The Aircraft Thread

[Switch]

The art of not falling to the ground has long fascinated man. Recently he has begun by various clumsy means to emulate the avians in this grand endeavour. This thread is for the sharing of aircraft in all their wondrousness. Any type, intended for any application, from any era, is welcome. The general format should include the name of the aircraft, a reasonably-sized image or three, and a short description serving to place the aircraft in some kind of context for the reader. I'll start:


Beriev Be-200

The Be-200 is a rare example of a modern flying boat. Although theoretically able to be outfitted for other roles, all Be-200s to date have been manufactured and employed as water bombers. Be-200s are operated principally by Russia's EMERCOM agency and have also been leased for fire-fighting duties around the world.

 

[Sky]

This cute little fella is called the Dreamlifter. I photographed it at Nagoya Airport in summer 2009.

The Dreamlifter is a rare plane. Only four exist. It's the world's longest cargo plane. It's used for transporting Boeing plane parts around the world.

 

[eastman23]

This is the one I always post in threads like this:

CF-105 Arrow

The Arrow was developed by Avro Canada in the 1950s and one of the most advanced interceptors of the time. It had the potential of going beyond Mach 2, but only got as far as flight testing before the project was unceremoniously cancelled by the government of the day.

All 6 completed aircraft were destroyed, save for the nose section from 206 and a few other pieces.

There is a full-size replica at the Canadian Air and Space Museum in Toronto, and I have to say that it is beautiful. I was there a few months ago, and I distinctly remember seeing it for the first time. I was looking a few other displays of other items, turned around, and there it was... nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Beautiful aircraft and a damn shame that it was scrapped.

 

[scotpens]

The classic Cessna 310, the first truly modern postwar light twin. The swept vertical tail and torpedo tip tanks mark this one as a 1960 or ’61 model (canted tip tanks appeared in ’62). One word: GORGEOUS!

I like pretty airplanes.

 

[RedShirt]

One airframe that is near & dear to me is the C-141B Starlifter. This was my primary during my 10 years in the USAF, most of which was spent at McChord AFB, WA, in the 62nd Air Wing working avionics (G&C and Com-Nav). My tenure was at the end of its career, and I saw several of them retired to the boneyard or outright scrapped due to unrepairable fatigue. I got to poke my nose around a couple of C-models, and while the "glass cockpit" is cool you just can't polish a turd (he said affectionately).

My last 2 years in were at Lajes Field on Terciera Island in the Azores; an enroute facility for "gas-n-go" and quick repairs. I had to take two secondaries in a couple of common visitors:
The C-5 Galaxy

...and The C-17 Globemaster III

In my time on the island I also got to turn wrenches on a wide variety of C-130s, from regular transports to weather birds to gunships...

KC-135Rs...

and KC-10s.

All fun planes in their own unique way.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I'm partial to the old warbirds. There's just something about them.

The only, IIRC, 2 seat P51 Mustang still flying under the wing of a B17.

Here's the same plane with a couple of Marine F18s in the background.

I've got some of a B17, B24, and B25 I'll have to dig up.

 

[Lindley]

^I saw that P-51 when it was at an airshow in Warrenton, VA.

Here's me posing with one of the planes I've done the majority of my flight hours in:

 

[sojourner]

I like quirky looking planes, like the PBY Catalina flying boat from WW2:

A friend of mine used to own a Cessna Skymaster. Very cool looking for a civilian aircraft. Though his was a more tame white color and not this wicked looking paintjob.

 

[scotpens]

Another classic beauty -- the Learjet 24. The later models with the smaller, airline-style windows lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.

 

[MANT!]

My favorite is the B-52...

Did many hours fixing B-52 avionics in SAC (AFCS and G&C systems) and did a little flying as a flight-rated tech..during the Cold War and the Gulf War..

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCnCXAhPDts[/yt]

And just after, when it seemed that the Russians would join NATO...

Lots of fun working on a living legend....That had served the USA through peace and wartime and continues to serve...

 

[Canadave]

Well, after the OP, I have to go with one of my favourite planes...

