Question 25: "Hello Colonel: I am researching the Italian WW II fighter plane referenced above. Where can I go to get the best information on this airplane? Are you familiar with the Macchi? Please advise. Lou "

Monroe: "Lou, you picked a couple of interesting planes to research. No, I am not familiar with them, but from my search I see they were pretty darn good planes and in the right hands, at the right time, they could have really made a name for them selves. You may already have these links, but if not, you may want to take a look at them. They pretty well tell the story of the Macchi. Thanks Lou.>>>Monroe

http://64.224.13.60/arsenals/planes_it/macchi/macchi_us.htm
http://lemairesoft.digitalrice.com/engins2/916.html
http://home.iae.nl/users/wbergmns/info/mc205.htm"

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Question 26: "Hi, I´m going to build an AT 6 Texan. I want to have a pre war all silver one only with stars and rudder in colors of US falg. Did exist some in colors like this? Thanks Viktor"

Monroe: "Viktor, Thanks for your question. I'm not sure what you are looking for but the AT 6 we trained in during 1942-43 looked like the one in the link below...no flag colors, just a tail number and a number on the side to identify the plane we were to go fly.
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/early_years/ey19.htm

You may be looking for something more like the following links....this one is in the American Air Power museum.
http://www.americanairpowermuseum.com/images2/texantaxitower.jpg
http://www.americanairpowermuseum.com/images2/texanflight1.jpg

You may be interested in seeing the T-6 II currently being used by the USAF and Navy as their trainer...sharp, fast, turbo prop plane.
http://www.aog-usafa.org/Fact_Sheets/T-6_Texan_II.htm

Thanks again Viktor...hope this helps..>>>Monroe"

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Question 27: "Hello I have some Doss Steed exact scale P-51 plans I would like to start someday. Have any idea where I can get some good documentation on Bill "Tiger" Destefani's first racer # 72 "Mangia Pane" This particular Stang brings back such wonderful memories as a kid at the warbird airshows. I grew up in Bakersfield, CA. which is about 20 minutes from where they used to keep it. I could use good pics of the sponsors on the strut covers and whether the wings were clipped a bit or not. I found out that the Stang was sold and is now named "Iron Ass" (funny name) Thanx again David Pearson"

Monroe: "David, I'm sorry I am so late in getting this done but I thought I would get some more info from Bill Destefani. I am also very interested in this plane because he used the color scheme and markings of my old 353rd Fighter Group in ww2. In fact, it is the markings of Capt. Lonnie Davis' P-51D, LH-D, S/N 44-14945, Arkansas Traveler II. I E-mailed Bill with a few questions and I talked to Lora in his Farm office. She said he is a real ww2 buff and was sure he would like to talk to me. But, she said he is really tied up right now from daylight till dark in his cotton farming and seldom ever checks his E-mail. I am attaching a link to the specs of " Strega" that may help. I am also attaching a link to "Iron Ass" that shows it's history that includes when it was "Mangia Pane". Very interesting history. Thanks David. Hope this helps...>>>Monroe"
http://www.p51.mustangsmustangs.com/survivors/p51/44-74494.shtml
http://www.strega.com/comparison.htm

Update: "David, I did get an E-mail from Bill Destefani. He did explain the reason he used the 350th Ftr Sq. color scheme and markings...guess he liked them. Also, explained the shortening of the wings for races...I didn't know it was that easy to switch. I did note that on "Iron Ass" the tips are back on..Thanks...>>Monroe "

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Question 28: "Hello: Well the lead in says what I am looking for on my Uncle. To make a long story short, he was shot down and was pulled upon a beach I believe around Tunisia, The kids that pulled him up, thought it was a dead fish. At that time he was practically dead. Friendlies got him back in friendly territory and the rest is history. Anyway, he survived and flew for many years for oil pipe line inspections etc in Texas. He is still alive and living in Texas. My concern at this time, and in the past in talking with my father, (his brother) that "Howard" does not like to talk about his expeirences. And I must respect that. What I would like to do, is to research his flight group etc and the type of P-51 he flew etc. I currently have a Giant scale P-51 kit with all the compliments to outfit it, ie, landing gear,door sequencer, engine in hopes to re-create his ship. Any resources that you may know where I could begin the search on his group. I am starting from scratch, as I could probably find out from my dad for when my Uncle was in the service etc. How 'bout Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Smithsonian etc. for some resources ? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You Mike Miller, Bellingham, Washington."

