wright. His biggest contribution was he successfully redesigned the tail of the Helldiver but I think that came as the war was ending. I know so little of aviation but thought you guys might appreciate something like that. I'll post pictures sometime.  He last flew at 92 year old. He died 3 years ago. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SB2C_Helldiver

[Momorider]

Cool how those old rotarys work

 

[Poncho]

12 hours ago, bussman said:

Cool video.

 

I never shared this but my grandfather was a pilot before WW2 and ended up in Ohio during the war as an engineer, assembler and test pilot for Curtis Wright. His biggest contribution was he successfully redesigned the tail of the Helldiver but I think that came as the war was ending. I know so little of aviation but thought you guys might appreciate something like that. I'll post pictures sometime.  He last flew at 92 year old. He died 3 years ago. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SB2C_Helldiver

Wow that is impressive.....thanks for his service.  Perhaps his redesign of the tail plane helped assist the pilots as the early version of the Helldiver was extremely heavy in pitch force (elevator force) during dive bombing.  Post a pic when you have time.