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mariacallous · 1 year ago

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The centenary celebrations of the founding of the Turkish republic last month betrayed an unending contestation between two visions of Turkey: one based on the founding values of the republic that emphasizes the secularism intimately associated with the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and a religiously conservative authoritarian one represented by the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Many in the public, including the diplomatic corps in Ankara, were left wondering whether there would be any celebrations at all. This concern was accentuated by Erdoğan’s decision to hold a massive rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza the day before.

In the end, Erdoğan did commence the day in line with established practice by visiting the mausoleum of Atatürk, the founder of the republic, and holding a traditional evening reception. These were followed by an impressive naval parade and an airshow as well as a light and sound display on the Bosphorus in Istanbul. An exhibition highlighting Erdoğan’s more than two-decade-long reign was also unveiled and a one-day vacation for schools was declared following an impromptu announcement.

The legacy of Atatürk’s secular republic

The symbolism embedded in these events was interpreted by many as an attempt to overshadow the legacy of Atatürk’s secular republic with a new Turkey seeped in its Ottoman past and led by Erdoğan. Yet, the many spontaneous celebrations across the country and poll results show a significant degree of attachment to the republic’s original values.

These values originated after the end of World War I when the Ottoman Empire was defeated, and large swaths of today’s Turkey came under Allied occupation. It was Atatürk, then known as Mustafa Kemal Pasha, an Ottoman officer, who led a liberation war against the occupiers and oversaw the birth of the Turkish republic 100 years ago on October 29, 1923.

Subsequently, Atatürk and his colleagues led a major reform process that emphasized secularism in law, modernized education with an emphasis on scientific knowledge, granted women equal rights, embarked on major economic developmental projects, and adopted a foreign policy characterized by Western vocation and the motto “peace at home, peace in the world.” This motto kept Turkey out of World War II and underpinned the development of a policy of non-interference in neighboring countries’ domestic affairs.

Kemalism’s resiliency

The practice of these values came to be referred to as Kemalism. In the ensuing decades, it became associated with a governance record that emphasized the role of the military and stunted Turkey’s democratic development. A narrowly defined secularism, often referred to as laïcité, and a tightly defined national identity around Turkishness culminated in discrimination toward the religiously conservative parts of Turkish society and the Kurdish minority. This led to increasing calls for post-Kemalist policies to remedy these failures and overcome the deep cultural and political divisions in Turkish society.

In his early years in power, Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) adopted policies that seemed destined to improve Turkey’s democracy and heal its divisions. Instead, Erdoğan’s rule during the last decade delivered an authoritarian, religiously conservative regime that has left Turkish society divided, with roughly half of Turks feeling deeply concerned about threats to their secular way of life, women’s empowerment, science-driven education, and Turkey’s Western vocation. However, the contested nature of Turkey’s centenary celebrations suggests that though Erdoğan may be at the pinnacle of his power, he is far from eclipsing Atatürk’s legacy.

The “Great Palestine Meeting” in Istanbul

In the leadup to the anniversary, Erdoğan called for a “Great Palestine Meeting” and declared that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but a “group of liberation and mujahedeen fighting to defend its lands and citizens.” This stood in stark contrast to the moderate stance that he initially struck following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7.

Erdoğan and the AKP have their roots in the National Outlook Movement, with strong ideological and organizational connections to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), which includes Hamas. These ties became especially conspicuous after the Arab Spring erupted and Erdoğan openly supported the MB in Egypt, Libya, and Syria.

These links caused Turkey’s relations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and especially Egypt — where Mohamed Morsi, a democratically-elected president and leader of the MB, was deposed in a military coup — to deteriorate. More dramatically, Erdoğan embroiled Turkey in Syria and Libya’s civil wars in pursuit of a pan-Islamist agenda.

