The Airplane Thread

[Lady Jane]

1942 Bell P-59 Airacomet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_P-59_Airacomet

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

1942 Bell P-59 Airacomet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_P-59_Airacomet


Attachment 3090292

In 1947, just after my birth, my father reported to the U.S. Naval Air Test Center for Test Pilot School and subsequent assignment in testing aircraft. One of the first items of business: Check out in that new-fangled Bell P-59B on loan from the USAAF. He ended up flying a number of jets during his three-year tour of duty there: Grumman F9F Panther, McDonnell FH Phantom and F2H Banshee, Lockheed TO-1 Shooting Star (again, an Air Force F-80C aircraft bought by the Navy in small numbers.) As an experienced fighter pilot, he must've enjoyed checking out as well in the North American PBJ (B-25) and even the four-engined Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer. Nowadays a test pilot has to go through rigorous ground and simulator training in order to fly a new aircraft; in those days it was "spend a few minutes looking over the manual and have Bob over there check you out in the cockpit." He must've had a ball!

[Lady Jane]

Britten-Norman Defender military version of the Islander.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Defender

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_BN-2_Islander

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The WB-57F (or RB-57F in some versions); almost a rival to the U-2 in altitude capability. Still flying all these years later but flown now by NASA. (Who I believe flies classified missions for the Air Force with the aircraft now and again. Note the small auxiliary jet engines under the wings.)

3 Canberra's have been restored to fly again. They fly a variety of missions with a variety of crew. Friend of mine used to fly in the current for as a Test and Eval guy and does EE work.

[chassis]

Turkish Airlines A321 over the Black Sea

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

The Avro CF-105. The best interceptor that never was.

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/01/...ssian-bombers/

What a story about the Avro CF-105. Canada built an amazing aircraft.

The decision to cancel the program and destroy the existing planes and plans had such an impact. NASA got a lot of great engineers as a result. It's amazing how one decision can have such a dramatic impact.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

I always wanted to have a flight of two of these so I could call traffic as a pair of Shorts!

[Jbrown7403]

Surprised to find that there is still one L-1011 Tristar still flying. Flew in one as a kid and always thought it was very elegant..

https://travelupdate.com/still-flying-lockheed-l-1011/

[Lady Jane]

Antonov AN-72 Coaler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-72

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by DM5PAV

Very likely I will never, ever have a 747 fly a few hundred feet above my head again.

Flying into Kai Tak the first time while being close enough to watch a lady cooking dinner in her kitchen got my adrenalin pumping pretty hard. And the 90-degree turn followed by the drop onto the runway was exciting, too!

I wonder what it was like for pilots landing at that airport for the first time. Do pilots get sweaty palms?

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by DM5PAV

I used to go to embry riddle and sit outside the gate watching the planes take off and land, would sit there a good hour or so enjoying that, every week. Airplanes are magic. Too bad airports aren’t.

I also had a few years to enjoy the princess Juliana airport and maho beach in St. Maarten. Very likely I will never, ever have a 747 fly a few hundred feet above my head again. The airport has been fully renovated and the beach closed now. It was a truly unique experience to sit at the beach bar and watch the planes fly in just over your head.

Sad that is gone.

I know that I am not the first person to say this, that it’s not an original thought, and that I am not alone in thinking it.

But this world is universally moving in the wrong direction almost everywhere at once.
There is absolutely a magic with Petrol engines and I don’t want to see it disappear!

Thanks for this post OP!
Enjoyed listening to this for a bit.

The beach is closed? How do they manage that?

Anyway, for your pleasure, this is a video I personally filmed of a KLM 747 departing the "wrong way" from SXM.

View post on imgur.com

[Fly320s]

BTW, I dropped the camera to cover my ears, because that plane was fucking loud!

[M-technik-3]

After Irma the beach was gone. Not sure what has happened since. We were flying in and out of there doing some DEA missions back in 2015.

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

After Irma the beach was gone. Not sure what has happened since. We were flying in and out of there doing some DEA missions back in 2015.

That beach gets washed away often, but this is the first I've heard of it being closed due to airport ops.

[M-technik-3]

It wasn't due to ops. Irma was 2017 and mentioned DEA ops which may still be happening was back in 2014+

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

It wasn't due to ops. Irma was 2017 and mentioned DEA ops which may still be happening was back in 2014+

My video was after 2014. DM5 implied that the beach is closed today due to airport safety issues.

