Author Topic: Belly Tanks  (Read 6414 times)

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Offline WOODY@DDLLC

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2013, 02:44:12 PM »
There are some more along the Ho Chi Minh trail!  :-D :-D

But most have been re-purposed!  :-o :cheers:
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Offline Frankie7799

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2013, 04:17:58 PM »
Somebody mentioned the ones that are in Vietnam are left over B-52 tanks. That would explain why they are so huge.

As far as buying a bellytank, unless one is a purist and just has to have a vintage belly tank, Id look at one of Waynos. Its much cheaper price wise and why not help a guy here on the board  :-D

Offline Tman

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2013, 06:35:09 PM »
Somebody mentioned the ones that are in Vietnam are left over B-52 tanks. That would explain why they are so huge.

As far as buying a bellytank, unless one is a purist and just has to have a vintage belly tank, Id look at one of Waynos. Its much cheaper price wise and why not help a guy here on the board  :-D

eggzactly! But those Nam boats are crazy! Gotta have the stability of a floating log!

Offline BobDcuda

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2013, 06:51:44 PM »
Woody, just curious.  Are those pics in Laos?  Whereabouts?

Offline WOODY@DDLLC

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2013, 10:34:49 PM »
One of my VN buds sent the pix to me - don't know the exact location.  :-(

Might be the Mekong river looking at the size but that was another galaxy far, far away a long, long time ago!  :-o
All models are wrong, but some are useful! G.E. Box (1967) www.designdreams.biz

Offline Stainless1

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2013, 11:33:42 PM »
Don't think those are BUFF tanks, not really large enough, my guess is F-4, BUFFs didn't have drop tanks, and any of the 20 or so that went down would not have surviving tanks.  The tanks in the pictures are too small and too pointy to be from a heavy.  Just my guess, but I would bet a beer on what they aren't  :|
 :cheers:
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Offline deucemac

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2013, 01:05:40 AM »
Don't think those are BUFF tanks, not really large enough, my guess is F-4, BUFFs didn't have drop tanks, and any of the 20 or so that went down would not have surviving tanks.  The tanks in the pictures are too small and too pointy to be from a heavy.  Just my guess, but I would bet a beer on what they aren't  :|
 :cheers:
Having spent too much time on B-52s flying over Viet Nam, I must correct the statement.  We flew mostly D models and they DID have drop tanks on them which would hold 14,200 pounds of fuel each. Later G and H models had smaller non-jettisoning tanks.  Though the tanks in the pictures look very long, my guess is that they are not B-52 tanks since all our B-52s flew out of Guam, Okinawa, or Thailand. The few that were shot down were twisted rubble by the time they hit the ground. And as far as I know there were no spares for B-52s stored in V/N

Offline WOODY@DDLLC

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2013, 09:55:10 AM »
The Team Arrow liner was a Phantom tank but I believe it was run tail first. [Pointy end sawed off for the chute!]
All models are wrong, but some are useful! G.E. Box (1967) www.designdreams.biz


Offline doug

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2013, 12:05:37 PM »
One of my VN buds sent the pix to me - don't know the exact location.  :-(

Might be the Mekong river looking at the size but that was another galaxy far, far away a long, long time ago!  :-o
The article came out via theaviationist.com.
Here is a link to the article:
http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/18/fuel-tanks-se-asia/#.UkWsHYasjTo

Careful, you could spend hours on that site.

Offline manta22

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2013, 02:29:22 PM »
One of our leading P-38 aces, Thomas Maguire, either forgot to jettison his drop tanks or they were stuck and did not release when he made a sharp turn at very low altitude in a dogfight. He stalled and crashed. (hey-- I sound like the Propster!)  :-P

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Offline Glen

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2013, 02:39:41 PM »
Google aircraft drop tanks, or aircraft wing tanks  lots there to look at.
Glen
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Offline DND

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Re: Belly Tanks
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2013, 04:15:26 PM »
Hi Duecemac

I was in tech school at Chanute AFB in 63' and our class grad pic was taken under the nose of a B52' numbered 001, and you can see the wrinkled skin showing its age


Maybe those large tanks were on the ' B58 Hustler ' bomber?

G Don