Warbird Information Exchange

Be sure and log in to http://www.nautiluslive.org this Tuesday (August 18, 2015) if you want to watch live footage from the wreckage of airship Macon and her 4 Curtis's F9C Sparrowhawk fighters at the bottom of the Pacific.

Dive operations with the Argus/Hercules ROV system will hopefully commence at 0700 EDT and continue for up to 12 hours of mapping and survey work (weather and technology permitting).

http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/macon/

Wonder what it would take to bribe the operator to "accidentally" get the ROV caught on a Sparrowhawk and have to bring it up?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Megan Lickliter Munden, who used to the Curator/Manager of the 1940 terminal Museum here in Houston is on the boat as part of the Archaeological team. If you see her on camera she'll be the long legged blonde !

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

It's supposed to be about a 16 hour dive. Starting approx 4 AM Pacific and ending around 8 PM. They do plan on recovering a piece of aluminum from the Macon to compare it to the piece salvaged 25 years ago. They also commented on the dope covered fabric, I didn't catch whether or not any of that was going to be taken as a sample or not. Megan was in the control van talking on line about an hour ago.

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Rob

Vehicle is on the bottom (7:40am EDT)

On the wreck (8:25am EDT)

Proceed with caution - Unsupervised science s in the wild with open microphones.

They're over the Sparrowhawk's now, but the camera's aren't co-operating. They're trying to remedy that situation right now patching in a downward looking camera.

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

The science team was referencing the downward looking STILL camera that is being used to create a photo mosaic of the entire wreck site. You can see the feed in the lower left of the "Quad" view. Things will likely be pretty dull for the next 6-8 hours until the mapping process is complete.

Ahhhh....

_________________
He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

cool technology watching it live.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

One of the narrators was apologizing for not showing more of the Sparrowhawks, since they were concentrating on the overall mosaic of the site. Anyone save any images?

_________________

All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Update 5:34 PDT: they're going for a look at the biplanes soon.

_________________

All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

3D imaging of the Sparrowhawks is underway (8:51pm EDT)

Screenshots:

















Testing a sample piece. The first one crumbled when the arm touched it; so they went for another:


Gotcha! Once they're done testing and conserving the girder, they are saying it'll go into Udvar-Hazy on display with the last surviving Sparrowhawk (until someone builds a flying replica ) .

_________________

All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)