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New aviation history interview: Fokker/Curtiss/Messerschmitt ace Mauno Fräntilä
New aviation history interview: Fokker/Curtiss/Messerschmitt ace Mauno
Fräntilä Chief Warrant Officer Mauno Fräntilä Chief Warrant Officer Mauno Fräntilä "began the flight business in 1936", as he puts it. He was one of the few who piloted the Fokker D.XXI fighter in the Winter War sorties. Subsequently Fräntilä served in Squadron 32 and was one of those who were assigned to the new Squadron 34 that was equipped with the new Me-109 fighters. After the war Fräntilä continued as an Air Force pilot, working also as a flight teacher and thus sharing his invaluable know-how to the next generation of pilots. Fräntilä is highly appreciated by his peers, both as a person and a pilot. His interview has now been translated into English and can be read he http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2...a2English.html Snippets: - What was it like to switch to the Curtiss? Training, learning the tricks, joy of flying? The only training I got was to fly from Utti to Lappeenranta and back. That's all, half an hour. It was certainly better than the Fokker, faster and maneuvered better. Weapons were as weak, only rat guns (MG's). Fared well in combat against the Russians, you could even dogfight. Not with the Chaika, but well enough against the I-16. - Curtiss dogfighting a Chaika? It must have been amazingly agile, if it could cope against a Chaika. Depends on who's flying it, how much you dare and how well you know your plane. You have to fly by the seat of your pants. It's funny, you didn't even need the speed gauge, you could feel it in the tail. Same thing in the dogfight, when you should never lose your speed. - What was it like to sit in the Messerschmitt after Curtiss and Fokker? Dunno... Felt like an airplane. It was faster. - Fit like a glove? Yes, fit in my hand right away. You had to be careful in take-off and landing, though. The rudder was small, you shouldn't lift the tail right away, but accelerate gradually and keep the direction with brake. When you felt the rudder had effect, you had no trouble any more. And you shouldn't let it bank at all when landing. Remember that you had a three meter long engine in front of you, a big propellor and narrow landing gear, if it started to roll you had to let loose. - Did your flying and tactics change with the new plane? No, it was basically the same. Except now we had better climb rates than the Russians and we could split better. And of course gain surprise. With speed, you could hit and run. And not spend much time in their sights. The Russkies never followed to a dive. Their max dive speeds were too low, I suppose. It was the same in the Continuation War, their La-5's and Yak-9's turned quickly back up. The Messerschmitt was exellent. You got always away when you pushed your nose down, and it then rose like an elevator. You soon had upper hand again. -- Other interesting releases lately from the Association: Photo report of the historical tour at Karelian isthmus Photo report of the historical tour at Karelian isthmus made by the four virtual aviators Camo, Ok, BK and Grendel, alongside a larger group consisting of people interested in the Finnish military history and actual war veterans. The group toured the isthmus visiting the battlegrounds of Winter War and Continuation War, participated at the memorial event of Battle of Tali-Ihantala and visited old Finnish towns located at the isthmus. http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/...i-ihantala60v/ -- Simulated flight to history This article was originally published in the Siivet - Wings magazine in year 2001. The text is written mostly about the WarBirds flight simulator, but the descriptions of online flying match what you will find from any other flight simulators. http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/...htintohistory/ -- And older English language aviation history related articles can be found he http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/ Including: Night of the bombers The most daring mission of Finnish bombers in WW2 - in the early months of 1944 the bombers of Finnish Air Force flew their most daring and unique missions during the course of World War II. The tactical attacks on Soviet bomber airfields served a strategic purpose and succeeded beyond all expectations. Infiltrating enemy bomber formations and attacking their airfields while the Soviet planes were landing achieved complete