Monroe: "Mike, it will be very difficult to do research on your Uncle Howard's plane without some initial information to start with. The more info you have, the easier it will be. Information such as: "What Fighter Group and Squadron" was he with? That is almost a must. His full name and What day he was shot down would help find the MACR ( missing Air Crew Report). There are two main places to do research: "The Airforce Historical Research Agency" ( AFHRA ), Maxwell AFB, Ala. And " National Archives and Records Administration", College Park, Maryland. They will not do the research for you. AFHRA will advise you what microfilm you need to order if they know the Squadron and time period. I believe the National Archives require you to make an appointment and visit. I will leave you a link to find those sources. As you can see that is a hard route to do research. I would suggest you talk to your dad and uncle , if possible, and get as much info about his Squadron and plane as you can. Then, I think you may be able to do the research on the net.
I did a little research and found a 2nd Lt Howard Miller listed as a pilot in the 335th Ftr Sq. of the 4th Ftr Gp. I'm not sure if it is your uncle or not. I will leave you a link to the 335th Ftr Sq. list. Other than the list, I do not find any other mention of him in the 335th Ftr Sq, such as aircraft assigned, etc.
Thanks Mike for your question...Hope it may help.>>>Monroe"
http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra/faq.htm#four
http://www.fourthfightergroup.com/resource/335.html

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Question 29: "Monroe, I have built a 70" Fieseler Fi 156 Storch ( fly very well) and I am in the process of building a 90" version. From the research I have done for the color scheme it looks like some versions were done in black but I cannot find any verification for this exterior color. Can you help? Thanks you Tim"

Monroe: "Tim, I must say you picked an unusual but interesting plane. I have seen a few times I would liked to have been in it instead if what I was in. Short take-off and landings. It appears that a lot of the early versions of the Storch was black with a very simple paint scheme...only a cross on each side of the fuselage and top and bottom of each wing and a Swastika on the tail. They were used primarily for liaison and ambulance service for picking up wounded and dead bodies out of the battle field. See the link below:
http://www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/bibl/mil/ww2/kepek/planes/fi156.html
There are a few "more colorful" ones that you may like better, including some RC planes that look pretty good. You may have these links, but I will list a few that you may want to take a look at. Thanks Tim and good luck..>>>Monroe"
http://home.att.net/~david.pride/Aviation/Other_17.htm
http://rwebs.net/ghostsqd/storch.htm
http://www.warbirdalley.com/storch.htm
http://trfn.clpgh.org/ah/images/FI566C.JPG
http://www.airwar.org.uk/StorchBWSide.html
http://www.collingsfoundation.org/hiresaircaft/high-fi-156storch.jpg
http://www.100megspopup.com/photo4phood/webaircraft/fi156-2.html

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Question 30: "Recently 2 British Corsairs were discovered in a lake here in Maine. A large legal wrangle is developing over the ownership of the planes. The 2 planes collided at low altitude in 44 and the pilots are presumed still aboard. A salvage co. wants to raise and sell the planes. Whats your opinion? Alot of big money wants the planes up. thanks, Tom. One of my clients, name of Bastista flew 47s. A friends father flew 51s name of Kuchman"

Monroe: "Tom, Very good question. It is my opinion that in accordance with courts decisions in previous cases of similar nature, the planes still belong to the British or Canada, whoever owned them when they went down, unless the state of Maine or the Salvage Co. can prove there was an "official act of abandonment"made by the owners. See the link below for my reasons:
http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC/wreck203.htm
Please note the last paragraph:
In concluding that Spain retained its right to both LA GALGA and JUNO, the Fourth Circuit emphasized that anything short of an affirmative act of abandonment will undermine a state's or private salvage company's claim to a sovereign shipwreck. This decision stresses that, as under customary international law, sovereign shipwrecks should be protected from unauthorized interference. Thanks Tom...let me know how it turns out.....very interesting...>>Monroe "

