Not every day you see a four-engine prop plane anymore…
This one overflew the Lair this morning, very slowly. I assume in the absence of any evidence that it’s one of those planes that drops fire retardant, but have no idea what make, model or year.
Will Blog for ISP Time, Glaucoma Meds, or Cheap Booze.
Free! (and worth every penny)
Scary Manifesto that keeps getting pushed down on the sidebar by filthy capitalism!
They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means “The Ultimate Argument of Kings,” and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. “We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it’s about: You’ll do as I say or I’ll send my goons to kill you.”
I thought about that for a long time. If there’s an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I’ve got bullets – he’s got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that’s not going to happen. So if there’s an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain’t bullets.
It finally came to me – and that’s when I abandoned the city and most of my stuff, and gave all that was behind me a good stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
Our Founder
Our Late Editor
Little Bear 2009-2018
Our Late Cattle Wrangler
Laddie the Amazing Torso Boy 2011-2020
Blogroll
- 357 Magnum
- 5 Acres and a Dream
- 90 Miles From Tyranny
- A Day in the Life of a Talk Radio Blogger
- Adaptive Curmudgeon
- Armed & Non-Violent
- Bayou Renaissance Man
- Bill St. Clair
- Borepatch
- Carl Bussjaeger
- Claire Wolfe
- Commander Zero
- Dio's Workshop
- Eaton Rapids Joe
- Forgotten Weapons
- Freeholder
- Home on the Range
- Instapundit
- Irons in the Fire
- James Zachary
- Kent McManigal
- Nails and Sawdust
- Never Yet Melted
- Resistance Library
- Say Uncle
- The Price of Liberty
- The Smallest Minority
- The View from North Central Idaho
- The Vulgar Curmudgeon
- The War on Guns
- The Zelman Partisans
- True Blue Sam
- View from the Porch
- Weer'd World
- Wendy McElroy
- You will shoot your eye out
- Zendo Deb
Previous OPSEC Violations
I can’t make out the markings, but it could also be a museum plane. Tucson is a hotbed of such activity.
Looks kinda like a C-130/L-100 variant.
…except that nose isn’t right. Ben might be right about it being a museum bird, maybe some WW2 bomber. Guess I don’t enough about planes to guess from that shot.
Didn’t seem big enough for an old bomber, but I’m no expert.
Joel: My google-fu is insufficient. Let us know when you know?
I’m goin’ with B-17 just because.
Anybody else?
🙂
I think it is a PB-4Y, a mod of the Consolidated B24 of WWII. There are some used in fire fighting.
Check the following link: http://www.warbirdalley.com/pb4y2.htm
It is the last flying example of the aircraft.
It looks like a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer. The giveaway is the shape of the rudder which on these aircraft always looked too tall. These days they are found in museums or used in firefighting. It was a version of the B-24 Liberator. If my guess is right you were lucky to see it in that there are only 3 in the States that are airworthy.
This could be the one you saw…
https://yanksair.com/Products/27/70/Consolidated-40-Privateer-PB4Y-2/
I concur with Doug, it’s a PB4Y, basically a B-24 with a single vertical fin instead of the double fin of the B-24, built for the Navy. There is at least one configured as a slurry bomber based out of central AZ; it can be seen at Casa Grande and/or Marana in the off months. Outside of museum pieces and some cargo haulers in the far north, fire bombers are about the only places these still fly.
Makes a great sound, doesn’t it?
Yep, I think Doug nailed it: that funny angle on the nose, the dark hatches or whatever on the sides of the rear fuselage.
Wow. I think you’re right. But by my reading, that might be the only one in flying condition. Wikipedia says the last of them used as air tankers was retired 13 years ago. What are the chances it would fly over my little patch of nowhere?
Looks like it might be this one:
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=N2871G
which is supposed to be operating near your neck of the desert.
See link for photos. Given where I think you live, not surprising you might see it. BU number 66302, registered N2871G, and recently repainted as shown in the photo. Might be returning from an airshow, or is just an expensive toy now: http://www.air-and-space.com/P4Y-2%20Privateer%20Tankers.htm
And a better one yet: http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/privateer-airborne.html