What kind of a plane is this?

sidecutter said:
b-52 is the best a/c ever built. versatile, dependable, easy to maintain, battle-tough, and its a killer. spent 4 yrs. workin on em.
Click to expand...

And they are fuel efficient and environmentally friendly!
Just kidding, the Aluminum Overcast(B-52) is one of my favorites as well.:thumbup:
 
Yes, the taxpayers definitely got a great return on their B52 money!

DancesWithKnives
 
The C-130 is a very versatile aircraft. Spookys and Spectres being the more formidable and heavily armed variants. The load carrying C-130's are what I'm familiar with as I have loaded thousands of tons of cargo on them and other USAF transport aircraft. Despite the cramped quarters and difficulty in loading certain items (ruined more than my fair share of BDU's loading up HUMVees) it holds a special place in my heart.
 
DWK2 said:
mycroftt,

Cool! When hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains we periodically see a B17 and B24 flying up toward Ventura and back. The young people on the trails generally have NO IDEA what they are. Sad.

DancesWithKnives
Click to expand...

If you see the B-24 and B-17 flying together it is almost certainly those same planes owned by the Collings Foundation although the Confederate Air Force also has B-17s, a B-24A, and a B-29. I don't know of any other outfits that could put those two together in the same sky. :) I love WWII aircraft, and you're right, it is sad that the younger folks don't know what they are seeing and the history and personal stories of the young warriors, probably their own age or even younger, who rode them through the gates of hell and (sometimes) back.
 
Ken C. said:
The C-130 is a very versatile aircraft. Spookys and Spectres being the more formidable and heavily armed variants. The load carrying C-130's are what I'm familiar with as I have loaded thousands of tons of cargo on them and other USAF transport aircraft. Despite the cramped quarters and difficulty in loading certain items (ruined more than my fair share of BDU's loading up HUMVees) it holds a special place in my heart.
Click to expand...

The C-130 holds the record for longest production run too. First one flew in 1954 and they are still building them in 2009. Something like 2000 built. Designed at Lockheed-Burbank. Produced at Lockheed-Georgia.

The C130 was the first of the modern Cargo planes. All cargo planes since have followed its basic configuration with the lifted tail.
 
mycroftt said:
I'm still partial to the DC-3! :)
Click to expand...

My vote is for the Lockeed Constellation which I flew as a TWA passenger.

Tran14G3.jpg


No disrespect to the DC-3 which I flew as an Ozark Airlines passenger, but the Connie had a pressurized cabin and could fly over storms instead of through them. Flying through a thunderhead is a great experience and not to be missed, but you need to be in the mood…

I would have loved to fly on a Tupolev TU-114, the airliner version of the TU-95 "Bear" strategic bomber, but I never made it to the USSR and it's too late now.

800px-TU-114_Cleat.JPG


A friend went back to Armenia right after the Soviet breakup and independence; he flew in from Turkey on an Armenia Airlines TU-134, another museum piece. On boarding, he found big dogs running up and down the aisle. Noticing the cockpit door was open, he decided to see who was in charge and found a classic example of Soviet-Armenian culture: the pilot knocking back shots of vodka with an Orthodox priest!
 
I saw one of those C-130 rocket assists in a demonstration---very cool.

The C130 has been a mainstay of the Israel Air Force, and has been used for a multitude of tasks, including transporting the folks who rescued the hostages in Entebbe--fittingly enough, on America's bicentennial.

As far as very large aircraft go, many of us over here remember with gratitude Operation Nickel Grass--during which the USAF MAC supplied Israel with arms and ammunition via C-141 and C5s during the Yom Kippur War. Keep in mind that this was a logistically difficult operation, made more difficult by the fact that most of the European countries had given into Arab blackmail and refused landing privileges. The USAF pulled it off with typical efficiency and panache.
 
Piso Mojado said:
My vote is for the Lockeed Constellation which I flew as a TWA passenger.
Click to expand...

My uncle was a navigator on the Constellation while serving in the Navy during Vietnam. He loved that aircraft and everything it could do. I can't recall if his aircraft was the WV-2 or V-121 variant.
 
Theres been a lot of air traffic overhead the past couple days at home. I have no idea what they are, but they are flying really low, presumably under the radar, and a couple have had the rear doors down.

Gearing up for somethin'.

It is pretty cool.
 
I am just outside of Akron, so we get blimps quite often but rarely any military aircraft. Since we do not get them too often, this was a real head-turner.
 
If you really want to be impressed check out this page.
When one reviews the encyclopedic range of accomplishments by the C-130 Hercules and its valiant aircrews over the years, surely one of the most astounding took place in October 1963 when the U.S. Navy decided to try to land a Hercules on an aircraft carrier. Was it possible? Who would believe that the big, four-engine C-130 with its bulky fuselage and 132-foot wing span could land on the deck of a carrier?

Not only was it possible, it was done in moderately rough seas 500 miles out in the North Atlantic off the coast of Boston. In so doing, the airplane became the largest and heaviest aircraft to ever land on an aircraft carrier, a record that stands to this day.

When Lt. James H. Flatley III was told about his new assignment, he thought somebody was pulling his leg. "Operate a C-130 off an aircraft carrier? Somebody's got to be kidding," he said. But they weren't kidding. In fact, the Chief of Naval Operations himself had ordered a feasibility study on operating the big propjet aboard the Norfolk-based U.S.S. Forrestal (CVA-59).

Altogether, the crew successfully negotiated 29 touch-and-go landings, 21 unarrested full-stop landings, and 21 unassisted takeoffs at gross weights of 85,000 pounds up to 121,000 pounds. At 85,000 pounds, the KC-130F came to a complete stop within 267 feet, about twice the aircraft's wing span! The Navy was delighted to discover that even with a maximum payload, the plane used only 745 feet for takeoff and 460 feet for landing roll. The short landing roll resulted from close coordination between Flatley and Jerry Daugherty, the carrier's landing signal officer. Daugherty, later to become a captain and assigned to the Naval Air Systems Command, gave Flatley an engine "chop" while still three or four feet off the deck.
Click to expand...
 
Roger That! An AC-130 is a very formidable aircraft to enter your airspace:thumbup: Spectre? Yeah, I got the ticket on that ride:D:thumbup:

DWK2 said:
Too bad it wasn't a Spectre or Spooky gunship version. Now that's some serious intimidation value!:eek:

DancesWithKnives
Click to expand...
 
I whole-heartedly agree! Most young folks today do not know what WWII vets did, nor do they seem to care IMO/E. My Uncle who is a highly decorated WWII US Army Air Corps Veteran is MY HERO in life. Guy was shot down 3 times, and every time made sure ALL his crew were safely out before he left the aircraft:thumbup:. He was taken prisoner of war 3 times, and escaped twice:thumbup:

Ken were you a USAF LoadMaster?:thumbup:


mycroftt said:
If you see the B-24 and B-17 flying together it is almost certainly those same planes owned by the Collings Foundation although the Confederate Air Force also has B-17s, a B-24A, and a B-29. I don't know of any other outfits that could put those two together in the same sky. :) I love WWII aircraft, and you're right, it is sad that the younger folks don't know what they are seeing and the history and personal stories of the young warriors, probably their own age or even younger, who rode them through the gates of hell and (sometimes) back.
Click to expand...
 
Wunderbar said:
Same here. I don't recall ever landing in one either.
Click to expand...

I've landed in them...but only after a jump was scratched or I was a safety. I hated that....go to jumpmaster school and then have to pull duty where i land with the plane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top