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Question 31: "Hi Colonel, When in WW2 did the Army aircraft stop marking the bottom of the wing in the US ARMY block markings, or was it a theater thing (Pacific vs ETO). I think I have seen P-40N's with the US ARMY below the wing, but am not really sure. Any help would be appreciated. Barney "

Monroe: "Thanks Barney. I don't think any of the COMBAT aircraft in ww2 or maybe even earlier had the "US ARMY" markings under the wings. None I ever flew did. They only had the "National Aircraft Insignia" STAR on the side. I believe the Army small "Liaison" planes may have "US ARMY" under the wings. I believe some of our Trainers may have the "USAF"markings on side. And, as you may know, the USAF THUNDERBIRDS have USAF on their wings and on the side. See this link for the Thunderbirds' planes:
http://www.sky-flash.com/thun.htm

The P-40 that you may have seen could have been a trainer plane. In 1943 and 44 they used many P-40s for training of new pilots before they went into P-47s. Thanks again Barney...sorry I couldn't help you more.>>>Monroe"

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Question 32: "Hi Monroe, Can you give a brief history on invasion stripes? Why were they used? Are they part of the original paint scheme rolling out of the factory? Or were they painted on the plane just before an invasion? Do the colors always go "white-black-white-black-white"? Were there any rules regarding where on the plane they were painted? I've seen some schemes where the stripes are on the bottom only of the wing and fuse, some on the top and bottom, . I've also noticed that some have invasion stripes on the wing tips. Thanks, Josh"

Monroe: "Thanks Josh for your question...it's a good one. The Invasion stripes were placed on all allied planes just before June 6, 1944 ("D" Day) so the invasion ground forces could identify the friendly forces and not shoot them down.
In my research, I find some discussions among model builders as to exact size and placement of the stripes. I do not claim to be an authority on the subject and I do find some conflicting information on the net. As I personally remember and from my research, I think the following statement taken from an article will give the correct information:
"Next change to the tactical identification markings as applied to the Tempests occurred on or around the 5th June 1944. The Allied Air Expeditionary Force (AAEF) introduced Black and White stripes to be painted around the wings and fuselages of all allied aircraft in preparation for the allied landings of the Normandy Invasion finally scheduled for 6th June. The stripes were to be 18 in. wide and to be painted commencing 6 in. inbording from the upper wing roundels (replacing the original special i/d stripes) and 18 in. forward of the leading edge of the tailplanes."( I guess that is the British term for "Horizontal Stabilizer" )
Another interesting statement taken from supposedly an official document is as follows:
"Although the stripes were ordered removed by September 1944, several cases have been noted where aircraft continued to carry "invasion stripes" well into 1945. Most 8th AF aircraft retained D-Day markings and camouflage until August-September 1944".
Josh, please go to the link below and you will see a picture of a P-51 with Invasion stripes that I think are correct. Thanks again and good luck.>>>Monroe"
http://204.50.25.179/features01/p51bgw_1.htm

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Question 33: "Hey Mr. Williams, Thanks for the last e-mail... I think I now know what was written on the side of the plane... but I have yet another question... I have seen that not many people have built B-24's?!? And out of the 2 I saw, only one was giant scale... so I decided to try out Don Smith's B-24 plans... while I'm waiting for the plans, I was looking for a paint scheme, and I, for once, found some good info on a particular B-24... so here it goes:
Name: Aries
designation: B-24H-15-FO
serial #: 42-52693
AF: 8
BG: 486
BS: 834
FC: 2S
RCL#: 0
#P: 1

