Black Is Beautiful Baby

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 3:49 pm

P-61A 422nd NFS 9th AF 1944

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 3:52 pm

"Only the Yanks would have the balls to call something that big a fighter."- RAF pilot after first seeing a P-61.

Pilotgrl24 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:59 pm

Great picture Jack, have anymore P-61 shots?

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 6:33 pm

Hey how is your Blackwidow project going in Reading?

visaliaaviation · **Joined:** Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 353

Great photo but looks a little strange w/o the top turret. This one, as EVERYONE knows was known as the "no-back" model. LOL

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2007 11:03 pm

You'd be hard pressed to find any turret equipted P-61s that flew in combat. The turret was very heavy and nearly useless.
I like the razorback P-61s

mazdaP5 · **Posted:** Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:04 am

I've always wanted to see one fly.

Pilotgrl24 · **Posted:** Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:05 am

check out the website, there are a couple of new pics of the work on the tail fin.

www.maam.org

visaliaaviation · **Joined:** Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 353

Does anyone know of what became of the late bubble canopied P-61 that sat deteriorating at San Jose Municipal Airport(now SJ Internat'l). As a kid, I recall taxiing by the relic back inthe 50's/60's, it collapsed on its gear and then was covered with a temp plywood structure. Also IIRC, it was one of the NACA P-61's used for drop tests of missle shapes by nearby Ames. My pop was a NACA "Model Finisher" at Ames and probably painted the test shapes.

visaliaaviation · **Joined:** Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 353

Just did a search and came up with the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-61_Black_Widow

Nothing about the SJ aircraft.

Warbird Information Exchange

Black Is Beautiful Baby

Who is online