Aviation Geeks unite?! Anybody else care about planes here?

[J.T.B.]

We've seen and talked about the Phantom II so I thought I'd throw in the first one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_FH_Phantom

An underpowered WW2 design, but McD learned enough to establish itself in the carrier fighter business with the Banshee and Demon, leading of course to The Phantom, or Phantom II if one prefers!

Also from the teething era of USN jet fighters, the rather science-fictiony looking Vought F7U Cutlass, aka Gutless, aka The Ensign Eliminator.

 

[Marc]

Also from the teething era of USN jet fighters, the rather science-fictiony looking Vought F7U Cutlass, aka Gutless, aka The Ensign Eliminator.

You have to wonder how some of these aircraft after made in past the prototype stage and into production left along actually being put into service.

But there does some to be pattern with some of these aircraft (say the Pirate mentioned above) - the engines simply weren't up to the job.

 

[J.T.B.]

You have to wonder how some of these aircraft after made in past the prototype stage and into production left along actually being put into service.

But there does some to be pattern with some of these aircraft (say the Pirate mentioned above) - the engines simply weren't up to the job.

Yeah, things were just moving too fast. The Navy had to get a share of the post-WW2 atom-bombing budget, so it had to have supercarriers with jet bombers, and they had to have escorts and fighters to protect the carrier, then Korea happened... With the state of the technology it was hard to put everything together in a package that could use a carrier deck, but they couldn't just sit still for a few years till all the bugs were worked out. Besides better engines, the meatball, angle deck and steam cats made a huge difference, but a lot of pilots were lost in accidents in the meantime.

That said, by Vietnam the worm had turned and the USAF had to go to the Navy for an air superiority fighter.

 

[Santaman]

Cutlass is a very SF looking aircraft and indeed it had quite a lot of accidents.
Think the F-104 is also considered to have been rather difficult/dangerous but in the Netherlands it was one of the safest jet aircraft we ever had.

We also flew the a version of the F-5 series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-5E

 

[BK613]

The Thunderbirds are doing flyovers of San Diego and LA today:
https://twitter.com/AFThunderbirds/status/1261019612491116544

 

[Santaman]

^^ Cool

And another French aircraft, the Rafale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Rafale

 

[Marc]

if anyone has a couple of hours to spare, there's a great video of two women pilots doing a Lufthansa Freight flight on an MD-11.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[publiusr]

Over at modelermagic.com is a model of a Boeing hyper velocity design now owned by an individual named Romano

 

[Santaman]

Get to the choppah!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_AH-1_Cobra

Always liked this one, also the extended family of these.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_AH-1_SuperCobra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_AH-1Z_Viper

 

[J.T.B.]

The Thunderbirds are doing flyovers of San Diego and LA today:
https://twitter.com/AFThunderbirds/status/1261019612491116544

It's kind of wild: The first 30 years they flew six different aircraft. The last 37 years, same aircraft!

(I know, F-16A, F-16C, block whatever. But still.)

 

[Mysterion]

Thunderbirds? Meh. Gimme the Blue Angels in A-4 Skyhawks (one of my favorite fighters) any day, and twice on Sunday.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[J.T.B.]

Thunderbirds? Meh. Gimme the Blue Angels in A-4 Skyhawks (one of my favorite fighters) any day, and twice on Sunday.

Love the Scooter, first saw the Angels with them myself. But, fighter?!?

 

[Santaman]

The A-4 is a lovely little bird, nasty claws (bombs $ missiles) but a lovely little bird.

Hmm what about this one?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior
Not exactly small I would say..

 

[John Clark]

Love the Skyhawk too, though for some reason never got a model of it

 

[KennyB]

It's kind of wild: The first 30 years they flew six different aircraft. The last 37 years, same aircraft!

(I know, F-16A, F-16C, block whatever. But still.)

Used to work on block 40s and 50s back in the day........loved the Lawn Dart.

 

[J.T.B.]

The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola has a great overhead display of four Blue Angels A-4s in a diamond. You can see them from below, then you can go up on the balcony and look at them from the same level.

Hmm what about this one?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior
Not exactly small I would say.

Yes I mentioned them earlier too. Designed to be the carrier strategic bomber, eventually got every big workhorse job. There were even a couple fitted out to be executive transports for admirals. Probably nice by '60s standards, but would look shoddy compared to the luxurious Gulfstreams they use today.

Whale "flag plane," looks like a 3-star flag above the cockpit:

Used to work on block 40s and 50s back in the day........loved the Lawn Dart.

Seems to be almost universally loved by those who fly them as a real pilot's aircraft.

 

[KennyB]

The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola has a great overhead display of four Blue Angels A-4s in a diamond. You can see them from below, then you can go up on the balcony and look at them from the same level.

View attachment 15533

Ha--Pensacola is my home town. I miss the NAS museum and the lighthouse!

 

[Santaman]

There's a story about the F-16, I think it was the first batch that had this "problem" according to the story while receiving maintenance someone accidently pushed the landing gear up button and the aircraft did retract the landing gear while standing inside the hangar, causing a bit of damage and quite some embaresement...

 

[Marc]

There's a story about the F-16, I think it was the first batch that had this "problem" according to the story while receiving maintenance someone accidently pushed the landing gear up button and the aircraft did retract the landing gear while standing inside the hangar, causing a bit of damage and quite some embaresement...

Guess some-one forgot the put the pins in first.

 

[HarryM]

I think they have ground pressure sensors that normally prevent that, but they can be bypassed if say you have the aircraft on a stand and are testing the gear mechanism. Somebody must have forgotten to reenable the sensor.
[EDIT] I think technically a strut compression sensor which would be tripped if the strut is compressed (on the ground).