Aircraft Super Thread Mk.VII

[kalvasflam]

VF-23?

Making it variable would have delayed service entry even longer than the F-35 took.

May be they could do a special production run of the F-23 and call it for the special forces portion of the USAF

[Shadow]

I imagine the production F-23 would have used a single glass cockpit and probably had a revised nose to accommodate the APG-77.

Apparently, Chuck Yeager doesn't like either the 35 or the 22.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-air-force-legend-general-142648567.html

Edited August 24, 2016 by Shadow

[David Hingtgen]

I liked the Demon the most.

[F-ZeroOne]

Not that I know it'll do any good but I suspect the design brief for the YF-23 and F-35 were just a touch different...

[grigolosi]

David where did you take that pic at. The F3H I saw was at the Naval Air museum NAS Pensacola. They have one of the best collections of jet aircraft from the 50's and 60's next to the AF Museum at Wright Patterson. Definitely the Naval Air Museum. My home is 45 mins from there ( the family is there while I work over here). I was always thought the F7U was cool until i saw the one there. Then I saw how kinda awkward looking it was. Did you see the N1K2 they have on display. that one blew my mind especially when I saw the bullet hole patches on it.

My dad was stationed on the Intrepid when it came out of refit in 54-55. He had stacks of pictures form the flight deck of the F2H's and Skyraiders. He actually worked on the gunsights for the aircraft. I was surprised also at how big the F2H was I was also surprised at how small the A6M2 was. The one they have hanging now used to sit on the floor near the the hanging Blue Angels A-4's and you could actually touch it. That was back in 91 though.

Edited August 24, 2016 by grigolosi

[David Hingtgen]

I think that's about the only F3H anywhere. Shiden---yes, noticed it before the Zero.

Today---less new stuff, but still good stuff.

First:

F-111

AIM-2 (friggin huge)

AIM-4 (next to a chart showing its 0% kill ratio in Vietnam)

AIM-120

AGM-88

GBU-10

GBU-15

GBU-12

GBU-24

GBU-28 (loooooong)

GBU-39 almost cute/toy-like)

JSOW

JASSM

Durandal

Tomahawk

CALCM

Took some pics for Graham, but need to edit them a bit first.

[David Hingtgen]

Once in a while you'll just be walking down a hallway and be like, "Hey, someone just left a GAU-8 laying here."

The cart has wheels, and it's so very tempting...

And even an assortment of ammo to go with it:

And a helpful cutaway so that you can make an informed selection:

And even better, a SECOND GAU-8 partially dissected so you can learn to work on it without wrecking your own:

[areaseven]

Edited August 31, 2016 by areaseven

[anime52k8]

OH THE HUMANITY!

[grigolosi]

The AF Armament Museum. Spent plenty of time there also. I didn't realize until one of my last trips there that the P-47 they have on display is also a flyable Thunderbolt. They have to keep drip pans under it. People do not realize the actual size of the Thunderchief until you see one up close to one.

Most of the guys working there are old, I think you could have gotten away with it....LOL. I was stationed at Eglin back in 91-92. That was one of 2 F-111's there on station at the time, got to see her do a high speed flyby for the airshow practice in spring of 91. That bird was screaming when she went by. What was really impressive to see was the GBU-28 hung on an aircraft for testing. That damn thing made the F-111 lean to the side it was mounted on. Nice pics though David.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Slv6E5ntQ

Go home Zepplin pilot your drunk.........

[F-ZeroOne]

Roughly centre above the F-105 fuselage, whats the weapon with seemingly all the fins?

[grigolosi]

That is an Air Launched Cruise missile, AGM-86.

[David Hingtgen]

I think he means the smaller one on top of the wall, not the -86 hanging from the ceiling.

[F-ZeroOne]

Yes, not the cruise missile. The smaller, all white one behind it covered in wing surfaces. Sorry for not making that clearer.

[David Hingtgen]

Looked through my pics----I have no pics specifically of it, but the best view of it makes me think my first guess was right:

It looks to me like a HOBO with extra wings on top.

[spanner]

OH THE HUMANITY!

LOL!!!

[grigolosi]

Damn I didn't even see that. That thing is small. I have no idea myself. These companies have tested so many different types of guided self propelled munitions it is hard to even guess. Here is a better pic of it I found. It is way bigger than it looks at from the other angle.

[miles316]

Are you talking about the missile that sits above the "Welcome home" sign/display?

[grigolosi]

Yeah from the angle in Davids picture it looks like it is directly above the center of the Thunderchief. I have been moving today so I haven't had any time to really research it. It is either a missile or some form of rocket assisted GBU.

