Thursday, May 31, 2012

81st Sentai - Mitsubishi Ki-46 (Dinah) - 一〇〇式司令部偵察機

81st Sentai - Mitsubishi Ki-46 (Dinah) - 一〇〇式司令部偵察機:


The marking of the 81st Sentai was based on the numbers "8" in the middle and stylised "1". In the first chutai the 81 was white surrounded by red, in the second chutai the 81 was red surrounded by white as shown above and the third chutai had a yellow 81 surrounded by red. (Artwork: D. Chouinard)

On September 20, 1941 the Dokuritsu 16 Chutai (Independent Company) equipped with two chutai of reconnaissance aircraft was renamed the 81st Sentai (Regiment).
Initially the 81st had six Mitsubishi Ki-46 (Dinah) and 20 Mitsubishi Ki-15 (Babs) in its strength and was based in Zhangde (present-day Anyang, Henan province) in North China.
In the middle of November, 1941 the unit left its base and arrived in Pnom Penh via Nanking and Canton to participate in the Malay Peninsula Operations with the 3rd Hiko Shudan (Joint Air Group).
From December 8 the unit was based either in Sungei Petani or Alor Setar in Malaysia performing reconnaissance flights keeping truck of the enemy movements.
By January Dinah of the unit were flying over Singapore reporting the status of the defences, helping the ground units in their attack preparations.
Their next contribution was helping the Army parachute units in their airborne operations in Sumatra and Palembang. Parachute unit officers flew with Dinah of the 81st over Palembang constantly reporting on the weather and enemy positions. During the actual operations on February 15, 1942 two Dinah of the 81st reconnoitre the area to observe the progress of the parashute landings.
On May 1st the unit was left with only six Dinah and one Babs. Starting from that month one chutai was assigned to the Burma theatre to participate in the operations in that area. Aircraft of the Chutai flew well inside India and as far as Kunming in Yunnan province, southwest China and also participating in the operations of the 7th Hikodan (Air Brigade).
In December a third chutai was organised and in January 1943, the 81st Sentai was based in Hlegu airfield in Burma (Hlegu).
On April 2 the first Chutai of the 81st Sentai became the second Chutai of the 10th Sentai and relocated to Wewak in Papua/New Guinnea.


In this most interesting NARA photo a Mitsubishi Ki-21 (Sally) of the 81st Sentai is seen under a camouflage net on the left of the photo next to a 14th Sentai Sally. The 81st mainly operated Ki-46s and Ki-15s so this Sally is either a liaison aircraft or perhaps modified for reconnaissance missions. Location is Lakunai airfield, Rabaul, New Britain, January 26, 1944. Note the harbor of Rabaul in the background full of ships but also the Nakajima J1N Gekko and the various installations.  

In January 1944 unit strength was 20 airplanes with equal number of pilots but from the beginning of March ten airplanes were in Hlegu, an unknown number in Heho airfield also in Burma (Heho) and from these two bases the 81st Sentai participated in the Imphal operations with the 5th Hiko Shidan (Air Division).
By the end of April, elements of the 8th Sentai were incorporated into the 81st bringing the total strength of the unit to 30 airplanes and 27 pilots.
From 1945 the 81st with its remaining airplanes and pilots performed reconnaissance missions over a very wide area covering Burma, the Andaman Islands and South-West China  until the end of the war.

In this NARA photo the tail of a shot down Dinah belonging to the 81st Sentai in the C.B.I. theatre in 1944 excellently shows the shape of the tail marking. Any more details about the location etc?

