Marine Corps F2A Buffalo fighter found at Midway...

One more interesting find took place in 1998, a Navy pilot, Pug Southerland, from VF-5 flying an F4F Wildcat had just shot down the first Betty bomber of the Guadalcanal and then took on 3 Zero's, the last of which was the leading Japan ace at the time with 50 or so damaged/destroyed allied aircraft, Saburo Sakai. In his book, Sakai describes the dogfight in detail and I think the bullet holes found in the Wildcat match his description. Anyway, the story for that one:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/case_dogfight/clues.html

I like that this 1911 was found as well, the pics:

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/f4f/5192.html
 
I was always fascinated with the Brewster Buffalo. I have a thing for over-matched airplanes I guess and I always thought that a restored Buffalo would be a cool thing to ride around in. Also, would love to get a Douglas TBD.
 
I've always said, that if I ever get in a position to build a replica airplane, it would be a Brewster Buffalo. Followed closely by a Kingfisher or Devastator.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
I've always said, that if I ever get in a position to build a replica airplane, it would be a Brewster Buffalo. Followed closely by a Kingfisher or Devastator.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!! I think the Finn's ended up with quite a few aces flying the Buffalo. The Brits and US just couldn't make it work against the Japanese.
 
WacoFan said:
I was always fascinated with the Brewster Buffalo. I have a thing for over-matched airplanes I guess and I always thought that a restored Buffalo would be a cool thing to ride around in. Also, would love to get a Douglas TBD.
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The way I understand it, the Finns enjoyed considerable success with that aircraft.

Of course, we don't like to talk about it, because the Finns were on the wrong side of almost the whole war.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
The way I understand it, the Finns enjoyed considerable success with that aircraft.

Of course, we don't like to talk about it, because the Finns were on the wrong side of almost the whole war.
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The Fins were flying against Russians with, likely, as inferior or MORE inferior aircraft for much of the time. Hell, the Nazis had guys over 250 kills against the Russians - Hartmann had 352 I think.
 
bunk22 said:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!! I think the Finn's ended up with quite a few aces flying the Buffalo. The Brits and US just couldn't make it work against the Japanese.
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If you throw a F2A up against a I-153, it's probably a fair fight. That said, I've got much higher interest in the Soviet things of WWII. I've been fortunate enough to see an I-16, which is awesome looking. Big engine, tiny little wings. Like the MiG-21 of piston fighters.
 
WacoFan said:
The Fins were flying against Russians with, likely, as inferior or MORE inferior aircraft for much of the time. Hell, the Nazis had guys over 250 kills against the Russians - Hartmann had 352 I think.
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More dead Russian pilots than dead Finnish pilots? Check.

(There's two 'n's in 'Finns' by the by.)
 
Autothrust Blue said:
More dead Russian pilots than dead Finnish pilots? Check.

(There's two 'n's in 'Finns' by the by.)
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I think that the Russians didn't have adequate airplanes until much later in the war. The Buffalo was probably on par with the Soviet aircraft. Keep in mind, Pappy Boyington himself said the early-model Brewsters, before they got larded down with weight, were pretty delightful flying machines - turn inside a phone booth type stuff. Like all airplanes, weight kills all fun, performance and utility.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
If you throw a F2A up against a I-153, it's probably a fair fight. That said, I've got much higher interest in the Soviet things of WWII. I've been fortunate enough to see an I-16, which is awesome looking. Big engine, tiny little wings. Like the MiG-21 of piston fighters.
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The I-16 does look pretty cool actually, neat plane. I'm a fan of Japanese fighters and love the J2M Raiden or Jack. If I could build one plane and make it fly, that would be it. It's my understanding that the only original one left is at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, near where I grew up. One of the best Japanese fighter/interceptors of the war but only 500 or so were made before the war ended. It was a fat, pudgy looking plane. Here is the one in Chino:

6920411740_1875bae725_c_zps7a43bf30.jpg


j2m3raiden-2_zpsf151cc9c.jpg
 
WacoFan said:
I think that the Russians didn't have adequate airplanes until much later in the war. The Buffalo was probably on par with the Soviet aircraft. Keep in mind, Pappy Boyington himself said the early-model Brewsters, before they got larded down with weight, were pretty delightful flying machines - turn inside a phone booth type stuff. Like all airplanes, weight kills all fun, performance and utility.
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The Finns operated a de-navalized version, so they deleted the tail hook and the life raft and all that other Navy stuff. The F2A also didn't have self-sealing fuel tanks or cockpit armor.

And agreed. Perfection is achieved when there's nothing left to delete - not when there's nothing left to add.
 
WacoFan said:
I think that the Russians didn't have adequate airplanes until much later in the war. The Buffalo was probably on par with the Soviet aircraft. Keep in mind, Pappy Boyington himself said the early-model Brewsters, before they got larded down with weight, were pretty delightful flying machines - turn inside a phone booth type stuff. Like all airplanes, weight kills all fun, performance and utility.
Click to expand...

True story. In the early 80's I was at Riddle and on the flight team (please don't laugh). The flight team, as a fund raiser, had Pappy come do a talk on campus. It was a total bomb, financially. We asked Pappy to eat his fee for the greater good of Riddle, and all mankind. He said, FUPM....

Many of us were rather offended with his attitude at time. But 35 years later I kinda see his point. At least I got him to sign my logbook.
 
bunk22 said:
The I-16 does look pretty cool actually, neat plane. I'm a fan of Japanese fighters and love the J2M Raiden or Jack. If I could build one plane and make it fly, that would be it. It's my understanding that the only original one left is at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, near where I grew up. One of the best Japanese fighter/interceptors of the war but only 500 or so were made before the war ended. It was a fat, pudgy looking plane. Here is the one in Chino:

6920411740_1875bae725_c_zps7a43bf30.jpg


j2m3raiden-2_zpsf151cc9c.jpg
Click to expand...

This or some of the high-altitude FW-190s were just wicked machines. Do they ever fly the one at Chino?
 
DE727UPS said:
True story. In the early 80's I was at Riddle and on the flight team (please don't laugh). The flight team, as a fund raiser, had Pappy come do a talk on campus. It was a total bomb, financially. We asked Pappy to eat his fee for the greater good of Riddle, and all mankind. He said, FUPM....

Many of us were rather offended with his attitude at time. But 35 years later I kinda see his point. At least I got him to sign my logbook.
Click to expand...

I had him autograph a copy of Baa Baa Black Sheep. That, my book with the Signatures of Matty Laird, Len Povey, Betty Lund and Clayton Bruckner and my Jimmy Doolittle autograph all lost in a flood. Great story. Amazing how perspective changes with time isn't it.
 
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