P61 Black Widow, did it serve in Korea?
Neil Scrim
At the Mildenhall airshow on Sat (wow, jam packed or what!) I picked up
the Dragon P61B Black Widow kit for a bargain price of 8 quid. I know it's
fit isn't good but I've always wanted to do a P61. IPMS Rutland's branch
display theme for the IPMS UK Nats is Korea and I wondered if anyone knows
if the P61 flew in the Korean war or was based in Korea at some point. If
so, are there any decals available for it?
Neil Scrimgeour (UK)
"An expert is, by definition, a nerd."
Steve L. New
Sorry Neil, but the P-61 had already been replaced by the F-82 Twin Mustang
night fighter by the beginning of the Korean war, and the USAF was already
in the process of replacing the F-82 with the F-94. I don't believe that
the P-61 ever saw service in Korea.
--
Steve L. New
ne...@ix.netcom.com
Just an armadillo on the shoulder of the information superhighway.
Neil Scrim <neil...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19970525105...@ladder02.news.aol.com>...
AMPSOne
Nope, not according to any of the sources I have looked at. The ones there
were the F-82 and F-94 (USAF) and F7F-3N and F3D-2N (USN/USMC).
The other "sure" answer is the Russians and Chinese didn't claim any,
while they did claim a lot of others (F-47 Thunderbolts, for one --
probably either AD Skyraiders or F6F drones).
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
Mark Schynert
The last F-61B in front-line service with the 68th F(AW)S was taken out
of service in May of 1950; none served in Korea. P-61Cs and F-15s were
out of servie by the end of 1949. See the "In Action" on the P-61.
Mark Schynert
Dan Winfield
Re: P-61 Black Widow, did it serve in Korea?
Didn't they use a re-configured P-61 in the Photo-recon roll in Korea? I
don't really know for sure, I just thought I remembered seeing an article about
them putting an elongated piggy-back type seating arrangement and stuffing the
nose full of cameras, and they used them for like I said photo recon. I'm
probably wrong, think I've got part-timers anyhow.
Muhammad Lama Rama Bubba
the_unamodeler
In article <EAs90...@iglou.com>, Dan says...
Dan is referring to the F-15 "Reporter" which did a lot of photo mapping
in and around Japan after the end of the war. I think that they were all
gone by the time of the Korean Fling......I Know for a fact that the last
of the P-61s in Japan were retired just ONE MONTH PRIOR to the beginning
of festivities on the mainland.
Rick Fluke
AMPSOne
Not as far as I know. The war started with RF-80s, RF-51s, and RB-29s
which all quickly turned out to be vulnerable to MiG-15s. Even the "new"
RB--45 didn't cut it, and two of the first three were shot down (there is
a continuing story on this one, as the USAF is still dancing around the
loss 47 years later). The only other aircaft used (less F9F and F2H photo
models) was the converted RF-86A ASHTRAY aircraft.
Sorry, the F-15s are off too.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
Mark Schynert
Dan Winfield <d...@iglou.com> wrote:
>Re: P-61 Black Widow, did it serve in Korea?
>
> Didn't they use a re-configured P-61 in the Photo-recon roll in Korea? I
>don't really know for sure, I just thought I remembered seeing an article about
>them putting an elongated piggy-back type seating arrangement and stuffing the
>nose full of cameras, and they used them for like I said photo recon. I'm
>probably wrong, think I've got part-timers anyhow.
>
>Muhammad Lama Rama Bubba
>
Sounds like an F-15 Reporter, also called RF-61C. Anybody know if they
were in service past 1949?
Mark Schynert
BucholtzC
There were P-61 and F-15 aircraft flying from Moffet Field, Ca., under
NACA's banner into the '50s, but these were research-only aircraft. The
P-61 was used to tow a glider-configured P-51B at one point, and the F-15
was used as a drop ship for a variety of "shapes" in trans-sonic
aerodynamics studies. Fascinating planes, these...
--Chris Bucholtz
Neil Scrim
Well, thanks to everybody for shedding some light on the subject line.
You've burst my bubble (the P61 kit was going to be my next project) for
building the kit but it will be done....eventually. 8-)
Now for something that's been nagging away at me for years, I've never
been able to find out in photos the underside/inner colour of an A4's
Slat. The uncovered wing section is red but is the colour of underside of
the slat the same?