ARIES B-24 42-52765 Assigned overseas to England on 26th March 1944, this B24 flew its first mission with 486BG on 7th May 1944. Lt Sowers was in command that day and flew a total of eleven of his missions in the aircraft -- out of a total of 20 known to have been completed by it. Its final combat sortie was on 17th July 1944 to attack the bridge at Gien, France and it is believed to have suffered serious battle damage which resulted in salvage on 21st July 1944. ( She was scrapped on my birthday!!!...) I have two pics of the nose part... pretty good ones, but I would need to know the color of the fins or a overall look at the aircraft... thanks alot for your time! Cheers!
Jakob"

Monroe: "Hi Jakob, glad to see you are coming along very good. For some good info on your B-24, go to the following links. On the first link, check this statement and look in the top left coner and you can see how the "O" was on the tail of the plane: "The original group symbol was a black "O" in a white square. The square was painted on the tail, top right wing, and bottom left wing. The square identified 3rd Air Division aircraft, the O signified the group. However, when the transition to the B-17 began it was thought the "O" would be confused with the "D" of the 100th BG. To avoid any confusion all 486th Fortresses were identified by a white "W" in a black square" http://www.486th.org/Group/Group.htm Now go to this link and you can review the nose art of all the Crews of the 834th Squadron. Please note they changed from B-24s to B-17s in July 1944. Also note that "McCabe's" crew also shows their nose art as "Aeries". http://www.486th.org/BS834/BS834.htm Jakob, I hope this helps you with your B-24. Thanks.>>>Monroe"

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Question 34: "Quite a stir concerning thread about Major Walter Nowotny, whom was killed in action 1944, as appears in the thread in the warbird forum. Lt.Colonel Monroe: I thought Major Walter Nowotny was killed in action in 1945, after being intercepted by allied fighters while trying to land at his natural aluminum ME-262., at his base of operations--Perhaps I'm confusing the similarity of the name. Respectfully, Richard"

Monroe: "Richard, I believe these two links will answer your question. In the first link, please note this statement:
"Nowotny took off on 8 November 1944, flying against USAAF bombers with a fighter escort. The exact circumstances of Nowotny’s death remain uncertain. Ground personnel reported hearing combat above the clouds. Nowotny reported he had downed a B-24D four-engine bomber and probably destroyed a P-51D fighter. He then reported an engine failure before making a garbled transmission referring to “burning”. His Me 262 A-1a (W.Nr. 110 400) “White 8” was seen to dive vertically out of the clouds and crash at Epe, 2.5 kilometres east of Hesepe.
Walter Nowotny flew over 442 missions in achieving 258 victories. He recorded 255 of his victories over the Eastern front."
( He must have been a darn good pilot, but I have to wonder how he would have made out in the "Western Front")
http://www.luftwaffe.cz/nowotny.html

Then see this link. It will give you a little more specific information as to how it happened:
"At 12:45 P.M., November 8, 1944, 1st Lt. Edward R. Haydon, flying his P-51D "Lady Nelda" of the 357th Fighter Group, joined P-51s of the 20th Fighter Group in the chase of a crippled Me 262 towards its airfield at Achmer, Germany. The German fighter pilot dragged his pursuers into a barrage of flak put up by the airfield defenses. All 20th Fighter Group P-51s broke away to the right. Lt. Haydon broke to the left, alone, to find the Me 262 on the downwind leg for landing. As Haydon continued his turn towards firing position, the German pilot caught sight of him and reacted violently, snapping inverted, diving into the ground right under the P-51’s nose. Haydon had not fired a shot. He was awarded the victory, though it was shared with Capt. Ernest C. Fiebelkorn of the 20th Fighter Group, who had fired at Nowotny during the chase.*
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjr/avart/waryears/

Richard, I hope this answered your question..Thanks..>>.Monroe"

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Question 35: "Dear Monroe, I just finished a Top Flight P40. I am trying to scale after the 23rd Fighter Group No. 38. I like its color scheme and nose art, especially the unique "Hold'n My Own" picture in the tail. Would you please point me to the right direction as where to locate a good picture of "Hold'n My Own". Thanks in advance. Tien-when Lo"