Touring the Ghosts of Douglas Aircraft Company’s Past

Touring the Ghosts of Douglas Aircraft Company’s Past:
As a Long Beach resident and airline dork, I have a special connection with Douglas airplanes. As World War II ramped up, Donald Douglas Sr made the decision to build a new plant in Long Beach to crank out the airplanes needed by the military. That plant became the mainstay of the Douglas production operation and was the home of nearly every Douglas commercial jet until the last 717 rolled off the line almost exactly six years ago. I had the chance to tour some of these facilities last weekend. [Fair Warning: If you're not an aircraft dork, this post might not be for you.]
DC-8 Parking
The impetus for the tour was the arrival of a DC-8-62 operated by Air Transport International. Classic Jet Tours put together a trip where the DC-8 would fly a bunch of people down from its base in Sacramento to Long Beach and back. The idea was to visit the spot where the airplane was made and get a tour in Long Beach while there.
Cabin at Rear of DC-8
Unfortunately, due to some weight and balance issues, the aircraft didn’t arrive until an hour late, so we weren’t able to give the in-depth terminal tour that we usually give. That doesn’t mean the group just turned around and left. The 32 people who came (the small passenger cabin is at the back, behind the big cargo area) were able to get a tour of the old Douglas jet plants which have been idle for years. I was excited to ride along.
Douglas LGB Layout
The original buildings were built on the northeast corner of Long Beach Airport. It was here the Douglas cranked out thousands of C-47s, B-17s, and more for the war effort. Those buildings were demolished a few years ago and a mixed use industrial park (called Douglas Park) is now being built in its place. But across Lakewood Blvd, the eastern boundary of Long Beach Airport, Douglas constructed Buildings 80-87 to house the commercial jet production operation for the company. These all still stand today, just completely empty. Here’s a video of the tour:
Building 80 is the most recognizable as it has the brilliant lighted “Fly DC Jets” sign on top. That sign is a landmark and won’t be going anywhere. It was inside Building 80 where the company built its DC-9s, MD-80s, and ultimately the 717 after Boeing took over. The last one was delivered to AirTran on May 23, 2006 and the plant has remained idled since.
Right next door is Building 84, where the DC-8s, DC-10s, and MD-11s rolled off the line. Across the way, Buildings 85, 86, and 87 were all paint shops to get the airplanes ready to go to their owners. When they were ready, the company would shut down Lakewood Blvd in the middle of the night so they could bring the jet on to the airport itself for flight testing. That street hasn’t been shut down in years.
While a book should be written on the demise of Douglas (anyone know if it’s already out there?), the short version is that things went downhill quickly after the merger with McDonnell. Under McDonnell’s management, Douglas wasn’t allowed to innovate. No money was invested into developing new concepts that could have kept Douglas as a major world player. Instead, a trickle of money was given to stretch airplanes that never lived up to their expectations and really never would have been competitive in the long run. It pains me to think what could have been had the funds been there to really develop new jets. That Long Beach plant might still be humming today.
Instead, the buildings are simply empty shells. Boeing owns the buildings and has been trying to sell them. The only two real proposals so far were for a movie sound stage operation (which never got funded) and an electric car plant for Tesla. When Tesla decided to re-open a closed plant in the Bay Area, the near-term fate of the Long Beach facilities seemed sealed.
Hopefully some day another use will be found for these buildings, but it won’t be to build airplanes. The last fixed wing manufacturing plant in California is across the airport where the C-17 is built. Once those orders run out, California’s proud legacy as an aircraft manufacturer will be completely extinguished.
[See more photos of the DC-8's visit to Long Beach]

Turkey - Army Dornier Do-28D-2 Skyservant

Turkey - Army Dornier Do-28D-2 Skyservant:
10031 photographed at Ankara - Guvercinlik (LTAB) on May 31 by Marinus Dirk Tabak. clearly ex German AF. In fact serial 58+47 is still readable. Later sold as TC-TRM.

Phantom II wings folded

Phantom II wings folded:

Phantom II wings folded

Supermarine Seafire with wings folded

Supermarine Seafire with wings folded:

Supermarine Seafire with wings folded

Hawker Sea Hawk with folded wings

Hawker Sea Hawk with folded wings:

Hawker Sea Hawk with folded wings

Sukhoi Su-33s on deck with folded wings

Sukhoi Su-33s on deck with folded wings:

Sukhoi Su-33s on deck with folded wings

“A Vought F-8H Crusader (BuNo 148678) of fighter squadron...

