Comments by "Pete Sheppard" (@petesheppard1709) on "Ed Nash's Military Matters" channel.

  1. A very attractive little machine! Thanks again for bringing a significant, but unsung, aircraft to light!
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  2. Oh, those weird, wacky and wonderful first generation jets... You have made me curious about Douglas and those bug-eyed canopies, since the idea was also used in the C-74 Globemaster.
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  3. For the notional 'tank hordes' of WWIII in Europe, the A-10 was intended to be a Maverick missile truck, with the gun the last-ditch weapon, and losses were expected to be horrendous against the extremely sophisticated Soviet air defenses. As much as I too, like an in-your-face gun platform, modern small PGMs with current sensors can provide successful CAS from a safe distance for the pilot. Drones and arty will probably be the future for 'Danger Close' support. These also have the advantage of being more responsive to need, in all weather.
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  4. Thanks. The Privateer was one tough, lumpy beast; it made Liberators look sleek. I was always fascinated by those waist turrets. Inside the fairing, they were self-contained ball units, with the gunners riding inside. I can only imagine the ride during an engagement, with the plane yanking and banking while the gunner was trying to track the target--Airsick City!!
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  5. Thanks for a very informative video--especially the origins and background of the A/X program. I rather liked the YA-9's appearance, but one feature that may have also been a factor was all the visible work Fairchild-Republic put into the YA-10 to maximize its survivability. These features are, after all, a major reason for its rather ungainly appearance.
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  6. The Pucara definitely fits the 'what if' niche. It could well be that politics crippled sales effort, with Argentina seen as something of a pariah due to its internal problems.
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  7. The production numbers also illustrated the desperation of an unprepared nation, frantically playing catch-up.
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  8. The Airacobra’s redemption continues. The film of RAF planes is especially appreciated!
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  9. Thank you for filling in these gaps in aviation history! A bit off-topic, but my understanding is that 'Flying Fortress' was not a reference to the B-17s armament, but its stated defensive use to bombard possible invading fleets far at sea, out of range of conventional land fortresses.
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  10. Another good, solid video about a little-known aircraft!
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  11. However, the B-17 was a far better handling aircraft And could take more battle damage than B-24s. Most pilots preferred to fly the Forts.
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  12. Very well done! Thanks for a balance, thoughtful review. I've always thought that the Albacore was better than most histories suggested, but that wartime circumstances somehow favored the more primitive Swordfish.
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  13.  @johngregory4801  Yep; the C-135 family and the 707 were parallel developments from the same prototype. THEN when you consider the evolution of the 707, the 720, 727 AND the 737, which is still in production almost 60 years later, INCLUDING the Navy's new P-8 patrol aircraft, yes, Boeing has done well.
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  14. The imagery you were able to collect for this video is outstanding!
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  15. It makes me think of a 'Super Gnat'.
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  16. Where was the arrestor hook supposed to go? It's interesting that just about everyone tried the 'pod/boom' layout, with DeHavilland doing the best job.
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  17. Note the shadow; it cleared a one-story house by less than a wingspan as it touched down!
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  18. Much honor to a former enemy! It's something of a miracle that he survived.
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  19. A good starter would be to lose most of the armament (and accompanying weight). The 20mm and a couple of FFAR pods would be plenty for a recon platform.
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  20. When you mentioned Brewster, I immediately thought of the Brewster Corsair as the Elbonian fighter. You could wax eloquent about the Corsair legend, just overlook the fact that the Brewster variant (of which a fair number were actually built) was criminally (literally) bad.
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  21. The Twin Wasp is better known to many as the R-1830. So many great aircraft that just weren't quite great enough.
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  22. And it shoudl be noted that all of his kills were FIGHTERS, when the Luftwaffe was at its peak.
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  23. Your one-sentence closing is powerful in its eloquent simplicity. I wonder how much of its relative anonymity was simply due to confusion with the Wellie. In US vernacular, such rescue aircraft were nicknamed 'DUMBOS' and were employed in the Pacific, as well as postwar. For those whose knowledge is as patchy as mine, the Double Wasp is the R-2800.
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  24. I had thought those were mostly bored pilots trying to find something to do. There were even attempts to use IR Falcon and Sidewinder missiles to hit trucks and locomotives.
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  25. Thank you for this video! I've seen brief, almost teasing mentions of this aircraft for many years, so your information is most welcome. As you said, 'What if...' It would probably have been quickly outclassed, but it seemed to have the potential to blunt the Japanese juggernaut.
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  26. Thanks for the background on the Lanc's daddy.
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  27. FUN FACT: The B-26s used at the Bay of Pigs were seconded from the Alabama Air National Guard. Some of the ANG pilots also flew some of the missions.
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  28. The photo at :46 looked like an attempt to give a sailplane an auxiliary power plant, and that sleek little Fanliner...stimulated...the pilot in me. That RFB/Rockwell 'Fanranger' looks like an attempt to shrink the T-2 Buckeye down a bit.
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  29.  @ricardokowalski1579  The OV-10D used by the Marines was primarily an observation/battlefield recce asset, but was too vulnerable to the early-gen MANPADs used by the Iraqis. In a modern ADA environment, it would be suicide. Besides, there are some new trainer/attack aircraft currently in production that can be used if the opportunity arises.
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  30. Part of the testing process. Start out simple and light, then add on systems as experience and accumulated flight data increases.
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  31.  @tonymarsh8436  I have to wonder how he avoided the carrier's propellers.
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  32. Lack of fighter escort was the killer. TBFs flying off Midway (a VT-8 detachment) were similarly abused by the Japanese; Avengers in lieu of Devastators would have likely suffered a similar fate as the TBDs.
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  33. Very concise, informative and poignant.
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  34. Thanks for a very informative video. I knew the aircraft had been flown by the RAF, but no details.
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  35. Bravo! The King of the What Ifs strikes again. Aside from possible 'terminal conditions', the pilot in me wishes the plane could have enjoyed better success.
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  36. Good call! The 'Skoshi Tiger' qualifies as a 'forgotten' variant of the F-5 line. I remember a news clip from '75 which was reported to be of an F-5 whose pilot had gone over to the Communists, bombing RVN facilities.
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  37. No, those were Top Gun aggressor F-5Fs painted up.
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  38. So many wonderful aircraft, so little money...
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  39. If only budgets were unlimited...The comparison with the F-106 was valid. Besides having the same engine, the F-106 also used a double control stick for flight and missile guidance. Those two aircraft would have made a really interesting competition, though the Super Crusader had the handicap of being a Navy airplane.
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  40. The T-38 is on its way out, being replaced by the T-7 Red Hawk. The BUFF, though, abides...
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  41. I see what you did there...
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  42. Thank you! So many wrecks (mostly figurative) along the path of progress...
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  43. AAF P-47s were flown off US carriers to shore bases.
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  44. In Robert S. Johnson's memoir, THUNDERBOLT , he describes mock dogfights with Spitfires both before and after having paddle blades installed. Like you point out, it was night and day. If you can find the book, GRAB IT! It's a great read.
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  45.  @mastathrash5609  Really. I imagine he needed some serious counselling after.
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  46. The fact that it alliterates with Vickers makes that easy, too.
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  47. From this brief video, it appears the M4000 would have been a much better buy than the Tornados for Saudi Arabia.
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  48. I didn't read Hub's, but fighter pilot memoirs were some of my favorite reading, as a kid in the '60s. The best for me was THUNDERBOLT by Hub's squadron mate, Bob Johnson.
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  49. Well, dang...that was one sweet-looking ship.
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  50. Thank you for sharing this! 🙂
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