Monroe: "Thanks Tien for your question...sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. But I see that Chad Veich did a great job in finding your answer....Thanks Chad. Tien, you may go to this link and find some information. Thanks again..>>>Monroe
http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/p-40_1.html"

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Question 36: "Col Monroe- I'm modeling the J2M3 Raiden. The one remaining example is at the Chino Planes of Fame museum, and I have a stack of photos of it. In comparing those photos with the photos in the various books I have, I've noticed a couple of apparent discrepancies. The Chino a/c has it's "kill" icons below the left side canopy rail in US style, while the WWII photos in my reference books have them on the vertical stab; the Chino a/c has a white spinner, the reference books indicate a reddish brown. I'm not sure if this is a case of the restorer taking artistic liberties or me overlooking something-- but more important, when modeling a particular aircraft for competition, do you reproduce ALL aspects of the exemplar including things like paint over-spray, and verifiable restoration errors, or do you model it as it would have appeared when it was operational, before being restored? Thanks,
John Fitzpatrick"

Monroe: "Thanks John, you ask some good questions. I wish I could give you some good answers. Your question about "modeling a particular aircraft for competition" will have to be answered by one of the pro-model builders. I am not a model builder....I can fly the real thing but not smart enough to build a model. From my observation, when a plane is restored, such as in Chino, they restore it in what ever paint scheme they choose, unless they are restoring it into a scheme of a specific pilot's aircraft. Then they try to restore it exactly as it was. You have a good point about the placement of the "Kill-marks" on the Japanese planes. I think your confusion is justified because apparently there were several variations of the Japanese kill marks. See the link below for an article by Ray Mehlberger about a book by Osprey publishing .....please note this statement:
The book contains 128 pages, 120 wartime photos, two maps, copies of citations given to Japanese pilots, 34 color side profiles of Japanese aircraft that were used against B-29's, four color tail insignias for Japanese air units, and 12 variations of Japanese kill marks (also in color)
http://www.internetmodeler.com/2002/march/new-releases/book_osprey-B29.htm
You may wish to E-mail Ray Mehlberger about this book. It may have some good info.

In the next link scroll down to information on Maj Kobayashi , CO of the 244 Sentai, and view his kill-marks under the edge of his canopy on his KI-61.
http://www.marksindex.com/japaneseaviation/hien.html

And again, scroll down in the next link to Maj. Kobayashi and view his kill marks under the canopy.
http://www.wwiitech.net/main/japan/aircraft/ki-61/

Open the next link and click on page 3 and 5 and you will find pictures of the tail of two "Zeke" aircraft. These aircraft have the kill-marks on the tail. So, I guess either is correct.
http://www.ijnafpics.com/

In this last link, you will find some pretty good information and pictures of your J2M3 Raiden to go by in building your bird. As you can see the spinner is not white and this is not a restored type aircraft.
http://www.wwiitech.net/main/japan/aircraft/j2m/index.html

Thanks again, John and good luck.>>>Monroe"

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Question 37: "Hi again Monroe I sent you the question about col. GLEN E. DUNCAN previously. I have a friend who doesn’t have a computer, and he asked me if I could help him find a three view of Glen Eaglestons p-47 -d bubble canopy version with the skull and cross bone emblems . He was in the 9th air force and flew p-47s toward the end of the war . I f you can help I will be very grateful. My friend has the TOP FLITE GOLD EDITION 85 INCH P-47 built and just about ready to put on the finishing colors and markings . Thank you Tom "

Monroe: "Hello Tom, good to see you again. I don't believe you will find a color picture of Glenn's P-47-D .....everything was black and white back then. You may have these links already, but I will list some links showing black and white pictures as well as some links showing works of others who have put the correct color scheme to the plane. I hope it will help your friend do a neat job on his plane. Thanks Tom....>>Monroe"
http://www.skylighters.org/photos/pow02252002.html
http://www.web-birds.com/9th/354/354th-45.jpg
http://us.st2.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/internethobbies_1755_83679838
http://www.onmarkint.com/tmp_9/98147.jpg
http://www.bellevillercflyers.com/gallery/album25
http://www.encode.com/skyart/TBolt.htm

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Question 38: "Hi Iam interested in Modeling the P40 L of the Tuskeegee Airmen, as they flew it in the African campaign and I cant seem to find any documentation of them, pics or color schemes or anything would be greatly appreciated. where is a guy to go? I treid the web with no luck. The only pic I have seen was in the Squadron book but acourse that was pretty bad. any info on where or who would be appreciated."

