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Mistayke
May 7, 2003

Schindler's Fist posted:

I finally made it out to Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale, CA. It was 100 degrees F and a super hot wind was blowing, the opposite of wind chill factor.

What kills me is that I lived in Palmdale for a bout a year and a half, on Ave S, and passed that place a couple of times, but I was always going somewhere, and never stopped. I've been back in NY now for a few years and I regret not exploring that area more. I used to pass the Skunkworks every day going to work, and I would get giddy every time I saw it.

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Craptacular
Jul 11, 2004

Schindler's Fist posted:


This is the lone B-52 F model, built with water injection for more power. Do I know how that works? Nope! It is a huge beast that blots out the sun.

Now you know! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_injection_%28engines%29#Use_in_aircraft

Plinkey
Aug 4, 2004

by Fluffdaddy

Schindler's Fist posted:

I finally made it out to Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale, CA. It was 100 degrees F and a super hot wind was blowing, the opposite of wind chill factor.

I just moved to Palmdale, I really need to take a day and walk around that park.

uRizen
Apr 19, 2012
Took my son and a friend to the Air Expo at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, MN today. We arrived at just the right time to sit a few feet from a P-38 while it taxied and took off (did a couple of sexy sounding fly-bys as well), then stayed around until they put just about every one of the show planes up in the air followed by the B-17.

*edit: uploaded to Flickr for easier viewing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45027898@N00/sets/72157630606399756/

Hoping to hit up the Duluth air show later in the year and get my wife's camera cleaned up and running a telephoto lens by then.

uRizen fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Jul 16, 2012

iyaayas01
Feb 19, 2010

Perry'd
I was showing a friend around Elmendorf today and we stopped by Heritage Park. I've been here for three years and I didn't realize that the P-38 on display is the only surviving P-38G. They found it on Attu and recovered it in the late '90s. Here's a few pictures:



Terrible Robot
Jul 2, 2010

FRIED CHICKEN
Slippery Tilde
uRizen, would it be possible for you to re-size your pictures and/or not use Timg? Both of my computers absolutely poo poo a brick trying to load 25+ 2200x1800 pictures. I just want to see the cool planes too :saddowns:

Terrible Robot fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Jul 16, 2012

Bogatyr
Jul 20, 2009

Schindler's Fist posted:



Over the fence, one of the space shuttle 747's, possibly being prepped for storage out in the Mojave desert. I suggest that it become the new Vomit Comet and they sell rides to us scrubs, because funding makes those birds go up!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Carrier_Aircraft
Shuttle Carrier N911NA retired on February 8, 2012 after its final mission to the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility, and will be used as a source of parts for NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the remaining shuttle carrier aircraft, N905NA.[11]
Shuttle Carrier N905NA will be used to ferry the retired Shuttles to their respective museums and will then be retired and used as a source of spare parts for SOFIA as well.

uRizen
Apr 19, 2012

Terrible Robot posted:

uRizen, would it be possible for you to re-size your pictures and/or not use Timg? Both of my computers absolutely poo poo a brick trying to load 25+ 2200x1800 pictures. I just want to see the cool planes too :saddowns:

Oops, yeah, that was a few too many pictures (crashed my tablet, heh.) Updated post with a link to a Flickr set.

D C
Jun 20, 2004

1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING
Was in Yellowknife working last week, the airshow was on Saturday and Sunday, since I was working with the Ice Pilots guys I got a chance to get nice and close. Just wish I had my camera.



Terrible Robot
Jul 2, 2010

FRIED CHICKEN
Slippery Tilde

uRizen posted:

Oops, yeah, that was a few too many pictures (crashed my tablet, heh.) Updated post with a link to a Flickr set.

Thank you, now I can be properly jealous of all the great planes you got to see.

What's this? My brain keeps wanting to call it a Fi-156 Storch, which I know isn't right.

Space Gopher
Jul 31, 2006

BLITHERING IDIOT AND HARDCORE DURIAN APOLOGIST. LET ME TELL YOU WHY THIS SHIT DON'T STINK EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW IT DOES BECAUSE I'M SUPER CULTURED.

The C-130 is an amazing aircraft - but man, it does not have a pretty face.

Terrible Robot posted:

Thank you, now I can be properly jealous of all the great planes you got to see.

