Probably been seen before but found this today;
GUIDE: All you wanted to know about Luftwaffe camouflage colors and patterns. Not sure if this is the appropriate place or if it’s a repost. Let me know and I will move it or remove it.
Man, folks who smoke around aircraft!
I’ve never seen that website, although I don’t build much Luftwaffe.
For an example of smoking around aircraft, look for the photo of the B-26 bombadier smoking in the nosecone while in flight.
Case of nerves, no doubt.
“Smoke, smoke that cigarette- smoke, smoke until you smoke yourself to death- Tell Saint Peter at the Golden Gate, that you hate to make him wait, but you’ve got to have another cigarette!”
From a song sung by Phil Harris, back in the 40’s, I believe.
I sat on the flight line at Incirlik back in about '94 and watch the Turkish airfield firemen deal with a fuel spill from a C-130 … all smoking.
When I went through Navy primary 10 years ago, the T-34C’s still had the recesses in the cockpits where the ashtrays used to go.
By the way, the flashpoints for JP-5 (shipboard use, higher flashpoint than JP-8) and JP-8 fuel (used by the military at shore installations both have flashpoints that are too high for a cigarette to ignite, they don’t burn hot enough. I’ve heard of (but never seen) butt cans that actually had JP-8 in them, it functioned just like water to extinguish the cigarette.
Groot
Yeah, when I worked the flight line at the local GA airport, the eldest lineman put on a fire safety clinic. One of the exercises was lighting different pots of fuel on fire, so we would know how to tackle different fuel fires. When it came time to set the Jet-A aflame, the fuel actually doused out the tourch we were using 7 times before it caught. Very high flash point.
Well Heinz there is leaning against a tank full of vapors from 115/145 avgas, but I guess he’s got other concerns.
But seriously I did not mean to hijack this thread. That looks like a very useful website.
I worked in the shipyards on USN ship programs. There would always be some fuel pooled at the bottom of the engine room which was probably JP-5. since the ship’s propulsion was powered by jet engines.
Welder’s sparks fell all the time into fuel but if a welder ignited a piece of material and it fell into the pool it would wick the fuel and a small flame about the size of a candle would result. As it grew the flames would spread exponentially because of the gases created by the expanding flames. That candle size flame could easily go unnoticed until you had a real fire. The Navy set fires at their fire fighter schools (diesel fuel perhaps) to simulate engine room fires. The fire was set by hand and in a few minutes the whole blockhouse was ablaze.
You know, old photos of pilots smoking would make a good thread.
GREAT REFRENCE-THANKS
Most of those drawings are also in the book from Planes and Pilots on the Me109 two volume set published in 2001. Not sure if they are affiliated or not, but seems to be copying.
John
Very helpful and informative. Thanks for posting it.