Most unusual warbirds

[John Dupre]

The interesting thing about that Bonanza is that it was not Rhodesian Air Force. It was owned by a local farmer. I assume it was part of some kind of Air Force Auxiliary like the Civil Air Patrol but it definitely had a civil registration. The Israelis used a 1947 Bonanza as a bomber with the bombs mounted on racks very near where the gun pods were mounted on the Rhodesian example.

[John Dupre]

Another Rhodesian innovation was to take French built Cessna Skymasters and turn them into O2 types with fixed machine guns mounted on the cabin roof firing over the front propeller.

[bdk]

Is that Bob Diemert?

Now that is a good one

If that was Diemert, though, wouldn't the Bonanza be modified to hold like 16 passengers or something?[/quote]He flew a Bonanza in "The Defender," so he did have one at one time. Maybe his was the prototype for the mod program?

[Mike]

Sir John Allison's 1947 Bonanza G-NEWT was, I believe, bought by the Israelis in 1948 and flown on a clandestine ferry flight from South Africa to Israel, where it was used as a rudimentary bomber (with 50 kg bomb shackles mounted under the belly) and later, with the baggage door removed, had a machine gun mounted. It is still active, and a regular visitor to Old Warden.

[tom d. friedman]

Small air forces have through the years, by necessity, adapted airframes not intended for combat, into that role.

To mind, come the Rhodesian AF, Guatemalan and Salvadorean AFs, and even the U.S. CAP.

So, this is an invitation for images and comments on such aircraft that are too, legitimate warbirds.

This is an image [EDITED] from the Andrew Watson collection- of a Rhodesian Bonanza, with .30cal gun packs.

Saludos,


Tulio

son of a beech!!! that is crazy!!