What's this? My brain keeps wanting to call it a Fi-156 Storch, which I know isn't right.

Looks like an O-1 Bird Dog.

DiscoDickTease
Mar 19, 2009

Hi, boys and girls, I'm Jimmy Carl Black, and I'm the Indian of the group!

D C posted:

Was in Yellowknife working last week, the airshow was on Saturday and Sunday, since I was working with the Ice Pilots guys I got a chance to get nice and close. Just wish I had my camera.





At the beginning of August I am heading up there as an apprentice to Buffalo Airways. I was just talking to Rod today as he had been on holiday for a while. I;m excited/nervous as gently caress to work there. I love the old planes but its far as poo poo away from everyone I know and love here in Ontario.

D C
Jun 20, 2004

1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING

DiscoDickTease posted:

At the beginning of August I am heading up there as an apprentice to Buffalo Airways. I was just talking to Rod today as he had been on holiday for a while. I;m excited/nervous as gently caress to work there. I love the old planes but its far as poo poo away from everyone I know and love here in Ontario.

It's an interesting place to say the least. At least you'll have a bit of summer to get settled before winter hits. All of the people that I've met at Buffalo are nice, just dont get on Joes bad side haha.

uRizen
Apr 19, 2012

Terrible Robot posted:

Thank you, now I can be properly jealous of all the great planes you got to see.

What's this? My brain keeps wanting to call it a Fi-156 Storch, which I know isn't right.

Dunno, other than it's some form of Cessna with ROCKETS.

Terrible Robot
Jul 2, 2010

FRIED CHICKEN
Slippery Tilde
Space Gopher got it a couple posts above, it's an O-1 Bird Dog. So yeah, a Cessna with rockets :black101:

iyaayas01
Feb 19, 2010

Perry'd

Space Gopher posted:

The C-130 is an amazing aircraft - but man, it does not have a pretty face.

You think that's bad, check out the early no radome models:



Space Gopher posted:

Looks like an O-1 Bird Dog.

Here's one of my favorite Bird Dog stories...Capt Hilliard Wilbanks's Medal of Honor citation:

quote:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. As a forward air controller Capt. Wilbanks was pilot of an unarmed, light aircraft flying visual reconnaissance ahead of a South Vietnam Army Ranger Battalion. His intensive search revealed a well-concealed and numerically superior hostile force poised to ambush the advancing rangers. The Viet Cong, realizing that Capt. Wilbanks' discovery had compromised their position and ability to launch a surprise attack, immediately fired on the small aircraft with all available firepower. The enemy then began advancing against the exposed forward elements of the ranger force which were pinned down by devastating fire. Capt. Wilbanks recognized that close support aircraft could not arrive in time to enable the rangers to withstand the advancing enemy, onslaught. With full knowledge of the limitations of his unarmed, unarmored, light reconnaissance aircraft, and the great danger imposed by the enemy's vast firepower, he unhesitatingly assumed a covering, close support role. Flying through a hail of withering fire at treetop level, Capt. Wilbanks passed directly over the advancing enemy and inflicted many casualties by firing his rifle out of the side window of his aircraft. Despite increasingly intense antiaircraft fire, Capt. Wilbanks continued to completely disregard his own safety and made repeated low passes over the enemy to divert their fire away from the rangers. His daring tactics successfully interrupted the enemy advance, allowing the rangers to withdraw to safety from their perilous position. During his final courageous attack to protect the withdrawing forces, Capt. Wilbanks was mortally wounded and his bullet-riddled aircraft crashed between the opposing forces. Capt. Wilbanks' magnificent action saved numerous friendly personnel from certain injury or death. His unparalleled concern for his fellow man and his extraordinary heroism were in the highest traditions of the military service, and have reflected great credit upon himself and the U.S. Air Force.

So he realized that the air support wouldn't arrive in time, utilized his light aircraft armed with nothing but white phosphorous marking rockets to provide close air support, and then when he was out of rockets proceeded to lay down suppressing fire by firing an M-16 out the window...of his tail dragger Cessna. :stare:

Kerosene19
May 7, 2007


Some Skywest Captain killed his girlfriend and as a fugitive jumped the airport fence, hopped in a CRJ200 and ran it into a parking lot. Ended it all with a gun in the plane. I can’t wait to see the kneejerk reaction from this.

