Regia Aeronautica Vol.2

The armistice brought about a collapse in morale that broke much of the will to fight on the part of those airmen in the south who found themselves on the side of the Allies. However, many of the Regia Aeronautica pilots in the north took a different attitude towards the new military situation, perceiving the Armistice as a betrayal of those who had died fighting the former' enemy. Many pilots refused to fly to the Allied controlled airfields in Southern Italy due to an unwillingness to accept an Armistice signed which they felt had been signed 'over their heads'. To some this feeling of 'betrayal' was conscious and to others it was unconscious. A large number of Italian pilots, while they might otherwise agree with the armistice, could not accept the way the surrender had been carried out. while others simply wanted to oppose the Allied fighters and bombers which were relentlessly tormenting Italian cities and population. On 12 September 1943. working directly under General Kurt Student, Otto Skorzeny leading a commando of paratroopers freed Benito Mussolini from his Gran Sasso prison. On 23 September Il Duce announced the formation of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI) in the Italian territory under German control. This was followed on lOOctober by the formation of an Army, Navy. and Air Force (Aeronautka Nazionale Repubblicana).

Download (depositfiles.com)

Kagero Topshots No. 11004 - Bf 109 G-6

Bf 109 G-6 The Messerschmitt 109 G-6 was the most numerous subtype of the Luftwaffe's basic front-line fighter. Equipped with Daimler-Benz DB 605 A-l engine rated at 1574 hp, it was able to reach the speed of 640 kph at 6000 metres. Its armament comprised twin MG 131 13 mm heavy machine guns and a single MG 151/20E 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller's hollow shaft. The first Bf 109 G-6s were delivered to German fighter units in February and March 1943. Following several modifications, the type served in the first line until mid-1944. Some of the aircraft were assigned to fighter pilot schools, including the so-called combat training units. The aircraft s/n 163306 The Messerschmitt 109 G-6 W.Nr. 163306 „RQ+DS" was manufactured in May 1944 in Messerschmitt's plant in Regensburg. It was test-flown on 10th or 11th May and shortly afterwards assigned to a combat unit, where it received its tactical code: „red 3". Erganzungs-Jagdgruppe West The combat training unit - Erganzungs-Jagdgruppe West - was activated in January 1942 in Cazaux, France. Soon it was re-designated as Jagdgruppe West. The unit trained pilots destined for, among others, JG 2 and JG 26 fighter units stationed in the northern France. From July 1943 JGr West was commanded by Maj. Georg Michalek. In May 1944 1. and 2./JGr West was transferred to Poland, to the airbase at Gabbert.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Hurricanes Over Malta, June 1940 - April 1942

The Hurricanes were part of a group of six which - notwithstanding the dire need for modern fighters to defend the United Kingdom following the disastrous losses in France -had been authorised by the Air Ministry as reinforcement for the RAF in Egypt, where the only fighters available were Gladiators and Gauntlets. The Hurricanes were drawn from stocks held at 10 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Hullavington. An appropriate number of ferry pilots were assembled, including a relief pilot who was to travel aboard one of two Hudsons of 233 Squadron assigned to accompany the Hurricanes on their epic journey to the Middle East. The other four Hurricane pilots were Sqn Ldr C.W.M. Ling, Flg Off F.F. Taylor, and Plt Off H.A.R. Prowse. Plt Off T. Balmforth, as the reserve, alternated with Sqn Ldr Ling in flying one of the Hurricanes during the long journey, his logbook showing that he flew P2641 on 8, 10 and 12 June. The two Hudsons and six Hurricanes had set out for their destination on the morning of 8 June, calling at Tangmere to refuel before heading for Rennes in southern France, then Toulouse and Marseilles/Marignane for a final refuelling stop before crossing the Mediterranean and making for El Aouina/Tunis airfield. While landing at Marignane, Plt Off Prowse's aircraft (P2644) ran into a filled-in bomb crater and its port oleo snapped off, causing the Hurricane to swing to starboard before tipping onto its nose. Pilot and aircraft had to be left behind.