However, more recently, the need to end Turkey’s regional isolation and pragmatic economic considerations culminated in an effort to repair relations with Gulf governments as well as Egypt and Israel. This U-turn returned Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East to its traditional roots by emphasizing non-interference in Arab affairs and a more balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet the rally in late October and Erdoğan’s narrative served as a reminder of the persistence of domestic political considerations and his anti-Western, pan-Islamist agenda.

Turkey’s centenary naval parade

On the day of the centenary, the Bosphorus witnessed the largest naval parade in Turkish republican history, featuring 100 vessels including the flagship of the Turkish Navy, the homebuilt TCG Anadolu. Erdoğan chose to salute these vessels from the Vahdettin Pavilion, named after the last Ottoman monarch, Mehmed VI, rather than Dolmabahçe Palace which is on the European side of the Bosphorus and is closely associated with Atatürk’s legacy. The symbolism did not go unnoticed.

Mehmed had fled Istanbul on a British warship after the Turkish nationalist forces in Ankara abolished the sultanate in November 1922. These critical events broke Turkey from its Ottoman past and inaugurated its new beginning as a republic in 1923. Erdoğan’s evocative choice suggests an attempt to rehabilitate the legacy of Ottoman rule and reveals a discomfort toward what the republic represents.

The naval parade served a second purpose: reinforcing Erdoğan’s narrative that Turkey is a global power with impact on the course of international affairs thanks to his economic, infrastructure, and defense projects — all amply displayed in an exhibition. The parade also challenged the United States’ pro-Israel stance on the crisis in Gaza and follows Erdoğan’s denunciation of the U.S. decision to send an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Lastly, when coupled with Erdoğan’s barrage of criticism over the West’s reluctance to rein in Israel and stop the destruction in Gaza, there is also a thinly disguised questioning of the wisdom of the Turkish republic’s traditional Western vocation. This vocation is characteristic of a secular Turkey, contrary to Erdoğan’s Islamic and Ottoman orientation which calls for strategic independence from the West.

An impromptu day off for schools

On October 29, Erdoğan published an impromptu tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing a day off for schools. The decision appears to have been made unilaterally, without any consultations involving relevant stakeholders, including the minister of education. Perhaps a worthy populist investment to win the hearts of future voters, it reflects how Erdoğan’s one-man rule is steeped in arbitrariness and disregard for institutions.

The decision also manifests Erdoğan’s long-standing wish to transform Turkey’s national education system into one focused on the raising of “pious generations.” This has resulted in a marked increase in the number of Imam Hatip schools that initially were tasked with training personnel for the country’s mosques. The reforms also targeted curriculum: In a striking departure from established practice, Darwin’s theory of evolution was removed from the national education curriculum and replaced with religious teachings about the origins of humans.

Over the last century, the Ottoman education system, mostly centered on religious teachings, was modernized with a new emphasis on scientific knowledge and an inquisitive mind. This transformation was widely credited as one of the Turkish republic’s most significant achievements and is still viewed as a vital tool for national and personal advancement, especially for women.

In his centenary address to pupils and parents, a middle-school teacher revealingly expressed that the republic’s legacy is best represented by the “little girl in class who raises her hand and asks questions.” Moreover, this approach to education promoted meritocracy, contrary to Erdoğan’s preference for loyalty.

Erdoğan, Turkey’s centenary, and a divided society

It is expected that Erdoğan was uninterested in a centenary program that would have emphasized the republic’s legacy and values. Instead, the public took matters into its own hands, with many companies, municipalities, neighborhoods, and private groups holding their own celebrations.

Yet despite Erdoğan’s polarizing policies, Turks appear fairly united on Atatürk and the republic’s legacies. A recent Metropoll survey from October reveals strong support: 86% of respondents expressed gratitude to Atatürk, including 82% of AKP supporters. Equality between man and woman, core to the republic’s legacy and increasingly contested by Erdoğan, is supported by 80% of respondents in general and 74% of AKP voters. These results and the spontaneous centenary celebrations indicate that the Turkish public at large has a strong affinity for republican values, regardless of its political divisions.

