Interesting Aircraft

PT Boats

XB-19 buzzing the field.

1928 Marvel Crosson, participant in the First Woman’s Air Derby, Santa Monica, California to Cleveland, Ohio. It was a dangerous race, despite it being mockingly dubbed “The Powderpuff Derby”, it was harsh and testing. Sandstorms and fog plagued visibility at several points. Emergency landings to make repairs were common and one pilot had to land to put out a fire in her plane with sand. There was one fatality in the race - Marvel Crosson, who crashed in the Gila Valley, her parachute unopened. Officials suspected she’d been poisoned with carbon monoxide by her malfunctioning aircraft. Foul play was also suspected. Tampering with the ladies’ aircraft was not unknown by those who thought the air was no place for a woman. Nine days into the race, Louise Thaden landed as the winner in Cleveland. She flew the race with her face pressed up to an oxygen pipe to avoid the same carbon monoxide poisoning that may have caused Marvel’s death. From The Jazz Age Vehicle Archive, FB.

Taken at RAF Wethersfield 9 May, 1959.

Horten Ho 229 V3 prototype at the Smithsonian’s Garber restoration facility (National Air and Space Museum)

One of my favorite air show memories took place probably late '70s or early '80s. It was at the Miami-Opa Locka airshow. Four F-4's from one of the reserve units in the area all came in with some high speed passes. Then they came down the runway and cut away from the crowd, full burners. I swear, I can still feel the rumble in my chest cavity. At the time, F-14's, 15's, 16's, and 18's eclipsed the venerable F-4 in terms of capability. But that moment was still of my favorite air show experiences.

A panoramic image of the inside of the Vega production facility in Burbank, California, 1942