Beaufighters

Sat May 16, 2009 4:57 pm

Just cleaned the gutters out some no more waterfalls :shock:

Time for a break and then 4 yards of barkdust to spread :Hangman:

Sat May 16, 2009 4:59 pm

Awesome stuff man, as always. There is nothing like working out in the yard.

Sat May 16, 2009 7:38 pm

Your second pic's interesting.

X7718, an early nightfighter (flat tail, sooty finish) big radiome on the nose and an American airman, going by the light uniform and cap.

A quick search on the serial X7718 gives:

http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipa ... ~!281671!0

Creator:
Arnold, Rudy, 1902-1966 photographer
Title:
Bristol Beaufighter Family (Type 156) ; Wrigglesworth, William J. (Capt). [photograph]
Contained in:
Rudy Arnold Photo Collection
Digital Reference:
Image
Produced:
ca. 1942
Summary:
Low one-fourth left side view of Royal Air Force Bristol Beaufighter Mk.1 (Type 156, RAF s/n X7718) on the ground, U.S. Army Air Force Captain William J. Wrigglesworth is part of the US inspection team and is waving from atop the aircraft, ca. 1942.

Local Number:
XXXX-0356_XRA-0183

Sat May 16, 2009 10:31 pm

Friends

The Wright Field Foreign Aircraft Status board of 1 April 1944 has Beaufighter 7718 inactive at AAF School of Applied Tactics, at Orlando, FL, which makes sense since this where the night fighter O.T.U. was, later the O.T.U. move to Hammer Field, CA.

Tom

Sun May 17, 2009 8:03 am

The last picture of the first set has some real irony to it. A Beaufighter in American colors and in the background a Hudson in British colors. Lend Lease at it's finest.
Bob

Sun May 17, 2009 9:23 am

Am I the only one thinks the Beaufighter was an odd looking duck? I love it's big snouty engines and the nose tucked back behind them. It's all function, you know? One of my favorites of WWII. Thanks Jack--I snagged one of your pics for my new background on my raggedy assed new (ish) pc.

Sun May 17, 2009 9:24 am

Good stuff Jack

Sun May 17, 2009 10:02 am

muddyboots wrote:Am I the only one thinks the Beaufighter was an odd looking duck? I love it's big snouty engines and the nose tucked back behind them. It's all function, you know?

Known as 'a couple of whacking great engines hotly pursued by an airframe...'

If you had to belly-land in countryside, it was often tougher than a lot of things you were going to steamroller too, and the engines might clear a path...

Sun May 17, 2009 10:16 am

So was that a turret in the top, or a bubble with a flexible gun mounted in it

Mon May 18, 2009 6:01 am

Flexible gun mounted in blister. In some I beleive it was used just for observation. Found a nice little Pathe newsreel that some may be interested in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsUdbzQCm_Y

Tue May 19, 2009 7:30 am

i think the cockpit configuration was the coolest!!

Tue May 19, 2009 8:26 am

.
The DAP Mark 21 Beaufighter at the Australian National Aviation Museum can be toured internally and externally via the museum's "Virtual Tours"

http://www.aarg.com.au/ipix_images/VirtualTour13.htm

http://www.aarg.com.au/ipix_images/VirtualTour10.htm

http://www.aarg.com.au/ipix_images/VirtualTour11.htm

http://www.aarg.com.au/ipix_images/VirtualTour12.htm

you may need to download a Java Applet or get instructions from:

http://www.aarg.com.au/ipix_images/VirtualTourhelp.htm

Regards

Mark Pilkington