Classic Cars

Walked by this Beaut on Broadway in Astoria today, the best I can guess it is a mid 50ish something, maybe a Chevy.

That tail light screams Ford.

Not sure

Was able to zoom in on the original photo the side plate said Holiday which seems to be an Olds circa mid 50’s.

Was able to zoom in on the original photo the side plate said Holiday which seems to be an Olds circa mid 50’s.

Wow, rare care

My first car was a 1973 who would have thunk of one selling for this 😳

1975 cars can draw a pretty penny , I’m not a convertible fan but big time fan of any 75.

Walked by this Beaut on Broadway in Astoria today, the best I can guess it is a mid 50ish something, maybe a Chevy.

1955 Olsdmobile

Walked by this Beaut on Broadway in Astoria today, the best I can guess it is a mid 50ish something, maybe a Chevy.

1955 Oldsmobile Holiday 88. My favorite car of all time.

Crossed paths with this 55 Boohick today.

Looks like a Caddy

Looks like a Caddy

Based on the portholes, I assumed it was a Buick.

Based on the portholes, I assumed it was a Buick.

Yes,I agree

Yes,I agree

It looks like five characters on the nose. Unreadable, but 5 shiny blobs.

Sorry for the lousy image. The guy had just pulled out of the driveway and I didn't want to get in his face with a camera.

At the Patchogue parade today

Ahhh, the good old days. My rides. I used to race 1/4 mile at the West Hampton race track and Route 231 in Babylon Village at midnight. After a woman totaled my 1970 Dodge Challenger with a 383, I bought a 1970 AMX with a 390 and Borg Warner Super T-10 transmission. I blew the stock 390 immediately racing a 442 and went with a new worked 390. We raced just for bragging rights. With work, it was a mid-13 second car at the track. I was faster on the street due to the clean concrete. I loved the 1970 AMX for it's uniqueness. We used to call her: Animal Machine rated **X.

1975. Only photo I have of my 1970 AMX. She was up at my farm for this photo. I'm going to have this photo retouched.

I joined the in 1975 and my AMX went with me to NAS Pensacola for U.S. Navy Flight Training. Stupid me, I wanted to be like the rest of the Navy Pilots and I traded her for a Kawasaki 900. That bike was, at that time, a beast. It was big and powerful. At 6'3" it fit me like a glove and I could throw her into a turn with ease. I was transferred to NAS Alameda in San Francisco Bay and we raced the famous Redwood Road in the mountains on a regular basis.

After a near fatal accident while road racing, I traded her for a 1975 VW Bus.

How degrading. I thought my balls had been cut off. Fortunately, my main ride made up for the shortfalls of the gutless, rear engine VW van while I was stationed at NAS Miramar, Fighter Town U.S.A.

Even Big Daddy Don Garlits was jealous.

My new ride. Big, powerful and cool looking. While it was considered the best thing since sliced bread at the time, it was not all what it was cracked up to be. Way too big for the aircraft carrier. It's claim to fame was it's long range Phoenix missile system. I actually enjoyed a sub-sonic air combat fight in an A-4 and I could beat an F-14 most of the time. One of their advantages were two sets of eyes. A pilot and a RIO (radar intercept officer, think Goose). If you remember the movie Top Gun, Viper and Jester both flew an A-4 as the bogey.

F-14. I enjoyed the cool look. I got to bring it home on weekends to Gabreski Air National Guard Base in West Hampton Beach. I was 23 years old and the U.S. Navy was a blast for me. Flying a super sonic F-14, shooting missles and dropping bombs was very cool but at the time, I loved the A-4. It could roll 720 degrees per second. That's two complete rolls every second. It was so maneuverable, the Blue Angels used it for the Air Show plane for twelve years.

A-4 Skyhawk

A-4 Cockpit. Last of the Iron Sights. I loved flying this jet.

Those days are long gone. I know drive my trusty Dodge Ram, mostly for carrying "stuff" and trailering along with an S-550.**

Ahhh, the good old days. My rides. I used to race 1/4 mile at the West Hampton race track and Route 231 in Babylon Village at midnight. After a woman totaled my 1970 Dodge Challenger with a 383, I bought a 1970 AMX with a 390 and Borg Warner Super T-10 transmission. I blew the stock 390 immediately racing a 442 and went with a new worked 390. We raced just for bragging rights. With work, it was a mid-13 second car at the track. I was faster on the street due to the clean concrete. I loved the 1970 AMX for it's uniqueness. We used to call her: Animal Machine rated **X.

1975. Only photo I have of my 1970 AMX. She was up at my farm for this photo. I'm going to have this photo retouched.

I joined the in 1975 and my AMX went with me to NAS Pensacola for U.S. Navy Flight Training. Stupid me, I wanted to be like the rest of the Navy Pilots and I traded her for a Kawasaki 900. That bike was, at that time, a beast. It was big and powerful. At 6'3" it fit me like a glove and I could throw her into a turn with ease. I was transferred to NAS Alameda in San Francisco Bay and we raced the famous Redwood Road in the mountains on a regular basis.