As a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey has rightly observed, Turkey’s republican performance over the last century is checkered with respect to minority rights, democratic governance, and Islam. However, he also recognizes Turkey can only overcome these challenges by implementing the ideals of the republic as defined a century ago. Erdoğan is well-placed to do this but the kind of centenary celebration he chose implies that the republic’s fundamental values continue to perturb him. Contestation over Turkey’s future is likely to continue well into the country’s second century.

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indynerdgirl · 2 years ago

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For the first time ever, three of the four Air Combat Command single-ship demonstration teams are piloted by women! 🤙🏻

Captain Lindsay M. "MAD" Johnson - Captain Lindsay Johnson is the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team Pilot and Commander, DavisMonthan AFB, Arizona. She is responsible for showcasing the A-10 Thunderbolt II at over 20 airshows annually around the country, as well as internationally. She is also responsible for leadership of a 10-person team that includes maintenance and public affairs Airmen. She and the team highlight the capabilities of the A-10, as well as pay tribute to Air Force history by flying formation flights with the Heritage Flight Foundation.

Captain Aimee "Rebel" Fiedler - Captain Aimee Fiedler is the United States Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C. As the Viper Demo Team commander, she is responsible for representing Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense and the United States of America at more than 20 air shows annually. (you can follow her on Instagram @rebelfiedler16)

Major Kristen "Beo" Wolfe - Major Kristin Wolfe is the Commander, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The mission of the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration team is to showcase the unique aerial capabilities of the Air Force’s most advanced 5th generation multi-role stealth fighter, the F-35A Lightning II, as well as highlight the history of the Air Force’s service through heritage formation flights. Additionally, she provides operational oversight and direction for the 13-personnel team, to include maintenance, aircrew flight equipment, and public affairs Airmen. (you can follow her on Instagram @beo_f35demo_pilot)

And also a shout-out to the female pilots in the US Air Force Thunderbirds and the US Navy Blue Angels!

Major Lauren “Threat” Schlichting - Major Lauren Schlichting is the Slot Pilot for the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, flying the No. 4 jet. She earned her commission in 2012 from the University of St. Thomas Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program where she majored in Mathematics and played lacrosse. Before joining the Thunderbirds, she was an evaluating pilot and executive officer for the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. She enjoys hockey, snowboarding, and surviving the Great White North. She has logged more than 2,000 flight hours in the F-15E, F-16, T-38, and T-6 with 420 combat hours. She is in her second season with the team and hails from Stillwater, MN. (you can follow her on Instagram @afthunderbird4)

Lieutenant Amanda "Stalin" Lee- Lieutenant Amanda Lee is the Left Wing pilot for the United States Navy Blue Angles, flying the No. 3 jet. She is a native of Mounds View, MN and she graduated from Irondale High School in 2004, where she competed in soccer, ice hockey and swimming. While attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, Amanda enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician (AT) and reported to her first command, VFA-136 "Knighthawks." She was selected to commission as a Pilot through the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) commissioning program in 2009. The following year, Lee attended the Naval Science Institute (NSI) for officer training in Newport, Rhode Island, and simultaneously began her studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.

Amanda joined the Blue Angels in September 2022, becoming the first woman to fly in a demo F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with the team. She has accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and over 225 carrier-arrested landings. Her decorations include four Navy Achievement medals and various personal and unit awards.

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shadeops21 · 10 months ago

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Blogger Vs Blog

Seen a few of my artist mutuals put up something along these lines for their end of year recap. Given I'm not an artist by trade, I still wanted to showcase the year I've had on my blog, probably my most active and most notable year to date.

And while it's not the first face reveal (plus I've shown my face in other media that I'm sure you can find if you look) it's probably the first after the rapid influx of followers that I've earned over the course of the year.

Thank you for all of your support, I hope to post more in 2024 and have a few projects in the pipeline already!

