The Airplane Fanatic Thread

[Armybrat 40873]

Navy’s new tanker drone refueled a Super Hornet for the first time...

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/06/07/navys-new-tanker-drone-just-refueled-super-hornet-fighter-jet-first-time.html?ESRC=eb_210608.nl

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Armybrat

[Homercles 10206]

Speed Up!!
Right! Right!
Left! Left!

[Chad Fuck 17742]

Speed Up!!
Right! Right!
Left! Left!

Crash!

Fuck those designers.

[InkaUtexas 26069]

Dad sent me this story about the SR-71. I remember hearing them when they would pass over Honduras heading either in or out of Nicaragua. 

Quote

Uncomfortably slow…
 
Slowest Blackbird Flight 

"What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?"
Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot, via Plane and Pilot Magazine

As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is, "How fast would that SR-71 fly?"  I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend.
 
It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little more speed if you wanted it.  It was common to see 35 miles a minute.  Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions and, never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature or speed.  

Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual high speed that he saw at some point on some mission.  I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way and max power was in order.  Let's just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn't previously seen.

So, it was with great surprise, when, at the end of one of my presentations, someone asked:  “What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?”  This was a first.  After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story I had never shared before and relayed the following:

I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain, when we received a radio transmission from home base.  As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past.  The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach.  

No problem; we were happy to do it.  After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.

Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat and began to vector me toward the field.  Descending to subsonic speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure.  Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing.  Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. 

We got a little lower and I pulled the throttles back from the 325 knots we were at.  With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable.  Walt said we were practically over the field, yet there was nothing in my windscreen.  I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that looked like a field.  Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower, in order to get a prime view of the fly-past.  

It was a quiet, still day, with no wind and partial gray overcast.  Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us, but, in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it.  The longer we continued to peer out the window and circle, the slower we got.  With our power back, the awaiting cadets heard nothing.  

I must have had good instructors in my flying career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges.  As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward.  At this point, we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank.  

Just at that moment both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) and the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower.  Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face, as the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.

Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident.  We didn't say a word for those next 14 minutes. After landing, our commander greeted us and we were both certain he was reaching for our wings.  

Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking.  He said that some of the cadets' hats were blown off, and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full afterburner, dropping right in front of them, was unbelievable.  Walt and I both understood the concept of breathtaking very well that morning and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.

As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight suits, we just sat there:  We hadn't spoken a word since the pass. Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.  What did you see?"  Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred fifty-two."  We sat in silence for a moment.  Then Walt said, "Don't ever do that to me again!"  And I never did.

A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officers' club and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 fly-past that he had seen one day.  Of course, by now the story included kids falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows.  Noticing our Habu patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred.  Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine low approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane."  

Impressive, indeed.

Little did I realize, after relaying this experience to my audience that day, that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories.  It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet can fly.  Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep that cross-check up -- and keep your Mach up, too.

 

[Homercles 10206]

Not sure I’ve posted it in here before but it’s pretty easy to find Sled Driver pdf online and it’s a great read…don’t feel too guilty as it’s long out of print and priced at unobtanium levels 

[RMac5 1551]

I have the book if anyone wants to borrow it. 

[Braff Zacklin 13650]

Speaking of Blackbirds, I stumbled across this little gem of aviation history earlier today (SIAP):

Clarence "Kelly" Johnson is sort of the John Browning of aeronautical engineering. He contributed to the design of too many legendary aircraft to list here, but some of my favorites would be: the Model 10 Electra, PV-1 Ventura, P-38 Lightning, Constellation, C-130, U-2 and the SR-71 family.

Had no idea this video existed. What a treat.

[shadow_operative2.0 16019]

Not much info. 

Quote

Federal officials are investigating a plane crash that killed two people on Thursday night near County Road 1123 in Johnson County.

The plane went down about 5:15 p.m., a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said.

A Federal Aviation Administration representative said the plane had been declared missing, leading to the search that located the aircraft, but did not indicate where the plane may have been headed. It reportedly took off from Cleburne Regional Airport.

The NTSB identified the aircraft as a American Aviation AA-1A airplane.

