The Airplane Thread

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Stupid question. When ATC gives a pilot a 4-digit (octal?) squawk code, where does that number come from? Is it generated by the ATC system, or just some random number that the controller pulls out of thin air?????

Not stupid at all! Because 8 & 9 aren't used, there are 4096 combinations that the NAS (nat'l airspace system) computer randomly assigns. There aren't supposed to be duplicates, for obvious reasons, but it occasionally happens. Each radar facility has their own set of codes we can assign if a duplicate happens. We also had local codes we used for VFR aircraft; IIRC, at SLC it was 04xx and LAX was 03xx. There aren't supposed to be two flights with the same number either, but that also happened so we had to change the one that was already airborne (it pretty much happened only when an arrival was late and the departure was ready to go).

I was working the mid one night when a FDX called for his clearance. The computer was down for the nightly "cold-start" so his flight plan wasn't in the system. I called the local Center (ZSL) for a short range clearance just to get him out of Dodge. They gave me the clearance and transponder code, which didn't sound right, but hey, at 0230 what does sound right? He called me back a half hour or so later telling me his transponder was broken because he didn't have the "8" that I assigned THAT'S what was wrong!

[vreihen16]

I know all about octal numbers. Just wondering if they were centrally-coordinated or assigned locally with no coordination.....

[Llarry]

Tomcat Thursday!

This week is a twofer... first a photo of an Iranian F-14A. Iran is the only nation to continue to operate the F-14, although in small numbers and with difficulty because of the lack of spare parts. This aircraft has its speed brake deployed.

The F-14 speed brake (second photo) is in three sections: An H-shaped section on the upper portion of the tail and two smaller sections on either side of the tail hook on the lower portion of the tail. The second photo (of a model) depicts the brake.

[Llarry]

The U.S. Air Force is withdrawing the T-1A Jayhawk trainer aircraft as a pilot training aircraft for tanker and transport pilots and will retain a limited number of T-1As for use in training Combat Systems Officers only.

The USAF bought 180 T-1As in the 1990s.

I am not aware of any replacement aircraft; does this mean that tanker and transport pilots will train on the T-38 (and in the future on its successor T-7)?

[Llarry]

The U.S. Army has awarded a contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation for development of the ATHENA signals intelligence aircraft, which is based on a Bombardier Global 6500 business jet airframe. 14 of the new airplanes are planned to replace RC-12X Guardrail SIGINT platforms.

Note that this number of new aircraft is far fewer than the current RC-12Xs. My own (outdated) information is that 44 RC-12Xs were purchased and equip several military intelligence battalions.

[Llarry]

In August of 1952 the Saunders-Roe Princess flying boat made its first flight. The Princess was a double-decked aircraft powered by ten turboprop engines and was essentially the largest flying boat ever flown. (I'm not counting the Hughes H-4 which only made a short hop barely above the water.) Only a single Princess flew, although two others were partially built.

The whole rationale for flying boats was that trans-oceanic flights were too long for landplanes, but by the 1950s landplanes were routinely making intercontinental flights. The advent of long-range jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 sealed the deal and essentially killed the flying boat.

The Princess was far larger than the U.S. Navy's Martin JRM Mars that found a post-Navy career in fighting fires in British Columbia. The Hughes H-4 dwarfed both of those aircraft but was never really viable.

Another attractive role for flying boats or amphibians is search and rescue, but seaplanes have never been able to routinely operate from open ocean waters. The most capable seaplane in that regard is the Japanese Shin Meiwa US-2 amphibian, which continues in service in small numbers in the Japanese navy.

[Llarry]

Finally, an apparently real photo of a Ukrainian F-16.

Go get 'em!

[Llarry]

An introduction to the Sidewinder air-to-air missile...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder

Development of the Sidewinder infrared-homing air-to-air missile began in the early 1950s at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, California. The earliest test articles used a 5-inch rocket and added guidance and control surfaces. The guidance system was designed to detect IR heat and home on enemy aircraft exhaust.

By 1955, sufficient progress had been made to put the first model, designated the AAM-N-7 by the Navy, into production. The next year the missile became operational in the fleet with Navy and Marine Corps fighter squadrons.

In 1958, a small contingent of Marines were dispatched to Taiwan to equip Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabres with Sidewinders. The ROCAF fighters were tangling frequently over the Taiwan Strait with mainland Chinese MiGs. The Sidewinders proved successful, downing several MiGs. However, on one occasion, a missile's warhead failed to explode, and the missile ended up lodging in the MiG's tail section. Though slightly damaged, the MiG managed to safely land, and the missile therefore fell into Communist hands. See below for further developments as a result of this incident.

