The Air Force Museum HD video

[Vital Spark]

http://www.vimeo.com/7799576

My Brother sent me this link to brag the hi definition video capabilities of the camera he uses ( he is not the videographer here , he just has the same hardware).

It seemed to me that it might be something that the folks here would like. I can't vouch the audio track, as I turned my speakers to mute with-in seconds .

Last edited by Vital Spark on Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

[6trn4brn]

Very nice! Would be great if that fella went on to other museums and took some high quality videos as well...Udvar-Hazy, A&S on the mall etc...

[mustangdriver]

Wow, pretty cool stuff there.

[Obergrafeter]

Seeing "Bockscar" reminds me of a question I always had. When was the noseart applied? Its not like they knew they were going to go to Nagasaki or anything. Obviously applied after the war, but when?

[mustangdriver]

I think I read that it was pretty close to the completion of the A-bomb mission. At the time of the mission only the lettering was on the nose art.

[Obergrafeter]

If the nose art was on at the time of the mission...........wow that would be.........interesting!!! What if they were shot down? Nothing like telegraphing your next play and where it came from!!!

[Jerry O'Neill]

I believe that the "Salt Lake City" and "Nagasaki" were added after the mission was complete.
Sweeney bombed the secondary target so there was no way that "Nagasaki" would've been on the aircraft before they took off.
I believe it was just the yellow circle and the flying Bock's Car logo prior to the ission.
Jerry

[APG85]

Bockscar had no nose-art or lettering whatsoever during the mission. The nose was clean except for the numbers 77.

[Steve Nelson]

The 509th "Arrowhead" tail marking was also added after the mission. When she bombed Nagasaki, Bockscar carried the "N in triangle" tail marking (444th BG?) I understand all the 509th aircraft carried tail markings from different units for security reasons..the Enola Gay carried an "R in circle" tail marking. Bockscar also carried a red fuselage band just aft of the bombay on the nuke mission.

SN

[APG85]

I think Enola Gay was the only 509th B-29 that flew an Atomic mission with it's name actually applied...

[mustangdriver]

Bockscar had no nose-art or lettering whatsoever during the mission. The nose was clean except for the numbers 77.

Yup, just found it on the NMUSAF site.

[Second Air Force]

Also, note that the numerals on Bockscar are not exactly the same shape. One of the 7s was added in the field. When the combat airplanes were assigned to the 509th they were originally numbered from 1 to ? Enola Gay was originally ship #2. I have seen a photo of her being loaded with a pumpkin wearing only the 2. I believe the renumbering was done on Tinian, but I can't confirm that hypothesis. The additional numbers were painted on with a different stencil.

Scott