awesome planes
Some day someone will say that about CFC and all the old Ford 4x4s and there will be another Jay Leno with the last 4 door diesel drw 4x4 in his collection :-)
Boss gave us a free passes, including paddock passes to see the '73 Mojave Air Races.
Fun watching the AT-6 races, and the main race event with a hand full
of P-51s and one lone P-38, along with all the other aircraft.
My favorites were the P-38 Lightning and the de Havilland Vampire.
Got to watch the likes of Art Scholl and Bob Hoover; both amazing pilots.
There was this 18(?) passenger single radial looking engine prop plane that
could take off in the width of a runway. Don't suppose anyone here might
know what plane that would be.
All I remember about it is that the wing was mounted on top of the fuselage,
two wing support struts attached from the bottom of the wing and to the
bottom part of the fuselage. It looked old, even back then.
BTW, anyone familiar with Burt Rattan?
I absolutely love the F4U Corsair; B-58 Hustler; F-104 Starfighter; F-100 Super Sabre, and when I saw that F-86 Sabre. . . wow!!!!
As for civilian aircraft, the old Ford Tri-Motor and the Cessna 310 really 'get the juices flowing'.
(Reading my scribble before posting. . . . it sure looks like I'm an old fart, doesn't it!?!?!??)

Oh well. . . as Popeye would say, "I yam what I yam!"

Burt Rutan gained notoriety it the late '70's with the VariEze, a funky little homebuilt canard aircraft with a pusher prop.
He pioneered the use of composite over foam construction.
And was recently famous for building SpaceShip One.
I'd imagine he's still active in the EAA
Burt Rutan gained notoriety it the late '70's with the VariEze, a funky little homebuilt canard aircraft with a pusher prop.
He pioneered the use of composite over foam construction.
And was recently famous for building SpaceShip One.
I'd imagine he's still active in the EAA
And also built the aircraft that set the Non-Stop, non-refueled trip around the world, record.



Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
he offered the home built aircraft the VariViggen in the seventies, and then
the VariEze and LongEze later on.
He was also involved in NASA's Mini-Sniffer program. It was a remote controlled,
prop-driven aircraft developed to sample the upper atmosphere for pollution.
The Mini-Sniffer represented one of the earliest attempts by NASA to monitor
the earth's atmosphere at high altitudes and was also considered for planetary
atmospheric sampling flights over Mars. Three were built. We (my boss) did
some fiberglass work on the engine cowl on the first one. They were pretty
cool looking aircraft.
Boss gave us a free passes, including paddock passes to see the '73 Mojave Air Races.
Fun watching the AT-6 races, and the main race event with a hand full
of P-51s and one lone P-38, along with all the other aircraft.
My favorites were the P-38 Lightning and the de Havilland Vampire.
Got to watch the likes of Art Scholl and Bob Hoover; both amazing pilots.
There was this 18(?) passenger single radial looking engine prop plane that
could take off in the width of a runway. Don't suppose anyone here might
know what plane that would be.
All I remember about it is that the wing was mounted on top of the fuselage,
two wing support struts attached from the bottom of the wing and to the
bottom part of the fuselage. It looked old, even back then.
BTW, anyone familiar with Burt Rattan?
That bizarre looking contraption is a Sikorsky S-38, and I read in a book somewhere that PAN AM used them to pioneer their air routes to South America with them way back when. They were also in use by the military forces (ARMY AIR CORPS) a long long time ago.
~Most people think Sikorsky only designed helicopters...
I realise this is a twin engine bird - but it could easily be the one you're thinking of. It looks like a banana with a complete "Gilbert Erector Set" attached to it...
*Note the lower stub wings with pontoons, and very long landing gear struts. The wings also display signs of classic "Fabric over Rib" construction
How'd you like to fly to Buenos Aires in THAT?
That bizarre looking contraption is a Sikorsky S-38, and I read in a book somewhere that PAN AM used them to pioneer their air routes to South America with them way back when. They were also in use by the military forces (ARMY AIR CORPS) a long long time ago.
~Most people think Sikorsky only designed helicopters...
I realise this is a twin engine bird - but it could easily be the one you're thinking of. It looks like a banana with a complete "Gilbert Erector Set" attached to it...
*Note the lower stub wings with pontoons, and very long landing gear struts. The wings also display signs of classic "Fabric over Rib" construction
How'd you like to fly to Buenos Aires in THAT?
The one I saw back in Mojave had the basic shape of an old Ford Tri-Motor.
I think it also had that 'fabric over rib' look, but not sure.
I'm going back some 37 years ago.
I don't a Tri-Motor could take off in the width of a runway, from a dead start.
I'll have to see if I can find a book on the complete history of aircraft.
I will tell you something about fabric aircraft and that S-38 is a fabric overcast. Many owners of fabric covered antique aircraft use SC Johnson Pledge furniture wax to clean and protect the fabric. We have been buying for years in the pump bottles but now they discontinued the pump bottles and the only way you can buy it is in the aerosol cans for sixteen prices. Many have complained to them thinking they would be simpathitic to fabric aircraft owners but we were wrong they could care less. Some have even asked to buy 55 gallon drums. It works good on cars also.





