Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Treize69 on April 15, 2009, 12:50:47 PM

Title: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Treize69 on April 15, 2009, 12:50:47 PM

Footage of a beautiful FE.2 bomber in flight, from startup to landing. Beautiful plane, but would you want to be in it with people shooting at you??

http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/projects/fe-2b/fe-2b-flying-masterton

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Hawk78th on April 15, 2009, 01:13:02 PM

Ver Cool... & What an experience that must have been....


 1915-'16 ...Flight was so relatively new that I don't believe the Pilot/Crew was HUGELY in danger of NME fire.....from the ground... Maybe more so from the NME Aircraft or the "Landing technique's" :pray that were still... "Eventful"



 Neat find !    :aok

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: SIK1 on April 15, 2009, 02:24:15 PM

The planes of that era were more likely to kill you than the enemy ever was.

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Treize69 on April 15, 2009, 03:31:00 PM

"When you stood up to shoot [in the F.E.2b], all of you from the knees up was exposed to the elements. There was no belt to hold you. Only your grip on the gun and the sides of the nacelle stood between you and eternity. Toward the front of the nacelle was a hollow steel rod with a swivel mount to which the gun was anchored. This gun covered a huge field of fire forward. Between the observer and the pilot a second gun was mounted, for firing over the F.E.2b's upper wing to protect the aircraft from rear attack ... Adjusting and shooting this gun required that you stand right up out of the nacelle with your feet on the nacelle coaming [sic]. You had nothing to worry about except being blown out of the aircraft by the blast of air or tossed out bodily if the pilot made a wrong move. There were no parachutes and no belts. No wonder they needed observers."

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Angus on April 15, 2009, 04:21:19 PM

Lots of balls needed. Lots.....

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: ODBAL on April 15, 2009, 05:25:09 PM

Quote from: Treize69 on April 15, 2009, 12:50:47 PM

Footage of a beautiful FE.2 bomber in flight, from startup to landing. Beautiful plane, but would you want to be in it with people shooting at you??

http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/projects/fe-2b/fe-2b-flying-masterton

Here is my list of planes I want to be in with people shooting at me.









That's about it.

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: MiloMorai on April 15, 2009, 05:51:49 PM

Now, what is the name of the German a/c?

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Treize69 on April 15, 2009, 06:06:55 PM

Thats a Pfalz, I think D.III.

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Lusche on April 15, 2009, 06:13:13 PM

Quote from: Treize69 on April 15, 2009, 06:06:55 PM

Thats a Pfalz, I think D.III.

Or, as this F.E: is flying in New Zealand, it's one of these:

"Two de Havilland Tiger Moths were heavily modified to represent D.IIIs in the film The Blue Max. These replicas are currently based in New Zealand."

?

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: SKJohn on April 15, 2009, 06:17:52 PM

That was awesome!  I thought it was neat that they even had the bags on the Lewis guns to catch the empty shell casings so they wouldn't go back through the propeller.  Such attention to detail.  That plane looked so right at home as it landed on the grass field - can you imagine setting it down on the concrete at LAX or somewhere?  It just wouldnt look right.

Title: Re: Would you have wanted to go to war in a kite like this?
Post by: Vulcan on April 15, 2009, 06:29:27 PM

I go deer hunting in the hills in background :)