Link to some old images of Marana Airfield. Great B-17 image

[astixjr]

I'm not sure if this link has ever been posted but it brought back some great memories for me. It was sent to me by Mark Nankivil who works with the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum and the Missouri Aviation Historical Society. There are some images of Evergreen's B-17G when it had the Skyhook still attached to it's nose. If only that airplane could talk! The stories it could tell!

http://www.dhc-2.com/Marana.html

On the subject of Mark Nankivil, he just happens to be sitting on some REALLY cool images of planes sitting at an aviation tech school near Memphis, taken just after WWII. Maybe we can convince him to post them here?

Gobble Gobble!

[Bomberboy]

Those B-17 images are fantastic.
I wonder if it's the same aeroplane that they used in James Bond's 'Thunderball' even though that seems to be a different colour?
Bomberboy

[Jerry O'Neill]

Same B-17 that was in "Thunderball", but I think it had a slightly smaller version of the nose "whiskers" in the film
.
Jerry

[The Inspector]

Wasn't that used as the 'mule' to prove out the practicality of the Fulton system?
Too bad the old 'Yellow Birds' are now long, long gone, noisey and smokey but could really haul ----!

[RareBear]

I made a number of trips ATL-MCO and return on a Delta CV-880. Loved that plane.

Walt

[astixjr]

Here's a link to one of the missions flown with that B-17. Some of the work it did has been declassified but I suspect there are some missions that are still classified.

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for- ... rctic.html

[APG85]

The Fulton Recovery System or "Skyhook" was an impressive design and was used for several decades by the Combat Talon community. It's inventor, Robert Fulton was a neat guy who developed many things over the years. He came up with the idea for the Skyhook after watching trains grab mailbags without stopping...

http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technol ... on_skyhook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Edison_Fulton,_Jr.

[slinky]

Man, those are some classic pix! I have a never ending love of the warbirds and big iron but the real treat for me was the early model Citabria at the end!!!! My 66 7GCAA is still in it's origonal paint and I had never seen a color pic with both stripes to the tail like mine! Too cool! Gives me a great reference for restoration!
When I bought mine the wheel pants were off and I have never put them back on....they look so huge like snow shoes! Besides, it makes refueling the wing tanks so easy when you can stand on the tires!

Thanks so much for posting the link!!!!

[airnutz]

He came up with the idea for the Skyhook after watching trains grab mailbags without stopping...

http://www.junkworthknowing.com/technol ... on_skyhook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Edison_Fulton,_Jr.

Scott...Dunno about the Brit railway mail pick-up story...tho it's commonly repeated on the web, but aircraft/cargo/personell pick-up systems were developed by All American Aviation for the USAAC during WW2. Fulton innovated and improved. Maybe the actual retrieval "mechanism" used by the Brit railways was his inspiration? I'd like to see that if the railroad buffs here can help, please???

The Junk Worth Knowing Fulton article is bunk and is combining the 2 histories...a common internet occurrence these days...

A bit better link from the horse itself...
https://www.cia.gov/library/center_for_ ... Leary.html

Well Crap! For some reason the link doesn't work, but when it takes you to the CIA webpage, enter "Leary" in the search box and when the list comes up select the "Robert Fulton's Skyhook and Coldfeet" article by William M. Leary.