(Image description under the cut)

In L-to-R, starting TL:

The V1 Cosplay Guides for MWII (which was a project started in late 2022) really kicked into high gear the start of the year and was the bulk of where I gained a following. I am glad to have shared my knowledge of all things tactical apparel and gear for cosplayers, artists, and nerds alike!

Just a picture of me taken during a skirmish event I attended earlier in the year. I posted this here as I wear TF141 insignia in these events and because it helps me get in touch with my OC .

The first in the "TF Satisfaction" project, a fun idea I had after listening and watching to Benny Bennassi's Satisfaction video and thinking there should be a male equivalent.

F/A-18F Super Hornet dumping flares as it flies past for the inaugural Pacific Airshow Gold Coast. One of my top three highlights of the year, and got some amazing photos from that day.

It's me! Wearing the same camo santa hat that I wore with the Ghost selfie. Homemade, sacrificed a t-shirt for it (it wasn't fitting me anymore so it's a worthy sacrifice)

Was able to have my boy sketched up by the wonderful, talented, amazing, humble, and wonderful @sleepyconfusedpotato. The best rendition of Shade that's out there, tbh. Waiting for the day that comms open so I can have more of Shade made up!

Released "The [Un]official Modern Warfare Cosplay Guide", which was a revamp/update/retooling of my V1 guides from earlier in the year. Refined to be more accurate and more detailed, hopefully this is a handy resource for cosplayer and artist alike.

Had some fun in the lead up to the MWIII Campaign Early Access and made an anti-spoiler meme. It blew up a bit more than I was hoping, heh.

I cosplayed as Ghost! I used my own research and guide to put together a cosplay of the man himself in his urban ops kit. The number of times my buddy (who went as Price) and I got stopped for pictures was insane. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it!

#about the blogger #about me #year in review #2023 in review

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airmanisr · 2 years ago

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76-0174 USAF Rockwell B-1A Lancer bomber - a rare visitor to the Farnborough Airshow in 1982 by Heathrow Junkie Via Flickr: Air shows of the 1970s-1980s The Military Collection - bombers Seen on static display - 76-0174 a Rockwell B-1A bomber - one of the highlights of the 1982 Farnborough Air Show. It wasn't in the best position to get a good photo :) This was my fourth visit to Farnborough, after debuting at the 1976 Air Show. In 1982, I also took the opportunity to make a follow-up visit on the Monday morning to see some of the departing aircraft. One of only four B-1As built, 76-0174 is now preserved at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum near Ashland, Nebraska. This aircraft has conventional ejection seats and other features used on the B-1B variant. More info on the B-1 Lancer here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer Taken using a Soviet made Zenith TTL camera and standard lens. From an original slide, scanned and unrestored. You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/

#B-1 #aircraft

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feralnumberfive · 2 years ago

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Tell me about planes if you want

Oh I certainly will!!! It's taken me a while to answer this between working, not having access to the laptop with these pictures, slow wifi causing the upload process to be incredibly slow, and trying not to get too carried away with descriptions and blabbing forever about aircraft so I hope you can forgive me for taking longer than I'd like to respond. I was really excited to get this ask hehe, it's my life's biggest passion!

I could go on forever and ever about planes so I'll just show you some pictures of planes my sister and I have taken on vacation with some descriptions (and a special picture at the end for you!) ❤️

Here's an 80-year-old Beech 18 doing something it's not supposed to- aerobatics! This specific aircraft was used as a navigational trainer during WWII, now it's doing gentle aerobatics at airshows around the US. The plane is named "Magic by Moonlight" but is also called "Miss Ellie" and the nose are features a pinup elephant on a moon.

Because of this, Matt Younkin (the owner and pilot of this plane) likes to do part of his routine to the music from the 1941 Dumbo, including making the aircraft "dance" to "Pink Elephants on Parade" and it's really fun to watch. He also does a fantastic night airshow routine where he takes off with all of his lights on but then turns his lights off shortly after takeoff so that you can't see him. A few minutes later in the pitch dark you can hear the Beech 18 diving in towards the crowd as he suddenly turns on the lights and the overture from Phantom Of The Opera begins blaring at the same time. It's such a cool thing to see

Skip Stewart pilots his aerobatic biplane "Prometheus 2" at knife edge to cut a ribbon (a bit smoky due to all the show smoke in the air)

Here's a B-2 bomber I got to see. Certainly looks like a ufo!

