The General and his 59 Corvette
09-23-2012, 10:34 AM
#1
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The General and his 59 Corvette
This is a great little website if you like vintage aviation, but they had a few pictures of Gen Curtis LeMay and his 59 Corvette. Interesting set up on his engine. What are the hoses running between the carbs?
http://jetpilotoverseas.wordpress.co...roadster-1959/
http://jetpilotoverseas.wordpress.co...roadster-1959/
09-23-2012, 11:50 AM
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Not sure about the hose's. Looks like he's using it to test vacumm? One end is open at the top of the fender. Notice the sheilding bolts, not wingnuts and the nine fin valve covers. There's some type of large canister in front of the carbs. Maybe part of the Sun testing machine? He's got '53 hubcaps on it too. Could this be the first resto mod?
Last edited by Geralds57; 09-23-2012 at 12:08 PM.
09-23-2012, 12:15 PM
#4
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Wow! Thanks for posting that link! How cool to see the first CO of the Strategic Air Command doing something other than his day job.
Gen. LeMay was "the bomb" as the kids say these days. If they only knew! LOL!
Gen. LeMay was "the bomb" as the kids say these days. If they only knew! LOL!
09-23-2012, 04:30 PM
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09-23-2012, 05:20 PM
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LeMay used to race corvettes. Sometimes against competition like Carol Shelby.
According to the author Wallace A. Wyss in his book "Shelby, The Man, The Cars, The Legend",(2007) Iconografix Publishing Co.
Who among us wears a white shirt and a tie while fixing our vette.
According to the author Wallace A. Wyss in his book "Shelby, The Man, The Cars, The Legend",(2007) Iconografix Publishing Co.
Who among us wears a white shirt and a tie while fixing our vette.
Last edited by mike16; 09-23-2012 at 07:53 PM.
09-23-2012, 06:04 PM
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Against Shelby, I doubt that he faired very well but that is logical, given that Le May was more concerned about bombing the Communists in Vietnam "back to the Stone Age". With that on his plate I doubt he had much time to improve his driving skills.
Last edited by Dan Hampton; 09-23-2012 at 06:09 PM.
09-23-2012, 07:54 PM
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My uncle Wes (2-star General) was LeMay's Inspector General (the guy who landed unannounced from out of nowhere with his staff to conduct LeMay's famous ORI's - Operational Readiness Inspections). They both retired at about the same time, and were neighbors in a community composed primarily of retired Air Force Generals. I met LeMay on several occasions, and all the stories are true.
Pilot Dan
09-23-2012, 08:24 PM
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09-24-2012, 12:40 AM
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Back in the early '50s, when sports cars were flying out of showrooms and there were just a handful of tracks where you could race them in the USA, LeMay opened up many air bases for weekend events on the runways. No altitude changes, but thousands were introduced to legal track driving, and many more to spectating.
09-24-2012, 10:24 AM
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My uncle Wes (2-star General) was LeMay's Inspector General (the guy who landed unannounced from out of nowhere with his staff to conduct LeMay's famous ORI's - Operational Readiness Inspections). They both retired at about the same time, and were neighbors in a community composed primarily of retired Air Force Generals. I met LeMay on several occasions, and all the stories are true.
09-24-2012, 11:46 AM
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Wow - talk about "posed" photographs! Looks like the man did not suffer from any lack of ego.............
09-24-2012, 01:58 PM
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Was your uncle the officer LeMay sent to Tinian to check out Col. Tibbets' OR? I read in the book "Enola Gay" that LeMay sent one of his underlings to check up on Tibbets, as he really didn't have an understanding of what was needed to drop an A bomb from a B-29 Superfortress and wasn't satisfied that Tibbets' group was mission ready. Apparently Col. Tibbets put the poor OR officer through the wringer, including the after-drop diving 155 degree turn that was designed for the A-bomb drop. Scared the living crap out of him. The OR officer never bothered Tibbets or his other pilots again after that.
09-24-2012, 02:12 PM
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A little known fact is that he was George Walllace's VP running mate in '68, running under the American Independent Party banner. Obviously not too mainstream, but there was nothing mainstream about LeMay.