First-generation Sidewinders remained in production until 1962. In 1962, at the same time that Navy and Marine aircraft were redesignated, missiles got new designations, and the Sidewinder became the AIM-9. In the 1960s the Air Force adopted the AIM-9 as well and the missile became the standard short-range air-to-air-missile in the U.S. arsenal. It was also adopted by a large number of other countries.

The earliest models were the AIM-9A and -9B. Large numbers of the AIM-9B were built. Note that these early models had to "see" the exhaust plume of an enemy in order to guide to the target, making the Sidewinder suitable only when to the rear of an enemy jet.

A number of improved models followed in the 1960s. The combat record of the Sidewinders used during air-to-air combat during the Vietnam War was not very impressive, though it was better than the longer-ranged radar-guided Sparrow missile also used in the war.

In 1977 a major upgrade was introduced with the AIM-9L model; details can be found in the wiki. Perhaps the most important improvement in these later variants was greater off-boresight capability, which allowed the firing aircraft to fire at a target that was not as directly in front. The AIM-9L also had larger guidance surfaces, allowing for greater agility.

The AIM-9M followed in 1983 with further improvements, including improved guidance and a low-smoke rocket motor.

The ultimate Sidewinder (so far) followed in 2003 with the introduction of the AIM-9X. The X model dispensed with movable control surfaces and introduced thrust vectoring for much greater agility. It is also visually distinguishable through smaller wings.

A number of efforts have been made over the years to replace the AIM-9 with a newer short-range dogfighting missile, but it remains in production, with almost 100,000 missiles produced.

The 1958 incident over the Taiwan Strait where a Sidewinder fell into Chinese hands led to the production by the USSR and allies of a copy designated the K-13 (NATO designation AA-2 Atoll). The K-13 became operational in 1960 and a large number of these were produced.

[vreihen16]

https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article291447980.html

[Llarry]

The aviation industry of South Korea has come a long way in the past several decades. They now have stealth fighter prototypes in test.

The KF-21 Boramae is about the size of an F-18 Super Hornet and is powered by the same pair of General Electric F414 afterburning turbofans but is far more stealthy. The KF-21 will feature an advanced airborne electronic scanning radar (AESA) and other state-of-the-art avionics.

The ROKAF ordered the first 20 aircraft in June and production deliveries by Korean Aerospace Industries are scheduled to begin in late 2026. The Air Force plans to buy 40 of the initial variants and then 80 improved versions with enhanced ground attack capability.

The Indonesian Air Force has been an on-again off-again partner in the development and may very well end up buying some KF-21s. A number of other air forces have expressed interest; Poland has purchased KAI aircraft in the past and is probably the most serious of the candidates for sales.

The KF-21 looks like a sort of smaller F-22 but without thrust vectoring; in weight and fuel capacity it is closest to an F-18.

[Llarry]

By 1930, most aircraft in service were still wood-framed with fabric coverings or steel-tubed with fabric coverings. But technology was on the march; Boeing built two metal-fuselage, retractable-wheel aircraft for airmail and passenger service as the Model 200/221 Monomail. The Monomail first flew in 1930 and only two were produced -- it was the Great Depression after all.

But the Monomail was also enlarged and given twin engines as the Army Air Corps B-9 bomber. Again, the numbers produced were small; only seven B-9s were built. But these airplanes were harbingers of what was to come.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

But the Monomail was also enlarged and given twin engines as the Army Air Corps B-9 bomber. Again, the numbers produced were small; only seven B-9s were built. But these airplanes were harbingers of what was to come.

The Martin Company built over 100 monoplane metal bombers in the 1930s as the B-10. Although the prototype had open cockpits, production aircraft had canopies. After deliveries to the U.S. Army were completed, Martin was allowed to export the aircraft and made a number of sales to other nations. The oldest bomber on display in the U.S., a Martin B-10, was originally an Argentine Air Force airplane and now resides in the National Museum of the USAF painted in U.S. markings of the 1930s.

Martin export B-10s were active in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) when the Japanese attacked in 1941 and did not fare well in combat with Japanese aircraft.

[Llarry]

The next chapter in the history of Army Air Corps bombers featured a mid-1930s competition between Boeing and Douglas. Boeing's entry was the four-engine XB-17 and Douglas' was the B-18 Bolo, which owed a lot to the DC-2 airliner.

