Dassault Mirage IIIDE/EE: From Tail to Nose.

Unusual and unusually spellbinding inflight photo of a pair of my beloved Planchestas. The St. Andrew “crossed” tail of a biplaza and the slick nose of a mono.

We never forget our first love.

SFECMAS 1301: Multiform platform.

Originally known as the Arsenal 2301, this wooden glider was designed by Jean Galtier and used to investigate wing/control surfaces for future supersonic aircraft. Its test flights started in 1951 employing a swept wing, when later equipped with a pure delta wing it became the SFECMAS 1301. Various configurations were tried. In the end, the data acquired saw further development in two designs of Galtier: the Gerfaut and the Griffon.

Looking smart and cute under tow.

Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star: GO Fever.

The USAF first operational jet fighter was waiting for you.
Stunning recruiting artwork, to say the very least.

Polikarpov I-16 Type 24: RATA-TÁ !!!

Clever GIF created using one of those stunning I-16s brought back to life in New Zealand during the late 1990s. A bit betrayed by that fixed Red Star though.

The very same “Rata” very alive here.

Dassault Mirage F1EDA: Resting Places (XXXVIII).

The dramatically displayed Qatari F1 gate guard at the Doha Air Force Base. Twelve of its brothers were bought by Spain in the early 1990s. They served briefly at the Manises AFB, where they replaced the Planchetas. I used to watch them flying over my parents’ home.

Grumman F9F-2 Panther: Gull grey and white Plateados.

Argentina’s Servicio de Aviación Naval has the honour of being the only foreign operator of these sturdy “Iron Works” beauties. They received about two dozen in 1958. Dated by that time, the Panthers also didn’t serve aboard their ARA Independencia carrier; its catapults were not up to the task. Their stormy service life -attempted military coup included- ended in 1969.

Imposing line-up of Panteras Argentinas waiting for their Orange International and “Mae West” attired jockeys.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress: ..over the “Snore Land”.

A bunch of B-17s of the 15th AF bombing the Cathedral of Jaén -my native county capital- during the Spanish Civil War. The usual Spanish “Chapuza” (botched job) at work here. You write what seems to be a throughout study about some subject and the publisher doesn’t give a fuck about it.

I know, we Spaniards are our worst enemy.

NAA P-51D Mustang: CONSTANTINOPLE !!!

You are getting very, very sleepy…your eyelids are getting heavy…so heavy that you cannot hold them up.

By the way, Happy 80th Birthday, Pony.

Beltrame Colibri: La Motocicletta dell’Aria.

Quito Beltrame was best known for producing flying models at his Fabbrica Italiana Aeromodelli Quito Beltrame, Milano. His appropriately named canard monoplane of 1937 was powered by a 18hp engine designed also by Beltrame. Tiny and quite sophisticated, this Italian Hummingbird prototype was equipped with a single control system. No data available about its flight characteristics; maybe a non-flyer.

Photo taken at the Salone Internazionale Aeronautico, Milan (1937).

Boeing B-52H BUFF: The more things change…

Well, not trying to offend anyone, but. Business as usual.