A fantastic picture of the US Navy Blue Angels in their F/A-18 Hornets as they pass overhead. One of my favorite pictures my sister has taken! When doing formation flying the Blue Angels fly with their wingtips just 18 inches apart from each other's jet

The Polaris Team passing overhead with a MiG-29 leading two Alpha Jets and two L-39s. It was amazing seeing the MiG-29 considering there are only two airworthy in the US and it's one of my favorite planes, but also a little off feeling considering Ukraine is fighting for their lives against Russia with this same kind of aircraft

Here's a super cool picture of shockwaves coming off of an F/A-18F Super Hornet. The pilot of this jet is a woman!

Here's a shitty highlighting by me of the shockwaves

Another shockwave by the F/A-18F Super Hornet

Aaaand another shitty highlighting job by me

Here's a more visible shockwave manifesting as vapor on this EA-18G Growler. Though the Growler looks exactly like the Super Hornet (there are actual minor differences in appearance), the Growler is meant for electronic warfare (EA=Electronic Attack) while the Super Hornet is meant for fighting and attacking (F/A=Fighter/Attacker). The Growler can certainly still defend itself in a dogfight if it needed to though.

These are both newer versions of the F/A-18 Hornet, which is the oldest of the three. The Hornet is slightly smaller with a few noticeable differences in appearance. Fun fact about the jet pictured above: it's from the same squadron that flew the cast of Top Gun: Maverick and I actually got to see one buzzing around the town when I was in Oak Harbor, WA a few years ago!

Here's a cool picture of an F-35A Lightning II flying through pyro smoke with the afterburner lit and vapor trails coming off the wingtips. The pilot of this jet is also a woman! The F-35 family gets its name from the P-38 Lighting, a WWII fighter aircraft.

Here's the weapons bay to the F-35A Lightning II. Since it's a stealth aircraft, it stores its weapons internally to reduce their RCS (radar cross section) and appear smaller on radar. The diamond looking object under the nose there is its targeting system for both air and ground targets. All F-35s have the capability of allowing the pilot to see through the aircraft! There are multiple cameras around the jet that the pilot can use with their helmet to see all around the aircraft

The F-35C Lightning II at sunset with full afterburner and wingtip vapors. The C model of the F-35 is for the Navy, the B is for the Marines, and the A is for the Air Force. Only the B and C models are capable of vertical takeoffs and landings and hovering. If you compare the C model here to the A model above, you can see that the C model has a longer wingspan and lines on the wings towards the wingtips that can fold up for more storage space on aircraft carriers! Fun fact about this pilot: His callsign is "Jiggly"

The F-22 Raptor with vapor forming around it as it pulls hard away from the crowd. The canopy has a golden tint because of a special layer of radar absorbing material to help reduce its RCS. The Raptor is a stealth fighter and arguably/potentially the most capable and deadly fighter aircraft in the world, only owned by the US and never exported for allied countries to use. It has vectoring thrust which means that both engine nozzles can move up and down to point the exhaust in different directions and allow the aircraft to maneuver better as the thrust moves with the control inputs of the pilot.

The Raptor is so maneuverable that it isn't allowed to demonstrate its full capabilities at airshows and even with allied forces when doing military exercises with them! It can turn on a dime, fall like a leaf, slide backwards onto its tail in the air, and do a backflip (these aren't the actual terms but they're great descriptions lol). It's fun to watch it fall like a leaf because not only is it memorizing to watch a jet maneuver like that because it's just insane, but the horizontal stabilizers move a lot so it looks like the Raptor is flapping its tail hehe.

