Unplugged

After a considerable time collecting historic color 35mm slides, it occurred to me that I was missing an entire era of aviation recorded on film. Black and white film. Nowadays of course, b&w has gone the way of the rotary phone. The digital age is well developed (pun intended) and image collecting has been a large benefactor of the advance in technology. But it is still important maybe now more than ever to find these Treasures of the Sepia and preserve them for future generations, specifically us aviation enthusiasts. Moving backward through time from fast jets to stringbags and propellers has been a very rewarding experience and I thought I would take some time to share with you some of the collection as it stands now. They’re not all beauty contest winners, but I have found there to be an pleasing esthetic quality to many b&w prints. Some even to rival full color. Negatives are a great source of these subjects, but they can really be beat up. Time in storage is not kind to them, much like some of the color 35mm transparencies we saw earlier. Mostly these are not edited as the hours to do so is astronomical for a blog this size. As far as I know these are the first time anyone has seen these photos so if you reuse any of them please credit R. Lorenz Collection. There is surely more to be added at a later time as images find there way here, and I’ll certainly update with future posts. Enjoy the flashback.

Douglas RD Dolphin series amphibian aircraft delivering an unknown U.S. Navy command person to an unknown location. Very eloquent in design typical of the 1930s, the Dolphins served into WWII.

If you’ve never seen a Kinner C-7 Envoy before, there’s a reason. With a probable production of 7 airframes, 3 of which went to the Navy as executive transports, not many were placed into the depression era civil aviation market. 4 place cabin with forward sloped windscreen to eliminate glare, powered by Kinner’s own 7 cylinder 300hp engine. 1934 Oakland, CA.

What’s collecting without a good mystery? I’ve been digging on this one for a good long while and I’ve gotten nowhere. I don’t know who the woman in the photo is. I don’t know who is represented by the image of the announcer, his microphone, and title of The Voice of Washington painted on the fuselage side. But I would dearly like to know. It has intrigued me for years now. I do know the aircraft is a Boeing 80 which makes sense given the name. If you know what all this means, let me know.

Somewhere in North Africa. Martin Baltimore A-30 USAAC serial 41-27850 to RAF as Baltimore IIIa serial FA268 struck off charge March 14, 1946 so she survived the war.

Consolidated B-32 Dominator 42-108539. One of the few actual combat veteran B-32s, she is being scrapped in place on Okinawa after the end of the war. Unable to live up to the reputation of the B-29, the Dominators arrived too late, and with too little effect.

The B-29s didn’t all escape the end of the war either. Possibly a scrap dump on Saipan with a few Navy Avengers mixed in. A few B-29s appear to be 73BW in origin with their Eleanor Roosevelt approved “Ball and Spear” nose art and gloss black undersides.

Marine Corps De Havilland DH-4B-1 of Observation Squadron One, NAS San Diego, Ca. 1928

Just because it had Pursuit in its name didn’t necessarily mean it could outclass anything in the air. The Consolidated PB2A may not have been a world beater, but it has always been a favorite of mine in style and colorful markings. Air Corp Blue #23 and Orange Yellow #4 always looked good in my book.

The sight of one Curtiss P-6E Hawk from the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge is enough to stir the soul for most old airplane enthusiasts. The whole 1st PG lineup of Hawks parked together is enough to induce hysteria. Good thing all 46 aren’t all in the frame. Yeah, good thing. Selfridge, Michigan 1932.

Douglas B-18A Bolo landing at March Field, CA. Probably 1940-41

Bug eyed bomber, the first XB-43 named “Versatile”. Kept actively flying until damaged in 1951 after which it provided spare parts to keep the #2 XB-43 flying for a time as a engine test and development aircraft. #1 was destroyed as a target, while #2 survived and is in storage at the USAFM in Dayton, OH.

There were only 10 Sikorsky C-6A amphibious transports made for the U.S. Army. Here are two of them. 30-406 and 30-405. The second photo also contains another Douglas Dolphin, and two Curtis A-3A Falcons. The one at the right is marked as from the 6th Pursuit Group Wheeler Field, Hawaii.

A better look at a 6th PG Curtiss A-3 and its markings.

The 1933 film Hell Below was a WWI drama with a submarine service backdrop. Two Army Boeing P-12C fighters were temporarily painted up to play the part of attacking German Fokkers Here among their line brothers, is one in the foreground and the other is far right background. Fiction, yes. I still want to build one of these and put it on a contest table just to get the judges reaction. Any film with Jimmy Durante in it is legit.

Three images of Boeing P-26A fighters from the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, Nichols Field, Philippines gassing up and one undergoing an engine change at Palawan Penal Colony, Philippines, and being assisted by supervised convicts.

The Seversky BT-8 basic trainer was such an ungainly, unhandy looking, unlovely cartoonish machine that of course I was immediately drawn to it. It didn’t last long in service before being replaced by the more elegant North American BT-9. Still, I dont know. I like it somehow.

Only 30 of them where built, and from the set of photos I have they must have all ended up at Randolph Field, TX. None survive, but you can follow its lineage from the SEV-2XP of 1933 to the BT-8, to the P-35 of 1935, to the P-43 Lancer and on to the P-47 Thunderbolt of 1941. Sometimes the frog does turn into a prince.

Another photo that would be absolutely dynamite in full color. RAF Bristol Bulldog Mk.IIa fighters in all their regalia and polished splendor. Early 30s. A time machine, and a digital camera is all I’m asking.

This is not an aeroplane. I state that just so that you will know that I know. With the fall season coming to a close here in the North American prairie, harvest time has also come and gone once again. These old wooden threshing machines like this 1924 Huber with its Huber tractor were once the kings of the grain belt and represented the cutting edge of available technology. My ancestors survived using just such machines. They were grateful to have them, just as I am grateful for the computerized satellite driven monster that lives here on the farm now. I hope you have enjoyed this little unplugged look back at history, and that you take some time as we do during the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. to speak out loud, your own thankfulness for all that we are and have. Maybe some of these photos have triggered memories for you. Memories that you can be thankful for.

R. Lorenz