Originally Posted by GH85Carrera (Post 11782135)

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August 23rd, 1954; the Four Fan Trash Can, The Vibrator, Bugsmasher, Bleed Air Blimp, HerkyBird, Spooky, also known as Lockheed YC-130 Hercules first took flight!
A four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and capable of utilizing unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, Marine Patrol, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting, and Hurricane Hunting.
It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. Over forty variants and versions of the Hercules, including a civilian one marketed as the Lockheed L-100, operate in more than 60 nations.

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Highway Patrol Officer: Sounds like you've got straight pipes. You know that's illegal, right? Me: You're welcome to take a look..

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American Sycamore 393" in circumference, and around 80' tall. It is in Pennsylvania west of Philadelphia.

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23 August (1948)
McDonnell test pilot Edwin Foresman Schoch was assigned to the project, riding in the XF-85 while it was stowed aboard the EB-29B, before attempting a "free" flight on 23 August 1948. After Schoch was released from the bomber at a height of 20,000 ft (6,000 m), he completed a 10-minute proving flight at speeds between 180 and 250 mph (290–400 km/h), testing controls and maneuverability. When he attempted a hook-up, it became obvious the Goblin was extremely sensitive to the bomber's turbulence, as well as being affected by the air cushion created by the two aircraft operating in close proximity. Constant but gentle adjustments of throttle and trim were necessary to overcome the cushioning effect. After three attempts to hook onto the trapeze, Schoch miscalculated his approach and struck the trapeze so violently that the canopy was smashed and ripped free and his helmet and mask were torn off. He saved the prototype by making a belly landing on the reinforced skid at the dry lake bed at Muroc.[N 6] All flight testing was suspended for seven weeks while the XF-85 was repaired and modified. Schoch used the down period to undertake a series of problem-free dummy dockings with a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star fighter.

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera (Post 11784684)

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Ironically the two main anti aircraft weapons of the US Navy in WW2 (the Bofors and the Oerlikon) were first produced by a foreign country, who intern sold the design to both sides of the war (Italy on the Axis side). Germany did not buy it and had to rely on captured pieces. The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 (often referred to simply as the "Bofors 40 mm gun", the "Bofors gun" is an anti-aircraft autocannon, designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. The gun was designed as an intermediate anti-aircraft gun, filling the gap between fast firing close-range small calibre anti-aircraft guns and slower firing long-range high calibre anti-aircraft guns, a role which previously was filled by older outdated guns. The Bofors 40 mm L/60 was for its time perfectly suited for this role and outperformed competing designs in the years leading up to World War II in both effectiveness and reliability. American examples were made by Chrysler.

Originally Posted by svandamme (Post 11786359)

It saved lives, and reduced quantities of shells needed to take down a plane which resulted in lower logistics needs to manufacture and transport the volumes to the war zones.

Originally Posted by Seahawk (Post 11786402)

I had no idea!

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Originally Posted by GH85Carrera (Post 11786328)

Originally Posted by craigster59 (Post 11788755)

Thought this was a funny sweater for Halloween...

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