XJ Photo-Op Riding Challenge: Military Relics

OK; here's an excuse to go for a ride:

We've all seen them. Many, many VFW and AmVets halls here in the States have a tank or other military relic in the front yard. Or an anti-tank gun or even an airplane. In the UK, they seem to be fond of plopping them in random roundabouts.

You know what I'm talking about; I can think of at least two airplanes, two or three tanks and a 37mm anti-tank gun within about 30 miles of me. Plus one really bad obvious fake NIKE missile. (Not sure why those guys bothered.)

So go for a ride; and take a pic of your XJ next to what you find. Let us know how far it was from home base. The only "rule" is no fair using outdoor museum displays.

 

I live by Hill AFB and I was ready to go get some pictures of Jets... Until I read the last line...There are several VFW's around to check out.

This one does not count Its an outside display for the museum (plus it is with a Nighthawk instead of an XJ)

 

Yeah I included "the rule" because it would be really easy for me just to ride over to Selfridge and go crazy.

 

How's this? Oh wait, that's neither an XJ or a military relic. But right now it's the best I have.

 

That bike needs a kick-stand -

 

But Trains don't count...

 

I cannot say enough how badly I want your bike to be mine. It is so beautiful.

 

Ok, let's try these instead. Notice how nice my sidestand looks.

 

THAT was what I was talking about!

How far away from home?

 

This was at a local VFW. About 5-6 miles away. I'm hoping to get a longer ride tomorrow. I'll see what I can find.

 

I know of a T-54 and a spitfire with 40km of me. Now if I could just get some decent riding weather.

 

Another local VFW, 25mi round trip

 

This is in Clintonville WI. About 80 mile round trip.

 

I will have to check at one of my local American Legion posts to see if they still have theirs, I'll post a pic if they do

 

Well, I'm out. That means I can't use:

Flying Leathernecks (located next to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar)
USS Midway (San Diego), or
USS Iowa (San Pedro, if I wanted to go for a longer ride)

Added bonus: San Diego Maritime Museum. Has, among its displays, a Russian Foxtrot class sub and a US research sub.

 

Pelican rapids mn. Its a 35 mile trip down and wonderful hilly, twisty road.

 

Pelican rapids mn. Its a 35 mile trip down and wonderful hilly, twisty road.

 

Nice.

Biggs, your pics disappeared. And I'm jealous; both you and the Mad Bohemian found Shermans and all I've got around here is cold war era stuff.

Schmuck; no you couldn't use Flying Leathernecks, but either of the ships are stand-alone relics so they'd count. See how close you can get with your bike and get a pic.

 

I'd like to see the rules bent for the Iowa!

 

Strange, they're still showing up om my screen. :?

 

You're OK, it's just Firefox. They're still there if I use IE, not sure what it's trying to save me from.

 

Strange.. I use FF and can see 'em just fine..

 

I realized yesterday that I know at least 3 places within 50 km that would suit this thread. I just need my XJ900 to be road worhty (front brakes).

 

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure it'd be a good idea... my machines aren't nearly as photogenic as yours. As for the Midway, no problem -- there's a parking lot right next to the ship. Don't know about the Iowa, though.

My Firefox sees them just fine, and that's with Ghostery and NoScript running.

 

At the LA Science Center

 

I passed a 'gatekeeper' aircraft at RAF Croughton this afternoon.

There seems to be a lot of Sherman tanks about in the US, judging by the photos. Betcha can't find a Sherman Firefly! (It's a Tiger tank killer, with a British 17pdr gun squeezed into the turret. The barrel overhangs the front of the tank by a long, long way, and there's a big bustle on the back of the turret.)

 

We don't want to hear about it, we want to see it, lol!

 

More... we need more pics.

 

yeah there are 2 i wanted but they are on the side of very busy main roads and i can't stop and take a pic of either

 

This is a great reason for a day trip, thanks fitz. So here is my ride today,

This is a deuce I saw out side a BBQ house in Crosby Tx. 30 miles from home.


Next stop, The Battleship Texas, The last surviving battleship to serve both world wars. 40 miles from home.


A F4J out side an American Legion Hall in Pasadena Tx. 55 miles from home.

A F84 out side a VFW Hall in Houston, 70 miles from home.



And finally,, I know this is not a military relic but the cool factor is way high on this one the "VOMIT COMET" 70.5 miles from home. Over all a 141 mile round trip.

 

Sweet Max.

Good job! Exactly what I was hoping for. We're getting some cool pics and it's giving us all an excuse to go for a ride.

I want to see some U.K., European or Ozzie relics. Canuckistanian, even. We're not the only folks to stick airplanes on poles and plant old tanks in the front yards of our meeting halls. I know the Brits plop 'em in roundabouts, I've seen them.

