Aviation and War Machine

The Sukhoi Su-37 (NATO designation: Flanker-F) is a Russian multi-role jet fighter aircraft.

The Su-37 is a single-seat, all-weather, fighter and ground attack prototype aircraft, derived from the Su-27 ‘Flanker’. The Su-27 is a successful Soviet fourth generation jet aircraft that has been exported to over 20 nations. The Su-37 test aircraft made its maiden flight in April 1996 from the Zhukovsky flight testing center near Moscow.

The Su-37 included several updates over the Su-27, including all-weather multi-mode passive electronically scanned array radar with synthetic aperture, terrain avoidance, terrain mapping and a rear facing radar. The airframe includes a percentage of parts made from composites, unlike the all-metal Su-27. Additionally, the Su-37 incorporates the AL-37FU engines equipped with thrust vectoring. The Su-37’s nozzles are variable in pitch only and travel plus or minus 15 degrees, but they can be operated differentially to provide a rolling moment. The aircraft is also the first Russian aircraft with Hands On Throttle and Stick, or HOTAS, system. The Su-37 also stores a radar in the tailcone of the plane that allows it to fire missiles behind the plane.

The engine not only incorporates 2D TVC but also is tough and resistant to engine surge even during classic, inverted and flat spins, giving better reliability and maneuverability, such as when the AOA is as high as 180 degrees.

The Su-37 can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons on 12 stations. The number of missiles and bombs carried can be increased to 14 with the use of multi-payload racks.

Russia has not ordered Su-37s, but it might find customers abroad, a market that now constitutes a sizable share of Sukhoi’s income. Several prototypes have been built, but the aircraft is not in production.

The most recent rumors regarding the development of the Su-37 is that the project was cancelled due to lack of funding. The two Su-37 prototypes were converted into Su-35 ‘Flanker-Es’, another Sukhoi prototype fighter.
From: wikipedia.org

The EAA Warbirds of America created a new display area at last summer’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh highlighting the WWII training aircraft that prepared combat pilots for their frontline cockpits. World War II Training Command was an instant hit with attendees and returns in 2007, but with a different name: It’s now called simply The Training Command.

“The name change better reflects the variety of aircraft on display,” said Rick Siegfried, Warbirds of America president. “The Training Command will have a wider variety of aircraft, including Bill Hirzel’s N3N, a prewar Consolidated PT-3, several Beechcraft trainers including a T-34, and others yet to be confirmed.”

The Beech airplanes will be a part of 75th anniversary celebrations for the company’s many contributions to military aviation.

Plans are to have all the aircraft on display and featured in individual presentations with their owners throughout the week. More information will be available at www.airventure.org as it’s confirmed.

Navy N3N

Bill Hirzel and his restored N3N.

Bill Hirzel’s restored Naval Aircraft Factory N3N, featured in the April 2007 issue of Warbirds magazine, is one of the confirmed aircraft scheduled to appear at The Training Command. It will be displayed along with a set of floats, skis, and other original equipment included with each aircraft as it left the factory.

Other biplanes of the era were built from steel tubes and wood, but the N3N is all aluminum. It was also the last aircraft designed and built at the government-operated Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia.

The Navy built 995 N3Ns–all were delivered between 1936 and 1938–for use as primary trainers along with the Stearman N2S. Since government-built N3Ns cost twice as much to build as the Stearmans, far more Naval pilots were trained in the N2S than the N3N.

Bill’s N3N was originally stationed at the NAS in Pensacola, Florida. After the war it was sold by the military as surplus and became a heavily used crop duster until the 1970s when it was worn out and put in storage. Hirzel purchased the aircraft in 1984 and restored it to its original, virtually stock condition.

Hirzel and his friends enjoy explaining the history and construction of this unique biplane trainer. Don’t miss your chance to see it at The Training Command, located in the Warbirds area adjacent to Warbirds in Review.

Warbirds in Review became part of the EAA AirVenture scene in 2003, bringing a close-up look at some of the most storied military aircraft to ever darken the skies. An instant classic, the program immediately expanded from one to two daily presentations, and this year the program has grown again; a total of 19 presentations are scheduled as Warbirds in Review enters its fifth year at Oshkosh. Chairperson Connie Bowlin has arranged another stellar line-up of aircraft and aviators, with two presentations (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) set for opening and closing days,

July 23 and July 29, then three per day Tuesday through Saturday (10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1 p.m.). Warbirds in Review sessions will be held in two locations; just south of the Warbirds Café near the EAA Ford Tri-Motor base of operations, and on AeroShell Square. Returning, as program moderators will be Dan Bowlin and Sam Bass.

