The General Airplane Thread

[Crash]

There seems to be many airplane enthusiasts, and even pilots, here on GTPlanet. Throughout the years, there's been various airplane related threads, but no general discussion thread. Let's change that and use this thread to talk about all things flying and plane related.

The 50th Paris Airshow is next week. The Airbus A350 is about to have its first flight while the Boeing 787-9, the first 787 derivative plane, is in final assembly and in preparation for test flights. Beyond the two big commercial plane manufacturers, Embraer, Bombardier, Dassault and others are competing in the regional jet market. There are plenty of cool technologies and new planes being developed, with everyone trying to gain that small edge over their competitors.

It's an exciting time in aviation right now, so let's discuss!

 

[zedextreme8177]

Yay an airplane thread!

The two things I'm looking most forward to are the launch of the A350, and the first aircraft running the PW1000G. I'm pretty interested to hear what the 1000G sounds like, apparently the geared turbofans do have some rather unique additional sounds to them.

 

[PeterJB]

I've always found aviation interesting. But I don't talk about it much cause my Dad's an aviation fanatic, can identify almost any plane he sees, so if I get him going he'll never stop!

 

[TorqueHappenS08]

There was a massive, absolutely monumental C-5 Galaxy doing touch and goes yesterday..

 

[Venom800tt]

Oooooh, a thread for me!
I am actually an aircraft maintenance technician for a regional airline. I work in Embraer ERJ-135/145 aircraft, and will probably get training to work on Bombardier/Canadair CRJ series aircraft in the not too distant future.
I also love model aircraft, I draw aircraft, I make 3d models of aircraft, and I take pictures of real aircraft when I can. Still upset the cancelled the local airshow at Barksdale AFB due to budget cuts though...

^ Taken at the 2012 Defenders of Liberty airshow at Barksdale AFB

 

[Cano]

Cool thread, even though I know absolutely nothing about planes. Maybe this can change a bit if I read some stuff in here.

 

[commodoreben]

I find planes interesting but know nothing about them. This thread should help that. I've got some pics of when I visit the Air and Space Museum when I was in Washington a couple of years ago. Got some pics of the Wright Brothers Flyer. I only went to the Museum on the National Mall though. Didn't have enough time to get out to the other one. I was a bit disappointed about that, I really wanted to see the SR-71 they have out there.

 

[Pupik]

I am actually an aircraft maintenance technician for a regional airline. I work in Embraer ERJ-135/145 aircraft, and will probably get training to work on Bombardier/Canadair CRJ series aircraft in the not too distant future.

Your first mission is to rip out two rows of seats from the CRJ 200 and ERJ 145, and install the rest accordingly.

I, like most frequent fliers, prefer the 175/190 and 700/900 variants since they're better temperature-controlled and have more room to breathe.

I'm a passenger a lot on these regional jets, so I thank you and appreciate what you do...especially since you must do precise work under ridiculous pressure in an unsteady field, so schmucks like me can have a ginger ale and a cookie...thanks again.

Visited the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and I wasn't disappointed, even by missing a good third of the exhibits. Hopefully, they'll get that first 747 on permanent display...such a pity to see it rot away, unused for two decades.

 

[Venom800tt]

Your first mission is to rip out two rows of seats from the CRJ 200 and ERJ 145, and install the rest accordingly.

I, like most frequent fliers, prefer the 175/190 and 700/900 variants since they're better temperature-controlled and have more room to breathe.

I'm a passenger a lot on these regional jets, so I thank you and appreciate what you do...especially since you must do precise work under ridiculous pressure in an unsteady field, so schmucks like me can have a ginger ale and a cookie...thanks again.

haha, I would if I could
Hopefully we will be getting ERJ-175's soon, as our parent company is buying a significant number of the aircraft, possibly as many as 200. Would be nice to see those replace our older ERJ-135 and -145ER/LR aircraft. Our ERJ-145XR's still have a good bit of life left in them though.

 

[GregTheStig]

This is relevant to my interests

I got into planes because my dad is a pilot. He flew P3s in the Navy all over the Pacific and is now a captain at Delta. I got to ride on his flights a few times and I always get to hang out in the cockpit with the cool kids before push back. I've been up in a couple single-engine planes before, most notably a Stearman for some free flying lessons.



Now my dad and I are thinking of ways to get one for ourselves


And did someone say Paris Air Show? That and Farnborough are on my bucket list.

 

[BobK]

Did anybody else happen to catch the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's show this weekend in Reading, PA? A couple P-51's, five B-25's, a B-17 and a B-29, a Corsair, lots of AT-6/SNJ's, C-45, C-46, C-47, and more. All flying. Well, only four of the B-25's flew.