The plane crashed just west of Cleburne Regional Airport, the Texas Department of Public Safety told WFAA-TV, a Star-Telegram media partner.

[CHIEF 5094]

22 hours ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

Not much info. 

That's the airport where I learned to fly. People buy those little Grumman Yankees because they are cheap. But there is a reason, they are a bitch to fly, not really a good trainer or first plane to own.

CHIEF

[shadow_operative2.0 16019]

Young kid. 

Quote

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the pilot who died as Nick Duran, a 20-year-old U.S Air Force Academy cadet from Cleburne. The name of his passenger hasn’t been confirmed by authorities.

[CycleTex87 2981]

Stalled it close to the ground. 

[DaysOff 7968]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-02/boeing-737-cargo-jet-makes-emergency-landing-off-hawaii-faa

737-200 manufactured in 1975 ditches off Hawaii today. Media will be calling it the troubled MAX by tonight.

[Armybrat 40873]

That it wasn’t a Max was already mentioned in this article, but the reporter seems disappointed.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/02/boeing-cargo-plane-makes-emergency-landing-in-ocean-off-honolulu-coast-faa-says.html

[Lat22 4014]

Did you top it off?

No. I thought you topped it off. 

[dcbc 14507]

Such a ridiculously cool (and enormous) plane.  From our recent trip to DC (and in this case, Virginia).

Edited July 8, 2021 by dcbc

[BTW 370]

I have false started on purchasing my first plane several times over the last few years. (just look at my post history on this thread for example).  But after driving back from Crested Butte yesterday for the 4th time in 2021, I'm very, very ready to get something bought.  The idea of making the trip in < 4 hours among the clouds vs white knuckling an 11 hour drive at 85mph is very enticing.  I'll admit to spending much of my drive yesterday day dreaming about taking the trip from KGUC to KMDD.

 

The problem is my timing sucks.  Looking through controller/trade-a-plane and some of the aviation forums I follow, the inventory of six place, turbo charged (or turbo normalized) piston singles is as low as I've ever seen it.  Any ideas on where else I could be looking?  I've talked to one plane broker, but he wants what seems to be quite a high fee just to help me look, and he wants to get paid rather I find something to buy or not.

Edited July 8, 2021 by BTW

[Handcruser 2805]

https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/200280405/1977-cessna-turbo-210m-piston-single-aircraft

Just go buy this and call it a day.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

1 hour ago, Handcruser said:

https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/200280405/1977-cessna-turbo-210m-piston-single-aircraft

Just go buy this and call it a day.

Only has USB ports. No hdmi.  Pass.

[markstanco 12586]

3 hours ago, Handcruser said:

https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/200280405/1977-cessna-turbo-210m-piston-single-aircraft

Just go buy this and call it a day.

Ive wondered how many times people have said "meh" when it says Call For Price.  In this sellers market maybe not though. 

[CHIEF 5094]

Turbo 210s are great but they have a tough time holding compression on their cylinders. They are tough on cylinder rings for some reason. Owners always needed one or two jugs every annual when I worked on them. Still very reliable. But you have to prepare for expensive annuals.

CHIEF

[markstanco 12586]

13 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Turbo 210s are great but they have a tough time holding compression on their cylinders. They are tough on cylinder rings for some reason. Owners always needed one or two jugs every annual when I worked on them. Still very reliable. But you have to prepare for expensive annuals.

CHIEF

Somehow in all these years I missed where you were an A&P.  I always thought you were either PP or CP. 

[BTW 370]

I need to find out what year Cessna switched the engine driven hydraulics for the electric pump.  I've heard that can cause some headaches. 

I'm currently 2nd in line for an A36TC Bonanza, some bastard beat me to the punch with his deposit.  If he walks, I'm ready to send my mechanic over to give it a look.  

[CHIEF 5094]

On 7/9/2021 at 12:27 PM, markstanco said:

Somehow in all these years I missed where you were an A&P.  I always thought you were either PP or CP. 

I had the hours needed for an apprenticeship. The guy I worked for encouraged me to get my A&P. But testing was geared for airline work. I had only worked on piston aircraft so I didn’t pursue it. Probably a poor decision. 
 

