What's that in the background ....

[Stoney]

NAS Terminal Island, CA circa 1945 with Signal Hill in the backround, use to climb those derricks for fun.

[hang the expense]

I believe the 4th aircraft behind the duck and wildcats is an Soc3 on fixed gear.Love the pics.just so cool.

[gilt]

The plane in the background of the R6V Constitution photo is the Convair Liberator Liner.

As an aside I stood under and inspected the second Constitution at KOPF in late 1965 while on my looooooong (from PA) X-C for my Commercial. to an 18 year old who was mostly flying Cubs and Champs at a grass strip it was IMMENSE, more so when we thought a 707 was a big plane and the 747 was years away.

Tom-

[daviemax]

In the Orange County photo, what appears to be a B-17 is parked in the background. See cropped photo below. Any ideas as to which aircraft this is?

[JohnB]

One of Tallmantz's aircraft?

[Chris Brame]

I don't think Tallmantz had a B-17 in the '50s (assuming the 48-star flag in the first photo wasn't outdated). Maybe one of the early air tankers?

[SaxMan]

Photo with the T-33s was taken at Bolling AFB in Washington D.C. -- you can see the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in the background.

The one with the Wildcats and the J2F might be NAS Norfolk. I know the planes used to be able to taxi right out to the pier.

I thought it was interesting that for the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation that their Avenger was in Fleet Air Arm colors.

[Clifford Bossie]

... usually what's in the foreground is neat, but many times what's in the background is even more interesting. I have a big bunch of these photos with some real fastinating stuff off in the distance. Care to see some?

WIXer Tulio gave me this thought, thanks Tulio for the neat idea.

M

Part 1


Photo states: El Paso Airport December 17, 1946



Not much to tell about this photo. No info to go on and I can't quite tell what the fourth plane in the far back is. Anyone?


More to come (better stuff promise )

Love that shot of ELP! The B-29 is most likely one from the training group that was spread between Biggs AAF and El Paso Municipal. I might have to steal that one for my website!

The ship in the right background of the other photo is the USS Wyoming BB-32. She had several of her turrets removed under the London Naval Treaty ad spent the rest of her career as a training ship and a test ship. Launched in 1911 she was sold for scrap in 1947.

[Warbirdnerd]

I thought it was interesting that for the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation that their Avenger was in Fleet Air Arm colors.

I am guessing, but the TBM looks like Bob Pond's airplane. (Bu53785-N7075C) Mr Pond was a Naval Aviator in WWII and a big supporter of the museum at Pensacola. I believe one of the Hangars or the Imax theater is named after him. The TBM was one of his first Warbirds and he flew it all over the country.

[bdk]

Back to the older stuff ...

Below is Orange County Airport c 1950's (John Wayne Airport today)
What's that I see way in the background hiding? ....

Did Orange County have those same revetments that Chino/Cal-Aero did? Could that be the POF B-17 in the revetment at Chino?

[cwmc]

Speedy is it this one?



and of course there's a tragic Mustang loss in this photo below

The top photo is the airplane later owned by Russ Hosler and painted black and yellow in the P-38 picture. The second picture of Chuck Tucker's X/C racer when used as a pylon racer in 1947 (and later 1949 as Easter Egg).
Chris...

[SaxMan]

Wyoming was an Atlantic Fleet ship during World War II, which seems to add some credence to this picture being taken at Norfolk. In 1945 she was being used as an experimental mount for various anti-Kamikaze weapons and tactics, and IIRC, it was on the Wyoming where he suffered a heart attack and died on August 25, 1945.

[daviemax]

Wyoming was an Atlantic Fleet ship during World War II, which seems to add some credence to this picture being taken at Norfolk. In 1945 she was being used as an experimental mount for various anti-Kamikaze weapons and tactics, and IIRC, it was on the Wyoming where he suffered a heart attack and died on August 25, 1945.

I must have missed something along the way. Please advise who the antecedent of "he" is that had the heart attack. Thanks!

[Chris Brame]

I must have missed something along the way. Please advise who the antecedent of "he" is that had the heart attack. Thanks!

Sounds like it must have been Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Augustus_Lee

Died August 25, 1945 (aged 57)
USS Wyoming (BB-32), off the coast of Maine

[daviemax]

Thanks for the information Chris. Admiral Willis A. Lee was the victor in the great night battle of Guadalcanal on 15 November 1942 when the guns of U.S. battleship Washington sank Japanese battleship (modified former battle cruiser) Kirishima in arguably the last true battleship-to-battleship engagement. Lee was one of the U.S. Navy's best radar gunnery experts and used this skill very effectively to win the battle.