My 20 yr time capsule. Ode to a P-40 Warhawk.

As a young Staff Sergeant, I was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii for 3 years ('94-'97). When reenlisting, we were given the choice of where the event would take place (within reason). As a fan of the old WWII war birds, I chose to do it in front of a P-40 Warhawk that was parked on Wheeler.

I haven't been back till now 20 years later thanks to a 10 work trip. I just had to seek out that old bird. She's been repainted, but still standing tall. Man I love those planes!

https://s20.postimg.org/3qxdoe7pp/HI_reenlist_2.jpghttps://s20.postimg.org/3qxdoeffh/P40_2.jpg

The trees got taller !

P-40's and the Flying Tigers are what got me started in aviation. As a boy I read Robert L. Scott's book, God is My Co-Pilot and was fascinated by the exploits of the AVG in China. When P-40's are scheduled at Geneseo for the air show I always make it a point to attend and I love the sound of the Allison engine on a fly by.

+1 on the AVG and the Flying Tigers being fascinating intro to aviation and history.

First "real" model airplane I made was a P-40 and my dad helped me with the decals. Half century ago and it is still a fond memory. We also made a wood Fury jet looked sort of like this. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/4c/a1/bc/4...s-november.jpg

We sometimes see war birds at the Fowlerville pancake breakfast fly in.

Thats cool! I'm a dyed in the blood plane nut and warbirds are my soft spot! Can't beat the sound of a big old radial or V-12 rumbling to life! I have had an infatuation with planes since day one and I am now an A&P so I go play with planes every day! I am often accused of being an aviation encyclopedia andcoften asked, "how do you know all this!" I can identify most aircraft including the obscure and tell you some details about it. Like I said, plane nut! I just went on a work trip to Dallas to fix a customers Hawker 4000 at Love Field. If you are in the area they have a fantastic air museum there! I highly recommend it for those of you into aircraft! They have some exceptionally rare items on display, many the only surviving example. Pretty cool to get to return to the P-40 after all those years!

Maybe not the sexiest or the fastest but the P-40 carried it's share of the load and soldiered on through the war.

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Originally Posted by fecmech

P-40's and the Flying Tigers are what got me started in aviation. As a boy I read Robert L. Scott's book, God is My Co-Pilot and was fascinated by the exploits of the AVG in China.

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fecmec, I also read God Is My Co-Pilot as a boy, in the 1950s, and it's still one of my all time favorite books! Semper Fi, Treetop

A couple things from the book always stuck with me. The first was when he climbed above Mt Everest in the P-40 and the poem "High Flight". The other when he attacked the bridge from 4 different directions and painting his nose spinner a different color each time to make the enemy think they had more a/c than they did.

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Originally Posted by Treetop

fecmec, I also read God Is My Co-Pilot as a boy, in the 1950s, and it's still one of my all time favorite books! Semper Fi, Treetop

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+3!! I had Robert Lansing (TV show 12 O'clock High) autograph my copy, where is it now?

:grin: That is an excellent book.Also saw the movie based on the book.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

I have a gas powered control line flying model of a P40 in my closet right now. Had it since I was a youngster.
I've been meaning to restore it to working condition.

The P-40 was an honest airplane, and good looking, too. And Roger on the AVG - one of my Psych profs was in the USAAC that took over from the AVG, he flying B-25's. One of my best profs, Al McCormick. Many great books about the AVG, one I liked was "The Lady and The Tigers", written by Olga Greenlaw, wife of the adjutant of the Tigers. And Don (Dave?) Lopes wrote one, too, about his escapades in the USAAC there, don't remember the title.
And they tried putting Merlin's in the P-40, but I believe the Packard-built Merlin's were prioritized to the P-51's, and some folks don't know, many Lancaster's flew with Packard Merlin's...

The P-40 was a development of the radial engine P-36 which is where its elegant lines came from.

The design was ahead of its time in 1940 but was in the end a dead end. It couldn't take full advantage of more advanced engine designs. A great aircraft just the same.

The first Mustangs were also a bit outclassed until many minor improvements were made before and after adopting the Merlin.
The A-36 Apache was the cousin of the Mustang and performed much like the P-40.

Perhaps the best flyable P-40E restoration is part of Rudy Frasca's collection, about a 1/2 mile down the road from my home. Airplane is ex-RCAF (1940 build IIRC) painted in the camo and markings of the AVG 2nd Squadron ('Panda Bears'). Even though Rudy is in poor health the airplane is still flown for local airshows and veteran's events. This aircraft was Rudy's 2nd Warbird (the first was an FM-2 Wildcat) and, in the early 1970s, I actually worked (as a volunteer) on the restoration.

http://www.rodbearden.com/Av09/Rudy%...NX40PE%203.jpg

Bill

P-40 is my WW2 favorite plane.

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Originally Posted by Multigunner

The A-36 Apache was the cousin of the Mustang and performed much like the P-40.

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Same airframe as the P-51, but all had Allison engines...

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Originally Posted by Echo

The P-40 was an honest airplane, and good looking, too. And Roger on the AVG - one of my Psych profs was in the USAAC that took over from the AVG, he flying B-25's. One of my best profs, Al McCormick. Many great books about the AVG, one I liked was "The Lady and The Tigers", written by Olga Greenlaw, wife of the adjutant of the Tigers. And Don (Dave?) Lopes wrote one, too, about his escapades in the USAAC there, don't remember the title.
And they tried putting Merlin's in the P-40, but I believe the Packard-built Merlin's were prioritized to the P-51's, and some folks don't know, many Lancaster's flew with Packard Merlin's...

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The British also used the Merlin engine in a good number of their tanks too!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Multigunner

The P-40 was a development of the radial engine P-36 which is where its elegant lines came from.

The design was ahead of its time in 1940 but was in the end a dead end. It couldn't take full advantage of more advanced engine designs. A great aircraft just the same.

The first Mustangs were also a bit outclassed until many minor improvements were made before and after adopting the Merlin.
The A-36 Apache was the cousin of the Mustang and performed much like the P-40.

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Allison wasn't real happy that Merlins were used in the P-51 and later on developed an engine that actually would blow the doors off the Merlin. It was too late of course so the rest is history. I've read where the Merlins had to be worked on all the time. Another thing in the Spitfire the merlin was carbereted and in a dive the carb would lose the fuel level and the engine would cut out. The Germans exploited this fault. The Messerschmitts used fuel injection from the get go because the engines were in the plane upside. Thus the reason for a dry sump oil system.

I think they really improved the P-51 when they put the bubble canopy on it.

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Originally Posted by Treetop

fecmec, I also read God Is My Co-Pilot as a boy, in the 1950s, and it's still one of my all time favorite books! Semper Fi, Treetop

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God Is My Co-Pilot, and "The Man Who Rode the Thunder", both from Scholastic Books in the late '50's, early 60's