Great closeup of some great Naval aviators taking to the skies on a training mission at Nellis AFB, NV.
Queen of the Skies turns 45.
Today in 1969: the first 747-100 “jumbo jet” made its first flight. It has a storied history. Even today it is still nicknamed “The Queen of the Skies”. Over the years there have been many variants of the 747 produced with the 747-8i and 747-8 still being produced today. This current 747-8i is the heaviest and longest 747 ever produced. You can read more about the 747 program at the Smithsonian website link here: http://s.si.edu/No88IT
Band of Brothers
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. Location: Fort Worth Alliance Airport Air Show 2013
Aleutian Tiger
The “Aleutian Tigers” of the 343rd Fighter Group fought in one of the most harsh locales of the Second World War in the Aleutian island chain of Alaska. Not only did the Aleutian Tigers fly the P-40 Warhawk like the Flying Tigers in China, the 343rd FG was led by Lt. Col. Jack Chennault, son of the Flying Tigers’ leader, General Claire Chennault. Location: Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addision Airport
Felix the Cat
The Cultural Icon Lives On…
Felix the Cat is as much an aviation icon as it it is an American cultural icon with an intimate association with Naval Aviation since 1928. During World War II, two fighter squadrons, VF-3 and VF-6 squabbled over who was the “Felix the Cat Squadron” that got the point it required the Chief of Naval Operations to settle the issue. VFA-31 “Tomcatters” is now the heir to Felix, having transitioned from the F-14D Super Tomcat to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Location: Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addision Airport (Warbirds Over Addision 2013)
Globemaster Soaring
Jim Mumaw, a regular contributor to Avgeekery.com took this photo last summer: “The C-17 is a huge aircraft, but as I saw this one among the clouds when I was framing my shot, it looked more to me that it was dancing effortlessly through the sky!”
Are U-2s, MC-12s, KC-10s and A-10s going away?
Are U-2s, MC-12s, KC-10s and A-10s all headed to the boneyard in FY15? With a continuing pressure on the DoD budget to cut costs, Flight International assembles a team of analysts to predict which aircraft will be put to sleep and which airplanes will remain.
What’s a day in the life of an airline pilot like?
Being an airline pilot isn’t easy. You sometimes have to wake up super early, deal with bad weather and even have to coordinate with a flight attendant to go to the bathroom. CAPNAUX.com recently put together a great blog of a flight from a recent trip.
You can see his blog at: CAPNAUX.com
How do you kill an ME-262?
American fighter pilots in the skies over the Reich quickly realized the best counter to the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet was to catch it at its airfields during takeoff and landing where long engine spool up times and low altitudes negated its speed advantage. To protect the -262 bases, not only did they boast robust AAA defenses, but German ace Adolf Galland formed a special airfield protection unit called the Platzschutzstaffel that flew Focke Wulf Fw 190D-9s- the Dora 9s had outstanding low to medium altitude performance to catch the marauding American fighters.
In response, North American developed a rocket-boosted Mustang to take in the Me 262s at altitude rather than run the gauntlet of airfield defenses. An Aerojet liquid fuel rocket engine powered by red fumaric acid and aniline was installed in the rear fuselage ahead of the tail wheel and behind the radiator exhaust. 75 gallons of fuel for the rocket were carried in pressurized underwing tanks, enough for 1 minute of operation that gave the P-51 a 100 mph boost. On 23 April 1945 the rocket Mustang was successfully flight tested, but the surrender of the Reich on 8 May ended the project.
How Many Hobbits can you fit in a Boeing 777-300ER?
An Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER lands at LAX. Photo by Jim Mumaw, a regular contributor to avgeekery.com
“Let’s Go!”… 65th Aggressors’ F-15C…
Is a refreshed A-330 in the Works?
Airbus has been lukewarm about reengining the A330 along the lines of the A320neo, even though many industry pundits believe such a step has merit. Now some high-level sources are saying the decision to proceed could be imminent.
With a total of 1,313 firm orders until the end of 2013, the A330 is by far the most successful widebody Airbus has built. That figure compares to 816 for the A300/A310 family, 812 for the A350, 377 for the A340 and 304 units for the A380. And even after Boeing launched the competing 787, the A330 continues to have remarkable market success: Airbus sold 534 A330s during the past five years; most were the larger A330-300.
A brand-new Can of Whoop Ass will soon be on Shelves
Source: DVIDS
AGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – After more than a year of modification maintenance, the newly created AC-130J Ghostrider took to the skies for the first time as a gunship here Jan. 31.
Re-learning To Fly The Same Plane Every Year
Sean D. Tucker comes in low from the left to cut three ribbons sequentially strung low across his flight path at air show center. His signature red Oracle Challenger III biplane weighs in at only 1200 lbs but has a souped up 400 hp Lycoming engine! At the end of each air show season, the Challenger III is near completely disassembled and scrutinized in a tear down and reassembly that takes over 2000 hours and costs over $200K. But when done, Sean gets a literally brand new aircraft that he has to familiarize himself with again as it will likely fly just a bit differently after each rebuild. He’ll spend 90 flights before the start of the season practicing his routine and learning the quirks of his rebuilt aircraft.
Civilian C-130J’s on the way?
While the C-130 has been a staple of Western military transports for decades, its civilian counterpart, the L-100, has been a niche airplane at best. Now Lockheed Martin is looking to sell C-130Js to companies and foreign governments. They are specifically targeting the energy and mineral industries.
Did you know? The A-319 and 737 have really similar engines?
With a large 737-800 fleet powered by the CFM56-7B, it was a no-brainer that American would select the CFM56-5B for their new A319s. Both engine types share a common core, where they differ is the fan- the -7B used on the 737NG is just a -5B with a smaller fan, but differences in the fan blade aerodynamics and engine software offset what would be a less economical engine due to its smaller fan. The fan on the -7B is 60.5 inches in diameter to fit the underwing 737 nacelle but the taller landing gear of the A319/320/321 means the -5B gets a 68.3 inch fan. There are some differences in the core, but many core parts are interchangeable between the two CFM56 variants.
The Only Thing Keeping the F-35 Lightning Relevant Is the F-22 Raptor
A disappointing comment by the Chief of Air Combat Command:
If I do not keep that F-22 fleet viable, the F-35 fleet frankly will be irrelevant. The F-35 is not built as an air superiority platform. It needs the F-22. Because I got such a pitifully tiny fleet, I’ve got to ensure I will have every single one of those F-22s as capable as it possibly can be.
Essentially the F-35 needs the F-22. Sigh… Things just never get better for the F-35. You can read the entire article here.
Squealing C-5 Turbofans Never Sounded So Good!
The Jumbo C-5 Galaxy’s engine has a unique whine that is quickly disappearing from the skies.
There is no sound like the C-5. The monstrous TF-39s are first generation turbofans that are ear piercing loud. The TF-39s paved the way for a new era of jumbo jet aircraft. The squeal of the engines is as unique as it is loud.
The unique sound is quickly disappearing from our skies. Most of the remaining C-5s in service are being converted to the C-5M. C-5A and C-5Bs are either being retired or converted. Soon, these video clips might be the only place where the unique sound can be heard. One word of caution, turn down your speakers before pressing play!
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