CHIEF

[TexasHooch 5137]

On 7/8/2021 at 10:27 AM, dcbc said:

Such a ridiculously cool (and enormous) plane.  From our recent trip to DC (and in this case, Virginia).

One of my earliest memories was sitting in a field at Kadena AFB in Okinawa watching these take off and land. 

[RPM 26341]

Russia to unveil new fighter jet at Moscow’s air show

Hidden under tarpaulin, a prospective Russian fighter jet is seen being towed to a parking spot before its presentation at the Moscow international air show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 15, 2021. Russian aircraft makers say they will present a prospective new fighter jet at a Moscow air show that opens next week. The new warplane hidden under tarpaulin was photographed being towed to a parking spot across the airfield in Zhukovsky outside Moscow. That's where MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon opens on Tuesday. 

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

Looks like the product of an F-35 and YF-23 having too good of a time after the company mixer. 

[RPM 26341]

Think it's called the Thirtyfiveski.

[RPM 26341]

Russian aircraft makers unveiled a prototype of the stealth fighter dubbed "Checkmate" for the 68-year-old leader at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky, ahead of its official unveiling later in the day, according to a statement from Rostec, the state-owned military giant which is responsible for exporting Russian technology.
The head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, and the general director of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Yury Slyusar, presented the warplane to Putin at the exhibition pavilion of the Sukhoi company.
The fighter prototype is unique and has not been developed before in Russia, according to a presentation by state-owned UAC.

The company's head, Slyusar, also touted the aircraft's features on Russian state TV, describing the planes as "unique in their class" and adding that they have "a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers, the largest thrust-to-weight ratio, shortened takeoff and landing, more than seven tons of combat load, which is an absolute record for aircraft of this class."
Its first flight is expected in 2023, Russian state media reported, citing a presentation shown to the Russian President.
UAC also expects deliveries of the new single-engine fighter to begin in 2026.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/20/europe/russia-checkmate-fighter-jet-unveiling-intl/index.html

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

I stand corrected. The Ruskies put a thinning filter on an X32 photo, and decided to build it. 

[Shoxthemonkey 1982]

A reminder that the Oshkosh Fly-in starts today. There have been some interesting planes come across Flightradar24 this morning.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Shoxthemonkey

[Leeroy Jenkins 2411]

An F-14 legend died in a plane crash on Sat.  

https://lmtribune.com/northwest/pilot-dies-in-crash-at-lewiston-airport/article_3f47074c-cc7a-52f0-a284-dc5838f2048d.html

Nice article written by an old friend of mine.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41676/final-f-14-demo-crewman-remembers-legendary-tomcat-demo-pilot-dale-snort-snodgrass 

[Assman 1830]

Damn.  My dad flew with him on the air show circuit back in the day.  He was a good dude and an absolute legend among pilots.  

[Brew 3049]

On 7/8/2021 at 12:19 PM, Handcruser said:

https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/200280405/1977-cessna-turbo-210m-piston-single-aircraft

Just go buy this and call it a day.

Pretty sure I can get you more information on it if interested. My plane, pilots, and management company are based there and may actually have this one brokered. If not, the main guy will likely know it as he manages quite a few planes based there.

We’re looking at moving up the time line on getting a CJ.  The Baron works great for short hops with 1-2 people, but longer flights or more people make it a lot less comfortable. I think we may end up trying to partner on a group of 2-3 planes that each owner can then use the plane that works best for the trip.

[Wally Fairway 5575]

If y'all are up here next week the annual training exercise is going to land 4 A-10's and a couple of C-146's on the highway (and presumably take off again). It is on Thursday, August 5, , and I'm going to be around Seattle. 
But if I was here, I sure as hell try to sneak a peek, and I'd cancel my vacation if they were going to fire up that 30mm gatling mounted in the nose

https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/07/air-force-to-land-planes-on-michigan-highway-during-war-training-exercise.html (no idea why the photo in that article is of an F-16)

These training exercises are meant to be a message about not needing a runway to keep these birds in the fight, do you hear that Mr. V. Putin?