Aeronautical Insanity?

Kerosene19 fucked around with this message at 01:02 on Jul 18, 2012

Slo-Tek
Jun 8, 2001

WINDOWS 98 BEAT HIS FRIEND WITH A SHOVEL

iyaayas01 posted:

Here's one of my favorite Bird Dog stories...

You've probably seen this image before:



During Operation Frequent Wind, helicopter the evacuation of Saigon the Midway had its deck covered in fleeing helicopters. When a Bird Dog flew over the deck with ARVN Maj. Bung-Ly, and his wife and 5 children aboard. He dropped a note on the deck saying "please move those helicopters so I can land". So, they did by shoving them over the side, and he did, without arrestor gear.

Space Gopher
Jul 31, 2006

BLITHERING IDIOT AND HARDCORE DURIAN APOLOGIST. LET ME TELL YOU WHY THIS SHIT DON'T STINK EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW IT DOES BECAUSE I'M SUPER CULTURED.

iyaayas01 posted:

You think that's bad, check out the early no radome models:



:colbert: The early models might have had a big nose, but at least they don't have a giant tumor on the front.

(still ugly, though)

iyaayas01
Feb 19, 2010

Perry'd

Slo-Tek posted:

You've probably seen this image before:



During Operation Frequent Wind, helicopter the evacuation of Saigon the Midway had its deck covered in fleeing helicopters. When a Bird Dog flew over the deck with ARVN Maj. Bung-Ly, and his wife and 5 children aboard. He dropped a note on the deck saying "please move those helicopters so I can land". So, they did by shoving them over the side, and he did, without arrestor gear.



And that's my other one. His plane was kept on board after he landed and eventually found its way to the Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, where it is on display:

quote:

Shortly after the landing, Midway put into Guam to offload aircraft that had landed on board during the evacuation. Captain Joe Cheshire, SC, was serving as Commanding Officer of the Naval Supply Depot on the island and, having previously served as the Supply Officer at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, he was familiar with the Naval Aviation Museum. Cheshire telephoned museum director Captain Grover Walker, USN (Ret.) to gauge his interest in acquiring the aircraft. Using his shipment authority, Cheshire had the plane shipped to Mobile, Alabama, where it was received by the museum and placed on display, where it has been visited by Bung-Ly and his family.



Video of him landing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so9XRUbBGj8

Blistex
Oct 30, 2003

Macho Business
Donkey Wrestler
Bonus sperg points for whoever guesses what I have. (hint: It's small, does +3 mach on solid fuel, and they cost approx €400,000 a pop)


MrChips
Jun 10, 2005

FLIGHT SAFETY TIP: Fatties out first

Control fin from an IRIS-T.

Triggs
Nov 23, 2005

Tango Down!
So being in the middle of nowhere Alabama and next to one of the US military's busiest schools allows guys to fly their $10,000+ toys on improved runways for free.

One guy showed up with a miniature F-16 and put everyone to shame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upfsMwb4j74

More videos to follow as I upload them, this thing looked and sounded just like the real thing if you didn't know any better.

Rot
Apr 18, 2005

Seal Cove is a busy place at times. Not shown: a 206L1 off the goof's right, warming up for it's charter, and an S64E sitting off the nose of that 214 in the background. Everyone except the Air-Crane is running and waiting.

IMG_7952.jpg by Brian.M.K, on Flickr

These guys never stop flying:

IMG_7788.jpg by Brian.M.K, on Flickr

How's this for a work trip: 4 guys in the cabin. Two pilots, one engineer in the little jumpseat between them, and one engineer sitting in the aft-facing phonebooth. Now, hump along from Colorado to Alaska at 90kts:

IMG_7890.jpg by Brian.M.K, on Flickr

Alpine Mustache
Jul 11, 2000

iyaayas01 posted:

You think that's bad, check out the early no radome models:




Is it just me or is the perspective on that picture all messed up?

Blistex
Oct 30, 2003

Macho Business
Donkey Wrestler

MrChips posted:

Control fin from an IRIS-T.

Wow! That was fast. What gave it away? Or did you do a wiki search on all air to air missiles and looked for one in that price range?

