Post amazingly cool pictures of aircraft (Volume 3)

[Smollet]

My Dad used to fly PBYs in WW2. This is him at Southsea many moons ago. He was given regal treatment by the hosts when I told them he used to pilot these beautiful planes. Not exactly a great shot but a great aircraft with a great bloke. He was copilot to John Cruikshank for a while.

[Ash_]

MartG said:

Very rare pic of the Sukhoi T4 in flight

Never heard of that so had a quick google, clearly USSRs answer to the Valkyrie and TSR? Odd design though, a folding noise, that when folded up for flight makes it look like the crew didn't even have a window!

[irocfan]

Ash_ said:

MartG said:

Very rare pic of the Sukhoi T4 in flight

Never heard of that so had a quick google, clearly USSRs answer to the Valkyrie and TSR? Odd design though, a folding noise, that when folded up for flight makes it look like the crew didn't even have a window!

They had a periscope iirc

[generationx]

FourWheelDrift said:

Intercontinental mashed potato seeking missiles.

This needs more recognition.

They're B2(b?)s by the way. There's a recent Megaprojects YT video about them.

[Eric Mc]

irocfan said:

Ash_ said:

MartG said:

Very rare pic of the Sukhoi T4 in flight

Never heard of that so had a quick google, clearly USSRs answer to the Valkyrie and TSR? Odd design though, a folding noise, that when folded up for flight makes it look like the crew didn't even have a window!

They had a periscope iirc

Not unknown in aircraft/spacecraft -

This had a periscope -



Even this has a periscope -



You don't just get peroiscopes on submarines.

[MartG]

Some vintage USN aircraft

NAOTS Chincoteague F3D-2 Skyknight BuNo 124604, TV-2 Shooting Star BuNo 128669, F2H-2 Banshee BuNo 123362, F2H-3 Banshee BuNo 126297, F9F-2 Panther BuNo 125134 and at left PB4Y-1 Liberator BuNo 65356, NAS Chincoteague between March 1953 and October 1953. Official U.S. Navy photo.

[MartG]

Whoops !

"On Tuesday, a Chinook from 28 Squadron based at RAF Benson made a precautionary landing in a field near Wantage following a mechanical issue. Unfortunately, the aircraft soon sank into the field, likely due to the extended period of wet weather that we’ve been experiencing recently.
Our engineers deployed to the site to assess the mechanical issue and this has now been fixed; however, the extremely soft ground has made the recovery of the Chinook to RAF Benson very difficult. A tri-Service team of specialists is working hard to safely extract the aircraft from the mud. While it was hoped that it could simply be dug out and then flown home, the risk of damage to the aircraft from this course of action has been assessed as significant and alternative options are being explored, including potentially lifting it from the mud with a crane. We hope to have the aircraft home by the end of the week.
We are extremely thankful to the landowners for their understanding and support during this work, particularly the kindness they’ve shown to our team guarding the aircraft during some very cold nights. - RAF Benson"

[Eric Mc]

Air bags?

[FourWheelDrift]

Risk of damage? Phil Harding and a shovel could dig that out.

[Ayahuasca]

Why cannot it simply be flown upward and out of the mud? If there is suction a little trench to each wheel would take care of it.

[Speed 3]

Ayahuasca said:

Why cannot it simply be flown upward and out of the mud? If there is suction a little trench to each wheel would take care of it.

If front and rear are engaged differentially (highly likely) you end with arse over tit or tit over arse.

Rule 101 of airmanship - know how stable your earth is before trying to depart it for the sky, fixed wing or rotary matters not.

[MartG]

A formation of RAAF E-7A Wedgetail from No. 2 Squadron, three F/A-18A Hornets from No.77 Squadron and an EA-18G Growler from No. 6 Squadron fly over a Royal Australian Navy task group of HMA Ships Canberra, Hobart, Stuart, Arunta and Sirius during the Regional Presence Deployment in July 2020.

[irocfan]

feeling a little thick here but.... what is XO 29? BF109 going by the front - but then the canopy is all wrong

[louiechevy]

Its probably a model in the picture as its a BF 109 L1 from the Hungarian airforce. Edit its definitely a model i found a picture of it on google!

Edited by louiechevy on Monday 11th January 23:18

[Eric Mc]

Definitely a mocked up picture using a model. It looks like it's a "What if..." type scenario where the Hungarian Air Force (which was part of the Axis powers) is using Messerschmitt Me309s. The 309 was a proposed development of the 109 but it only got to prototype stage -

[Ayahuasca]

A 109 with a bubble canopy would have been interesting. I understand that visibility was one of the 109’s weaknesses.

[Eric Mc]

The 109 had many flaws.

[Dr Jekyll]

Ayahuasca said:

A 109 with a bubble canopy would have been interesting. I understand that visibility was one of the 109’s weaknesses.

+1

Undercarriage was another, still is in fact.

[Ayahuasca]

Did ze Germans have the glass-making tech to make blister canopies? Their canopies seem to have lots of framing and smaller panels to create curved shapes.

For glass read Perspex or similar.

[Eric Mc]

They did develop the technology . The 262, 162 and Focke Wulf 190 all had blister canopies. They even tried to improve the 109 with the reduced framing "Erla" canopies.