“A Vought F-8H Crusader (BuNo 148678) of fighter squadron...:

“A Vought F-8H Crusader (BuNo 148678) of fighter squadron VF-111 Sundowners, Attack Carrier Air Wing Sixteen (CVW-16), on the forward elevator of the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) in 1969 during a deployment to Vietnam.”

Handley Page 0/400 with wings folded

Handley Page 0/400 with wings folded:

Handley Page 0/400 with wings folded

Firefly having its wings folded

Firefly having its wings folded:

Firefly having its wings folded

de Havilland Sea Vixen with folded wings

de Havilland Sea Vixen with folded wings:

de Havilland Sea Vixen with folded wings

Northrop Grumman, L-3 MAS to Join Forces on Unmanned System for Canadian Security

Northrop Grumman, L-3 MAS to Join Forces on Unmanned System for Canadian Security: Ottawa, Canada (SPX) May 31, 2012


Northrop Grumman and L-3 MAS announced plans to join forces on a variant of the Northrop Grumman-produced Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for Canada to maintain continuous surveillance of its Arctic territories.

Dubbed "Polar Hawk," the system will be designed to stay aloft for long periods of time in harsh weather conditions over vast expans

Boeing Delivers First EA-18G Growler Featuring Bharat Electronics Limited Cockpit Subassembly

Boeing Delivers First EA-18G Growler Featuring Bharat Electronics Limited Cockpit Subassembly: Bangalore, India (SPX) May 31, 2012


Boeing delivered to the U.S. Navy the first EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft on May 3, with a cockpit subassembly produced by Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The subassembly provides cockpit floodlighting compatible with the aircraft's Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS).

Boeing awarded BEL an initial contract in March 2011 for work on Super Hornet cockpit subasse

North American TF-51D Mustang (PH-VDF)

North American TF-51D Mustang (PH-VDF):
Aircraft's picture "North American TF-51D Mustang" registered PH-VDF
North American TF-51D Mustang - PH-VDF

Avro Lancaster B1 (PA474)

Avro Lancaster B1 (PA474):
Aircraft's picture "Avro Lancaster B1" registered PA474
Avro Lancaster B1 - PA474

Dassault Rafale C (104)

Dassault Rafale C (104):
Aircraft's picture "Dassault Rafale C" registered 104
Dassault Rafale C - 104

Avro Lancaster B1 (PA474)

Avro Lancaster B1 (PA474):
Aircraft's picture "Avro Lancaster B1" registered PA474
Avro Lancaster B1 - PA474

Stampe SV-4C (OO-TOX)

Stampe SV-4C (OO-TOX):
Aircraft's picture "Stampe SV-4C" registered OO-TOX
Stampe SV-4C - OO-TOX

CONVAIR 440/580 (C-FTAP)

CONVAIR 440/580 (C-FTAP):
Aircraft's picture "CONVAIR 440/580" registered C-FTAP
CONVAIR 440/580 - C-FTAP

Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28) (G-PBYA)

Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28) (G-PBYA):
Aircraft's picture "Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28)" registered G-PBYA
Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28) - G-PBYA

Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28) (G-PBYA)

Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28) (G-PBYA):
Aircraft's picture "Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28)" registered G-PBYA
Canadian Vickers Canso PBY-5A (28) - G-PBYA

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 (LN-NCC)

De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 (LN-NCC):
Aircraft's picture "De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1" registered LN-NCC
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk.1 - LN-NCC

Extra EA-330SC (F-TGCJ)

Extra EA-330SC (F-TGCJ):
Aircraft's picture "Extra EA-330SC" registered F-TGCJ
Extra EA-330SC - F-TGCJ