Acid Reflux
Oct 18, 2004

Fist of Freud posted:

Some Skywest Captain killed his girlfriend and as a fugitive jumped the airport fence, hopped in a CRJ200 and ran it into a parking lot. Ended it all with a gun in the plane. I can’t wait to see the kneejerk reaction from this.

Aeronautical Insanity?

Christ, could that news report have been any more sensationalized? "No locks! No security codes! No keys for the ignition! Anyone can can just climb in and drive one away!" I've got news for the news...as everyone here knows, there are tens of thousands of us regular non-piloty-folk with enough knowledge of various aircraft to do exactly that. I giggled when this came up in the video:


That's the right engine of a Saab 340B. I climb into those with no keys and drive them around the field on an almost daily basis! Without clearance from ground! (we have our own ramp and taxiway that's not used by the airport proper, but is also about 100 yards from and directly connected to the south end of the runway.)

Also, LOL file footage...American stopped flying Saabs in 2008.

D C
Jun 20, 2004

1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING

Triggs posted:

So being in the middle of nowhere Alabama and next to one of the US military's busiest schools allows guys to fly their $10,000+ toys on improved runways for free.

One guy showed up with a miniature F-16 and put everyone to shame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upfsMwb4j74

More videos to follow as I upload them, this thing looked and sounded just like the real thing if you didn't know any better.

Do you have Parkinsons? Thats basically unwatchable, sorry.

Butt Reactor
Oct 6, 2005

Even in zero gravity, you're an asshole.

Acid Reflux posted:

Christ, could that news report have been any more sensationalized? "No locks! No security codes! No keys for the ignition! Anyone can can just climb in and drive one away!"

The cessnas and PA28s I fly have door locks and magneto keys, does that mean general aviation has better security than the airlines? :haw:

iyaayas01
Feb 19, 2010

Perry'd

Alpine Mustache posted:

Is it just me or is the perspective on that picture all messed up?

Yeah, that painting isn't exactly the most realistic. Only image depicting the action that I could find, though.

eggyolk
Nov 8, 2007


iyaayas01 posted:

Yeah, that painting isn't exactly the most realistic. Only image depicting the action that I could find, though.

According to this picture his Cessna had a wingspan of about 230 feet.

mlmp08
Jul 11, 2004

Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration
Nap Ghost

eggyolk posted:

According to this picture his Cessna had a wingspan of about 230 feet.

Also, that dude was a giant and should have just landed and stomped out the enemy

Nuevo
May 23, 2006

:eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop::eyepop::shittypop:
Fun Shoe

mlmp08 posted:

Also, that dude was a giant and should have just landed and stomped out the enemy

Well if I shine a flashlight at my hand, the shadow over on the wall is bigger than my hand. Works just like that outside in the sun too then! :downs:

MrChips
Jun 10, 2005

FLIGHT SAFETY TIP: Fatties out first

Blistex posted:

Wow! That was fast. What gave it away? Or did you do a wiki search on all air to air missiles and looked for one in that price range?

First thing that gave it away was the shape and the size; not many Western missiles have fins shaped like that, or of the size (small) that I assumed it was. Right away, it had to be a short-range missile made in Europe (what with the price quoted in Euros). That left the IRIS-T as the only choice; a quick Google search confirmed my reasoning.

Yeah, I need something better to do with my time.

routlej1
Apr 1, 2010

mlmp08 posted:

Also, that dude was a giant and should have just landed and stomped out the enemy

Surely he could have just dangled his massive brass balls out the window and knuckled them unconscious as he flew past at low altitude?

Anyway, to contribute, the UK have now received their first f35b. http://www.co.uk/news/UK-18919388

Not wishing to restart the"debate" on jsf, but the article says that the UK somehow has a 15 per cent work share, yet we're only buying 48? does anyone know how we managed to wrangle that? I find it hard to believe that the British government managed to get a good deal on a military procurement.

Triggs
Nov 23, 2005

Tango Down!

D C posted:

Do you have Parkinsons? Thats basically unwatchable, sorry.

Winds were gusting to 10+ kts and I was using a cell phone so yeah I might as well.

