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Airplane Porn (and the occasional helicopter)


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Blue Angles are in town coming in and out of Alameda, so they're flying over my office on the way to the bay. Man those guys rip the sky a new one. 

 

Yeah, I am just a couple of miles from MAS Miramar and they gave us quite the rattling last weekend! 

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Another plane that I always liked was this one, but from what I have read, pilots didn't like it.

 

Blohm & Voss BV 141

 

 

Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-2005-0725-526,_Auf

 

Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1980-117-01%2C_Auf

 

You may notice that the rear stabilizer is mounted to the pilot's left!  That's because the original had the stabilizer to the right.  On a test flight the Luftwaffe gunner slammed down on the rear mounted machine gun like he would in a panic situation, over rode the stops and shot the rear stabilized right off the plane!  Quick redesign and you have this result.  Luftwaffe did not approve for production because it was so weird looking.

 

I have used this design in many product design reviews with thew tag "Just because it dosen't look pretty doesn't mean that it isn't a good solution!"

 

It dosen't have to be symetrical to fulfill the spec requirements.

 

BTW, the central cockpit is a direct steal from a pre-existing Messerschmidt bomber.  Why invent something that is pretty good already.

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Nope, it is real

 

6991666111_af9e54a43f.jpg

 

Planes of Fame Museum at Chino California has a Mitsubishi version complete with both Japanese built and original German rocket engine assemblies!  While stationed at Norton AFB my boss [a real Eagle Squadron pilot from WW2] attended a "soiree" with a bunch of Aerospace Corporation executives.  Discussion got around to planes, funny how that happens.  He was discussing the ME162, having just visited the museum then at Ontario Airport.  Doctor Holman [yes the Holman transfer man] replied that the German Air Force lost more pilots on landing due to crude welds in the fuel tanks than were shot down by Allied Bombers.  My boss asked how he knew this!  The reply was "I was the test pilot on the number two aircraft!" 

Talk about experts on manned rocket flight!  Project Paper Clip strikes again!

By the way, Dr Holman later helped the RCAF restore an ME162 for their museum.  Somewhere I have a PIX of him in the cockpit with a shit eating grin!

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Vulcan-XH558_-By-John-Dibbs_2.jpg

I had the opportunity to see a Vulcan airshow display at the Randolph AFB airshow in San Antonio TX about 20 years ago. It was an amazing display. I was awestruck at the low level maneuvers that the Vulcan was able to complete. The big bomber preformed some maneuvers that you would expect from an Extra 300 aerobatic display.

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I had the opportunity to see a Vulcan airshow display at the Randolph AFB airshow in San Antonio TX about 20 years ago. It was an amazing display. I was awestruck at the low level maneuvers that the Vulcan was able to complete. The big bomber preformed some maneuvers that you would expect from an Extra 300 aerobatic display.

 

There were 2 Vulcans on display at the SAC Offut AFB / Sarpy County Air Museum.  When the Falklands Islands thing blew up, the chain link fence was dropped, the Vulcans were towed away, and suddenly there were Vulcans bombing the Argentine positions on the Falkland Islands!  A most impressive airplane.

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