Post amazingly cool pictures of aircraft (Volume 2)

[blueedge]

Ayahuasca said:

OK the photo is not great, but the aircraft is very cool. Anybody hazard a guess as to what she is? Eric, I am looking at you.

Looks like a USAF WB-57

[Eric Mc]

I'm not the only person who knows what these planes are

NASA is still operating a small number of these.

What's the story behind the picture?

[perdu]

Might be described for the layman as Big Canberra only big

Incredible machines

☺

[GliderRider]

WB-57F return to flight after 41 years in storage:

http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/nasa-martin-...

[Ayahuasca]

Well done.



WB-57. Four engined (two big, two small) big wing development of the British Canberra.

Apparently many people thought that particular one - the one in the other photos, not this white one- was a U2 when it arrived. The pilot wore a full-on Gemini style full pressure suit. It was sent to Panama to monitor the French nuclear bomb tests in the Pacific. Could reach almost the same altitude as a U2.


As an aside, the US version of the Canberra bomber (B57) dropped the first bombs in the Vietnam war.

[Eric Mc]

I bought this kit last year. I'm still trying to pick up the courage to start it. Mach 2 kits are notoriously iffy but it's the only 1/72 kit of the WB-57 I'm aware of -

[Dr Jekyll]

Ayahuasca said:

As an aside, the US version of the Canberra bomber (B57) dropped the first bombs in the Vietnam war.

And of course a few proper Canberras got involved as well.

[MartG]

Ayahuasca said:

WB-57. Four engined (two big, two small) big wing development of the British Canberra.

Two engined - the WB-57 doesn't have the detacheable outboard J-60 engines that were fitted to the RB-57Fs

[blueedge]

Ayahuasca said:

OK the photo is not great, but the aircraft is very cool. Anybody hazard a guess as to what she is? Eric, I am looking at you.

I went looking through some old photos of mine. Is the serial on the tail "3293"? If so, I saw this very aircraft about 8 years ago at Robins AFB Museum:

[Eric Mc]

Seems it was operated by NASA for a while.

NASA usually has aircraft it operates moved to their own "civil" registration system but now and then, if the use of the aircraft is only temporary, they don't bother - just adding the NASA logo to the tail.

[Ayahuasca]

[quote=MartG]

Two engined - the WB-57 doesn't have the detacheable outboard J-60 engines that were fitted to the RB-57Fs


correct, my apologies.

[Ayahuasca]

blueedge said:

I went looking through some old photos of mine. Is the serial on the tail "3293"? If so, I saw this very aircraft about 8 years ago at Robins AFB Museum:

Think is it 3283? The fin says 'weather'.

[Ayahuasca]

Needs more guns.





How about a 75mm cannon?




How about manned gun turrets mounted on the engine nacelles?

[Eric Mc]

Ayahuasca said:

Think is it 3283? The fin says 'weather'.

In USAF service they were denoted as "Weather Reconnaissance" aircraft (that's what the "W" in the WB-57 designation stands for. They were therefore allocated to "Weather Reconnaissance" squadrons and often carried the "Weather" wording on the tail. In reality, they were spy planes.

If the aircraft was transferred to NASA for research work, it would not be unusual for NASA to add its logo to the tail.

[blueedge]

Ayahuasca said:

Think is it 3283? The fin says 'weather'.

Some quick research suggests the serial re-numbering of the B-57s converted to RB-57 (later re-designated WB-57) went from 63-13286 to 63-13302, but I can't be 100% on that. The 3293 aircraft was pulled out of AMARC to be put on display at Robins.

[ceebmoj]

Ayahuasca said:

How about manned gun turrets mounted on the engine nacelles?

Do you have any more details so I can look up on wikipedia / google?

[FourWheelDrift]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_YFM-1_Airacuda

[Ayahuasca]

ceebmoj said:

Do you have any more details so I can look up on wikipedia / google?

I normally let you lot have the fun of looking up the details....

It is a Bell YFM-1 Airacuda.

[Yertis]

Steve_W said:

Very nice - whereabouts in Russia is that?

Just a shame they're not under cover for longevity. Also, do I see a DC3 (or the Russian copy) and a B25 in the overhead shot?

Sorry – late to the party – but the really rare aircraft in that pic is the A20 next to the B25, one of maybe half a dozen or so. (I didn't realise how rare these were until Eric corrected me a few years ago )

[Eric Mc]

List of Boston/Havoc surviving airframes and bits -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Do...