Seizure Meat
Jul 23, 2008

by Smythe
C-17 lands at the wrong airport.

quote:

Tampa, Fla.- The U.S. Air Force has yet to explain how a massive C-17 military cargo plane ended up landing at the wrong airport Friday.

The plane bound for MacDill Air Force Base on the southern tip of Tampa accidently landed at the tiny Peter O. Knight Airport in the middle of homes on Davis Islands.

Peter O. Knight is approximately four miles north of MacDill but significantly smaller in size.

Witnesses and nearby homeowners near the airport, when the plane landed, say they could hardly believe their eyes and feared the aircraft may crash through the end of the small runway and end up in Tampa Bay.

"Two words: one starts with O and one starts with S," said Don Sipila, who guesses that's what was going through the pilot's mind moments after his C-17 touched down on the wrong runway.

"It was extremely loud, the wings were wavering a little bit because he was doing a curving type of thing. You could clearly see this was a maximum effort short field landing. You don't practice these things," said Sipila.

Uh, Mr. Civilian Pilot, I watch C-17's do combat approaches and short field landings every day. You're a pilot though, so you're the expert!

Geizkragen
Dec 29, 2006

Get that booze monkey off my back!
Well, at least he didn't go offroading at the end. Goddamn that's going to be embarrassing for that crew though.

Other "that doesn't go there" stories:

I had a buddy who watched the tower at NAB Fallon wave off a Marine Hornet who was attempting to land on the taxiway next to the long parallels. There was a section of F-5s taxiing to the active at the time. Only time I've heard of tower saving someone's rear end in Fallon.

Then there's this guy:
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes2/domestic-news/general/14001-finnish-fighter-pilot-ejects-after-landing-on-taxiway-.html

This poor bastard was a relatively brand new pilot at the time (less than 200 hours) and was really inexperienced with NVGs. So the Finns decide a couple years ago to practice these lights-out NVG landings. Wing had never seen it done, and although lead had done it a few times, he didn't brief the poor bastard at all on what to expect. For safety reasons, when they did these NVG landings only the runway lights would be turned off and all the remaining airfield lights were still on. During the approach (IFR, in a snow storm...with NVGs on*) Lead breaks out, kisses off the wingman and doesn't think anything more about it. Wing stops sucking wingtip just in time to look up and see...the taxiway lights. Lead rolls out on the nice 8k'+ runway, pops his goggles off, and looks up just in time to see the seat rockets fire off.

Poor bastard landed on a 3k'x75' taxiway, was puzzled as to why there was a giant white wall in front of him (plowed snow bank) and pulled the ejection handle.

So many things wrong with this flight, from conception to brief to execution.

*for those who are wondering, with the complete loss of peripheral vision and depth perception, flying in precip or IFR with NVGs is loving hard, especially if you're not laser focused on your HUD. Given his experience level and the conditions, this kid probably had some serious spatial D issues to fight through in addition to dealing with the normal stresses of flying close formation while trying to do checklists and think of all the poo poo you're supposed to be doing when you're by yourself, at night, with that little experience.

Seizure Meat
Jul 23, 2008

by Smythe
Well, at the end of that report they say something about cargo being rushed off the C-17 under high security, so I have doubts that he wasn't supposed to be there. Yeah, MacDill is right down the road, but I just can't see a C-17 landing at a short field like that on a clear day, just because the pilot made a mistake.

Who knows, really.

e- also the past couple of days I've seen a largish jet, dunno the type, in all white with no number land at Stewart. Have no idea what it was! I want to say it was two under wing engines, but the all white scheme threw me and I was focused on the tail because of the lack of numbers on it.

Seizure Meat fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Jul 21, 2012

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iyaayas01
Feb 19, 2010

Perry'd

VikingSkull posted:

Well, at the end of that report they say something about cargo being rushed off the C-17 under high security, so I have doubts that he wasn't supposed to be there. Yeah, MacDill is right down the road, but I just can't see a C-17 landing at a short field like that on a clear day, just because the pilot made a mistake.

Who knows, really.

Given the description of the landing (I've seen reports that the plane was within feet of running out of runway surface) and the fact that they had to burn off fuel to get down to a weight to be able to get back out of there safely...the crew just done hosed up. As for the high security, rumor is that the jet had Mattis on board...you know, USMC four star general James Mattis, CENTCOM Commander type.

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