Aviation Geeks unite?! Anybody else care about planes here?
- Thread starter { Emilia }
- Start date
^Yeah, the famous Gee Bee, first raced successfully by Jimmy Doolittle of WW2 fame.
Speaking of WW2 generals (or equivalent), I thought this was a cool photo. Air Vice Marshal (2-star) Sir Keith Park takes off in his personal Spitfire after ceremonies opening a new airfield in Malta, May 1943.
Speaking of WW2 generals (or equivalent), I thought this was a cool photo. Air Vice Marshal (2-star) Sir Keith Park takes off in his personal Spitfire after ceremonies opening a new airfield in Malta, May 1943.
This article on a proposed nuclear-powered airship appeared in the June 1968 issue of Esquire magazine.
Ah, they must have had a ton of optimism in the 60s about nuclear power.
Found a picture courtesy of wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircr...media/File:Aircraft_Reactors_Arco_ID_2009.jpg
Was readin on the B-36s a while back and recall the U.S did actually fly a reactor about a modified but only as a shielding test. Doesn't seem they ever flew one as a propulsion source. Guess they could have said 6 turning, 4 burning and 1 glowing.
Probably a sign of the times, but a number of aircraft in the original version of Thunderbirds were nuclear powered but I think between the need for shielding and the need for cooling it would never been viable energy source for aircraft (and that's before we get to the risk from radiation in the event of an accident).
TB2 had a reactor as did TB4 and quite a few of the vehicles... The 60s was weird.
The Fireflash was also a nuclear powered passenger plane
The Fireflash was also a nuclear powered passenger plane
The old racer "Gee Bee" was NOTHING like that. Though it was also dangerous to handle:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Gee_Bee_Model_R_Super_Sportster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Gee_Bee_Model_R_Super_Sportster
Well said!
Agreed. Then of course there was SLAM/Project Pluto, which was un-crewed so didn't need shielding. Many years ago I heard that it was intended for the SLAM craft, after it had dispensed all its nukes, to circle around and around as the reactor overheated and destroyed itself and spewed radioactive junk all around the Soviet Union. Later, though, I heard that was just a legend.
Yeah, I have to wonder if the airline marketing department was crazy about that name for a nuclear passenger liner.
So.. airships? Well then, what about one made out of metal?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZMC-2
Was really reliable as well this thing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZMC-2
Was really reliable as well this thing.
Mustard uploads good videos from time to time
he added 3 more feet of wing per side after that first flight, you were right onNeeds more wings
he added 3 more feet of wing per side after that first flight, you were right on
Hey but what about that seaplane in the video I posted. Honestly before watching that and looking at the thumbnail I thought that thing would just fold up into a fiery crash
Caprini had a prediliction for wierd clinky airplanes. That Stipa Caprini I posted one page back was designed by the same guy. I guess in the early days they were just throwing together any idea that sounded like it might work.
Yep, an age where anything could be tried and if it worked it worked, and if it crashed well you get the idea.
That nearly had Empire State boxframe construction. Mono wings scared people at first, people thinking they would fall off if not braced with other points of contact.
In a ditching, you don’t want shoulder mount wings unless in a flying boat to start with.
Belly mounts allow for better belly flops.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Campini_N.1
The Stipa helped developing this thing, a motorjet aircraft, meaning a piston engine powered the compressor but beyond that it is a jet aircraft.