Here's a good video on the maneuvers this jet can pull off and here too. This guy has fantastic camera stability so it looks like a video game and has insane quality! It's just truly amazing what this aircraft can do, and I got a little carried away talking about it because it's my favorite modern fighter jet

The silhouette of the F-22 against orange thunderheads and pyro smoke. This is one of my favorite pictures my sister has taken!

The USAF Heritage Flight is performed at nearly every US airshow and features one or more modern USAF fighter or attack aircraft with one or more warbirds (vintage aircraft that are retired from military service) from different eras. This flight features an F-16 Fighting Falcon/Viper (more commonly called the Viper) painted like a black snake/viper with two WWII fighter aircraft. The lead plane (green) is the P-38 Lighting, and off to its left is the P-51 Mustang.

The P-51 is arguably the most famous warbird ever, and was very impactful during WWII. Hermann Göring, Commander of the Luftwaffe during WWII, saw P-51s escorting bombers over Berlin and allegedly said "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up." This P-51 is painted after Capt. William T. Whisner's P-51D "Moonbeam McSwine" and has a unique blue nose and tail of the 352nd Fighter Group. And this was my first time getting to see a P-38 fly so I was ecstatic to see it! This specific one is painted like Robin Olds' P-38 during WWII, named "Scat III" and he has named all of the aircraft he flew throughout WWII and Vietnam different numberings of "Scat"

The silhouette of an F-22 forming up on three P-51s in preparation of the Heritage Flight in front of thunderheads

The USN has their own version of a heritage flight called the Navy Legacy Flight. Here an F4U-4 Corsair named "Korean War Hero" (more on that later!) leads an F-35C off to its left, an EA-18G off to its right, and an AD-5W(EA-1E) Skyraider behind it. This version of the Skyraider is an electronic warfare aircraft with three seats compared to the typical ground attack model that only had one seat

A front view of another Legacy Flight with a T-28 Trojan in the lead, two EA-18Gs on the sides, and an FG-1D Corsair in the back. All of them, except for the Corsair, have their tail hooks down. This view provides a great look at the unique wings on the Corsair, which earned the nickname "Bent-Wing Bird" due to its inverted gull wings

(Excuse the poor quality of this picture it was taken years ago on a shitty phone) This here is a B-29 Superfortress bomber named "Bockscar" and is one of the most historic aircraft I have had the pleasure (or perhaps displeasure in this case) of getting to see. On August 9th of 1945, this exact aircraft dropped an atomic bomb named "Fat Man" on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. I was in awe of getting to see such a historically important aircraft, but also saddened by the mission it took a part of

This here is a B-29 named "Doc" after being a part of a squadron called the "Seven Dwarfs" that were used on non-combat missions to test radio systems. There are currently only two airworthy B-29s in the world, and I have been fortunate enough to see both of them flying in formation!

This is a B-17 Flying Fortress, one of the most well known bombers of WWII. This one is named "Aluminum Overcast" and is one of roughly 7 that are still flyable. The B-17 got the name "Flying Fortress" due to the 13 machine guns it has mounted around the aircraft. Here "Aluminum Overcast" has is bomb bays open for a mock bombing run. I have been inside of but have not flown on "Aluminum Overcast" :]

Here is another famous aircraft, though not as well known, that I have been incredibly fortunate to see. This plane is a C-47 named "That's All, Brother" and is the very plane that lead the D-Day airborne invasion. I got to see the progress of the restoration project of the aircraft up to its airworthiness in 2018 so getting to see it fly again was pretty amazing. You can actually purchase a flight on this aircraft, like many other warbirds, and tell people you rode on the plane that led the D-Day invasion!