After a near fatal accident while road racing, I traded her for a 1975 VW Bus.

How degrading. I thought my balls had been cut off. Fortunately, my main ride made up for the shortfalls of the gutless, rear engine VW van while I was stationed at NAS Miramar.

Even Big Daddy Don Garlits was jealous.

My new ride. Big, powerful and cool looking. While it was considered the best thing since sliced bread at the time, it was not all what it was cracked up to be. Way too big for the aircraft carrier. It's claim to fame was it's long range Phoenix missile system. I actually enjoyed a sub-sonic air combat fight in an A-4 and I could beat an F-14 most of the time. One of their advantages were two sets of eyes. A pilot and a RIO (radar intercept officer, think Goose). If you remember the movie Top Gun, Viper and Jester both flew an A-4 as the bogey.

F-14. I enjoyed the cool look. I got to bring it home on weekends to Gabreski Air National Guard Base in West Hampton Beach. I was 23 years old and the U.S. Navy was a blast for me. Flying a super sonic F-14, shooting missles and dropping bombs was very cool but at the time, I loved the A-4. It could roll 720 degrees per second. That's two complete rolls every second. It was so maneuverable, the Blue Angels used it for the Air Show plane for twelve years.

A-4 Skyhawk

A-4 Cockpit. Last of the Iron Sights. I loved flying this jet.

Those days are long gone. I know drive my trusty Dodge Ram, mostly for carrying "stuff" and trailering along with an S-550.**

AWESOME 😎

Ahhh, the good old days. My rides. I used to race 1/4 mile at the West Hampton race track and Route 231 in Babylon Village at midnight. After a woman totaled my 1970 Dodge Challenger with a 383, I bought a 1970 AMX with a 390 and Borg Warner Super T-10 transmission. I blew the stock 390 immediately racing a 442 and went with a new worked 390. We raced just for bragging rights. With work, it was a mid-13 second car at the track. I was faster on the street due to the clean concrete. I loved the 1970 AMX for it's uniqueness. We used to call her: Animal Machine rated **X.

1975. Only photo I have of my 1970 AMX. She was up at my farm for this photo. I'm going to have this photo retouched.

I joined the in 1975 and my AMX went with me to NAS Pensacola for U.S. Navy Flight Training. Stupid me, I wanted to be like the rest of the Navy Pilots and I traded her for a Kawasaki 900. That bike was, at that time, a beast. It was big and powerful. At 6'3" it fit me like a glove and I could throw her into a turn with ease. I was transferred to NAS Alameda in San Francisco Bay and we raced the famous Redwood Road in the mountains on a regular basis.

After a near fatal accident while road racing, I traded her for a 1975 VW Bus.

How degrading. I thought my balls had been cut off. Fortunately, my main ride made up for the shortfalls of the gutless, rear engine VW van while I was stationed at NAS Miramar, Fighter Town U.S.A.

Even Big Daddy Don Garlits was jealous.

My new ride. Big, powerful and cool looking. While it was considered the best thing since sliced bread at the time, it was not all what it was cracked up to be. Way too big for the aircraft carrier. It's claim to fame was it's long range Phoenix missile system. I actually enjoyed a sub-sonic air combat fight in an A-4 and I could beat an F-14 most of the time. One of their advantages were two sets of eyes. A pilot and a RIO (radar intercept officer, think Goose). If you remember the movie Top Gun, Viper and Jester both flew an A-4 as the bogey.

F-14. I enjoyed the cool look. I got to bring it home on weekends to Gabreski Air National Guard Base in West Hampton Beach. I was 23 years old and the U.S. Navy was a blast for me. Flying a super sonic F-14, shooting missles and dropping bombs was very cool but at the time, I loved the A-4. It could roll 720 degrees per second. That's two complete rolls every second. It was so maneuverable, the Blue Angels used it for the Air Show plane for twelve years.

A-4 Skyhawk

A-4 Cockpit. Last of the Iron Sights. I loved flying this jet.

Those days are long gone. I know drive my trusty Dodge Ram, mostly for carrying "stuff" and trailering along with an S-550.**

So, seriously, you got to drive Heinemann's Hot Rod?

So, seriously, you got to drive Heinemann's Hot Rod?

Avenger. Heinemann's Hot Rod. You have that right. He designed a fantastic plane in the A-4 Skyhawk. It was the smallest jet in the fleet and it was also designed to carry a nuclear weapon. That's why the landing gear was so high. It had a Anti-Radiation Heat Shield to protect the pilot from the blast. I have had the opportunity to fly a lot of types of navy aircraft but during my years in the Navy, the A-4 was my favorite. Senator John McCain also flew the A-4 when he was shot down in 1967. And, he was sitting in one on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal when a Zuni rocket fired off accidentally from an F-4 Phantom killing a lot of crewmembers. McCain's A-4 was engulfed in flames and he climbed out the refueling probe to escape.

