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  Since I fly for a living, naturally my new layout has to include an airport.  After reading this post I decided to grab a few planes hanging in the garage to gauge their scale. The results were shocking. The O gauge claim of 1/48 may be a bit optimistic...

Bombers were a little large

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Fighters were better, but there won’t be any servicing done in that hangar

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Then I thought 1/72 scale might look more realistic...                           

Hmmm.   No  

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Still not really scale, but looks good on a flat car!

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Closest I think to correct size seems to be the tiny DeHavilland Beaver & Otter

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Back to the drawing board I guess. 

Tom

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Dennis and others...  if airspace constrained above layout, try B-25H, B-25J, or go with B-25C for the doolittle raider...

Incidentally the doolittle raider is the 'Raider' name given to the all new Northrup B-21...  but thats for modern layouts only (its called the Raider, but not out yet).

Also check out B-26 like mentioned before, and A-20c, A-26 also for smaller Bomber options...

Maybe not for everyone, except for some glaring errors in startup,  and one fatal error which could have slammed her to the Tarmac, (hands on landing gear switch with the red switch protector.  Hands off  this switch, till in the air and told by Pilot to raise. Also wrong booster switch thrown twice to engine 3 then 2, actually showing throwing it twice,  booster switch to engine 4).  Showing pilot throwing the Booster switches on the cowl panel, made many people think that's were the engines were started.  We normally started engines 4, 3, 1, then 2. Better to hear in case of any abnormal sounds. In case anyone is wondering, its the Co-Pilot that starts the engines. Panel is on his right against fuselage. Which also contains the carburetor switches, oil, and engine fire retardant switches.

But aside from that, all of us enjoyed the Take-off scenes shot and soundtrack. In fact we played the soundtrack during flight after 1990 when someone brought the soundtrack aboard. Hope you aviation buffs enjoy it as much as we did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Af4HVl1WI

Last edited by josef

Yea, a few errors in that movie!  I still watch it about once a year...

My Dad and I went flying on the B-17G Yankee Lady with the crew several years ago.  Best part was sitting in the glass nose, about 500ft off the ground...  was awesome...  lots of pool parties got a shock...  we flew over Michigan Stadium and out to Lansing...

We had the hatch above the radio station open...  you could poke your head out a little and see over the tail...  

Best memories... you can see the glazed window section midship here....

b17_176

 

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I also have deep regret in flying warbirds.  I was in England in May and June of 1985 to visit my brother...

We went flying with his buddies Twin, and were drinking in the airport bar afterward...  This guy comes into the bar, he just got out of a Bristol Beaufighter with Aussie markings on it...  he had a free gunners seat and asked if anyone wanted to fly into the WW2 VE airshow at the Isle of Wight...

Like a dummy I did not take him up on it.  I would have had the seat midship.  Would have been a hell of a ride and view...

 long-range-bristol-beaufighter_500_grande

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Last edited by Super O Bob
Super O Bob posted:
josef posted:
 

The B26 Marauder had wicked handeling tendancies.  This was to be improved in that area.  Longer tail moment from increased length and better wing with longer span.

After B26 crews figured out how to fly these beasts, they did quite well...  actually developed a great record with them.

 

Jimmy Doolittle had a big hand in that.

The '90s movie Memphis Belle is a decent Hollywood movie...worth it just for the planes. When we had our surround sound system, I's crank the volume till it rattled the windows. Many of the things that happened on the last mission happened...but not all on the same mission, and not to The Belle. The sad thing about the movie was that Colonel Robert Morgan and other surviving crew members were there as tech advisors, but were largely ignored so Hollywood could make it's movie.

FlyPlanes-PlayTrains posted:

  Since I fly for a living, naturally my new layout has to include an airport.  After reading this post I decided to grab a few planes hanging in the garage to gauge their scale. The results were shocking. The O gauge claim of 1/48 may be a bit optimistic...

Bombers were a little large

Tom

Plasticville is 'pretend scale'...

I model in 1/72, but trains are 1/48th...

Steamer posted:
AMCDave posted:

I have about all the US WWII 1/48 scale planes in plastic kits. At one time I thought about building that gas station that is made from a B-17.....when I mocked it up....WAY to big!!  All 1/48 scale WWII planes are pretty much space hogs on a 3R layout. 

That B-17 not only still survives, it is being restored to fly someday.

https://www.b17alliance.com/

The Memphis Belle was fully restored, but only as a permanent display only, it will never fly. Thought, it was at one time considered.  It is now permanently on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH. I was there for the 3 day unveiling in May of this year. There were many tears shed during these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5_TDxpkuTA

josef posted:
Steamer posted:
AMCDave posted:

I have about all the US WWII 1/48 scale planes in plastic kits. At one time I thought about building that gas station that is made from a B-17.....when I mocked it up....WAY to big!!  All 1/48 scale WWII planes are pretty much space hogs on a 3R layout. 

That B-17 not only still survives, it is being restored to fly someday.

https://www.b17alliance.com/

The Memphis Belle was fully restored, but only as a permanent display only, it will never fly. Thought, it was at one time considered.  It is now permanently on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH. I was there for the 3 day unveiling in May of this year. There were many tears shed during these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5_TDxpkuTA

That is not The Memphis Belle..it is Lacey Lady.

 David Tallichet's B-17 that was painted as The Memphis Belle for the movie retains it's movie paint and tours as The Movie Memphis Belle.

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