Author Topic: Aircraft we like..  (Read 243588 times)

Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #660 on: October 01, 2015, 03:32:42 PM »
At the Reno Air Races this year, this is Rare Bear, a highly modified Grumman F-8 Bearcat with a hopped-up Curtis-Wright R3350 engine putting out over 3,000 horsepower (or so I hear). As you can see, the prop diameter is so large it cannot rotate during take-off which would risk a prop strike to the runway and must do a "three point" take off:



Dan

Sweet! I first saw that airplane on display in Tucson in 1974 or 75 when Lyle Shelton was sponsored by a bank there. Great to see it still racing 40 years later.

Oh, and BTW, welcome to the forum!!

Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #661 on: October 23, 2015, 12:33:44 PM »
The B-36 makes the B-29 looks like a toy.


Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #662 on: October 23, 2015, 01:31:27 PM »
And that one was the prototype XB-36.  The cockpit was changed and they added 4 J-47 engines for the D models on-wards.  4 remain.  Dayton, Omaha, and Pima have B-36s.   Castle AFB has the only RB left in existence.  That RB came from my Dad's old squadron in Ellsworth.  The wings were 7ft thick at the root.  They could actually crawl into the wings and do some maintenance in flight if need be.  The turrets were modeled after the B-29 and could be withdrawn into the fuselage.  There was a crew tube from the front to the rear.
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #663 on: October 23, 2015, 02:51:08 PM »
I've seen the one at Pima. One impressive aircraft!

Offline SapperLdr

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #664 on: October 23, 2015, 05:43:39 PM »
The B-36 makes the B-29 looks like a toy.



Very cool pic!
 :hail:
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Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #665 on: October 24, 2015, 05:32:33 AM »
Truly a remarkable aircraft.  It and General LeMay scared the  :censored: out of the Russians.  While very slow by our standards (they could actually stay aloft nearly 48 hours) without refueling.  They could out fly the early jets in altitude and turning ability.  However, by the mid-1950s their effectiveness was waning.   They converted all the RB's to carry more bombs at that time.  What they did do was buy time until the B-52s came on line and became effective and more scary.  SAC had competitions between the Bomb Wings and the 36's could deliver payloads with more precision than the early 52's.  That did change as time went on.

The RB's were used for photo reconnaissance and actually were able to overfly Russia believe it or not.  The last 36's were turned into tin cans in the late 50's.  Their engines were used on the 97's and 124's so they did not go to waste.  My dad's aircraft was one of the very last ones to be retired as it was used for nuclear tests in the Pacific.  It was part of the Megaton Blasters, 4925 Test Group (Atomic) out of Kirtland AFB.
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Offline Pilgrim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #666 on: October 24, 2015, 05:55:05 AM »
Here is another big comparison, AN-225 v. 747.


Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #667 on: October 28, 2015, 02:21:31 PM »
XB-70 rolls again...I helped fund this.

http://youtu.be/E5dvQ-sVbmM

More info on the new hanger and what it will contain.

http://youtu.be/wv1g8qlkXEU

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Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #668 on: October 28, 2015, 03:04:32 PM »
Oh man I have got to get to Dayton!

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #669 on: October 28, 2015, 03:15:45 PM »
I cry every time I go there.  It's the 8th wonder of the world...  Takes several days if you want to see everything.
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #670 on: November 06, 2015, 07:03:52 AM »
C-130, It's not sexy, just the best friggen work horse ever put in the air. Well I guess a DC3/C47 could compete for that title but still...

http://www.facebook.com/breedofspeed/videos/389033937974099/

Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #671 on: November 06, 2015, 08:25:57 AM »

Offline SapperLdr

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #672 on: November 08, 2015, 04:24:49 PM »
Now for something different.  Some uniqueness there.  Fixed gun on the right side of the fuselage. The tandem seat setup is a drawback.
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Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #673 on: November 08, 2015, 05:02:02 PM »
I'm thinking Russian...so any drawbacks are good.  Good pics.
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #674 on: November 09, 2015, 08:41:20 AM »
Interesting counter rotating setup. Looks like 6' or so between rotors. Seems like it would be a complex and less reliable system but no tail rotor so I guess that cancels each other out.

Offline Bergmen

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #675 on: November 09, 2015, 06:26:30 PM »
Not sure if I posted this before. A field of nearly new P-38s (most of them had less than 20 hours on them) at Kingman Air base in early 1946:



You could get one for $1,250.00 and fly it home.

Dan

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #676 on: November 10, 2015, 06:25:35 AM »
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #677 on: November 10, 2015, 06:26:19 AM »
Not sure if I posted this before. A field of nearly new P-38s (most of them had less than 20 hours on them) at Kingman Air base in early 1946:



You could get one for $1,250.00 and fly it home.

Dan

 :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(Now there are only 3 or 4 left flying in the world. :'( :'( :'( :'(

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #678 on: November 10, 2015, 07:03:18 AM »
This is what happens when aircraft are obsoleted.  They are broken up and sold for scrap.   But there are museums and good people that continue to show and fly them.

You may not know this but the last flying Vulcan bomber just retired.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11636534/Worlds-last-flying-Vulcan-bomber-prepares-for-goodbye-season.html
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Aircraft we like..
« Reply #679 on: November 10, 2015, 08:32:43 AM »