Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;)
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#1: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: Neil_BaumgardnerLocation: Arlington, VA PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:18 pm
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These have been used for decades on the street I grew up on in order to provide a smoother ride from the driveway onto the street.

[img][/img]



I didnt realize what they were until many years later - only a few houses on the street still have them. I was somewhat surprised to find these two when I was home for the holidays.

Neil

#2: Re: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: bsmartLocation: Central Maryland PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:48 pm
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That is PSP - Pierced Steel Planking (or sometimes PAP Pierced Aluminum Planking) Developed during WWII to allow quick Airfield building and repair. I've seen old movie footage showing sections as wide as a runway and hundreds of feet long being dragged into place by bulldozers.Doug or one of the other Vietnam Vets can probably provide stories and or pictures of it being used for improvised construction or vehicle mods.

It was also called Marston Matting. google marston mat for multiple articles on it

#3: Re: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: Neil_BaumgardnerLocation: Arlington, VA PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:56 pm
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Yep, you got it Bob!

I guess some enterprising guy sold them on our street back in the 70s or 80s...

Neil

#4: Re: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: bsmartLocation: Central Maryland PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:02 pm
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There was a fair amount of it around farms in Maryland in the 60s. used for everything from hog pens to fords in streams. One of the articles I stumbled across with google said how much was made which explains why it shows up so often.

Like the Jerry Can and the Bailey Bridge it became a classic for 'non designed uses' during and after the war

#5: Re: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: Joe_DLocation: Razorback Country PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:10 pm
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Man,

That stuff was all over Korea when I was there, especially the first tour. Our Arms room was made of it inside a Quonset hut. My father is very, very familiar with it, being former Air Force "Red Horse" in Vietnam. I also remember as a kid in Germany the small airfield in Echterdingen had many areas still using that stuff.

#6: Re: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: Doug_KibbeyLocation: The Great Satan PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:06 pm
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- bsmart
That is PSP - Pierced Steel Planking (or sometimes PAP Pierced Aluminum Planking) Developed during WWII to allow quick Airfield building and repair. I've seen old movie footage showing sections as wide as a runway and hundreds of feet long being dragged into place by bulldozers.Doug or one of the other Vietnam Vets can probably provide stories and or pictures of it being used for improvised construction or vehicle mods.

It was also called Marston Matting. google marston mat for multiple articles on it


In VN it was also frequently referred to as "Perforated Steel Platform". Ubiquitous in VN, but not so much on helicopter bases as you might think in their original intended use ("peneprime" and that hokey thin asphalt who's name I forget was usually used for the pads). Often used as the basis for reinforced walls, revetments augmented with sandbags, and just about any other improvised construction project you can imagine.

Never saw on any actual armored vehcles, but on improvised ones, sometimes (guntrucks, etc).

In '05, I saw many examples in VN as rotting fences around some peoples homes, but the years and rust had taken their toll.

#7: Re: Wingy-Thing related OT - Anyone recognize these? ;) Author: 68BarracudaLocation: Ridgecrest Ca. (China Lake NAWC) PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:47 pm
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There's quite a bit of it still floating around here on base. Driving on it when it's sitting on soft sand gets interesting! Laughing


You also don't want to find a sharp part sticking up...real good at letting air escape from a tire Shocked



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