[This Confuses Gamlin]

The rear fins, body, and nose look like a GBU-15, but after that it looks like someone decided to tack on all of the other control surfaces that they had lying around.

[F-ZeroOne]

It looks like its had a wing kit modification added. Maybe someone was going for the record for the most aerofoils possible?

[Nazareno2012]

The rear fins, body, and nose look like a GBU-15, but after that it looks like someone decided to tack on all of the other control surfaces that they had lying around.

Looks kinda like the Rafael Spice guidance/wing kit for Mk. 80 family bombs.

[grigolosi]

My wife and kids live enear there I can have someone drop in and find out. My son would probably do it.

[grigolosi]

I imagine the production F-23 would have used a single glass cockpit and probably had a revised nose to accommodate the APG-77.

Apparently, Chuck Yeager doesn't like either the 35 or the 22.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-air-force-legend-general-142648567.html

Probably because he was never allowed to fly either of them.

[F-ZeroOne]

I suspect General Yeager is invoking the "Grumpy old guy" pass on that... "Damn kids! Get off my runway! In my day we didn't need any fancy heads-up display, we aimed with a nail hammered through the windscreen! And we didn't even have windscreens!".

Also worth bearing in mind that article has a link to a news item about the "F-35 hitting another snag - because its too stealthy". If thats a headline meant to be taken seriously, then one could argue some bias is involved... ("SR-71 hits another snag - because its too fast... ").

[Shadow]

I suspect General Yeager is invoking the "Grumpy old guy" pass on that... "Damn kids! Get off my runway! In my day we didn't need any fancy heads-up display, we aimed with a nail hammered through the windscreen! And we didn't even have windscreens!".

Also worth bearing in mind that article has a link to a news item about the "F-35 hitting another snag - because its too stealthy". If thats a headline meant to be taken seriously, then one could argue some bias is involved... ("SR-71 hits another snag - because its too fast... ").

LOL. Very true.

Looking at the Thunderchief shot. I thought that was a JASSM above the Thud's wing. Also, I was surprised that missile had such a turbulent development as the Navy is sticking with the SLAM-ER.

[F-ZeroOne]

Heh, just noticed the nails stuck on top of the F-111s rudder, presumably to prevent, ahem, enemy action...

[grigolosi]

Yup definitely to prevent infestation. we have them on our lights in our hangar here to keep them from roosting. The pigeons were so bad here at one point that you had to watch where you were at in the hangar. They finally put up bird netting to keep them out.

Yeah the JASSM was one of those systems that took forever to get through testing. But most munitions have some form of issue at first. The AMRAAM didn't start off too hot either. Back in 91 my jets sister ship went up on a live launch for testing purposes ( the 120 was still in testing non operational). The pilot fired the 120 off at the drone and the damn thing exploded 400 yds off the rail. The pilot ended up flying through the fireball and IFE"d into Tyndall because he thought he may have ingested some of the shrapnel from it. Other times it worked beyond expectations. One pilot fired one at a drone and it never exploded. he thought he missed the target completely until the drone landed and he was informed that the missile had gone straight through the canopy and burned up the seat with its rocket motor.The JASSM has had quite a few issues, so much so the Navy chose to stick with something they knew was reliable.

Edited August 28, 2016 by grigolosi

[David Hingtgen]

LOL. Very true.

Looking at the Thunderchief shot. I thought that was a JASSM above the Thud's wing. Also, I was surprised that missile had such a turbulent development as the Navy is sticking with the SLAM-ER.

Yup, there's a JASSM there, right next to the JSOW. Took pics of both (they're at arm's-length when on the 2nd floor)

Nothing in the Harpoon/SLAM family in the museum---but this was the AIR FORCE armament museum, and those are mainly Navy missiles. (I was looking/hoping for Mk83/GBU-16's, then realized why they weren't there either...)

[miles316]

DO they know if the Airship can be repaired without bankrupting the company.

[Vifam7]

Joe Sutter, "Father of the 747" passes away.

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/joe-sutter-led-the-incredibles-who-pioneered-boeings-747-jumbo-jet/

http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/joe-sutter-father-747-dies-95

[spanner]

Joe Sutter, "Father of the 747" passes away.

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/joe-sutter-led-the-incredibles-who-pioneered-boeings-747-jumbo-jet/

http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/joe-sutter-father-747-dies-95

RIP Joe, and thanks for the 747!

[miles316]

Anyone know anything about The accident at Cap Canaveral with SpaceX Falcon 9?

[This Confuses Gamlin]

The only official statements so far describe a problem during the upper-stage LOX loading.

[miles316]

The only official statements so far describe a problem during the upper-stage LOX loading.

That Dam upper stage again!