FOTOS VARIAS Y SUDAN

FOTOS VARIAS Y SUDAN:
 Esta es una foto muy curiosa. Probablemente sea de origen francés ya que los aviones interceptadores parecen ser una pareja de Mirage. Quizás el Galaxy se ha perdido o está fuera de rumbo o cuando sobrevolaba Francia lo usaron para practicar una interceptación. O quizás el Galaxy ha declarado alguna emergencia y los franceses se han acercado ha "echar un vistazo" al exterior. El motor interior del ala izquierda parece llevar una reversa abierta o se le ha desprendido una pieza del recubrimiento... o son imaginaciones mias, no sé, con todo rara foto.
Aqui un "primo" del QF-86 que vimos el otro dá. ¿Lleva pintados misiles de crucero bajo la cabina?
 Me alegra comprobar que uno de los An-12 más exóticos que existen y con un esquema de pintura ciertamente llamativo aún continúa en plena forma en Tangarog.
 Sudán. Un piloto comercial o de ayuda humanitaria, mientras hace una espera para acceder a cabecera caza dos Mi-24V sudaneses despegando.
Siempre me ha llamado la atención que los helicópteros rueden a cabecera de pista para despegar como si fueran un avión y no lo hagan desde donde están estacionados. A veces ruedan largas distancias y es muy curioso. Los rusos suelen hacerlo así.

Goin' Scootin' with Barry

Goin' Scootin' with Barry: Singapore Airlines (SIA) long-haul low-cost carrier, Scoot, has named two of its Boeing 777-200 aircraft after a Facebook campaign conducted by the airline.

The first aircraft, registered 9V-OTA, was christened "Barry" and its second aircraft, registered 9V-OTC, was named "Goin' Scootin'". 

You can also see pictures of Scoot's aircraft painted in its full livery.

rsz_barry.jpg
"Barry" - 9V-OTA

rsz_goin_scootin.jpg
"Goin' Scootin'" - 9V-OTC

Images courtesy of Scoot Pte Ltd

Untitled Robin DR-400-160 Major 80

Untitled Robin DR-400-160 Major 80:
F-GGHY photographed at Girona - Costa Brava (GRO / LEGE) on May 30 by David Roura - Iberian Spotters. Parked on the south apron. Sadly, this aircraft operated by Aéroclub du Mâconnais crashed on July, 14th 2010 at Carpentras airport, causing one fatality. Rest in peace.

Insel Air Aruba Fokker 50

Insel Air Aruba Fokker 50:
PJ-KVG photographed at Oranjestad - Reina Beatrix (AUA / TNCA) on May 30 by Thomas Heinrich.

Untitled Socata MS 893 A

Untitled Socata MS 893 A:
F-BPMJ photographed at Cannes - Mandelieu (CEQ / LFMD) on May 30 by Luigi Maccio - SpotIT.

Untitled Dyn'Aero MCR - 4S 2002

Untitled Dyn'Aero MCR - 4S 2002:
F-PBLJ photographed at Cannes - Mandelieu (CEQ / LFMD) on May 30 by Luigi Maccio - SpotIT.

Gulf Aviation (Air Atlantique Classic Flight) De Havilland DH-104 Devon C2

Gulf Aviation (Air Atlantique Classic Flight) De Havilland DH-104 Devon C2:
G-DHDV photographed at Fairford (FFD / EGVA) on May 30 by Simon Thomas. Seen at the 2002 Royal International Air Tattoo. Scanned from a negative.

Orient Thai Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (DC-9-82)

Orient Thai Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (DC-9-82):
HS-MDK photographed at Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi International (BKK / VTBS) on May 30 by Wim Callaert.

Orient Thai Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (DC-9-81)

Orient Thai Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (DC-9-81):
HS-MDI photographed at Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi International (BKK / VTBS) on May 30 by Wim Callaert.

Luftrettung - Bundesministerium des Innern Eurocopter EC-135T-2+

Luftrettung - Bundesministerium des Innern Eurocopter EC-135T-2+:
D-HZSB photographed at Heliport Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Hamburg on May 30 by Cseri Gergely - Hungarian Ag-Flying Photographers.

Japan Airlines - JAL (J-Air) Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-200ER

Japan Airlines - JAL (J-Air) Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-200ER:
JA202J photographed at Tokyo - Haneda International (HND / RJTT) on May 30 by Kazuchika Naya.

Untitled Schweizer 269C 300C

Untitled Schweizer 269C 300C:
N767LH photographed at Dallas - Addison (ADS) on May 30 by Jonathan Morgan. [Canon 7D + 70-200 L]