Monday, July 23 10 a.m. - Vietnam combat veteran pilots John Roxbury, Jack McCormick and Huey helicopter Gunner Wayne Boggs open the schedule with Roxbury’s OH-6 Loach. “We hope to have a UH-1 Huey as well, but that has yet to be confirmed,” Bowlin said.

1 p.m. - A panel of Women Air Service Pilots (WASP) is scheduled to appear with an airplane to be announced. “As in years past, we’re happy to pay tribute to the WASPs,” Bowlin commented. “These women flew everything from the B-29 all the way down to the BT-13. I don’t know the airplane yet, so we have an opportunity to pick one when they get here.”

Tuesday, July 24 The B-25, Special Delivery The B-25, Special Delivery Photo: Tom Griffith 10 a.m. - The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) sponsor this visit of a unique B-25. “The Lonestar Flight Museum recently painted their airplane in the Doolittle Raiders paint scheme,” Bowlin said. “They (DAV) will be taking part in the presentation and we hope to have a Doolittle Raider veteran as well.”

11:30 a.m. - Jim Read’s F4U5 Corsair and Vintage Wings of Canada’s F4U4 will appear side-by side in the Warbirds presentation site. (Doug Mathews flies the Vintage Wings airplane.) “The Corsair is such a unique airplane, a favorite for many people,” Bowlin said. “We’re happy to be able to present these planes together.”

1 p.m. - Warbirds in Review will honor Beechcraft’s 75th anniversary with a special program. “Beech is well known for its general aviation contributions, but they’ve done a lot for military aircraft as well,” Bowlin said. Rick Siegfried will moderate this presentation, which will feature the Staggerwing, T-34, C-45, and the New T-6. Wednesday,

July 25 10 a.m. - See WWII Triple Ace Col. C.E. “Bud” Anderson, and Jack Roush, NASCAR team owner and warbird enthusiast who plans to have his P-51B ready for display. Back-up airplane is the P-51D Old Crow. “Any time you have an opportunity to hear Bud Anderson or Jack Roush speak it will be something special, especially when they are together,” Bowlin said.

11:30 a.m. (AeroShell Square) - Texas’ Cavanaugh Museum brings its D-Day-schemed C-47 to Oshkosh. “Frank Moynahan and Jim Gorman both were combat C-47 pilots in the Pacific,” Bowlin said. Interestingly, EAA’s C-47 located at the end of Pioneer Airport is done up in the same scheme as the plane Frank flew in World War II.

1 p.m. – Gunther Rall, the Luftwaffe pilot who is the third leading ace of all time, is scheduled to appear. “I called him to say, ‘You need to come to Oshkosh and visit with all of us,’ and he accepted the invitation.” Bowlin said. The featured plane is the last North American T-6 built (which Rall actually flew in 1956 when with the “new” Luftwaffe). In 1971 Rall became the commander of the entire Luftwaffe and was later chosen as Germany’s representative to NATO.

Thursday, July 26 10 a.m. - When it was time for Ron Fagen to paint his newly restored P-38, he decided to use the scheme of WWII combat pilot Norb Ruff’s Ruff Stuff. Bowlin noted, “Ron ended up painting it like Norb’s airplane saying, ‘I think Ruff Stuff will fly again!’” Along with Fagen and Ruff, Roy Easterwood, who flew P-38s in the Pacific, will be introduced at this presentation.

11:30 a.m. (AeroShell Square) - Former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, who flew B-24s in World War II, will be a very special guest with the Commemorative Air Force’s Ol’ 927. “Gary Austin was the ring leader on the restoration of the airplane and will be flying in for the day to appear at the presentation,” Bowlin added.

1 p.m. - WWII Ace Bob “Shorty” Rankin was flying with the storied 56th Fighter Group when Gunther Rall was shot down, and he’ll appear with Butch Schroeder’s restored P-47 Thunderbolt. “Shorty and Gunther are good friends now and he’s really excited to appear this year,” Bowlin said. “We plan to introduce Gunther during Shorty’s presentation.”