Here is a video from a joint exercise in Estonia several years ago

 

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

I think certain segments of the National Highway system were designed to be abnormally level and straight to serve as emergency runways. 

[BTW 370]

13 hours ago, Brew said:

Pretty sure I can get you more information on it if interested. My plane, pilots, and management company are based there and may actually have this one brokered. If not, the main guy will likely know it as he manages quite a few planes based there.

We’re looking at moving up the time line on getting a CJ.  The Baron works great for short hops with 1-2 people, but longer flights or more people make it a lot less comfortable. I think we may end up trying to partner on a group of 2-3 planes that each owner can then use the plane that works best for the trip.

Thanks for the offer.  I'm more focused on Bonanzas at the moment, but I'm not opposed to the right turbo 210 as well.

[Gil Bang 25998]

7 hours ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

I think certain segments of the National Highway system were designed to be abnormally level and straight to serve as emergency runways. 

Yes, because Ike wanted it that way. 

Seriously

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

3 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Yes, because Ike wanted it that way. 

Seriously

And he was right to do so. 

I’m curious if the specifications submitted in 1950 something suffice for more of the modern combat jets beyond the STOL friendly A-10.

[CHIEF 5094]

1 hour ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

And he was right to do so. 

I’m curious if the specifications submitted in 1950 something suffice for more of the modern combat jets beyond the STOL friendly A-10.

Yes, Ike built the Interstate system through the Department of Defense. It's designed to take the load of a fully loaded B-52. The Russians would nuke every airforce base meaning strategic bombers would have to use the Interstates to land.

CHIEF

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

2 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Yes, Ike built the Interstate system through the Department of Defense. It's designed to take the load of a fully loaded B-52. The Russians would nuke every airforce base meaning strategic bombers would have to use the Interstates to land.

CHIEF

 

So that answers that question. Reinforced concrete, and apparently several flat and straight and miles of it. 

[markstanco 12586]

IIRC, every 5 miles of interstate has to have 2 miles of straight highway with no power lines crossing.  I bet that is cheap in Colorado on I-70. 

Edit: maybe not.  https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-highways-myth/fact-check-the-u-s-interstate-highway-system-does-not-require-one-mile-in-every-five-to-be-straight-for-plane-landings-idUSL2N2NQ1IC

Edited July 29, 2021 by markstanco

[Homercles 10206]

Did a quick trip to San Diego this weekend, flew on Alaska regional (Skywest) E-175…man I absolutely loved that bird.  Fast to board/deplane, 2x2, great legroom, big bins for an RJ, realistically sized lavs, quiet and comfortable.  I can see why it’s popular with both the airlines and customers.  
 

Compared to my trip to Vegas a week ago on WN, it was wonderful…now they can’t help that there’s always a handful of people who’ve never flown WN before that try to jack up the boarding process, or that they only fly mainline 73s with 3x3 seating, or that people abuse preboard as ‘miracle flights’ to score bulkhead, etc…and I love their customer service / FF program / direct flights, but I will seek out modern 2x2 flights when feasible that they will never offer.

On a side note, if you’ve never flown into SAN before make sure you score a window seat…it was my third time there and I enjoy it almost as much as the river visual into DCA.  Be sure you walk to Little Italy for some beers under the final into SAN to get a close look at the action.  
 

I shoulda followed my own advice and sat at the window.  I’d booked an aisle seat, and the dude next to me was the embodiment of this guy:

I had to bite my tongue to keep from shouting ‘HEED MOVE!’ at the poor kid.  
 

Spent four hours on The Midway…that place never gets old.  Was cool to see both CVN70 and CVN72 with full air wings present on deck, which apparently is a rare thing. 
 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41787/rare-sight-of-two-supercarriers-docked-in-san-diego-with-their-decks-packed-with-aircraft

[Assman 1830]

We're getting a lot of first time flyers at SWA just due to the low fares right now.  Hopefully that changes soon because they generally have no clue what's going on.

[markstanco 12586]

We're getting a lot of first time flyers at SWA just due to the low fares right now.  Hopefully that changes soon because they generally have no clue what's going on.

Same year round flying out of MCO. Sometimes I think driving there from Texas would be smarter and less stressful with all the kids screaming and yelling.

