Showing posts with label Bell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bell. Show all posts

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, January 7, 1944. Adoption of the P59 announced.

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, January 7, 1944. Lou Henry Hoover passes ...:


Friday, January 7, 1944. Lou Henry Hoover passes away.



"Interested natives look on as armorers place 50 cal. machine guns in the nose of a North American B-25G, Mullinnix Airfield, Tarawa, Gilbert Islands. 7 January 1944. (NARA)"

A British Mosquito is shot down with its Oboe navigational aid intact, allowing the Germans to develop countermeasures.


The United States Army Air Force announced the production of the Bell P-59 Airacomet.  The first US jet fighter aircraft, it would prove to be a disappointment and provided no real advantage over existing piston engined aircraft.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Bell UH-1 with Nose Mount


This is a UH-1, a "Huey", in Casper, Wyoming painted in old Vietnam War era camouflage.  It's fitted with a nose mount, which can house cameras and electronic devices.  Nose mounts were fitted to UH-1s during the Vietnam War, and they continue to be offered for commercial UH-1s.

The odd thing about this helicopter is that even though it retains the USAF or US Army Vietnam era camouflage scheme, it lacks national markings, which most surplus aircraft which retain military paint schemes do.  Additionally, I could not see a registration number on it anywhere.  That may be because I took this photograph from a distance, with an iPhone, and it could be painted in black on the dark green aft of the helicopter.  It obviously should have this painted on it.

When I happened to arrive at the airport on the day this photo was taken, a crew was standing by it as the refueling truck was getting ready, and they were having their photograph taken.  I thought they were a military crew, but I wasn't paying much attention.  UH-1s are no longer in common US use, but the UH-1N is still used by the USAF in connection with nuclear missiles and missile silos, and that variant does in fact often have the nose mount fitting, although it should have USAF markings and this old camouflage scheme would be a surprise.