Download (depositfiles.com)

F-18 Hornet Multi-mission Warplane

The origins of the McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet date back to the mid-1960s and the Northrop P530 Cobra lightweight fighter project, which eventually became the YF-17, and ultimately lost to the F-16 in the contest to provide the USAF with a new generation lightweight fighter. For Northrop this was a serious blow: not only did the company lose out on providing the USAF with well over 1,000 aircraft, but follow-on orders for a number of European NATO air forces planning to replace their ageing F-104 Starfighters also went to the General Dynamics product. On the sidelines the United States Navy and Marine Corps were watching with interest. To meet their requirements Northrop teamed up with McDonnell-Douglas, a company with extensive experience designing and building carrier-borne aircraft; thus the F-18 was born. Although based on the YF-17 design, the F-18 is virtually a different aircraft, with an amazing amount of changes to the Northrop design. The internal fuel tanks and the aircraft's gross weight were doubled, and the folding wings were just the start of a number of changes required for carrier operations. The main undercarriage legs were strengthened considerably to withstand the high sink rates of carrier landings, and the track was widened to provide greater stability for manoeuvring on a carrier deck. Tyre size was increased, and the single wheel nosewheel was replaced by a sturdier two wheel version, complete with launch bar for catapult operations and, of course, an arresting hook was fitted under the rear fuselage.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Deutsche Luftschiffe

Der Gedanke, wie die Vögel zu fliegen, ist so alt wie die Menschheit. Märchen und Sagen haben sich bereits vor Christi Geburt hiermit beschäftigt, wie die Sage von Dädalus und Ikarus beweist. Zuerst versuchten verschiedene Erfinder das Fliegen mit Maschinen, die schwerer als die Luft waren. Erst Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts kamen die Brüder Montgolfier in Frankreich auf die Idee, mit Hilfe eines Heißluftballons in die Lüfte zu steigen. Der 5. Juni 1783 brachte den ersten Aufstieg eines derartigen Ballons und damit den Beginn des "Fliegens leichter als Luft". Die Brüder Montgolfier waren Laien, die nur von ihrer Idee getrieben wurden. Der Wissenschaftler Professor Charles verwandte nunmehr als Ballonfüllung Wasserstoff, bei dem die Ballonhülle nicht wie beim Heißluftballon feuergefährdet war. Im September 1783 gelang ihm der erste Flug mit einem Begleiter in einem gasgefüllten Ballon. Das Militär bemächtigte sich schnell dieser neuen Erfindung. England verwendete Ballons erstmalig 1793 für Kriegszwecke. Ein Jahr später stellte Frankreich bereits die erste Luftschiffertruppe auf, Deutschland folgte zehn Jahre später.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Deutsche Lufthansa - Der Kranich in Tubulenzen 1939-1945

Die Syndicato Condor war nicht das einzige Standbein der Lufthansa in Südamerika. In Ecuador hatte die DLH J 937 die Sociedad Ecuatoriana des Transportes Aereos S.A. (SEDTA) aus der Taufe gehoben, die ab Ende 1938 die Strecke zwischen Quito und Guayaquil betlog, wobei sie mit Maschinen vom Typ Ju 52/3m und W 34 operierte. In Peru schließlich gründete die DLH im Februar 1938 eine Filiale unter der Bezeichnung: Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Sucursal Peru, Lima. LH Peru beflog die Strecke Lima-Arequipa-La Paz. Dies war ein wichtiges Teilstück auf der durchgehenden Luftpostverbindung Deutschland-Peru. Der deutsche Einfluß und der Einfluß der Lufthansa auf den Luftverkehr in Südamerika war mithin groß, zumal auch die Gesellschaft Lloyd Aero Boliviano unter technischer Super-vision der DLH stand und mit Junkers-Flugzeugen operierte. Pan American und ihre Tochtergesellschaft PANAGRA versuchten alles, um dem lästigen Konkurrenten Lufthansa in Südamerika das Leben schwer zu machen. Die amerikanische Regierung wiederum fürchtete die Ju 52/3m als potentielle Angriffsträger. Wir werden noch sehen, wie sie nach Kriegsausbruch auf diese „Bedrohung" reagierte.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Deadly Mission - Canadian Airmen over Nuremberg, March 1944