Boeing should have dominated the contest but the price per aircraft was much more expensive, and the prototype crashed before the competition was complete. Douglas won the Army contract, and the B-18 became operational in 1937. Eventually 350 B-18s were built and the airplane stayed in service until 1943. It was also purchased by Canada and flown by the RCAF as the Digby. Given the B-18's mediocre performance, it served during the early World War II days as an antisubmarine warfare aircraft modified to B-18B standard before being replaced by longer-range four-engine B-24s in that role. (The B-24 first flew in 1939 but did not become operational before World War II.)

Boeing regrouped and flew the first of 13 YB-17s in 1937. The B-17 was superior on all counts to the B-18. Despite the higher price, the Army wanted the better bomber. The international situation was heating up with Japan at war with China and Hitler and the Nazis on the rise. Despite considerable isolationist/pacifist sentiment in the country, the War Department wanted to increase American military might and managed to start procuring B-17s. In 1939 they bought 39 B-17Bs and the next year bought 38 improved B-17Cs. In 1941, 42 B-17Ds were funded. The above bombers were the only B-17s in service when the U.S. entered World War II. Many were destroyed on the ground in the Philippines in the initial Japanese strikes.

All the above B-17 models did not have tail guns; the revised tail with tail gunner and twin .50 cal machine guns did not appear until 1942 and the B-17E model, which was purchased in much larger numbers as war production took off. Note the lack of gun turrets on all these prewar bombers; that would soon be rectified.

That completes the story of the pre-WWII Army bombers.

[Llarry]

Tomcat Thursday!

Here's an F-14A of VF-143, the "Pukin' Dogs."

Also, a peek inside the rear cockpit at the panel of the radar intercept officer (RIO) of an F-14A.

Finally, the antenna of the AWG-9 radar -- used by the F-14A and F-14B versions -- that is controlled by the RIO.

[Llarry]

The USAF's 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, has received the first (of ten) EA-37B Compass Call aircraft. The EA-37B -- based on a Gulfstream G550 airframe -- is replacing 1980s-vintage EC-130H aircraft designed to disrupt enemy communications by jamming. Some equipment from the older 130s is migrating to the new Compass Call.

[Llarry]

An interesting new prototype aircraft made its first flight yesterday, August 29th, in Mojave, California. The Scaled Composites/Northrop Grumman Model 437 Vanguard is a relatively lightweight aircraft that seems designed for combat tasks. It is about 41 feet long with a 41-foot span and has a gross takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds.

It is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney 535 engine with about 3,400 pounds of thrust. Once the flight envelope has been expanded, it is expected to have a 3,000-mile range and an endurance of 6 hours.

The Vanguard can carry up to 2,000 pounds of payload and has an internal bay for two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.

[Llarry]

The North American B-1B is not seen too often with wings swept back. Beautiful!

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The North American B-1B is not seen too often with wings swept back. Beautiful!

My guess is that most people who actually saw it in action didn't live long enough to talk about it.

[Llarry]

Sad news yesterday: Lt Col Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes of the Ukrainian Air Force, one of only six qualified F-16 pilots (so far), was killed in a crash during a Russian missile attack. RIP, Colonel.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Sad news yesterday: Lt Col Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes of the Ukrainian Air Force, one of only six qualified F-16 pilots (so far), was killed in a crash during a Russian missile attack. RIP, Colonel.

Friendly fire?

"While "repelling the biggest ever aerial attack" on Monday August 26, 2024, Moonfish was killed when his F-16 crashed.

Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya has claimed, "According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot Alexey ‘Moonfish’ Mes was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to a lack of coordination between the [military] units".

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Friendly fire?

"While "repelling the biggest ever aerial attack" on Monday August 26, 2024, Moonfish was killed when his F-16 crashed.

Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya has claimed, "According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot Alexey ‘Moonfish’ Mes was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to a lack of coordination between the [military] units".

Terribly tragic! I suppose the Ukrainian forces are all still getting used to their new Western systems and errors can be fatal.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Friendly fire?

"While "repelling the biggest ever aerial attack" on Monday August 26, 2024, Moonfish was killed when his F-16 crashed.

Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya has claimed, "According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot Alexey ‘Moonfish’ Mes was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to a lack of coordination between the [military] units".

Originally Posted by Llarry

Terribly tragic! I suppose the Ukrainian forces are all still getting used to their new Western systems and errors can be fatal.

I was on the receiving end of “friendly fire” twice while in Vietnam. Both
incidents were incoming 105mm Howitzer rounds; the 1st from an American
unit and the 2nd from an ARVN unit. Fortunately no injuries, but it sure
made us scramble for cover. Not surprisingly, our calls on the landline were
not polite.