Fun fact: This aircraft was restored with such incredible accuracy that if you get up close to it you will see that the D-Day stripes painted on it are sloppy and uneven, as they would have been back in 1943 as they were painted on in a rush before the invasion. It's also missing the open quotation on the nose art on the left side of the aircraft (seen here) as evident from pictures back in WWII

The lighting isn't the best in this one, but this group is called Tora! Tora! Tora! and they reenact the attack on Pearl Harbor. Multiple aircraft fly around low to the ground and close to the crowd as they pretend to do strafing runs, dive bomb attacks, and torpedo attacks. An air raid siren blares while near constant explosions are going off on the ground and an American aircraft chases one of the Japanese planes around.

Fun Fact: Though this group consists of three different Japanese aircraft types, the A6M Zero (fighter), the B5N Kate (torpedo bomber), and the D3A Val (dive bomber), all of these aircraft are actually American T-6 Texans and BT-13 Valiants that are highly modified to look like Japanese aircraft. Only 5 Zeroes are currently airworthy, with only two being original and the rest are replicas. There are currently no Vals or Kates airworthy

This is a special and rare flight of aircraft called "Flight Of The Cats" which consist of four Grumman aircraft. The aircraft manufacturing company Grumman is known for naming many of their aircraft after big cats back in the day, hence the name of this formation flight. The formation flight used to be performed at airshows in the past with an F-14 Tomcat, but since none are left flying in the US it is now performed with Grumman's WWII and Korean War fighter aircraft.

The F7F Tigercat leads an F8F Bearcat (off its left wing), an F6F Hellcat (off its right wing), and an F4F Wildcat brings up the rear. Both the F7F and F8F arrived too late to see combat in WWII so they were used elsewhere. The F7F was used for a short time as a night fighter in the Korean War, and the F8F never saw combat in the US but instead was imported to France where they first saw combat. The F7F above is named "Here Kitty, Kitty!"

The F4F and F6F both served in WWII and were some of the most impactful aircraft of the war in the Pacific. The Hellcat boasts an impressive 19:1 kill ratio, one of the highest of any aircraft of WWII. The Hellcat above served two tours in WWII, but it is unknown if it saw combat. It has the name "Death N' Destruction"

The F4F was one of the first true USN fighters of WWII and held its own until the more advanced F6F and F4U Corsair arrived. The Wildcat above was ditched in Lake Michigan during WWII during a training mission before being restored into its current airworthy state. This F4F is painted in early war colors, hence the "Meatball" on the insignia, and is painted after Edward "Butch" O'Hare's Wildcat. Chicago's O'Hare Airport is named after him, and you can find an F4F painted like the one above on display in Terminal 2 in honor him.

Fun Fact: The F6F, F7F, and F8F all have the same type of engine (it's also the same engine the Corsair has). And though these aircraft have radial engines with a prop and not jet engines, they are still incredibly loud! Radial engines also have a distinct sound compared to an inline engine. Radial engines have more of a growl to them and sound thunderous in the air and they sound like they're chugging on the ground, while an inline sounds more high pitched and smooth. I think out of all the cats above, the F7F sounds the best due to it being a twin-engined aircraft

And here it is, my favorite plane of all time-the F4U Corsair. The Corsair is a powerhouse of an aircraft, and was one of the most lethal aircraft during WWII. It was the first single-engine US plane to reach over 400 mph flying level thanks to it having the largest engine and prop on a single-engine aircraft at the time. Later models of the Corsair has a top speed of 470mph, which is faster than the modern A-10 Thunderbolt II, and could dive up to 550 mph. It had an 11:1 kill ratio and served not only in WWII but also in the Korean War and performed multiple roles from ground attack to night fighting. It also served multiple allied countries during WWII and after, still even seeing combat in different wars up through the 1960s.