As darkness fell on March 30th, 1944, more than a thousand Allied aircraft took off from airfields across England. Their mission was to fly l000 km from their bases, over occupied Europe, and deliver almost 3,000 tonnes of high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the unsuspecting German City of Nuremberg. In the deafening roar of the stream of 900 bombers were 6,493 airmen from all across the British Commonwealth; Australia. New Zealand. South Africa, Britain and Rhodesia. Almost 1,500 of them were Canadians. The mission was to be like others in the air war over Europe, a war of a thousand battles, fought continuously over five years. It was another raid into the heartland of Nazi Europe, another strike at Hitler's Fortress, another mission in the Strategic Bomber Offensive and another night for the "Boys" of Bomber Command. It was a mission to destroy another German city to destroy, with its factories, plants and railways. Many cities had already felt the wrath of Bomber Command and been dealt the consequences of Hitler's war of aggression: Berlin. Hamburg. Dresden, Lubeck to name only a few. Now Nuremberg, the heart of the Nazis, home of the great Rallies that contributed so much to the war, was the target.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes

This book provides a comprehensive guide to the most significant biplane, triplane and seaplane aircraft of period between 1900 and 1945, an era often recalled as the 'golden age' of aviation. By far the most prolific type of aircraft of this period, and hence most strongly represented in this book, is the biplane. Although the single wing configuration was pioneered at an early stage, the most popular designs of the pioneering age used a biplane wing for strength and rigidity. In the mid-1920s the first really successful monoplanes were built and flown, and from the mid-1930s the biplane entered a terminal decline. This era also witnessed some extraordinary experiments with multi-winged designs, but the only one that met with consistent success was the triplane, also represented in this book. The term seaplane may of course encompass an aircraft with any wing configuration, and the category may be further divided into floatplanes and flying boats. Floatplanes are ordinary landplanes that are fitted with float gear or else are designed to operate from water, with integral float gear. The flying boat has a boat-type hull that forms the fuselage, and aircraft-type flying surfaces. Those aircraft that have the capability to land on both land and water are termed amphibians.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Berlin Airlift - The Effort and The Aircraft

Regulations called for a pilot not to fly more than two sorties within a 24-hour period and not to exceed 100 hours flying time in a 30-day period. The R.A.F. average turned out to be 70 hours flying time within the 30 days, and the U.S.A.F.E. soon adopted this standard for its pilots. At first, each nation was expected to be responsible for maintaining its own sector, but the French involvement in Indo-China prevented their contribution of aircraft. Therefore, the flight operations would be provided by the American and British Air Forces, supporting 60% and 40% of the work load respectively. Both forces were to airlift as much as they could, with the aircraft at their disposal. As the Airlift increased in size, the R.A.F. used several different aircraft, such as Short Sunderland flying boats, 40 Douglas (DC-3) Dakotas, 35 Avro Yorks, and 26 Handley Page Hastings. In addition, 22 private operators were drafted into service, under the direction of British European Airways, and these had a conglomeration of aircraft of various sizes, shapes, and specialization. As described on page 47, this required careful attention to scheduling, operational procedures, and crew discipline. But the R.A.F. aircraft had the advantage of the Eureka beacons and radar.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Aranysas 11 2007

