Modern Vespa

http://www.chicagoscooterclub.com/2009/01/the-library-of-congress-on-flickr-found-a-wwii-scooter-nice-cushman/

The Library of Congress Flickr page is a must see. 8)

Great photo, thats my fav plane.


Manny

Ever been up in one?

I paid to go up in a B-25 back in '93, and a B-17 in 2005. If you ever go to an airshow where they have rides available, I highly recommend it.

Ive never flown in any vintage WW2 plane, but I have been in a B17, a life size P38 Lighting and a Heinkel 111 Bomber, HE actually flew and I got to meet a piolet who was shot down on his first mission and was held in a Canadian POW camp.

This is me with a real American Hero. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/3067211509_2fa1b2a2fe_o.jpg

Somewhere around LA you can go for a ride in a P51 Mustang, someday.

The Heinkel He 111 had to be the one the CAF had, that was the only 111 still in flying status until it crashed and was destroyed, along with it's pilot, a few years back. It was a post-war Spanish plane, one of the planes featured in the Battle of Britain movie from 1969.

Hello Manny, I would highly reccomend the taking a ride in anything vintage at an airshow. I was able to take a ride in a 1927 Fleet Bipe. I also flew a Navy SNJ ( AT-6) for an hour long flight which I was able to log into my logbook. Great fun on both flights.

I attended almost every airshow within a 100 miles of my home when I lived in FL and Upstate NY. Have not been in many years, but next one close to us here in SoCal, I will make sure I can go.

There are 2 AT-6's at our local airport here, that take passengers up for rides. I see them above the house all the time in the summer.

Also, regarding the AT-6, many people might not know that they were actually used in combat, as the Wirraway (Australia) for a short time in 1942.

NOOOOOO, really, that was it I belive, I was lucky enough to experience it in 1998 at the Santa Maria air show. I was visiting a friend when I saw it flying over and deciced to hit the air show on the way home. Ive got photos of the inside and out, I hope to have my negetive scanner working soon. Wow that sucks, thats a piece of history lost.

Below are some poor scans, someday I'll post the rest on my flickr

A Texan, they had one at the Long Beach Airshow during the last fire storms. Couldnt find the 1927 planes photos. But cool a Texan, didnt know they were actually used in combact, cool.

The Australian version was called he Wirraway, and they were used in combat ZONES, operationally, but not like fighter aircraft. I'll have to go back and check my books to see if any DID have guns mounted..I think there were a few, used as stopgap planes until they started getting P-40's from the U.S. later in '42. They were mainly used as observation, spotter planes, over the New Guinea war zones, like along the Kokoda Track. Again, I'd have to check to make sure, but I think there WERE actual combat confrontations with Wirraways and Japanese fighters, but it wasn't like the Wirraway pilots were itching for a fight.

Along the same lines Google and Life Magazine have this http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Search scooter for some really neat images - babies riding standing up on fenderlights, a really cool Ape, and Washington DC police riding scooters through tear gas, dispersing anti-war protesters.....

Thanks Rich, good stuff.

Manny