Gorgeous COLOR photos of pre-WWII US Naval Aviation

Russ Matthews · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:31 pm

b29flteng · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:34 pm

What are the "thingys" on the side of the TBDs, BT-1 and the upper wing of the SBC-3? Cameras?

Russ Matthews · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:51 pm

b29flteng wrote:

What are the "thingys" on the side of the TBDs, BT-1 and the upper wing of the SBC-3? Cameras?

I wondered the same thing and guessed the same answer as well. The Enterprise Air Group is described as engaged in some kind of manuevers or war games -- so perhaps they would have mounted cameras as a method of evaluating the individual pilot's performance.

Somebody on WIX probably knows for sure...

armyjunk2 · **Joined:** Wed May 16, 2007 8:15 pm **Posts:** 833

this plane has the same thing on it. I don't think the museum would put on a camera mount, but I have no idea what it is.......

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:23 pm

Yes, it is a camera mount.

rwdfresno · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:54 pm

The SB2A NNAM has what looks like a standard 16mm gun camera mounted. Gun cameras were pretty standard from WWII on.

jaldo · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:33 pm **Posts:** 175

More from the Life colection.

Note the dents on the cowling on the first aircraft.Taken during the battle of Midway.

gregv · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:17 am

jaldo wrote:

More from the Life colection.

Note the dents on the cowling on the first aircraft.Taken during the battle of Midway.

I was wondering about that; also note the damage or piece of flotsam stuck to the right stabilizer, and the name painted in front of the cockpit (Patsy?). The aircraft behind (#7) looks like maybe it has had some sort of fluid leak from the prop or engine that sprayed oil onto the fuselage and wing, or is it perhaps more likely to be touched-up paint?

great pics!

greg v.

m50a1ontos · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:16 am

Maybe he got a wee bit too close to whatever he blew up on the ground!

Would be the first time somebody flew through an airborne junk cloud!

mlenoch · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:45 am

Have we ruled out a PELICAN?
(Awww, not again!)
VL :lol:

Dave Homewood · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:56 am

I love that photo of the Dauntlesses that has been repeated and discussed above. What a beautiful photo. It gives a real sense of what it was like in the back cockpit.

lmritger · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2008 10:31 am

Small correction, Jaldo... those pics were taken after the Battle of Midway, it's a Marine unit and several folks are working on trying to establish an ID of the group.

That said, that series of photos is quite possibly the absolute best series of air-to-air photos which have EVER been published... yes, that's saying an awful lot, especially around here

but I have never seen their equal.

Lynn

Llarry · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:54 pm

lmritger wrote:

Small correction, Jaldo... those pics were taken after the Battle of Midway, it's a Marine unit and several folks are working on trying to establish an ID of the group.

That said, that series of photos is quite possibly the absolute best series of air-to-air photos which have EVER been published... yes, that's saying an awful lot, especially around here

but I have never seen their equal.

Lynn

And the SBDs are fitted with wing pylon practice bomb dispensers, too.

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