I'm the one in the cockpit with the bottle of champagne along with my two best flying buddies. We were celebrating my winning of the annual weapons delivery award for bombs, rockets and 20mm strafe. Shortly after this photo, 1st Lt. Jim Bassett, the Marine on the right, was killed in an F-4 Phantom. Very sad.

Avenger. Heinemann's Hot Rod. You have that right. He designed a fantastic plane in the A-4 Skyhawk. It was the smallest jet in the fleet and it was also designed to carry a nuclear weapon. That's why the landing gear was so high. It had a Anti-Radiation Heat Shield to protect the pilot from the blast. I have had the opportunity to fly a lot of types of navy aircraft but during my years in the Navy, the A-4 was my favorite. Senator John McCain also flew the A-4 when he was shot down in 1967. And, he was sitting in one on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal when a Zuni rocket fired off accidentally from an F-4 Phantom killing a lot of crewmembers. McCain's A-4 was engulfed in flames and he climbed out the refueling probe to escape.

I'm the one in the cockpit with the bottle of champagne along with my two best flying buddies. We were celebrating my winning of the annual weapons delivery award for bombs, rockets and 20mm strafe. Shortly after this photo, 1st Lt. Jim Bassett, the Marine on the right, was killed in an F-4 Phantom. Very sad.

That's an impressive resume. Lousy about your friend tho. Military aviation is a risky profession.

My father did development work on the Tomcat. I so wanted to fly them, but unfortunately I inherited my mother's eyesight. Dad had 20/15 vision.

As for the A-4, I remember when the Blue Angels flew them. I thought the show was much better then.

That's an impressive resume. Lousy about your friend tho. Military aviation is a risky profession.

My father did development work on the Tomcat. I so wanted to fly them, but unfortunately I inherited my mother's eyesight. Dad had 20/15 vision.

As for the A-4, I remember when the Blue Angels flew them. I thought the show was much better then.

Yes, military aviation is a risky profession. Like many in the military, we all lost friends. It's part of the business. To watch our very young enlisted men and women operate on the very dangerous flight deck of an aircraft carrier is heart warming. I knew their jobs were as dangerous as mine and I knew they had my back when things went wrong. Even on a good day, there was danger surrounding our flight deck crews. To watch nighttime flight deck operations is an amazing sight.

Too bad about your eyes. My degree is in aviation and a lot of my friends could not get into military aviation due to their eyes not being 20/20. Like your Dad, I had 20/15 and it made all the difference in the world while flying both attack and fighter jets. You acquired the ground target or the bogey aircraft sooner and you were able to make corrections to get an advantage.

Like you Avenger, I also followed the development of the F-14. I remember the day the prototype crashed at Calverton due to a leak in the hydraulic system. I was flying as a private pilot out of Brookhaven.

Flying the F-14 Tomcat was the dream.

Flying the F-14 Tomcat was the dream.

I think is the coolest jet fighter ever. It's gorgeous just to look at, and I was always impressed with how Grumman got so much out of the design. Yes, it was big, but that gave it some significant advantages like range and weapons. But it could still dogfight if you had to get into a furball with someone. In the right hands it was incredibly capable. And, of course, near the end of its service it would lead a bunch of F-18 bomb trucks and use that huge radar and LANTIRN pod as a target designator. Amazingly adaptable machine.

Sadly, I can only imagine what would have been like to fly one. However, I did at least get to experience one from the driver's seat. We did some work for the Cradle of Aviation and I got a private tour.

What an absolute beast of an aircraft. Standing behind it looking at those burner cans one can just sense the immense power that thing had. Yet, from the cockpit you can really only see the cockpit. Unless you turn around. Then you realize there's a lot of airplane behind you.

That was one of my best days at work ever!

"Yet, from the cockpit you can really only see the cockpit. Unless you turn around. Then you realize there's a lot of airplane behind you."

Avenger, that is so cool. I'm guessing, but is that #3 from the original planes built. #2 crashed in 1970 just short of the runway at Calverton. Both pilots narrowly survived the low altitude ejection. Yes, sitting in one is an awesome experience. I remember my first day climbing into one for my first flight. Nirvana. I had tears in my eyes. Coming from the A-4, the F-14 was huge.

Yes, there are advantages to the F-14's size but it took up too much room on the carrier. As for size, it's like that on every aircraft I have flown. As the pilot, you only see what's out in front and you have no concept, for the lack of a better word, of what's behind you. You know your landing view and put it on the ground. Even the B-747-400 is just another aircraft and except for some nuances, they all fly the same no matter how big they are. In my view, the B-777 is the best airliner I have ever flown. The B-747 flies like a truck. The B-777 is a dream to fly.