[Lat22 4014]

We used to go to the Daytona 500 every year and those Orlando flights were quite the beating.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

10 hours ago, Assman said:

We're getting a lot of first time flyers at SWA just due to the low fares right now.  Hopefully that changes soon because they generally have no clue what's going on.

Low fares, cooped up for a year and Uncle Sugar is paying better than the normal job of many.

[DalTxHornFan 3116]

On 8/3/2021 at 6:40 AM, Homercles said:

On a side note, if you’ve never flown into SAN before make sure you score a window seat…it was my third time there and I enjoy it almost as much as the river visual into DCA.  Be sure you walk to Little Italy for some beers under the final into SAN to get a close look at the action.  
 

No kidding about final into SAN -- you can wave directly at the people working in the nearby office buildings.

[Homercles 10206]

42 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

No kidding about final into SAN -- you can wave directly at the people working in the nearby office buildings.

One of my absolute favorite flights was my second trip to SD…our direct from AUS got boogered up, AA put my buddy and I into LA for a long ass layover where we proceeded to get hammered with some weird (and hilarious) dude who’d been so wasted he missed his flight and proceeded to just keep drinking in the airside bar for 12 more hours, then finally caught some tiny RJ for the short hop to SAN.  
 

I sat transfixed at the window for the whole 40 minutes, staring at the gorgeous Cali coastline since we didn’t cruise very high.  The approach was from the north and not the usual LYNDI from the East through the mountains, with a pretty tight right turn to final where I got to see all of SD out my window before we dipped down rapidly to land.  That parking garage always seems awfully close.  
 

Seems fitting to go see Midway when just landing in SAN feels a little like a carrier trap.  
 

Sitting port side on the river visual to DCA is probably my favorite domestic arrival, but that short flight from LA into SAN that day where I drunkenly admired the pacific the whole flight is a close second.  Felt like a little kid again. 

[Your Mom 4842]

^^^ Props for knowing the LYNDI and the DCA River Visual  That parking garage in SAN on short final is the reason that approach is a 3.5° path instead of 3.0. It doesn’t seem like half a degree steeper would be significant but it’s definitely noticeable. The DCA River Visual is great but I definitely make sure I start that leg with a full cup of coffee.  It was better from the left seat when the FO was flying so you could steal a moment to check out the mall from 500’. 
The best airplane viewing area in the country is in a park directly under short final on runway 19 in DCA. The Mount Vernon running trail along the Potomac goes through there.  The planes roll out to final at 250 feet directly over the park.  I don’t have airplanes on my pillowcases or anything but when I’m running that trail and they’re landing south I’ll usually stop to watch one or two. 
 

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Your Mom

[Homercles 10206]

49 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

^^^ Props for knowing the LYNDI and the DCA River Visual  That parking garage in SAN parking garage on short final in SAN is the reason that approach is a 3.5° path instead of 3.0. It doesn’t seem like half a degree steeper would be significant but it’s definitely noticeable. The DCA River Visual is great but I definitely make sure I start that leg with a full cup of coffee.  It was better from the left seat when the FO was flying so you could steal a moment to check out the mall from 500’. 
The best airplane viewing area in the country is in a park directly under short final on runway 19 in DCA. The Mount Vernon running trail along the Potomac goes through there.  The planes roll out to final at 250 feet directly over the park.  I don’t have airplanes on my pillowcases or anything but when I’m running that trail and they’re landing south I’ll usually stop to watch one or two. 
 

 

Thanks for the props (pun intended?).  I enjoy looking at plates and trying to see if I can piece it together with how I recall the arrival going…often cracks me up those fixes are often named for the locale or airport, like LINDY, HOUKM or LAIKS.  I really miss UA’s channel 9, but now there’s always LiveATC and that VASAviation guy.  
 

Good to know about that park/trail.  I’ve got family that lives in downtown DC, they were cracking up when I was glad we were stuck on a bridge there so I could watch the action. Next time I’m there I may really blow their mind by dipping out for a bit to Uber to that park.  I got spoiled growing up on USAF bases but still enjoy anything up close (wish the AUS viewing area was on 18R).