Monroe: "Hello Tony.....I haven't had much time to work on this, but it appears there is not a great source for information on your plane. I am listing a few links for you to look at, but I am not so sure it will help you a lot. Sorry , I have been tied up with a very sick wife for some time. Thanks anyway for your question.>>Monroe"
http://ww2aircraft.virtualave.net/images/p-40_tuskegee.jpg
http://www.bobafettmp.com/warbirds/tuskegeeairmen03/
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/SJ/TuskegeeAirmen/Tuskegee_Aircraft.html
http://www.amtechmodels.com/product_view.cfm?Item=p40fl
http://www.internethobbies.com/internethobbies/am148p4merwa.html

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Question 39: "Dear Monroe, I am currently scratch building a P51b mustang and I would like to paint it in the Blue nose scheme from I think 356sqd based in Bodney, but I can't really find any photo,s or documentation here in Australia. I would like to include D Day stripes so any info on a P51b of that period would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response Many Thanks John"

Monroe: "Hello John, good to hear from someone from Australia. That is one of the places I have never been. Maybe someday, if I get younger, I will stop in. I think you are thinking of the 352nd Fighter Group, "The Blue Nose Bastards Of Bodney". The 356th Squadron was in the 354th Fighter Group stationed in France. The 352nd Group changed from P-47s to P-51s a few months before we did in the 353rd, so they did have a lot of P51-B aircraft. When we changed, we got the P-51-Ds. I think we did borrow a few of the 352nd P-51Bs to check out in before our Ds got there. I will give you a few links to show you the paint scheme of the Aircraft. As you will see from the information in the link below the shades of blue varied from light blue to a darker blue:

So, I guess you can choose the blue that you like.
http://www.web-birds.com/8th/352/352.html
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/352fgurg.html
http://www.ebatesville.com/library/GODFRYM.jpg

John, I also touched on this subject in question # 21 of my advisor page on rcwarbirds.com. You may want to go to the page and review that.
Thanks John ....I hope this helps.>>>Monroe"

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Question 40: "Mr. Monroe, Do you know if there were any Czech units or aircraft crew in USAF? If so, do you have any information about the aircraft? Thank you for all your help. Stan "

Monroe: "Thanks Stan. I know of no Czech Units or Air Crews that were in the USAF during my time. It could be possible in later years, but I don't think so. I did note that the Czech L-39, Albatros, is being fovorably considered to replace the USAF T-39 Trainer plane. It's a neat looking plane...See the link below. Thanks again..>>>Monroe"
http://www.afmc.wpafb.af.mil/HQ-AFMC/PA/centennial/archive/news/story120.html

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Question 41: "Hello Mr. Monroe, Do you know where I can find more pictures of a P40N-5-CU, based in Karachi, India in 1943, identified as Joanne 49? I have one good side view picture located in Curtiss P-40 in action by Squadron/Signal Publications Aircraft No 26, (pg 49).This picture does not answer some of my questions; for example, What color was the propellor spinner? black? blue? or red? Did this aircrft have an antenna mast behind the cokpit? Did Joanne 49 have a bead sight on the top of the forward fuelage? Any information would be very helpful in my attempt to make my P-40N as close to historically correct as possible.Thank You!
Jesse P. "

