Aero Darwin

My old man (a MEAN son-of-a-bitch) was a Korean War vet, and he saw combat, always gave me shit when I watched M.A.S.H, he always said "if you want to know about Korea, ASK ME!!!

@bigintol03: And did you, and what did he say? Hot Lips Houlihan was a great fuck?

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson: Not quite, but he did tell me (at nauseum) about "bed check Charlie", which was their version of 5 'o'clock Charlie!

@bigintol03: Now, if we're talking about "Hot Lips" from the movie "M.A.S.H, Sally Kellerman...hubba,hubba!...if we're talking about Loretta Switt...eh...she'd be a minimum of a 4 to 5 drink kinda broad!

@bigintol03: I thought she was rather homely......

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson: She was...lol!

@bigintol03: She was ice when she was oung, but she got old and fat and heavy set.....

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson:And flat out disgusting!

@bigintol03: What is a 5 O Cock Charlie?

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson: That's the little gook that flew over the base in the biplane and dropped a hand grenade on them at 5 o'clock every day!

@bigintol03: Why 5 O' Clock? Why not 4.35pm or 5:22?

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson: lol...you'd have to ask him!

@bigintol03: From what I'm told, they'd send jets up to try and shoot him down, but they couldn't get him because the jets were too fast and would fly past him because his biplane was so slow!

@bigintol03: Same Same: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Witches ---- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgIe27Ub7jg ---- The regiment flew in wood-and-canvas Polikarpov U-2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft (hence its original uchebnyy designation prefix of "U-") and for crop dusting, which also had a special U-2LNB version for the sort of night harassment attack missions flown by the 588th. The plane could only carry 350 kilograms (770 lb) of bombs,[12] so eight or more missions per night were often necessary.[13] Although the aircraft was obsolete and slow, the pilots took advantage of its exceptional maneuverability; it also had a maximum speed that was lower than the stalling speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which made it very difficult for German pilots to shoot down,

@bigintol03: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polikarpov_Po-2 --- Korean War North Korean forces used the Po-2 in a similar role during the Korean War. A significant number of Po-2s were fielded by the Korean People's Air Force, inflicting serious damage during night raids on United Nations bases.[13] During one such attack, a lone Po-2 attacked Pyongyang Air Base.[6] Concentrating on the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group's parking ramp, the Po-2 dropped a string of fragmentation bombs squarely across the group's lineup of P-51 Mustangs. Eleven Mustangs were damaged, three so badly that they were destroyed when Pyongyang was abandoned several days later. On 17 June 1951, at 01:30 hours, Suwon Air Base was bombed by two Po-2s. Each biplane dropped a pair of fragmentation bombs. One scored a hit on the 802nd Engineer Aviation Battalion's motor pool, damaging some equipment. Two bombs burst on the flightline of the 335th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. One F-86A Sabre (FU-334 / 49-1334) was struck on the wing and began burning. The fire took hold, gutting the aircraft. Prompt action by personnel who moved aircraft away from the burning Sabre prevented further loss. Eight other Sabres were damaged in the brief attack, four seriously.[6] One F-86 pilot was among the wounded. The North Koreans subsequently credited Lt. La Woon Yung with this damaging attack.[14] UN forces named the Po-2's nighttime appearance Bedcheck Charlie and had great difficulty in shooting it down – even though night fighters had radar as standard equipment in the 1950s. The wood-and-fabric material of the Po-2 had only a small radar cross-section, making it hard for an opposing fighter pilot to acquire their target. As Korean war U.S. veteran Leo Fournier remarked about "Bedcheck Charlie" in his memoirs: "... no one could get at him. He just flew too low and too slow." On 16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from VMC-1 piloted by Major George H. Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S. Kramer shot down a Po-2, the only documented Skyraider air victory of the war. The Po-2 is also the only biplane credited with a documented jet-kill, as one Lockheed F-94 Starfire was lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below its stall speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying Po-2.[6][15]

@bigintol03: Performance Maximum speed: 152 km/h (94 mph, 82 kn) Cruise speed: 110 km/h (68 mph, 59 kn)

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson: Damn!...I never knew, thanks for posting all of that Shane!

@bigintol03: The Polikarpov - unladen - has a small and light engine.. and technically it's a very light plane... While it might not be designed like a moden Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) it still falls into that category... I think the landing speed is like 60Kmh or perhaps lower... and it stops within 5 or so aircraft lenghts.. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=595798988069574 -----