Warbird Information Exchange

Looks like a winter ops day at CWH!

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Mike

Ah yes, There we were, left engine on fire, right engine feathered...ahh yes,...there we were, ..Screwed! No Kissing!

I hope those are F4U-5NL's
Makes me cold just look at those pics.

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"I've already got four, and I've got thirty cornered" Lt Paul Pablo VF-14 USS Essex

I think it's pretty clear from the two photographs that you are looking at different boats. The Air & Space photo and the first one shown on this thread have very different decks on the starboard side. There's an observation/gun post clearly visable in the "Oriskany" shot that is most definitely not there on the "Valley Forge" shot. Also, being night fighters, it's quite possible that the corsairs were split over a couple of carriers... as they wouldn't need a whole squadron each. They could have been assigned a flight detachment... which the Oriskany shot noted... Det G in fact. Just a thought.

Both wonderful sets of photos...

Richard

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Richard Mallory Allnutt - Photography - http://www.rmallnutt.com

Excellent photos.

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*When you meet a Veteran shake his or her hand and thank them. They earned your freedom*

At the time, there were large "composite" (in the case of helicopters, utility) squadrons that provided detachments of a few aircraft and crews to deploying air groups for missions like plane guard, photo reconnaissance, airborne early warning, night attack, all-weather fighter etc. These squadrons were each assigned a unique tail code, NP for VC-3 for example, which its aircraft retained when deployed. The air group was assigned a unique tail code which was painted on its semi-permanently assigned day fighter and attack squadrons. Later on, the detachment airplanes would be painted with the air group tail code for a deployment.

I grew up in Oriskany NY, about 100 yds from where the A4 Skyhawk sits now. If they had as much snow on the carrier deck as we used to get , the USS Oriskany would be riding so low in the water that the hangar deck would be at sea level.....

That was one nasty place to spend winter.

Mark H

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Fly safe or you get to meet me .......