Friday, July 27 10 a.m. - David Lee “Tex” Hill appears with Jerry Yagen’s P-40 in Tex’s Flying Tiger paint scheme. “What can you say about Tex Hill, except that he was everybody’s hero - Bud Anderson, Chuck Yeager and all those guys said ‘boy, he was our hero when we got in the war.’”

11:30 a.m. (AeroShell Square) - Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, most well known for his role as navigator on the Enola Gay, also flew with the 97th Bomb Group, which was the first operational B-17 unit in England. Dutch will appear with the Yankee Air Museum’s B-17G Yankee Lady. 1 p.m. - In a special departure from the military aspect of WIR, Astronaut and Shuttle Commander Joe Engle will appear with a T-38. “We are going to have either an Air Force T-38 or a NASA T-38,” Bowlin said. Joe also flew the CAF’s P-40 for several years. Saturday,

July 28 The P-38, Glacier Girl The P-38, Glacier Girl C-54E Skymaster, Spirit of Freedom C-54E Skymaster, Spirit of Freedom 10 a.m. - Glacier Girl, the meticulously restored P-38 that was dug out from under nearly 300 feet of ice in Greenland, leads off Saturday’s program with Steve Hinton, Rod Lewis, and Bob Cardin. Before AirVenture, Lewis plans to recreate and complete the ill-fated 1942 mission, “Operation Bolero,” that resulted in the ditching of several airplanes in Greenland. “We were out at Rod’s ranch the day he accepted the keys for the P-38,” Bowlin recalls. “I asked, ‘Can you bring it back to Oshkosh this year?’ and he replied, ‘Yeah, as long as we can get back from Europe in time.’” The Glacier Girl presentation is being held near the end of convention to allow for some wiggle room in case there are unforeseen delays. 11:30 a.m. (AeroShell Square) - Col. Gail Halvorsen, C-54 pilot during the Berlin Air Lift of 1948-49, became known as the Candy Bomber when he started a special program dropping candy to German children during the Berlin airlift of 1948-49. Col. Halvorsen and the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation’s C-54E Skymaster, Spirit of Freedom, is featured during this Warbird in Review presentation. The airplane will also be on display throughout the week on AeroShell Square.

1 p.m. - The legendary Bob Hoover appears along with a Lockheed P-80 (F-80), the first operational jet fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces. “I asked Bob what kind of airplane do you want to talk about this year, and he said, “Well, how about the P-80 or something?’” Bowlin explained. “With Bob, it’s like, pick an airplane, he can do any of them.” The featured airplane is EAA’s Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. Sunday,

July 29 CAF’s Curtiss-Wright SB2C Helldiver CAF’s Curtiss-Wright SB2C Helldiver 10 a.m. - The Commemorative Air Force brings the world’s only flying Curtiss-Wright SB2C Helldiver. “This is obviously a very rare airplane,” Bowlin said. “CAF may or may not bring a veteran pilot, but the airplane speaks for itself.”

11:30 a.m. (AeroShell Square) - The Lone Star Museum brings its Hawker Hurricane, one of six airworthy in the world. “It’s not a large airplane, but we decided to do this program at AeroShell Square because we’re concerned a little bit about towing it. It’s an unusual airplane.” Many thanks to all the aircraft owners, veterans, and volunteers who make Warbirds in Review happen. Schedule is subject to change - look for the definitive schedule in the daily EAA AirVenture Today newspaper.

