Airdrop

Flight Journal, Apr 2001

"Uncle" Steve wants you

For a future book, I need to contact personnel who served in the MTO with the 12th, 310th, 319th, 321st and 340th medium-class bomb groups-- B-25 Mitchell bombers. I'm particularly in need of firsthand accounts, photos and other data. Please contact me at 6501 East 1 St., Tacoma, WA 98404 USA; phone: (253) 471-1871; stevepace@home.com.

Steve Pace

Tacoma, WA

Fan of Pole's

I enjoyed Walter Boyne's article on Peter Bowers (February 2001 issue). I have been an admirer of Peter's ever since I became interested in aircraft at an early age. I can always depend on his articles and books to be detailed and accurate. Readers might be interested to hear that after being flown for 40 to 50 years, the Taylorcraft and Fly Baby pictured in the article are still registered in the FAA database.

Thanks for a great magazine; keep up the good work.

Bill Scrivens

Moorpark, CA

Bill, Pete and Walt appreciate your kind comments and send their warmest regards. RP

Well, it seemed as If they were burners

First I must compliment you on an outstanding publication.

The February 2001 article on the P-61 Black Widow was excellent. Too little has been little published on this interesting aircraft. I do have a bone to pick, however, with the description of the night chase of an Me 262. As the P-61 was gaining on the Me 262, whose pilot obviously wasn't aware of the P-61 until it was quite close, this was written of the Me 262: "They were like two acetylene torches, as his afterburners were lit."

One must bear in mind that the Me 262 used the primitive, firstgeneration operational turbojet engine, the Jumo 004. The afterburner concept was, at best, several years in the future. What I assume was observed was the result of the Me 262 pilot's noting a threat, advancing the throttles to the firewall and causing flames to shoot from the Jumo 004's tailpipe (a minor comment about an outstanding article).

Great publication; keep up the good work.

Dick Olwin

Jemez Springs, NM

The reader is correct; the error is all mine and I apologize for it. In the original written interview with the mission's radar observer, he wrote `afterburner." I failed to follow up on this. I should have worded it as"... the pilot of the Me 262 went to full power."\

Warren Thompson

Now beaded on the block I'm a new subscriber, and I am thoroughly enjoying this outstanding publication! A comment regarding the Curtiss P-40 ("Gallery," December 2000 issue) raised a question. The photo caption on page 46 states that the P-40E was the first of the Warhawk series, and I seem to recall that the P-40F was the first referred to as the "Warhawk"-at least in the USAAF. Of course, the P-40E series was referred to as the "Kittyhawk" by the RAF, but that is a different ballgame.

My question concerns the P-40D, which was the first of the P-40 family with the shorter Allison engine: if the P-40E is the first in the Warhawk series, where does the P-40D fit in? It gets sticky because as a rule, the USAAF didn't name its fighters until later in the War.

Just curious.

In any event, you have a very high-quality magazine, and I can tell that a huge effort goes into making it as accurate as it can be. You're doing a great job!

Robert Taylor

Oxnard, CA

Can anyone answer Robert's question? Send it to us, and we'll print it in the next issue. BD

Love these "Tigers"

In your February 2001 issue, James Farmer states: "Unfortunately, the marginally more credible 1945 Bob Scott/AVG/23rd Fighter Group biography from Warner Bros., 'God is my Co-Pilot/ has never been released on video."

I have news: I bought both the video and the book about six months ago. They are available in limited quantities from the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robbins, Georgia-online shop: www.museumofaviation.org. Autographed copies of the book are available, as Robert Scott is alive and well living in Macon, Georgia.

Thanks for the great magazine!

William Morris

Atlanta, GA