NORTH AMERICAN P-51

P-51D Mustang

I had a friend in my modelling days who flew a P-51 he had built.  I, of course, recognized the aircraft but have come to appreciate it a great deal more since that time.

This plane was built for the British and we kept two for testing.  The British named it the Mustang and the name stuck.  The British suggested a different engine, one with a two-stage supercharger to help it perform at high altitude.  The engine added was the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, an engine also used in the Spitfire, Hurricane fighters and the Lancaster Bomber among others.

P-51D Mustang

Once the performance problems were resolved the United States saw its possibilities and deployed it as well. The most desirable characteristic of the plane was its range.  It filled the pressing need for a fighter having the range to accompany the Bombers.

P-51D Mustang

I have heard from many sources that the pilots loved this plane.  

One of the reasons that the aircraft could have the long range so desperately needed was the airfoil of the wings.  It was called Laminar Flow which reduced drag and thereby improved performance and range.  

Conventional Airfoil

  In the conventional airfoil, the thick part was about 1/4 of the way from front to back.

Laminar Flow Wing

With the Laminar Flow airfoil, the thick point is about, what appears to be 1/2 of the way from the front to the back.  This, along with the Merlin Engine, gave the added range and performance to the P-51.

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NORTH AMERICAN B-25B

B-25B

I recently visited the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.  I really enjoy photographing aircraft and I thought the visit might prove to be fun.  Yes, it was fun!  If you like Air Force aircraft, you would find a visit well worth your time.

I knew I must have a plan so that I could do justice to the aircraft I photographed.  I chose the B-25 as one of "my" aircraft because I remember liking it from my modeling days.  It was a long range goal for me to build (never accomplished).  I tried to learn as much as possible about it.  30 Minutes over Tokyo was a movie I watched about the bomber.  

B-25B

The display at NMUSAF exhibits the plane as it would have appeared on the flight deck of the Carrier Hornet on the way to Tokyo.  The engines were shrouded as was the dorsal turret.  It was tied down securely also.  Sixteen of this aircraft were flown over Japan dropping bombs.  There was no way to recover them so they had to fly on to China to land.  They ran out of fuel because of an early launch forced by being sited by a Japanese fishing boat.  Many, if not all, crashed or crash landed.  Eight airmen were captured.  Three of them were executed.  One died in prison.  The others were released after the war.

B-25B Mitchell with Engine Shrouds and Tie Downs.

My photography was limited to using the light of the museum.  I used my tripod extensively.  The aircraft was too large for effective flash use.  

B-25B Mitchell showing Wing Flaps

This aircraft had many variants.  The iterations include C,D, E, F, G, H and J.  It was modified in the field with many guns added for strafing.  I understand there was even a cannon added to some.  North American would incorporate successful field modifications into their most recent models.  It served in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific.  Great Britain bought about 900 for their use.  

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Digital Pinhole Photography

Body Cap with PInhole Mounted

I mounted a pinhole lens in the body cap of my camera.  The shutter still works but you have no aperture as that is mounted in the lens.  You can also change the ISO which, taken together with shutter speed, give a lot of latitude for the correct exposure.

Backyard Photo

This is not very sharp but it definitely is an image.  I used .5 sec at ISO 100.  There are two things which might improve the quality.  You can buy pinholes.  I made mine.  A nice clean hole and a smaller hole perhaps would help.  Jeff suggested that I try a smaller hole.  I also wondered about using extension tubes to move the pinhole further from the sensor.  

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Pinhole Camera II

Camera Back

The back slides off the front for film/paper installation.

Inside the Pinhole Camera

In this shot you will notice the inside view of the pinhole and that the entire inside is black.

Simulated Photo Paper Installed.

When the front slides back into the back it holds the film/paper in place

My instructor, Jeff Sprang, suggested that I use photographic paper in my camera.  It has a low ISO so I was not rushed with the exposure.  He suggested that I try 10 seconds.  Without his suggestion, I would have had to experiment until I found the right length of time for the exposure.

I should mention that the pinhole "lens" reverses the image just like a standard lens.  

Negative

The image was reversed from side to side and in tone, black to white and viceversa.

I developed this "paper" negative just I would a print.  I then exposed another piece of photo paper much as you would with a contact print.  To make a contact print, you place the negative over print paper and expose it to the light.  The result is a positive print.

Positive Print

Not having a tripod mount on my camera, I rested it on a picnic table for the exposure.

You may note that this process tends to loose sharpness as it progresses.

Tomorrow I will show a way to apply the pinhole lens to digital photography.

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Photography

Two of my grandchildren are interested in photography.  One is Reed.  You saw him yesterday and the other is Hannah.  Unfortunately Hannah could not come to Thanksgiving because Nathan was sick.  I have heard that Hannah is taking a photography class.  I was hoping to share some of my photography class experiences with her.  Hannah this is for you since you could not come.

Most of this is based on the availability of a conventional dark room.  I don't know if you have access to one.  I once made a pinhole camera.

Pinhole Camera

I made this with cardboard and painted it black inside.  I covered the inside and outside corners and edges with electrical tape.  The lens is a pinhole.  It was a small piece of metal with a tiny hole drilled in it.  The light passes through the tiny hole and projects an image on the back.  About the time photography was getting started or before, artists used this concept with a room.  The light would come through a pinhole in one wall and project onto the opposite with a canvas on it.  The artist would use this projected image to sketch the picture.  This was called a Camera Obscura.

This pinhole camera has a shutter.  It is the tape over the pinhole.  You put the tape in place before you load the film or paper into the back.  This must be done in a darkroom.

Pinhole Camera with Tape Off the Pinhole

When you want to take a picture, you remove the tape from the lens and light enters the camera.  In the early days of photography, the speed of the light sensitive chemicals was very slow.  You would need to count many seconds.  I used photographic paper in my camera and the exposure was 10 seconds.

Pinhole Camera

The back slides off the front for access to the film holding area.

Tomorrow, I will show how the film goes in and a picture captured with this camera.  

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Grandparent's Day and Turkey Day

Reed and Larry

Reed's school recently held Grandparent's Day during which they were celebrating 50 years of existence.  I was invited.  One of the nice teachers was taking pictures of everyone in attendance.  She graciously made this shot with my camera.  Reed and I enjoyed time together that day.  He is in 5th Grade.

Turkey Cooking

My son and daughter-in-law, Chad and Megan, invited us for Thanksgiving Meal.  Chad cooked the turkey in his deep cooker.  It was peanut oil and the flavor was wonderful.

Turkey is Done!

I don't know how long it took.  The turkey was cooking when I arrived.

Turkey Safety

Chad implemented all the safety precautions.  It was such a nice day for cooking your turkey outside.  

I sat on the deck for a while and shot birds.  I did not have the right lens along but I was able to see that there were Purple Finches and a Tufted Titmouse.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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