The big and complicated B-24 was the most built US aircraft of WWII. The B-24 was more difficult to fly than the B-17, especially at high altitude, and although it was designed later it did not have a much better performance. But it was efficient and had longer range, due to the slender ‘Davis’ wing. It’s range made it much in demand for naval patrol tasks. The B-17 was often claimed to be sturdier and more reliable, but the B-24 actually suffered fewer losses. Some Liberators were stripped of their equipment and armament and used as transports called CB-24. 19256 built. Type: B-24D-85-CO Function: bomber Year: 1942 Crew: 10 Engines: 4 * 1200hp P&W R-1830-43 Wing Span: 33.52 m Length: 20.22 m Height: 5.46 m Wing Area: 97.36 m2 Empty Weight: 15413 kg Max.Weight: 27216 kg Speed: 488 km/h Ceiling: 9753 m Range: 3500 km Armament: 9-11 * mg 12.7mm 3629 kg payload Type: B-24J Function: bomber Year: 1943 Crew: 12 Engines: 4 * 895 kW P&W R-1830-65 Wing Span: 33.53 m Length: 20.47 m Height: 5.49 m Wing Area: 97.36 m2 Empty Weight: 16556 kg Max.Weight: 32296 kg Speed: 467 km/h Ceiling: 8535 m Range: 3480 km Armament: 10 * mg 12.7mm, 5806 kg payload Like the equally successful North American P-51 Mustang, the Liberator was designed in a great hurry. In January 1939, the United States Army Air Corps invited Consolidated to submit a design study for a bomber with greater range, higher speed, and greater altitude performance than the existing backbone of the Army Air Corps, the B-17 Flying Fortress. The contract for a prototype was awarded in March, requiring that it be ready before the end of the year. The design was simple in concept but advanced for its time. The 70,547 lb (32,000 kg) maximum takeoff weight was one of the highest of the time. It was the first American bomber to use tricycle landing gear instead of a tailwheel, and it featured long, thin wings with a high aspect ratio for maximum fuel efficiency. It also had a twin tail layout. Compared to the B-17, the B-24 was shorter, had 25% less wing area but a 6 foot (1.8 m) greater wingspan, and a substantially greater carrying capacity. Whereas the B-17 used 9-cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, the B-24 used twin-row 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radials of 1000 hp (746 kW). Consolidated finished the prototype, by then known as the XB-24, and had it ready for its first flight with just two days before the end of 1939. Seven more YB-24 development aircraft flew in 1940 and Consolidated began preparing production tooling. Early orders placed even before the XB-24 had flown included 36 for the United States Army Air Corps, 120 for the French Armée de l’Air, and 164 for the RAF. Most of the first production Liberators went to Britain, including all those originally ordered by the Armée de l’Air after France collapsed in 1940.

from : fighter-planes.com 

Many aviation authorities regard the North American P-51 Mustang to be the best American air superiority fighter of the Second World War. Many top aces flew the Mustang, including Colonel Donald Blakeslee (15 victories) and C.O. of the famous 4th Fighter Group (which destroyed over 1,000 German aircraft, more than any other American fighter group in WW II), Captain Don Gentile (35 victories), Captain John Godfrey (31 victories), and General Chuck Yeager (the first man to break the sound barrier). Also Colonel Eagleston (23 victories), commander of the 354th Fighter Group of the Ninth Tactical Air Force, and top ace of the 9th. Also in the 9th was Major James Howard, the only American ace in both theaters of the war (6 victories in China flying P-40’s, and 6 victories in Europe flying P-51’s).
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It is hard for modern researchers to understand just how dominant the Zero was in the early years of the Pacific War. No Allied plane could stand against it. The obsolete Brewster Buffalo and the sleek looking but comparatively low performance Bell P-39 fared poorly against the Zero. The best of the early American Army fighters was probably the Curtis P-40, and the early models of this fighter were distinctly inferior in most respects to the Zero. Even the contemporary models of the famous British Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, which had won the Battle of Britain, had major problems with the Zero when they met in 1942.

At sea, the situation was hardly much better. The U.S. Navy’s Grumman F4F Wildcat was out classed by the Zero, although it probably provided the best competition of any of the Allied fighter in the theater. Navy and Marine pilots used the stubby fighter’s maneuverability to good advantage in the desperate early battles in the Pacific.

Most of Japan’s many top aces flew the Zero. Prominent among them is Saburo Sakai (with 64 victories), the top scoring Japanese ace to survive the war, and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (actual total of victories unknown, but 104 confirmed), perhaps the greatest Japanese ace of them all. Among other Japanese aces, Shoichi Sugita had 120+ victories, Tadashi Nakajima 75+, Naoishi Kanno 53, Teimei Akamatsu 50+, and Kinsuke Muto 35.
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In 1941 the German Luftwaffe encountered a previously unknown Russian fighter with a long slender nose, clearly powered by an inline or “Vee” type engine. The known Soviet fighters were powered by radial engines and lacked the performance of the front line German fighters. German intelligence was very poor concerning the Soviet Air Force and the existence of this new fighter took Luftwaffe fighter pilots completely by surprise.