One of the highlights of the show, IMO, was an aerobatic exhibition by Jerry Wells in a Bücher Jungmeister. Watching a Spitfire, Mustang, Texan and Corsair all doing aerobatic routines was cool, too.

 

[Pupik]

I got into planes because my dad is a pilot. He flew P3s in the Navy all over the Pacific and is now a captain at Delta.

Tell your Dad thanks, too. He's probably shuttled me on a few occasions in the past few years, as I'm at/connecting through ATL about 60-70 times a year, as a Platinum Medallion pax. What's he type-rated for?

I'm usually on the Mad Dogs, 737s, 757s, a rare 767-300 trip here and there, and a few DC-9s for short hauls (in addition to the commuter jets listed above).

 

[GregTheStig]

Tell your Dad thanks, too. He's probably shuttled me on a few occasions in the past few years, as I'm at/connecting through ATL about 60-70 times a year, as a Platinum Medallion pax. What's he type-rated for?

I'm usually on the Mad Dogs, 737s, 757s, a rare 767-300 trip here and there, and a few DC-9s for short hauls (in addition to the commuter jets listed above).

He's captain on 75s and 76s right now. It seems like he goes to Ft. Lauderdale at least once a week so I'll bet he has! Over the past decade or so, he's been on MD88 and 737 as well.

His copilot friend who owns that Stearman made fun of him because he doesn't have certification to fly it, just the big Boeings

 

[Pupik]

They've finally been dispatching 763s on a once-a-day basis for the FLL-ATL leg, probably because there's lots of standby fliers on that one (which is why I fear being late on a Friday afternoon - miss one, and I'm possibly stuck until the following day), having an extra 25-30 seats over the 752/753s.

I had to switch travel plans on a week's notice, and had to go home from New Orleans - Detroit - FLL because I couldn't get a confirmed seat...at least I get to keep the bonus miles (a mini-mileage run?), the price was only $2 more, and they upgraded me.

I wonder if the fuel economy makes it (not) worth the trouble, in return for using a wide-body on a 1h22m flight.

[/oops, plane thread, not travel thread]

 

[Ross]

Good thread!

This is a thread that will interest me because I aspire to work in ATC. Aircraft fascinate me. I am a frequent flyer and have been on many types of aircraft. One aircraft that I would've loved to have flown on before it was put out of service was Concord. The idea of going at Mach 2 on a commercial aircraft at 60,000ft sounds like a fantastic thing.

Anyway, I'll be looking forward to reading the future posts in this thread.

 

[Jay]

Airbus A350 has made it's maiden (test) flight

http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/14/new-airbus-a350-takes-off/

 

[MatskiMonk]

I used to be very into Aircraft when I was little, I have very little knowledge of whats about these days...

B-58 Hustler FTW though

 

[daan]

This is required listening for anyone interested in 'planes.



Some bits might be a bit non-PC for these days...

 

[GregTheStig]

B-58 Hustler FTW though

Here ya go




And as an added bonus, the plane next to it: Convair B36 Peacemaker. It was 🤬 huge!!



And the plane hanging above its wing in the middle is a T34 Mentor, the plane my dad learned to fly in during his Navy days

 

[MatskiMonk]

Here ya go

Sweet! 👍

the B-58 is one of the sexiest machines made by man, IMHO...

 

[DQuaN]

Yay!

You all need to go and find an aeroplane thread...

 

[Apok]

What a cool thread. 👍
I'd like to provide some information on an interesting aeroplane called the Messerschmitt ME 163.
During WWII a large focus in germany was developing new technologies to aid in the war efforts. This lead to the creation of several 'wonder weapons' such as the V-1 and V-2 missiles, advanced submarines and of course several aircraft. A notable mention goes to the ME-262 which was the first operational jet powered fighter.
But what I find even more interesting is the ME 163 as it was the first and only rocket powered fighter aircraft ever operational. This small aircraft managed to set the world speed record of 1,004.5 km/h (624.2 mph) in 1941. This record was only approached until after the war.
For takeoff it used a dolley unit and for landing it had three skids. One on the body of the aircraft and two on each wing.
The aircraft was interesting for it's ability of climbing much faster than any other fighter of the time, yet with a limited amount of fuel it actually glided back down.
It was introduced in 1944 and was used in quick attacks on formations of allied bombers. It used the rocket engine to quickly rise up and then glided through the formations. After a few passes it glided back down and landed.
Due to it's size and speed it was difficult to hit at first, yet was vulnerable when gliding back down.
But this wasn't the biggest problem. More aircraft were destroyed during refueling than by allied forces. This was due to the mixture of rocket fuel being highly volatile.