Monroe: "Thanks for your question. I don't know if I can help you a lot...I don't seem to find a picture of the original plane. I assume the link below is the picture you found http://store5.yimg.com/I/ehobbyland_1762_29446937 I note that the spinner in your picture is red. In pictures of other "Joanne 49" models, it appears the spinners are blue. Maybe the following links will help you with your questions"

http://www.modelarstwo.org.pl/lotnicze/galeria/golec/p-40n/02.html http://tools.search.yahoo.com/language/translation/translatedPage.php?tt=url&text=http%3a//su22m4.free.fr/p_40n.htm&lp=fr_en
http://www.modelarstwo.org.pl/lotnicze/galeria/golec/p-40n/08.html
http://www.modelarstwo.org.pl/lotnicze/galeria/golec/p-40n/
www.gruppomodelistasensi

Jessie, here is a link to another plane in the 80th Ftr Gp with "Joanne 49". I note it has a red spinner.
http://fw190a8.hp.infoseek.co.jp/48p40n/48p40n4.htm

So, red or blue, I'm not sure. I guess you can take your choice. Anyway, "Do they have an antenna mask?" I would say "Yes". "A bead sight on top of the forward fuselage?" If you mean a Gun Sight..."NO". The Gun Sight is mounted just in front of the pilot's head, near the windshield. Thanks again Jessie, hope this helps..>>>Monroe

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Question 42: "I would like to know if the gear doors on the p-51d closed after the gear were down or if they stayed down with the gear thanks Nick"

Monroe: "Thanks Nick. The gear doors close after the gear is down. As you can see from the attached picture of Col. Duncan's "Dove of Peace", the underside is clean when the gear is down. This is important because you would not want the gear doors hanging down when flying with gear down. Thanks..>>>Monroe "

Update: "Nick, I found this statement in one of the forums that I think answers your question.>>Monroe"

"The P-51 on the ground always had the inner doors hanging down as the hydraulics bled off".

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Question 43: "Lt. Col Williams, Just found this site. What a wealth of information. Thank you for adding your expertise! I have a few questions about particular P-51 paint schemes. I recently acquired a Great Planes P-51 ARF and was disappointed that the scheme is a hodge podge. I know, it is an ARF and that's what I get for not building ;-). It appears that Great Planes tried to be somewhat historical but I think I can easily make a few simple mods to really get close. Close enough for my first War bird anyway. I was incredibly excited to see you were in the 353rd FG as the ARF is loosely modeled after the 352nd FS of the 353rd. The markings on it are SX B (can not removed so I am stick with this squadron) but could easily be adjusted to SX B too. I am currently thinking about Lt. Col Baily's Double Trouble or Lt. Bantly's Little Midget. My question is do how long after D-Day did the group use the recognition stripes and did they use them on the wings and fuse? The ARF has black and white banding with yellow accent lines on the black borders. I am sure this is not correct but am stuck with it. Have searched for any photos etc of this particular group/squadron but would be most appreciative of any advice on more online or published works on them. Have always been a big Mustang nut but this group has become my latest obsession. Thanks and take care, Eric"

Monroe: "Hello Eric...Thanks for your question. Also, appreciate your interest in the 353rd...I think we had some good looking planes. We didn't get the P-51s until first of October 1944. And, as I remember, and we did not put on the D-Day invasion stripes. Since you have them on already, I can't see that it will make a difference...in fact, I like them. I am attaching some links that may be a help to you. As you will see, Lt. Col. Bailey had two SX-B planes, "Double Trouble" and "Double Trouble Two". Lt. James G. Bartley had two SX-B with "Little Midget" on the left side and "Missy" on the right side. I think either of these planes would be good examples to go by. Thanks again, I hope these links will help you decide what you want to do and you end up with a beautiful plane.>>Monroe"
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/353rdfg.jsp?offset=400#mainTable

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/353rdfg-gallery.jsp

http://www.web-birds.com/8th/353/353.htm

http://www.robert-stetter.de/Gundelfingen/gundelf_1.html

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery-pu.jsp?index=60&Group=353

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Question 44: "Hello Lt. Col. Monroe, i am scratch building a 1/12 scale He-111 twin engine bomber, and plan to weather the plane to look like a well used aircraft in a winter environment. I have looked at many, many photos of this plane in that scenario, but unfortunately they are all black and white. Are there any other colors besides black i should be focusing on. That is to say, might an engine leaking fluids stain the cowling in a different color, or were there any kinds of lubricants or gaskets in the area around the prop and spinner that might leave stains over time in a different color. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks a Million, Brian "

