The Airplane Thread

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

They sent one of the last generation AF1 planes to Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library, so I'd imagine that they would send one of the current 747's to W's Library (for being the 9/11 command center) and the other one to the Smithsonian's collection.....

Expect one to head to Wright Patterson to USAF museum.

[Lady Jane]

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

[hubbahubba]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

Attachment 3059199

Hiya Stubby!

[freakystyly]

7' tall pilot with his knees touching the canopy?

[Lady Jane]

Celera 500.

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Celera 500.



Attachment 3059523

Attachment 3059524

That designer has bold predictions for that plane.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

Attachment 3059199

Hmm…. What’s more important, length or girth?

[Dang3r]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Celera 500.

By far the worst cockpit to ground sight, caused by the shape of windows v/s nose.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

Attachment 3059199

Silliest damn aeroplane ever -- the video of the testing for hook-on and release from the B-36 belly are eyebrow-raising. The test pilots hopefully got a couple of stiff drinks afterwards.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Dang3r

By far the worst cockpit to ground sight, caused by the shape of windows v/s nose.

And here is the exact opposite: The Edgley Optica.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The test pilots hopefully got a couple of stiff drinks afterwards.

The term " Pucker Factor" was added to the dictionary after his first drop.

[Lady Jane]

Stipa Caproni.

[flybigjet]

50 hours on the frame, then torn apart.

https://jalopnik.com/private-boeing-...rap-1849916280

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

50 hours on the frame, then torn apart.

https://jalopnik.com/private-boeing-...rap-1849916280

What a waste...

[Lady Jane]

Tandem GeeBee.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Tandem GeeBee.


Attachment 3060685

Second silliest airplane ever -- and yet cool.

(I believe despite being an aviation geek, I would probably decline a free ride...)

[3.0L]

I had the privilege of seeing Delmar Benjamin fly his replica Gee Bee at the Reno Air Races many years go. Considering that the original was built to set speed records, I thought it was amazing the aerobatics it is capable of when in the hands of a very talented pilot. It is a dangerous airplane.

[Chick Webb]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Boeing states they are losing 1.1 billion dollars on the contract.

Thanks to what the Washington Post commentariat calls "The Former Guy", who insisted on a fixed bid contract. That is saving the taxpayers billions, which makes this a rather unique situation. For once the overruns are ending up where they should, on the contractor. I'm OK with that, as both a taxpayer and Boeing shareholder.

Also, FYI, the livery shown in that picture is not what you'll see on the final. The current administration nixed it and decided to stick with the robins egg blue theme because... well, Trump.

[ezaircon4jc]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4090/5...b974bc31_b.jpg

[3.0L]

.

[Llarry]

I believe I have made reference previously to the airplane that I think rates as the best-looking of all time. It's time I paid tribute to the Vought F8U (late F-8) Crusader. The Crusader was the first Navy/Marine fighter to exceed 1000-mph in level flight and was a workhorse of the Cold War and the Vietnam war. It incorporated a number of innovative features, chief of which was the variable-incidence wing.

The variable-incidence wing moved the wing to a higher angle-of-attack during takeoff and landing, allowing improved lower-speed operations -- critical for a carrier aircraft -- and improving pilot vision over the nose.

The F8U was one of the Navy airplanes that used the Air Force-developed Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet engine, one of the key factors in its excellent performance. That said, the Crusader also had a reputation as having several undesirable handling characteristics, leading to its nickname as the "Ensign Eliminator" for its tricky handling in some situations.

The F8U entered service in 1956 and was rapidly adopted by Navy and Marine Corps day fighter squadrons. (In those days, each carrier air group had one all-weather {radar-equipped} fighter squadron and one day fighter squadron.) Initially the armament consisted of four 20mm cannon and a retractable tray on the belly with folding-fin rockets. It was soon realized that the rockets were not an effective weapon and, at about the same time, the Sidewinder infrared-homing air-to-air missile became operational; the F8U was adapted for the Sidewinder by adding pylons on both sides of the fuselage. The rocket tray was deleted from later variants. Ultimately, later variants of the F8U had Y-shaped pylons that allowed the aircraft to carry four Sidewinders.

The initial F8U variants were soon succeeded by improved versions and an unarmed photo-recon version also was put into service. Late variants had a capable radar system and the division between day fighters and all-weather fighters was abandoned. After the F-4 Phantom entered service in the early 1960s, the F8Us (by now redesignated F-8s) were relegated to the smaller former Essex class carriers of the Navy.

The ultimate F8U was the XF8U-3 variant, which competed with the McDonnell F4H Phantom for selection as the next-generation Navy/Marine fighter in 1958. The F8U-3 lost and the F4H (F-4) Phantom went on to glory in Vietnam and was used by a large number of Air Forces around the world. The F8U-3 was described by one Navy official as "the best fighter we never bought" and was in some ways a superior performer to the F-4, but the Navy wanted a twin-engine/two-seat fighter with a Radar Intercept Officer in the back seat

As is typical, the F-8 (redesignated in 1962) served out its days in reserve and utility squadrons, relinquishing its front-line fighter role by 1976. The photo-recon Crusaders lasted longest of all in an improved RF-8G version.

While the F-4 Phantom found favor with many air forces, the F-8 was used by only two other nations: The French Navy flew the F-8E(FN) and improved F-8P for many years and the Philippine Air Force flew reconditioned F-8Hs (confusingly also designated F-8P) for several years.

[Lady Jane]

Rutan Boomerang.