Out of Retirement - Discussion thread

[NARSES2]

And then there is the failure of the F-35 programme which, combined with the discovery that stick & string construction was actually stealthier than modern composites, led to modern air forces raiding their museums and operating missile armed biplanes...

I have a half written scenario (intended for the UK SIG Newsletter) whereby after some initial hopes and talk of "this is the future" the jet engine in all it's forms doesn't actually work in practice and we have to carry on developing some of those amazing engines that were in development at the end of WWII 

This was inspired by a novel I read once whereby whilst the atom bomb worked when tested, when they tried to actually use it the thing wouldn't. In the end they had to drop it off the coast of Japan and con the Japanese Government into surrendering.

Can't remember what it was called, "The God..........something" I think ? It was a long time ago.

Note I have googled it but just got a load of "evangelical" stuff.

[TheChronicOne]

I stumbled across this doing research yesterday and it could offer a bit of inspiration for someone.

In 1964 the USN brought two Phantom I's out of retirement for usage in a program to train civilians how to fly jet aircraft.




So....  "out of retirement" doesn't necessarily mean sticking with the original intended role; a swords to plowshares element could come into play which opens up options.

Might make me a Starlifter airliner. 

[jcf]

From the start the C-141 was intended for civil use, consequently it was designed
and built to meet FAA requirements and received FAA certification. The civil version
wasthe Model 300, it was ordered by Slick Airways but after they were absorbed by
Airlift International ended the program as operators preferred the 707 and DC-8
freighters which had 50% greater payload capacity.

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/lockheed-l-300.10508/

https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1962/1962%20-%202864.html
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1962/1962%20-%202865.html

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks! That's why I like it as an option; more plausible than the B-17 idea for sure.    I hadn't seen that civvie one before, it looks great.     

I've been planning to do one for ages, this GB just might be the excuse I've been looking for. I envisioned it being Pan-Am but that that's the wrong era. I'd need something more modern but that would mean I need to throw some new engines on it which I didn't want to do....      Oh well, we'll see. Should be easy enough to get new engines, but it'd be one more thing to buy. 

I still have some other ideas rolling around in my head, too. I'd like to come up w/ a military build. I kind of like Fred's idea to do a Skyraider in 1991 and might steal it. I've been wanting to put the short live chocolate chip camo of the day onto an aircraft and this might be a fun opportunity to do so. Maybe the Marines wanted to try it or something after seeing the uniforms, blah blah blah. 

[scooter]

If I get my mojo back, I have a couple of ideas.  Otherwise they may just exist in profile form

[jcf]

Thanks! That's why I like it as an option; more plausible than the B-17 idea for sure.    I hadn't seen that civvie one before, it looks great.     

I've been planning to do one for ages, this GB just might be the excuse I've been looking for. I envisioned it being Pan-Am but that that's the wrong era.

The GB is all about resurrection, so why not resurrect Pan-Am? 

[TheChronicOne]

Indeed, why didn't I think of that?! No reason why not, yeah? I think she'd be a very pretty aeroplane.     Hell, I could even try to go a step further and throw a bit of a "retro" vibe and find a livery with the full "Pan American Airways" text or whatever it was before they shortened it.    Then it's an out of retirement resurrected bird flying with an undead company using an expired livery as a retro-scheme marketing gimmick.       Resuretro. 

[McColm]

There's the Boeing C-97 which for me has an array of potential Whiffs especially in the AEW role and now I have the Heller Boeing E-3A/C 1/72 kit in the stash along with a Academy Boeing KC-97G . The question is whether  the vertical tail fin is kept or a triple tail added instead?

[TheChronicOne]

Go triple, bud!

[zenrat]

Random unrelated thought.  What if the Stratofreighter etc were developed earlier.  So double bubble B17 rather than B29?

...I kind of like Fred's idea to do a Skyraider in 1991 and might steal it. I've been wanting to put the short live chocolate chip camo of the day onto an aircraft and this might be a fun opportunity to do so. Maybe the Marines wanted to try it or something after seeing the uniforms, blah blah blah. 

Steal away dude.  I've actually painted two models in choccy chip.
PDRV Dartstang.
Dartstang 009 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
BOC Me 262 (yes, it is 1/48.  Please forgive me, I strayed from the true path).
Me 262 Secret treaties 003 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[TheChronicOne]

Random unrelated thought.  What if the Stratofreighter etc were developed earlier.  So double bubble B17 rather than B29?

...I kind of like Fred's idea to do a Skyraider in 1991 and might steal it. I've been wanting to put the short live chocolate chip camo of the day onto an aircraft and this might be a fun opportunity to do so. Maybe the Marines wanted to try it or something after seeing the uniforms, blah blah blah. 

Steal away dude.  I've actually painted two models in choccy chip.
PDRV Dartstang.
Dartstang 009 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
BOC Me 262 (yes, it is 1/48.  Please forgive me, I strayed from the true path).
Me 262 Secret treaties 003 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

  I'm mesmerized.....  I love the chocamo...  these are so cool. 

[kitnut617]

So if something was brought out of retirement to operate in the same force, can it be upgraded too, say it got re-engined and/or re-designated to another class, say fighter to ground attack.

Apologies if this has been asked already, I've not read the whole thread ---

[kitnut617]

Random unrelated thought.  What if the Stratofreighter etc were developed earlier.  So double bubble B17 rather than B29?

...I kind of like Fred's idea to do a Skyraider in 1991 and might steal it. I've been wanting to put the short live chocolate chip camo of the day onto an aircraft and this might be a fun opportunity to do so. Maybe the Marines wanted to try it or something after seeing the uniforms, blah blah blah. 

Steal away dude.  I've actually painted two models in choccy chip.
PDRV Dartstang.
Dartstang 009 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
BOC Me 262 (yes, it is 1/48.  Please forgive me, I strayed from the true path).
Me 262 Secret treaties 003 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

  I'm mesmerized.....  I love the chocamo...  these are so cool. 

I've always like the choc-chip scheme too

[TheChronicOne]

      Damn, Robert!         I'm definitely doing this now. I have a non-too-accurate Revell Skyraider that this would be perfect for. I deemed it not viable for real world subjects. 

[McColm]

You mean like a BC-97 bomber using the B-29 bomb bays and gun turrets? That's doable