This specific Corsair is an F4U-4 named "Korean War Hero" and like the name suggests it served in the Korean War and is an actual combat veteran. "Korean War Hero" is my favorite Corsair, having watched it at airshows since I was a little kid up until now where I've gotten to see it yearly since 2017 (not 2020 though). Fun fact: After finding a picture of my younger self next to "Korean War Hero" at an airshow many years ago, I decided to take my senior pictures in front of it :]

The Corsair has a unique design to it, which is its inverted gull wings. The wings are bent to allow for shorter landing gear while still providing clearance for the massive 13ft 2in propeller diameter. Like I mentioned before, this earned it the nickname "Bent-Wing Bird" and gave it an unforgettable silhouette/outline. The Corsair also had the nicknames of "U-Bird" for the wing shape, "Angel of Okinawa" for the important role it played in The Battle of Okinawa, and "The Hog" for its size.

The most famous nickname of the Corsair though is a nickname the Japanese gave to it during WWII, "Whistling Death." It got this nickname because of the loud whistling noise it made as it dived down to attack. The noise is made by wind rushing at high speeds through the multi-purpose air cooling slots located at the leading edge of the inboard part of the wings

Here's an FG-1D Corsair with its wings folded up. US Naval and Marine aircraft typically have the ability to fold their wigs or wingtips closer to the fuselage to allow for more space on aircraft carriers. The Corsair's wings happen to fold upwards. And now you may be wondering (and I have no clue if you are, I doubt anyone is even reading this at this point I've blabbed on for too long lol) "Pine, why does this Corsair have different numbers and letters in front of it?" Well, that's because this Corsair was built by a different company!

The F4U Corsair was originally built by Vought, while the FG-1A & FG-1D Corsair was built by Goodyear, and even a third company, Brewster, made the aircraft and called it the F3A-1 & F3A-D Corsair. Due to the high demand of more Corsair production, Vought licensed Brewster and Goodyear to also make Corsairs, hence why they have different numbers in front of them despite them being the same kind of aircraft as Vought made. Though Vought continued to make multiple variations of the Corsair, Brewster and Goodyear only made models based off of Vought's F4U-1 Corsair.

Every single aircraft up to our current times have extra numbers and letters to mark what variation they are, I have just left those out for every aircraft above, besides the Corsair, to make it potentially less confusing. Like the P-51 I have on here is technically a P-51D but again, I don't want to make things more complicated. Every military aircraft has a letter before their model number to specify what type it is, like an F-22 is a Fighter (they used P for pursuit back in WWII and some later model aircraft during the 50s before changing it to F for fighter), B is for bomber, A is for attack, H is for helicopter, and you can guess the rest from there. Sometimes there's more than one, like the F/A-18 Hornet. And every aircraft has their variation letter after their model number, like the P-51D.

So, why did WWII Naval/Marine aircraft have more numbers and letters to their name compared to USAAC/USAAF aircraft at the time and modern military aircraft? During WWII, the Navy just decided to make it more confusing. The Navy was using "P" for Patrol back then, so they couldn't use "Pursuit" like the USAAC/USAAF was using for their fighter aircraft. So, they decided to go with "F" for Fighter. Then there was a model number after it, and after that was the aircraft's manufacturing identification letter. Finally at the end, there would be a letter and potentially another number to specify what variation it was.

For example with an F4U-4 Corsair it would be read as F=Fighter, 4=The model, U=Vought, and 4= what variation it was. So it's a "Fighter model 4, made by Vought, variant number 4." The Navy had a weird thing too with not having some aircraft manufacturers' identification letter match their starting letter, like "U" stands for Vought. Some aircraft manufacturers even used the same identification letter.

A nice picture of a Corsair at sunset. This here is my happy place, being amongst warbirds at sunset. I love aviation for its history, so getting to walk around aircraft that have had significant roles in history alongside some that are actual combat veterans that have been restored and still fly today leave me in awe.

And anon since you asked me about planes, I am going to give you a special picture.....

Tah-dah, it's me posing in front of an FG-1D Corsair! You can't tell because of the poor quality, but I am wearing a Corsair hat and my shirt has the same Corsair that I am posing in front of on it. If you or anyone else read my plane madness, thanks! ❤️

#anon you have no idea how happy this made me #I have sooo many more pictures and videos and stories that I had to leave out but man oh man do I love planes #anon #aircraft

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