Marine Aviators Over China in the 1930s

[V.C. Brunswick]

Some remarkable silent footage of US Marine Aviators in China.
http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/mediagallery/usmc-aviators-china-1932-video-series

 

[dhermann1]

Very cool. The planes in the first clip look like SE-5As. What are the later ones? Anybody good at IDing those planes?

 

[David Conwill]

Very cool. The planes in the first clip look like SE-5As. What are the later ones? Anybody good at IDing those planes?

I took them as DH-4s. I think they remained quite common in US service through the 1920s up until 1932 or so.

Great footage, thanks for linking it!

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Screen captures from the film

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Capt. Arthur H. Page, Jr. (pictured at left) would later die while competing in the 1930 Thompson Trophy Air Race. His Curtiss XF6-C6 crashed during the 17th lap when Page was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes.

 

[1930artdeco]

I did not understand the bit about asking "if your RR could do this?" All they did was play the film backwards.

Mike

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

And here's some background on the squadron commander LTC Thomas C. Turner.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tcturner.htm

 

[dhermann1]

Yes, DH 4. Isn't that what Lindberg flew when he was an air mail pilot? What about the rest?

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The fighters look like Curtiss Hawk F6-Cs

 

[Stearmen]

Correct Designations

The first planes are the de Havilland DH4s, a copy probably made or modified by Boing. The Amphibious planes are Loening OA-1s, the predicessor to the Grumman Corporation. They were first made as flying yachts for wealthy adventurers. The Navy bought them and shot them off catapults on battleships, The USS Colorado had one. The fighters are Boing PW-9s. I have never seen footage of PW-9s in action, unbelievably maneuverable, and to think, the later Boing F4B fighters were even more maneuverable!

 

[Stearmen]

I did not understand the bit about asking "if your RR could do this?" All they did was play the film backwards.

Mike

They are comparing the Boeing PW-9s Curtiss D-12, V12 airplane engine in the film, to the contemporary Rolls Royce Kestrel V12 engine that powered a lot of British fighters of the time.

 

[Hondo]

Very interesting if not in fact cool, just saw the Aviator movie, Hughes doing his "Hells Angels"
Just an awesome period or era, Thanks for sharing.

 

[Stearmen]

I did not understand the bit about asking "if your RR could do this?" All they did was play the film backwards.

Mike

They did not play the film backwards. Instead, the pilot is performing an outside loop, that is where, instead of pulling back on the stick, you push on the stick, and go around facing out on the loop. Very deceiving when filmed on the struts! The Rolls Royce airplane engines were notorious for cutting out under such loads. Even the early Spitfires could not dive with a Bf109 because the carburetor would starve for fuel. The American carbs were better, of course, the later RR supercharger was much better then the Allison!