Keep 'em coming, folks! Great stuff. Love the SR-71.

 

I was on the MTB rather than an XJ and not a relic as such but this is on the wall of the local RSA (Returned services association)

 

How about 2 XJ's and a plane that had a WWII military version ??
This is a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner (Constellation), there were 200 military transporters designated C-69



The plane flew in several years ago to Fantasy of Flight, Lakeland, FL and is in pretty nasty shape. Kermit Weeks recently closed the attraction, but plans on re-opening.

Here's some better pics . . .
click here

 

I can do better, albeit without the bike: years back, I taped a bunch of episodes off the Discovery Channel. The show was called Wings. ("Take off, with the Discovery Channel, in...") One of the episodes I have just so happens to feature the Constellation... I'd offer it up, but the file tops out at about half a gigabyte.

 

I don't see a Constellation. I can't take my eyes off that 900.

 

Connies have at least an interesting shape. Some say beautiful, I don't. Memorable and distinct to be sure!

 

You gotta be kidding. They're one of the most graceful airplanes ever designed, and without a doubt the pinnacle of development of the piston engined airliner. Jets came next; it never got any better than the Constellation and Super Constellation.

 

Thanks Biggs ! And that pic was before I "detailed" it.

As for the interesting, graceful shape - the fuselage flows like a dolphin, with no 2 bulkheads the same. All other commercial pressurized cabins are a "tube" with end-caps. The plane broke records for speed, distance, time aloft in it's day, and there's only 4 left of this "model".

more Starliner info

But it's a 1955 updated model, not an earlier "war" model.
There's a B-52 on display at MCO - OIA they let you get really close to.

 

The USS Saratoga was scheduled to leave yesterday to be towed to the scrap yard but the weather forecast delayed her a day and gave me the opportunity to grab a shot with my bike. Apologies for the crappy cell phone pics it was all I had at the time. She's about a mile from where I live and I have seen her everyday since May and off and on since 2011. A relic? not my opinion of her but impressive never the less. To see the Wikipedia info page on her history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saratoga_(CV-60)


Hey Razz,
Thanks for the pics from back home, I miss it sometimes.

 

good ones John Stone

 

X2!

 

Thought the last line of the article was an eye opener....after all the tax payer money spent on this ship..

 

I'm assuming they'll do it for one cent because of the massive amount of scrap metal they will get out of it.

Quite a sight though, massive isn't even a big enough word to describe those ships.

 

Speaking of which: I heard on the radio this morning that one of the Maersk container ships had just broken a record, embarking loaded with over 17,000 containers. It can do 18,200 containers.

SEVENTEEN THOUSAND. Plus. On one ship.

A container is basically the size of a semi-trailer, you see them all the time.

My question is: how the heck do you load/unload SEVENTEEN THOUSAND shipping containers in a timely enough manner to make it practical?

The mind boggles.

I still love aircraft carriers though.

 

That must be the one owned and operated by Canada Post!!! ;-) ;-)

 

And they're already gearing up for the next-gen of super-freighters, dredging ports and cutting new canals (Panama will be widened, but even it won't accommodate the next group; China plans to build a new canal in Nicaragua that will allow passage of the "Chinamax" cargo ships and "Valemax" bulk commodity carriers).

Cargo ships are classified by how many Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (semi-trailers) capacity they have, or TEU's. Not so long ago, the standard was the Suezmax (guess what canal it's named for) and was around 8500 TEU's, ships that won't fit thru the Suez Canal have to go around the Cape of Good Hope (southern tip of Africa) and those are called Capemax vessels.

Panamax ships can carry only about 4400 TEU's; they're the scrawny little cousins in the big-ship world.

The Maersk E-Class ships can handle 18,000 TEU's, and they have quite a few of those size ships.


BTW, the cost for one of the Panamax carriers to pass thru the Panama canal (fully loaded) is around $350,000 for each transit; large cruise ships get off for a lesser sum, a paltry $200K or so. And since there are sometimes significant delays (3-7 days) in the "queue" for ships waiting to transit, there is also a "skip ahead to the front of the line" queue-skipping fee (for those in a big hurry and deep pockets) which can run $200K or so for each passage.

 

Several months ago another aircraft carrier was scrapped for ONE CENT - -
A Penny,

There's millions of dollars of steel there, we live in a free democracy/capitalistic economy.
What is wrong with this picture ??

Are these ships ending up in India ??

 

If anyone's not familiar with India's ship scrapping industry just Google "Alang". It's actually an environmental disaster.

 

John how are you man. I been wondering where you went. Did you close up shop here in Houston?

 

I will get a shot of the USS Midway ( CV-41 ) here in San Diego this weekend.....it is now a museum down on the waterfront .........She served in Vietnam & Desert Storm