I don't know the status of the beach today, though I'd be surprised if it was closed due to airport restrictions.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

What a story about the Avro CF-105. Canada built an amazing aircraft.

The decision to cancel the program and destroy the existing planes and plans had such an impact. NASA got a lot of great engineers as a result. It's amazing how one decision can have such a dramatic impact.

I've already mentioned that my Dad's Squadron was scheduled to receive the Arrow. The cancellation was an on-going heated argument amongst the pilots especially when they learned that they would have to make due with used USAF Voodoos.
Anyway, when the limited commemorative watch came for sale from the Canadian Air & Space Museum, I just had to get it.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Flying into Kai Tak the first time while being close enough to watch a lady cooking dinner in her kitchen got my adrenalin pumping pretty hard. And the 90-degree turn followed by the drop onto the runway was exciting, too!

I wonder what it was like for pilots landing at that airport for the first time. Do pilots get sweaty palms?

Hang a right at the checkerboard and you're in! I believe I read somewhere that it took a special certification to fly into Kai Tak; I could be wrong...

[sygazelle]

[QUOTE=Lady Jane;29787354]I've already mentioned that my Dad's Squadron was scheduled to receive the Arrow. The cancellation was an on-going heated argument amongst the pilots especially when they learned that they would have to make due with used USAF Voodoos.
Anyway, when the limited commemorative watch came for sale from the Canadian Air & Space Museum, I just had to get it.

Attachment 3091442

Attachment 3091443[/QUOTE

What a shame it did not go forward. It's so cool that your Dad's career has inspired you to love aviation and it's history. He must have been quite a guy. Awesome and priceless watch. Thanks for sharing.

[Jbrown7403]

Here’s a pic (dug through some old photos in a fit of nostalgia) flying over Hong Kong island back in 1989. Kowloon is above and old Kai Tak is on the right. We flew past, banked hard, flew some more then hard right dive into the final approach between some buildings. Thrill of a lifetime!

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

... What a shame it did not go forward.

It was a shame. Long story to read but a few nugget like the layoff engineers end up developing some of the NASA's manned space programs—projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Canada_CF-105_Arrow

"Following the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project, CF-105 chief aerodynamicist Jim Chamberlin led a team of 25 engineers to NASA's Space Task Group to become lead engineers, program managers, and heads of engineering in NASA's manned space programs—projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.[97] The Space Task Group team eventually grew to 32 Avro engineers and technicians, and became emblematic of what many Canadians viewed as a "brain drain" to the United States.[97] Among the former Arrow team engineers to go south were Tecwyn Roberts (NASA's first flight dynamics officer on Project Mercury and later director of networks at the Goddard Space Flight Center) John Hodge (flight director and manager on the cancelled Space Station Freedom project), Dennis Fielder (director of the Space Station Task Force, later the Space Station), Owen Maynard (chief of the LM engineering office in the Apollo Program Office), Bruce Aikenhead, and Rod Rose (technical assistant for the Space Shuttle program).[98][99] Many other engineers, including Jim Floyd, found work in either the UK or the United States. Work undertaken by both Avro Canada and Floyd benefited supersonic research at Hawker Siddeley, Avro Aircraft's UK parent, and contributed to programs such as the HSA.1000 supersonic transport design studies, influential in the design of the Concorde.[100][101]"

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

I've already mentioned that my Dad's Squadron was scheduled to receive the Arrow. The cancellation was an on-going heated argument amongst the pilots especially when they learned that they would have to make due with used USAF Voodoos.

I wonder why Canada did not buy the F-106? -- it had excellent performance on the order of the CF-105 and surely would have been a lower-cost alternative (if nothing else, half the number of J75 engines.) I suppose budgetary pressures were responsible for the F-101 decision, which was doubtless among the lowest-cost alternatives. In any event, the CF-100 badly needed replacement by the late 1950s.

Of course, overlay on all this the fact that 300 million was gone from the government treasury -- spent on R&D and the production of a few CF-105s.

And now, Canada once again faces difficulty in deciding on a fast jet -- The Hornets are getting old and the very expensive F-35 is in the wings...