On This Day In The Navy, 1918
LTJG David S. Ingalls, while on a test flight in a Sopwith Camel, sighted an enemy two-seat Rumpler over Nieuport. In company with another Camel he attacked and scored his fifth aerial victory in six weeks to become the U.S. Navy’s first (and only) WWI ace, with six total credited aerial victories.
Flying the Sopwith Camel around Dunkirk, Ingalls began to chalk up victories. One of his final air to air victories was a result of an engine failure. Engine out and descending to a suitable field, his engine restarted, and he was able to regain flight. However, he was now behind enemy lines. As a result, he was able to attack the Germans from behind and destroyed a Fokker D.VII.
The entire article can be viewed Here.
Anyone who has owned an English motorcycle or sports car can empathize with Ingalls’ balky engine.
Category: Blue Skies
And I bet this song is about
LTJG David S. Ingalls…😉
https://youtu.be/Oxzg_iM-T4E
Thank You for sharing, AW1Ed.
Probably Lucas electricals:
God gave man Light. Joseph Lucas gave him Dark.
Three position Lucas switch: Dim, flicker, and off.
The patent on the telephone was given to Alexander Bell. The patent on the reaper went to Cyrus McCormick. The patent on the short circuit went to Joseph Lucas.
Lucas made a torpedo. It sank.
Lucas made a vacuum – its only product that didn’t suck.
former Brit car mechanic
Lucas, Prince of Darkness.
“A gentleman doesn’t motor about after dark!” – Joseph Lucas
David, you beat me to it Brother.
Why do the British drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes refrigerators.
Having been the owner of a few MG’s ,Triumph’s, and a Austin Heally 100-6 I can attest to the fact British sports cars with thee inventor of darkness Lucas electrical system , really run on smoke…and why you ask I think this, because everything is fine until somewhere with in its primitive electrics and mechanical bits the smoke comes out, and as soon as you stop it, mend it(usually a roadside quikfix)everything is fine , until the smoke comes out again. check the oil, wash the windows and make sure no visible smoke leaks.
Amen. And if it ain’t leaking oil, it is out of oil.
Between an MG Midget and a Bugeye Sprite… I don’t know. There’s only so much fun that you can have, at one time:-)
BTW….its not just the Brits and their Lucas electrical positive earth system, its also the German Boesch electrics, especially since they crash out on most model German cars as soon as the warranty expires and will only cost you a mortgage to repair. And then their is the Italian electronics of Magneti Marelli, ever own a Alfa Romeo, didn’t drive it a whole lot did ya’? or a Fiat, Ferrari, Maserati….
As a little kid there is nothing I wanted by more than a WWI fighter pilot.
I knew it was not possible but was still holding out hope time travel would be invested. XD
*invented
Should have just flown your doghouse in the backyard…
Me too – always wanted to chase down the German Flying Circuses in a Sopwith Camel. but I blames Biggles for that
So, when you came of age, you did what?
And undoubtedly LTJG Ingalls was also the first-ever Naval Aviator to shout “Guns Guns Guns!” while rolling in behind a bandit.
It’s also reasonable to assume that LTJG Ingalls was probably the first Naval Aviator to pioneer the now traditional use of the hand with the watch on it as the bandit when using one’s hands to describe/illustrate an air-to-air combat engagement for one’s squadronmates over drinks at the O’Club bar.
“There I was, rolling in on his six and going to guns.”
(moves hands around dramatically in order to describe the maneuver; the hand without the watch is now in position to shoot down the hand with the watch)
“Guns Guns Guns!”
“Splash one Fokker!”
And the rest is history…
“Roger, Juliet Alpha Zero Three, you are number two behind the Fokker.”
“Copy tower, I have that Fokker in sight. I always wanted to say that.”
*grin*
Ha!
Well played!
And then there was the time that LtJG Ingalls was on a War Bond Tour talking to a group of ladies, telling them how he became an Ace.
“There I was with Fuckers all around me; I was fighting for my life. I was able to do a barrel-row and get behind two of the Fuckers and shoot them down; but the other Fuckers, I was having a time shaking.”
The person who was escorting LtJG Ingalls quickly explained the “Fokker” was a type of German Aircraft.
LtJG Ingalls said: “Yes that is true; but these Fuckers were Messerschmitt’s!”
Perfect!
CLASSIC!!!
Great read, thank you.
“Anyone who has owned an English motorcycle or sports car”
BSA, MGB’s and an MGC/GT
Sunbeam Tiger (ford v8)
The photo at top looks like some guy strattling a giant engine.
Are all the bolts and spanners(heh, I said spanner) Whitworth thread?
Probably. I just learned something… always thought old MGs used Whitworth bolts, just read that from 1923-1955 they used bolts with metric threads and Whitworth sized heads. No wonder we got lucky so often replacing bolts with metric bolts, even if the heads were the wrong size!
Good post there AW1Ed, didn’t know any of all that. Had read up on Lufberry,Rickenbacher, ect., and the Lafayette Esq, but had always just thought that Billy Mitchell had pretty much started Naval Aviation when he rammed the 1st carrier flights down the establishment’s throat. Also nice to read of a former congress critter that didn’t spend his entire life sucking off the taxpayer sugar teat, actually had a real job and the ideas of what might be best for the country. Thanks Matey!
God willing, he requested a flyby of the tower when he was coming back in and was told “Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is FULL!”