surprise, and helped to lessen the threat of enemy bombers to the Finnish cities - as well as assisting in defence of Estonia. In memorian: Mátyás 'Matyi' Pirity Mátyás Pirity, a great friend of Finland and Finns, received his transfer to the shadow squadron on May 17th, 2003. The Hungarian military pilot was one of many foreign volunteers fighting in the Winter War, and one of the few who were true to their word and served in the front. Fiat G.50 Basic Training Program FA Basic Training Program notes is the summary of the new pilot's training program used by HLeLv 26 (Fighter Squadron 26) at the Finnish Air Force, dated 12.10.40. Flight Captain - Chief Warrant Officer Lasse Erik Aaltonen Lasse Aaltonen was ordered to Fighter Squadron 26 at 28.2.1939. He served in the squadron flying for example Fokker D.XXI and Fiat G.50 fighters until 1943, when he was transferred to the Messerschmitt squadron, 34. "The mail men were busy. The pilots and their mechanics got quite skilled at mail sack dropping. After the work flight, they'd secretly fly women. More fuel was spent, but they weren't caught." Air Warfare School Guild Anniversary 2003 - Pentti Aro and Aarno Siro The Air Warfare School Guild's annual meeting and celebration was arranged at the Air Force Air Warfare School at Kauhava in May 24th-25th, 2003. During the occasion, we interviewed veterans and actively discussed with Aarno Siro, who flew Fiat G.50, Hurricane and Brewster in Fighter Squadron 26 (HLeLv 26) and Pentti Aro, Blenheim pilot in the Bomber Squadron 42 (PLeLv 42). "The Blenheim is damn easy to fly low, the glass nose helped. You could go literally in treetops. " "Hurricane was never a proper interceptor. The Fiat was an interceptor, but it was already getting obsolete. And it had only 1h 15min operation time." Curtiss And Other Nice Planes Jarl "Kille" Arnkil joined Finnish Air Force in 1939. After the war Kille transferred to Aero, later Finnair in 1948 and continued there until his retirement in 1972. After that he worked as a senior inspector of flight operations in National Board of Aviation 1973-1979. In this lecture "Kille" tells about flying both in times of war and peace. "The German factory pilots told us they would fly some training flights with us. We tried to explain that we wouldn't need any training, that we could fly and wanted to take off already. We put together a downright air show above the airfield, did some air combat maneuvers against each other etc. When we landed they agreed that we wouldn't have to be taught to fly, that we could do it already." Arvo Johannes "Jussi" Neva - Service in HLeLv 26 Neva was accepted in the Air Force on War Pilot Course #3, which began at Kauhava in April 1940. Neva was ordered to LeLv 26 in March 1943, where he flew until the end of the war flying Fiat, Hurricane and Brewster fighters. This article, written by Carl-Erik Bruun, depicts shortly his military aviator's career. "May 2, 1943. First air combat above the Saunasaari-Miikkulainen area. Neva was flying the FA-19 in a group of four, sent to assist a Fiat patrol. The enemy had four I-15's and two I-153's." Lauri Äijö ja Onni Rautava - the Blenheim and Junkers 88 pilots The war pilots Onni Rautavaa and Lauri Äijöä were interviewed at Rovaniemi at the annual celebration of the Lapland Air Command. Both gentlemen served as wartime pilots, first on the Blenheim and then on the Junkers 88. Mr Äijö was awarded the Mannerheim Cross of his achievements. "I never heard the engine noise, even if there where two big 2000 horsepower engines one meter away, the other a bit further. I didn't hear them until my ears opened a bit after leveling off." -- -- Virtuaalilentäjät ry - Virtual Pilots Finland Association is an association, which purpose is to promote World War II multiplayer flight simulators and aviation hobby among people interested in aviation. More information about the association is available from http://www.virtualpilots.fi . Our plan of action also includes active research and preservation of Finnish aviation history - more about that from http://www.virtualpilots.fi/en/info/hist/ and http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/ . Virtual Pilots is member of "The Association for Military History in Finland" and is dedicated to the Association's mission of studying and preserving the Finnish military history. Jukka "Grendel" Kauppinen PR and Press Officer, History Team, Chairman Finnish Virtual Pilots Association Contact information: / tel. +358 40 730 0036 |
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