India felfüggesztette a részletek törlesztését a korszerűsített IL-38SD tengeri járőrgépek műszaki hiányosságai miatt. Az új fejlesztésű Sea Dragon célfelderítő és tűzvezető rendszer ugyanis nem képes a reklámozott paraméterek teljesítésére. Még 2001-ben szerződtek 150 millió dollárért a meglévő régi IL-38-asok korszerűsítésére, a gépek közül mindössze kettőt tudtak átadni, és azokból is hiányzik a létfontosságú elektronika nagy része. A már eddig is két évet csúszott program jövője bizonytalan. Szeptember 7-én a Barents-tengeren indiai szakértőkkel és az orosz fejlesztőkkel egy újabb tesztet végeztek, amelynek során a Sea Dragon rendszer nem volt képes a várt távolságból a tengeralattjárók felderítésére. Az oroszok joggal aggódnak amiatt, hogy India az érvényben lévő amerikai ajánlatot fogja választani a következő beszerzési programnál. Az IL—38-as problémái magyarázatot adnak arra, hogy augusztusban, a MAKS kiállítás idején miért volt két Sea Dragon antennarendszerrel felszerelt indiai felségjelű gép a bázison. Az európai fegyverfejlesztö cég, az MBDA bemutatta legújabb tervét, a Fireshadow csapásmérő eszköz fantáziarajzait. Az előrenyilazott szárnyú fegyver különlegessége, hogy indítását követően akár tíz órán keresztül őrjáratozhat a harctér felett, várva a célpont felbukkanását. Ehhez gazdaságos üzemű meghajtás szükséges, ezért sugárhajtómű helyett tolólégcsavaros megoldást választottak. A Fireshadow a „hálózatközpontú hadviselés" része, és a pilóta nélküli gépekből és egyéb felderítőeszközökből álló rendszer irányítása alatt áll majd. Az álló vagy mozgó célpontot egy méteren belüli pontossággal képes megsemmisíteni, miután megkapta annak helyzetét. Mivel kisméretű és ezzel arányban korlátozott pusztítóerejü fegyverről van szó, ezért az alkalmas lehet a városi harcban történő bevetésre is, ahol fontos a járulékos károk elkerülése.

Download (depositfiles.com)

American X-Vehicles - An Inventory - X-1 to X-50

The X-8 was conceived to fulfill a requirement for a relatively inexpensive upper air research vehicle and sounding rocket. Most X-8 flights were conducted at either the White Sands Missile Range, or nearby Holloman AFB, New Mexico. The missile was launched from a 143-foot high tower elevated at an angle of approximately 87 degrees. The standard X-8 vehicle consisted of a payload section with the experimental package, a parachute recovery system, a liquid-fueled sustainer engine, stabilizing fins, and a solid-fueled booster engine. The payloads carried by the X-8 varied considerably from mission to mission, but on the average weighed about 150 pounds. During the course of the X-8 program, data was obtained on high-altitude winds, solar radiation, high-altitude temperatures, cosmic radiation, the earth's magnetic field, warhead trajectories, effects of high-altitude on warhead design, propulsion anomalies at high altitudes, vehicle dynamics, and general atmospheric phenomenon. A total of 108 vehicles were manufactured for both the Air Force and the Navy: 68 X-8s, 34 X-8As, 1 X-8B, 2 X-8Cs, and 3 X-8Ds. But perhaps more significantly, the type directly spawned the Aerobee sounding rocket, of which more than 800 were eventually manufactured and used by both military and civilian agencies around the country. Perhaps not surprisingly, no X-8s are known to have survived. However, numerous Aerobee rockets are on display around the country and are generally similar in appearance.

Download (depositfiles.com)

Aerofax Datagraph 3 - Bell X-1 Variants

With the blessing of the Air Force, a small cadre of aerodynamicists and engineers began studies optimized to meet the new requirement. Among these was Kotcher, who now decided to investigate the respective advantages and disadvantages of rocket (specifically an Aerojet unit of 4,000 lb. th.) and jet propulsion (specifically the General Electric TG-180 of 4,000 lb. th.) systems for what soon was to be known as the Wright Field "Mach 0.999" study. The comparison was completed during April 1944, by the Wright Field Design Branch of the Aircraft Laboratory and the results led to the conclusion that a rocket-propelled design offered the greatest performance. The high thrust-to-weight ratio of the rocket engine, coupled with its expected superior operation in level flight at high altitudes, far outweighed any advantages provided by jet propulsion systems—which were expected to require dives from high altitude to achieve the research aircraft's velocity objectives. Along with the Design Branch's proposal was a prospective aircraft design. Not surprisingly, it superficially resembled the hardware that would eventually be built by Bell Aircraft Corporation as the X-1. Its fuselage was circular in cross section with a faired canopy, the wings were mid-fuselage-mounted and of essentially conventional straight-wing planform, and the vertical fin also was straight. The only major variation was the placement of the horizontal tail surfaces which on the Design Branch aircraft, were fuselage-empennage-section-mounted, rather than vertical fin mounted.

Download (depositfiles.com)