I didn't embed any pictures because I want you all to watch this video and experience how cool it is.






But just in case you're Shem here's a tiny one.

 

[Driving Park]

^The Me-163 is one cool plane. There's a flying game called Secret Weapons over Normandy that I played once and there were a few levels where you went up against Me-262s and 163s in your prop plane...very difficult.

I don't know too much about planes but I know a little thanks to Ace Combat and my dad, who was the navigator on P-3s for a long time. My grandfather was the navigator on B-52s back in the day. Hopefully I can learn some things in this thread. 👍

 

[wfooshee]

Anybody who ever comes within day-trip range of Pensacola and likes aircraft should visit the Museum of Naval Aviation aboard Pensacola Naval Air Station. Aircraft from pre-WWI to the present are on display, mostly American, but German, British, French, and Japanese aircraft are also plentiful.

Don't bother if all you have is a couple of hours. You need all day. And get tickets to the bus ride for the outdoor exhibits. It's free, but you have to get a ticket as bus seating is limited.

With over 250,000 square feet of space, aircraft on exhibit are together by era, and most aircraft also have a cutaway engine on display.

Some from outdoors:

Including one that's special for me, since my dad worked on these as an avionics technician when he was in the Navy: The AJ Savage.

What makes the Savage special is that it literally saved the Navy, and no one knows what it is. The Air Force was before Congress for budget appropriations, and with the late-40s/early-50s thinking that all future wars would be waged with atomic weapons, pointed out that the Navy could not deliver atomic weapons and thus should be disbanded as useless. All that money would go to the Air Force for its bomber development and Strategic Air Command.

The Navy came back with, "Hey, lookie here, a carrier-based atomic-capable bomber able to be deployed with the fleet and thus based close to any expected trouble, and able to deliver ordnance from much closer than any US-based bomber fleet." (Keep in mind this was years before ballistic missiles, and especially submarine-launched misslies.)

So the Navy still exists, and this plane is a big reason. Powered by two piston engines and a jet which was kicked in for extra speed on the bomb run. Carrier-capable, but in actual practice almost never deployed afloat. They were used as ship-to-shore crew and cargo ferries, and later as tankers (after being replaced in the bomber role by the jet A-3 Skywarrior,) and even made it into civilian life as firefighter tankers.

This is the only surviving AJ in the world, an AJ-2:

 

[Lizard]

4 of the planes I find interesting.

The MXY7 Ohka.

Basically a manned rocket. As Kamikaze attacks became seen as a valid tactic they started to make planes for that purpose. Sometimes considered the worlds first guided A2G missile as it was carried by a bomber and then dropped. As it was the pacific this was mostly used against ships.
The plane.

And a trainer. Difference being no rocket engine and no explosive charge in the nose. Also a skid landing gear. As the real plane had no intention of landing this was removed from the main plane.

J7W1 Shinden.

This was a amazing aircraft. It was expected to have extremly good agility and if America had invaded Japan and not dropped the bomb this prototype could have made it to production and been a real problem. The only surviving plane out of the two prototypes made is reported to be in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Also my avatar.
And the J7W2 Shinden Kai.

Never actually built. This was going to be a jet powered version of the J7W1.

N1K Shiden.

Also an advanced Japanese plane. Often considered the most advanced Japanese production fighter. It was a real challenge for even late war Alied aircraft.

 

[Driving Park]

That's four planes.

Both the J7W1 and the MXY7 are very cool, and I had never heard of them (or the other two). I love their unique shape, I haven't seen anything like it (especially for that era).

@wfooshee: loved the AJ Savage story. I never knew the entire Navy could have been disbanded.

 

[Lizard]

That's four planes.

Both the J7W1 and the MXY7 are very cool, and I had never heard of them (or the other two). I love their unique shape, I haven't seen anything like it (especially for that era).

@wfooshee: loved the AJ Savage story. I never knew the entire Navy could have been disbanded.

3 planes one with 2 varients. Oh ok 4 planes you win.

Also am I the only one that sees some similarities between the J7W Shinden and the Eurofighter Typhoon?

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Time for my standard response to anything regarding aviation:

The appropriately named "Foxy Lady"

 

[Venom800tt]

This topic needs some F-8.

 

[wfooshee]

@wfooshee: loved the AJ Savage story. I never knew the entire Navy could have been disbanded.

I'm just going by what the guided tour script said at the museum, actually. I take no responsibility for any exaggeration on their part.

But with the fear of, and faith in, strategic weapons at the time, I don't doubt for a moment that the argument was actually made.

And, did someone say F-8??? From the museum in Pensacola: