Warbird Information Exchange

Here are a few I've seen over the past couple years.

90th Flying Training Squadron T-38 from Sheppard AFB, Texas, painted to honor the 90th Pursuit Group in the CBI. Photographed at Shaw Air Force Base, April 2022.

IMG_8544 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

T-6 Texan II of the 459th Flying Training Squadron "Twin Dragons," commemorating P-38s of the 459th Fighter Squadron. Photographed at Wings by the Wabash, Robinson, IL, September 2021.

IMG_9725 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

T-38 Talon of the 469th Flying Training Squadron, based at Sheppard AFB, Texas. Silhouettes on the tail represent unit history associated with the B-24, P-47, F-86, F-105 and F-4. The shark mouth represents the time the unit spent at Korat RTBAFB, Thailand. Photographed at Airventure, July 2022.

IMG_1182 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_3861 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

And a few more of the "Screaming Banshees" T-6 Texan II at Airventure, July 2022. The 89th Flying Training Squadron is based at Sheppard AFB.

IMG_3859 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

IMG_3860 by Matthew Vader, on Flickr

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Matt

Loving the fact that the Air Force got the proportions of its own insignia wrong on that last Texan.

August

"It's their plane, they can paint it however they want!"

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Agreed. It similarly irks me that, while there is an SEA scheme for the F-5/T-38, they instead conjured one up. The general lack of networking between the DoD and civil counterparts is truly unfortunate. There are any number of credible people in the history/museum/modeling/art world who would gladly assist. While there have been some notable exceptions, they are outliers.

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

Here's a recent story and photos of a Moody AFB A-10 being painted up as a tribute to AVG P-40s.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/a ... camouflage

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Matt

Very cool indeed! BUT does it have the Chinese Nationalist emblems on the wing?

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

Remember the Air Force had a T-38 pretending to be a F-5 (with painted over back canopy) with SEA camouflage on display for several years on display at Lackland AFB.
All done by well meaning folks who lack the knowledge of WIXers.
With us it's a hobby, maybe a passion. To them, it's a day's work.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Imagine some captain, the wing project officer for the heritage re-paint, going into the wing commander's office saying...
"Sir, to be accurate we need to put the Chinese emblem on the wing".
In today's political climate, it's not going to happen...even with the Nationalist Chinese emblem.
If for no other reason than they would need protection from F-22s.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

The 4th Fighter Wing’s F-15E Strike Eagle flagship, named "The Spirit of Goldsboro”, taxis to take part in a five-ship heritage flight at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, May 5, 2023. The 4th FW and 333rd, 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons’ painted their F-15E Strike Eagle flagships to commemorate the wing’s heritage and celebrate the men and women who have paved the way for the wing. The history started with the Eagle Squadrons from the Royal Air Force, developed under leaders like Col. Don Blakeslee pictured on the wing flagship, who excelled as the first of many who helped the wing transition through numerous titles before becoming the 4th FW as we know it today. The newly painted flagships are intended to help showcase each unit’s unique logo, celebrate the wing’s combat airpower and commemorate the historical milestones accomplished throughout the years. (U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Kevin Holloway)

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When I was young "sex was safe & flying was dangerous".

Would be great if they recreated the F-15E formation for the public at the Seymour Johnson airshow this weekend.

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Matt

Does anyone know how or why the recent proliferation of heritage schemes came to be in the USN/USAF?

I recall a not so distant time when heritage schemes were just not a thing for our forces, while the Europeans seemed to be all over them. Did someone just rise to a high enough position where they said, "That's pretty cool, we're doing that too!"?

I suppose that was step one, and step two would be, I dunno, calling over the the NMUSAF and asking the office of guys who give a sh*t, "Hey, are we getting this paint job right?"

Any insights would be appreciated.

Maybe the Air Force higher-ups noticed how much positive publicity the Navy was getting with their Century of Naval Aviation paint schemes.

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I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.

Found some aerial photo's of this Thunderbolt.....

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remember the Oogahonk!
old school enthusiast of Civiltary Warbirds and Air Racers

That is a great looking scheme. Very nice when they use the vintage national insignia and get the proper proportions. That is a scheme that was chosen with care by someone who knew what they were doing.

Crew chiefs assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron prepare an F-16 Fighting Falcon for takeoff, July 10, 2023, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. This aircraft is a part of an F-16 block swap between the 309th FS and the 49th Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. This paint scheme matches that of the World War II era 310th Fighter Squadron’s “Passionate Patsy” Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
(Photo by Senior Airman Dominic Tyler)

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When I was young "sex was safe & flying was dangerous".