Our Family's Trip to Nicaragua

On the 26th. of January 2007, Our family went to Nicaragua on a missions trip. My mom a nurse, did medical checkups and the rest of my family painted, worked with special-needs children. This trip changed my world-view. Now I know what poverty really is, and I understand how people in impaovrished countries get along. This trip really changed my world view.

Republic F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic Aviation F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Air Force proposal for a daytime fighter, the F-84 flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 Air Force review declared it unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered cancelling the program. The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951. In 1954, the straight-wing Thunderjet was joined by the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak fighter and RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance aircraft. The F-84 The Thunderjet was also used as a parasite fighter on the Convair B-36 Peacemaker.

The F-4 Phantom

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the primary fighter bomber of the Vietnam War. It was developed after the F-3 lost a naval contract and Mc Donnell decided to develop an ground attack/ interceptor. The F-4 was armed with four semi-recessed Sparrow III missiles for interception instead of machine guns or cannons. The ground attack armament was all the bombs that could be placed on the eleven hardpoints. As of 2001 more than 1,000 F-4 remained in service.

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F-86 Sabre

The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic combat aircraft developed for the US Air Force. The F-86 was developed in the 1940s following the end of World War II and was one of the most-produced western jet fighters.

The F-86 entered service with the United States Air Force in 1949, joining the 1st Fighter Wing's 94th Fighter Squadron and became the primary air-to-air jet fighter used in the Korean War. With the introduction of the Soviet MiG-15 into air combat in November, 1950, in which it out-performed all aircraft then assigned to the United Nations, three squadrons of F-86s were rushed to the Far East in December. The F-86 could out turn and out dive the MiG-15, but the MiG-15 was slightly superior to the F-86 in ceiling, acceleration, rate of climb, and zoom (until the introduction of the F-86F in 1953); and flown from bases in Manchuria by Soviet VVS pilots, was pitted against two squadrons of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing forward-based at K-14, Kimpo, Korea.
Superior American pilot training in comparison to that of North Koreans and the Chinese accounted for much of the F-86's success in achieving air superiority during nearly all of the hostilities. F-86 pilots also achieved a favorable kill ratio even over the Soviet piloted MiG-15s. Soviets piloted the majority of MiG-15s that fought in Korea, while inferior North Korean and Chinese pilots piloted the remainder. The Soviets and their allies periodically contested air superiority in MiG Alley, a hotbed for air-to-air combat near the mouth of the Yalu River (the boundary between Korea and China). Some sources attributed the F-86E's all-moving tailplane to giving the Sabre a decisive advantage over the MiG-15. Far greater emphasis has been given to the training, aggressiveness and experience of the F-86 pilots. Despite rules-of-engagement to the contrary, F-86 units frequently initiated combat over MiG bases in the Manchurian "sanctuary".
Review of archived and previously classified documents released after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 disputes the numbers of claims by U.S. pilots, stating that the VVS lost only 345 MiGs. In turn the Soviets claimed to have shot down more than 1,300 U.N. aircraft including more than 650 Sabres. However, USAF records revealed that there were only about 660 Sabres deployed to the Korean theater in the entire war. This fact makes the Soviet claims highly dubious. USAF records also show 224 F-86s lost to all causes, including non-combat. Many air engagements are corroborated by both sides, but with conflicting claims of kills.
The needs of combat operations balanced against the need to maintain an adequate force structure in Western Europe led to the conversion of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing from the F-80 to the F-86 in December, 1951. Two fighter-bomber wings, the 8th and 18th, converted to the F-86F in the spring of 1953. 2 Squadron SAAF also distinguished itself flying F-86s in Korea as part of the 18 FBW.

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The P-63 Kingcobra

The P-63 Kingcobra was the big brother to the P-39 Airacobra. The Kingcobra had a Allison engine capible of 1,500 horse power. It was used mainly by the Russans and the French.

The P-47 and me.

Hello, my name is John-Paul, I am a Christian and I am not going to hide that fact. If you don't like that you might not be interested in my blog.


My favorite airplane is the American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as "Jug," was the largest single-engined fighter of its day. It was one of the main United States Army Air Force fighters of the Second World War. The P-47 was effective in air combat but proved especially adept in the ground attack role. The Thunderbolt also served with a number of other Allied air forces.

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