Equally surprising, and disconcerting, was that this sleek Soviet fighter was faster than the Bf 109F, Germany’s top fighter at the time, and could out maneuver the vaunted Messerschmitt as well. At first the Luftwaffe High Command refused to believe the reports of their pilots, but soon the reality became undeniable. The MiG-3 had arrived.

The following comments from a German expert, Dr. Ing. Karl-Heinz Steinicke, as quoted in the book Horrido! by Trevor J. Constable and Col. Raymond F. Toliver, are worth repeating.

“In July and August 1941, during the first aerial combats over Kiev, elegant low-wing monoplanes with straight engines appeared next to the Rata. A few of them had been seen over Lemberg during the first few days, but this didn’t cause much of a surprise because they were held to be our own.”
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The Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter was flown by many of the top scoring Luftwaffe fighter pilots during WW II. The top fighter pilot of all time, Erich Hartmann (who flew 1,400 missions, shot down 352 enemy planes–mostly on the Eastern Front–and was proudest of the fact that he never lost a wingman), and the second highest scoring fighter pilot of all time, Gerhard Barkhorn (301 victories, all on the Eastern Front), both flew the Bf 109. So did the third highest scoring ace of all time, Gunther Rall (275 victories). The top scoring German ace of the Western front, Hans-Joachim Marseille (158 victories), also flew the Bf 109. As did the first “General of Fighters”, Werner Molders (115 victories), and his famous successor in that job, Adolf Galland (104 victories).

Squadron Commander Heinz Knoke, who wrote the fascinating book I Flew For the Furher had 33 victories (plus 5 that were not confirmed before the end of the war), 19 of them 4-engine bombers. Knoke logged over 2,000 flights and over 400 combat missions, all in the Bf 109.

The prototype Messerschmitt Bf 109 first flew in 1935. It participated in trials to become the new fighter of the expanding Luftwaffe and won decisively. The successful new fighter prototype was a low wing, all metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear; the type of fighter that became the mainstay of all sides in WW II. But the Bf 109 was the first such fighter to appear in service.
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The P-40, with the distinctive shark’s mouth painted on its nose, has always been one of the most recognizable fighters of World War II. Yet few realize that it is also one of the most controversial. The Curtis P-40 is thought by many to have been slow and obsolete from its inception. Its role in the defense of the Pacific during the early years of the war has been minimized. The Warhawk was, in fact, a much better fighter than most observers believe.

There are three main reasons for this misconception. For one, the P-40 was based on an older aircraft, the P-36. The forward section and the liquid cooled Allison V-12 engine (V-1710) were new, but from the firewall to tail it was exactly the same as the P-36. Because of this, the P-40 is thought to have been obsolescent from its inception. Its naval contemporary, the F4F Wildcat (which is described as being a better opponent for the Zero by World War II magazine) was based on a biplane design! Of course, few authorities mention that. The P-36 airframe wasn’t obsolete, merely proven successful. It was actually very sturdy. Secondly, newer fighters, including the P-38, P-47, and P-51 overshadowed it. Finally, its faults (and it had some–all aircraft do) were exaggerated to the point that it seemed impossible for the P-40 to succeed against any enemy aircraft. Although it couldn’t out maneuver the Zero (the Warhawk’s main foe in the Pacific Theater), neither could the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lighting, Thunderbolt, Mustang, Wildcat, or Corsair, but that is never mentioned.

Quite possibly the best Air Force of the Second World War, in terms of kill-to-loss ratio, belonged to the Finland, an ally of Germany. And one of the most ironic results of that war was that the preferred fighter of the Finns is widely considered today to be the worst fighter of the war, an aircraft that failed in every other theatre in which it participated. But what about this diminutive plane, was it’s performance really as poor as historians claim?

The Brewster B-239 (U.S. Navy designation F2A) was created in response to the United States Navy’s request for a modern aircraft to replace the Grumman F3F pursuit plane. Four aircraft manufactures threw their hat in the ring. The Curtiss-Wright Company proposed a variant of its P-36 Hawk with reinforced landing gear and a tail hook. Seversky offered similar modifications to their P-35. Grumman made the natural progression of its line with the F4F Wildcat. And the small Brewster Aeronautical Corporation of New York City presented a stocky, barrel-like fighter designed by Dayton T. Brown.