Daydream Notes

There are no photos of the Ju 290 A-9 but Spain's single bird post war looks very similar. VII: The Question If you've ever read anything about the Junkers 290, you've probably come across mentions that at some point there were flights to Manchuria. Given the Ju 290's capabilities, and its close connections with German Intelligence and the senior leadership of Hitler's Germany, the Ju 290 was a natural choice for these routes to  Japan. Books about World War 2 aviation frequently assert that these flights happened, though details are often sketchy. The mentions of these flights are not just obscure nerd-lore either; even Albert Speer in his "Inside the Third Reich" mentions offhand that these flights were taking place. If you do a bit of digging around on the subject, (as I did) you discover three things: 1. The Nazis had three different types of aircraft capable of making the flight, and all could carry cargo loads while doing it; 2. The Germans...

A good opinion piece on the eternal dumpster fire that is Canadian Procurement. Best quote: Supposedly chastened after years of controversy over procurement, the government unveiled a new, “streamlined” approach to the file last February. The Defence department in June published its first new Defence Acquisition Guide. http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/business-defence-acquisition-guide/index.page . One cannot read this summary without coming away thunderstruck by the magnitude of the rust-out. The report may as well be stamped, “Everything here broken – and to stay broken."

  I bought Revell's model kit of the Junkers Ju 290 about a year ago. As I tend to do, I've  been casually researching it ever since, and these internet readings lead me to a weird discovery: that this rather obscure warbird  is a nexus for rumor and conspiracy theory.  Most of it is baseless - though I suppose understandable, given the company the Ju 290 often hung out in - but there is one issue in between the crazy I found fascinating, and want to lay out for everyone.  So if it sparkles for everyone here I'm going to do a three post series on the Ju 290 family. First we will cover the real history. The second will cover the interesting issue. And the third will be a bunch of bullshit backed up by nothing. It's gonna be a bit like the Discovery channel: first, a Wings documentary. Then, a documentary on something speculative but grounded in fact. Then, a special on the "real Atlantis" or possibly ghost hunting. I: The Biggest Loser The Story of the J...