Hello Friends and Family,
Link to this year's index by clicking here.
Pima Air and Space Museum, Part 3 |
And here we see an interesting amphibian aircraft, the Columbia XJL-1. It was commissioned as a replacement for the Grumman J2F Duck amphibious bi-plane used by the United States Navy. The design was done by Grumman based on their earlier aircraft, resulting in a replacement that was similar to the original but with one wing rather than two. Grumman was tasked with another aircraft development project and thus Columbia was brought in for this project. Three aircraft were built, one for destructive testing and two for flight testing. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations (too many structural failures during testing) and no more were built. This is the last one in existance. |
You'll notice the name on the side — "Petulant Porpoise". I could not find a reference to the source of the name. However, we all know the porpoise, close cousin to the dolphin. And "petulant" means "childishly sulky or bad-tempered". All I can conclude is that this aircraft might have been a handful once it landed on the ocean — up and down on the waves, not a smooth sailor at all. But then, your guess is as good as mine. |
It was designed as a tactical strike bomb and depth charge which could be dropped by an aircraft traveling at a high rate of speed. Depending on the exact warhead attached, the payload would produce a blast of 5 to 20 kilotons TNT equivalent (the Hiroshima atomic bomb had a payload of about 15 kilotons). Note: no payload was attached so we were perfectly safe — or so the sign said. |
At the outbreak of WWII, the B-18 was considered obsolete (replaced by the B-17) however some 122 were modified with a nose-mounted radar replacing the bombardier plus magnetic anomaly detectors for locating submarines installed in the tail and called the B-18B. They served in this role in the Caribbean and Atlantic until 1943 at which time they were redeployed for transport until the end of the war. |
|
|
|
|
It is still in service but was being partially phased out in favor of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. However, since the F-22 is no longer in production and due to the high costs of the F-35, the F-15 (newer models at least) will remain deployed for some time. Note the covering on the canopy on this and other aircraft on display outside in the brilliant Arizona sun. I assume it is to protect the interior of the cockpit since many/most of these planes are probably still airworthy. |
|
Newer versions are the primary aircraft still in use by the Navy and Marines as well as a number of Allied air forces. |
Due to federal budget cutbacks, the Blue Angels have fewer appearance these days. Back in 2006, they appeared at an air show in Goodyear, AZ. I attended on the preview day at which time the Blue Angels were practicing for their performances for Saturday and Sunday. It turned out to be fortuitous for me since it was beautiful weather and minuscule crowds which afforded me the opportunity to get some great shots. If you are interested in revisiting the full set of photos from that air show, click here and here. |
To be continued...
Life is good.
Aloha,
B. David
P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com