Bombardier 415 (formerly Canadair CL-415)

It's one of the only aircraft in the world that's been purpose-built for aerial firefighting, though it is has been outfitted for SAR duties as well. The big advantage a plane like the 415 has over something like the Be-200 is it's go-anywhere capabilities. It needs just 1,300 metres of water (with a depth of just 2 metres and a width of 90 metres) to completely fill its tanks. It doesn't even need to do so on a straight line; the plane can be loaded from a river, for example, as it is still flying when it loads.

76 have been built, with the largest number of them operating in Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Manitoba all employ them in their aerial firefighting fleets). They fly occasionally in the USA on lease to Californian fire departments, and most of the rest operate in military and civilian capacities in Europe.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Ohh, awesome thread. My Dad and I took a trip to D.C last summer, and we visited both Air & Space museums, and we had a ton of fun, and took tons of pictures. I came away with a lot more appreciation for aircrafts in general. The amount of aircrafts they can fit in that space is amazing.

One of my favourites has always been the SR-71 and I took the opportunity to photograph it. While photographing it head on, it almost disappears due to its profile.

Of course, the big draw for my Dad and I was the Enterprise. We're in the picture as the yellow and white figures on the right. The sense of scale is amazing, and we thank the staircase my Sister was taking the picture from.

Oh, and I really loved seeing the Enola Gay:

Now, not an aircraft, but I found this too funny not to photograph.

Btw, Canadave, I don't know if you've been watching Ice Pilots, but last season the gang from Buffalo took a CL-15 all the way to Switzerland. An overseas trip in the middle of winter in an aircraft that isn't made for cold weather.



Lots more pictures on my flicker account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47539183@N04/sets/72157624085930085/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47539183@N04/sets/72157624086539841/

 

[Canadave]

Btw, Canadave, I don't know if you've been watching Ice Pilots, but last season the gang from Buffalo took a CL-15 all the way to Switzerland. An overseas trip in the middle of winter in an aircraft that isn't made for cold weather.

I've heard of the show, and I've been meaning to check it out sometime. That definitely makes it a little more appealing.

I'd love to see the Enterprise someday, myself. I've seen the replica shuttle they have at the Kennedy Space Center, which is cool, but it's not the same thing. Getting to see a Saturn V was mindblowing, though.

 

[Lindley]

Sometimes I wonder why more people don't learn to fly. Everyone likes airplanes but few put in the time to actually get the rating. Sure, it costs a bit, but with careful planning and budgeting it's well within the means of most middle-class workers.

 

[Canadave]

^ It's on my list of long-term goals, but I only just have enough money for rent and living costs right now, so it's a little out of the question for at least a few more years, until I get a career going.

 

[sojourner]

Oh, here's something you'll like. My sister got me this for Christmas. Great Experience!

http://www.fantasyofflight.com/boeing_stearman.html

 

[Owain Taggart]

Btw, Canadave, I don't know if you've been watching Ice Pilots, but last season the gang from Buffalo took a CL-15 all the way to Switzerland. An overseas trip in the middle of winter in an aircraft that isn't made for cold weather.

I've heard of the show, and I've been meaning to check it out sometime. That definitely makes it a little more appealing.

I'd love to see the Enterprise someday, myself. I've seen the replica shuttle they have at the Kennedy Space Center, which is cool, but it's not the same thing. Getting to see a Saturn V was mindblowing, though.

Oh, it's a great show. I do recommend it. Quite a lot of fun. First season was a blast, and they're showing season 2 now. And actually, one of the guys went off to Venezuela to treasure hunt an old CL-15 which has somehow been converted into a passenger plane. Intriguing to say the least.

As for the Enterprise, better hurry. It won't be in D.C much longer when Discovery comes in to replace it.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Oh, here's something you'll like. My sister got me this for Christmas. Great Experience!

http://www.fantasyofflight.com/boeing_stearman.html

We did the same thing at a different flight museum for my late father in law one year for father's day.

He talked about it until he died. Said it was the best experience he'd had in recent memory. The pilot let him take the stick and fly for a bit.

 

[Lindley]

Oh, here's something you'll like. My sister got me this for Christmas. Great Experience!

http://www.fantasyofflight.com/boeing_stearman.html

I've seen Stearmans up close several times, even seen them doing some aerobatics overhead. But so far I've never gotten the chance to go up in one!

 

[sojourner]

^It was great fun! The pilot lets you run the controls for most of the flight.