Monroe: "Thanks Brian for a good question.....wish I had a good answer. First off, I recommend you not go overboard showing oil leaks and propeller hub leaks.....if those occur, the crew-chief should repair them right away. What does occur is discoloring down the sides of the plane from the exhaust. I cannot find a picture of an HE-111 that will show this, but I will leave links to a couple P-51s in my outfit that will show what I mean. Of course, we do have oil leaks...in fact, as you may note, one of these planes has oil draining from a drain hole in the cowling while in flight. In researching the HE-111 I find that many of them are Black and white.....it appears that is the paint scheme and is not caused by stains and discolorings. Please check these links and see if they will help..Sorry I couldn't do better. >>Monroe"
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery-pu.jsp?index=63&Group=353

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery-pu.jsp?index=60&Group=353

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Question 45: "Good day sir. If you would not mind I would love to ask a question or two. I have just acquired a Top Flite P-51D with a conversion kit to make it a B. I have always loved and wanted one so here is my chance. I want to make this bird as close to scale and historically close as possible. My question(s) is this. Do you know what fighter groups where flying the B during WWII? If so would you mind pointing me in the right direction for photos and data concerning the fighter groups. I apologize for taking up your time in this matter; however I have searched the net and have had little success. Thank you in advance and any help you so choose to provide.
David "

Monroe: "No problem David...Just do your research on the 352nd Fighter Group( "The Bluenosed Bastards Of Bodney"). They got a lot of P-51Bs and some P-51Ds. I think you will find some good-looking planes. In fact, I believe we in the 353rd Gp borrowed a few of their "Bs" to check out in before we changed from P-47s to P-51s in October 1944. I will leave you this link to start with. If you have a problem, get back to me. Thanks..>>Monroe" http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/352ndfg.jsp

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Question 46: "Mr. Williams, There is a discussion on R/C Universe about the correct term for WWII aircraft. Some are saying "heavy Metal" is correct and some say "Heavy Iron" is correct. What is you opinion as to correct term. The discussion can be found here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Heavy_Iron_not_Heavy_Metal/m_1380358/tm.htm Since you were there I believe you would know. Thanks Terry"

Monroe: "Terry, neither of these terms were used during ww2. They must have originated sometime after the war. At least, I never heard of them being used in relation to ww2 planes..Thanks.>>>Monroe"

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Question 47: "Dear Colonel: I am wondering if you have any information(or knowledge of where I can obtain complete information) on the VMF 111 Devil Dogs Marine fighter/bomber group which operated in the Pacific during WW II. There are a few references (most famous was aircraft # 122) in various publications but much more information is hard to come by. Thank you and your ""band of brothers" for your service to the world. You make us proud to be Americans. Lou"

Monroe: "Thanks Lou for your nice comments. You are right, there is just not a lot of information around about the VMF-111. I must admit I am not much of an authority on Marine units. I did find a few links that may be of interest. You may have already found them in your research, but I will post the links for you to look at. Thanks again, Lou..>>>Monroe"
http://www.wiehes.com/vets/vets.html
http://www.goodrichtoysoldiers.com/armour2.htm
http://www.wingsoverelburn.com/images/Armour/98059draw.jpg
http://www.flyingtigerssurplus.com/big-id-12-shbgid-645.html
http://m2reviews.cnsi.net/scotts/decals/super/ss48709.htm

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Question 48: "Hello, Was going through family photo albums and found this picture my Father took when he was in the A.A.C. I think it was taken 'State side' What do you think? Regards, Richard"

Monroe: "Richard, it appears to be an airfield in the US somewhere. The mixture of planes and the way they are parked indicates they are not operational planes. I would guess they are stored somewhere. I wish I could remember where I served with your father. I believe it was during the Berlin Airlift. I know Mac and I served somewhere together. Thanks Richard..>>>Monroe"

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