For those who like Aircraft pictures

[PMP]

1 hour ago, The Pilotman said:

, I wonder how long it will take for someone to correctly identify where this picture was taken:

 

 

 

On an apron.  I’m first to be correct

[mezzoman253]

1 hour ago, The Pilotman said:

To deviate briefly from the “favourite three” theme and because I know some people like a little challenge, I wonder how long it will take for someone to correctly identify where this picture was taken:

 

 

 

Gibraltar?

[Ron Ron Ron]

15 minutes ago, mezzoman253 said:

Gibraltar?

 
Wrong stick of rock.

 

 

.

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

 

 

 

.

 

The business end of one at the Air Force Museum Dayton, OH:

 

[The Pilotman]

@Lochgorm is correct. It is Palermo, but it does often get mistaken for Gibraltar. Well done for avoiding the trap 

Edited December 31, 2021 by The Pilotman

[budgie9]

One has to love this beast of an aircraft.

[Ron Ron Ron]

...and the Warthog is getting a new lease of life, that'll see them operating well into the next decade.

 

 

.

[rob D2]

5 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

Piston Propliners -

DC7C - the pinnacle of piston airliner development

Lockheed Super Constellation & Starliner - the ultimate and most attractive looking versions of the Constellation

Convair 440 - the ultimate, modern short haul airliner of the piston era.

 

Turboprop Airliners-

Bristol Britannia - smooth and relatively silent. A real queen of the skies, but was born too late.

Vickers Vanguard

 

Early jet airliners-

Boeing 707 - the real classic that sparked the growth of mass international travel

DC8-61 & 63 - The "stretched 8" a plane spotters favourite in the late 60's and early 70's

Boeing 727-200 - the formula was spot on and it was a good looking beast in its day

 

Modern jet airliners-

Airbus A220 (nee Bombardier CS...) - a modern classic

Embraer 190/195 - the ubiquitous regional jet airliner of the early 21st century

Airbus A340-600 - the finest looking A340, but sadly out of favour and retired too soon.

 

Military jets-

North American RA5C Vigilante - Sci-fi looking back in the day

McDonnel Douglas F4E Phantom - my personal, all-time favourite

Republic F105 Thunderchief - the "Thud", 1960's pure brute force and ultimate bomb truck

Hawker Hunter - a graceful and long lived success.

North American XB-70 Valkyrie - As a kid, this was Fireball XL5 come to life.

 

However, if the vote was based on the 3 most successful aircraft of all time, based on their unmatched utility, durability and useful longevity, it would have to be….

DC-3

C-130

Both having been incredibly difficult to replace or better….

Plus either of….

B-52 for its long service life and adaptability, or…

B-747 family, for its role in civil aviation, over the last 50 years

 

 

 

 

.

Should I explain “ top three “

[rob D2]

Some interesting choices , and stuff I would never have thought of .

For me , I could have listed as 2 , a couple of Boeings I was involved in with work but that’s too easy so I’ll only put one in .

 

here’s my favourites 

 

EE Lightning F6 - the ultimate development of the ultimate high performance single seater. An aircraft that sorted the men from the boys , and seemed to catch fire a fair bit !

 

Grumman F14 - what a machine ! Who * didn’t * want to join the US Navy after watching “ Top gun “

 

Boeing 757 - spent a lot of time in these at work , and kept me safe for ten years of Africa, Asia and everything in between. Flew well, great performance , simple.

 

 

[boxbrownie]

2 hours ago, budgie9 said:

One has to love this beast of an aircraft.

Built for one job…….and after there was nothing left 

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, rob D2 said:

 

 

EE Lightning F6 - the ultimate development of the ultimate high performance single seater. An aircraft that sorted the men from the boys , and seemed to catch fire a fair bit !

 

 

I was at Biggin Hill show the last time a Lightening was allowed to pop the barrier at a public show, way back in the 60’s……pretty sure it was the year the Beagle Pup was shown and launched.

 

Still remember the little dot in the sky getting bigger and bigger and then nothing, no noise as it came past, then…..fook’me it went BANG!  And that crackle from the afterburners……

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

...and the Warthog is getting a new lease of life, that'll see them operating well into the next decade..

And "they" will not be able to replace it then, either!

 

From the same visit to the Air Force Museum:

Edited December 31, 2021 by J. S. Bach

[Ron Ron Ron]

3 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Should I explain “ top three “

 

B....bu....bu....but you said....

 

 

On 30/12/2021 at 18:20, rob D2 said:

How about a little “ what’s your favourite aircraft and why ?” With a photo as you deem appropriate , or even top 3 

 

"or"  ?

 

Too many I like / liked to declare a favourite.

B757's a good call by the way.

[Jeff Smith]

6 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

 

The business end of one at the Air Force Museum Dayton, OH:

 

 

Just two built and one crashed after an in-flight collision.  Visited the US Air Force museum in the early nineties in Dayton, OH.

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

The business end of one at the Air Force Museum Dayton, OH:

21 minutes ago, Jeff Smith said:

Visited the US Air Force museum in the early nineties in Dayton, OH.

I was on base at Wright-Patterson several times in the 1990s for business meetings. Each time I would drive in and out, I would gaze over at the museum (with that B36 parked outside) and think, "I must visit" but never made it, always making my trips brief to be back home with a young family.

 

If I had a 'bucket list', getting back to Dayton would be on it. 

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[J. S. Bach]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I was on base at Wright-Patterson several times in the 1990s for business meetings. Each time I would drive in and out, I would gaze over at the museum (with that B36 parked outside) and think, "I must visit" but never made it, always making my trips brief to be back home with a young family.

 

If I had a 'bucket list', getting back to Dayton would be on it. 

 

I believe that the B-36 is now inside.

[rob D2]

1 hour ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

B....bu....bu....but you said....

 

 

 

"or"  ?

 

Too many I like / liked to declare a favourite.

B757's a good call by the way.

fair enough !

it is rather hard to whittle them down .

[sandwich station]

For me there is way to many aircraft I like to pick a top 3 but one aircraft I experienced at airshows a few times which would be in the top 3 was the Avro Vulcan. Nothing quite like that plane flying in low, almost silently then the pilot powering her up climbing almost vertically with the ground literally shaking under your feet and the noise.  

[laurenceb]

7 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Should I explain “ top three “

A certain film director when asked for his 5 favourite films had to be forceably stopped when he got to a hundred

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, The Pilotman said:

@Lochgorm is correct. It is Palermo, but it does often get mistaken for Gibraltar. Well done for avoiding the trap 

I knew it wasn't Gib - been there enough times - but didn't know where it was. Thanks.

[Metr0Land]

Accepting that such things like Spitfire, Vulcan and Victor are wonderful aircraft I’m picking 4 as my top 3, based on adventures around the occasions.  Listed in chronological order:

 

 

Goodyear Blimp Nov71.  I was on holiday in Miami with my then fiancée (later my wife).  The Goodyear Blimp should have been in MIA doing joy rides but wasn’t (no idea why).  On the final day it turned up and we headed down to the site.  Flights were at approx. 30min intervals and all were booked.  My fiancée insisted we waited for possible no-shows as she knew I’d really like to get on it.  Anyway we waited and waited and waited, just at the last minute before each flight the stragglers would turn up, dashing my hopes.  Anyway my girl kept insisting we wait and eventually for about the 5th flight, there was an empty seat.  Result!  (And of course, the girl was a keeper)

 

 

Tupolev TU-104.  Back in 1973 CSA had a flight on Friday nights BRU-LUX which was about £12.50 public fare (bear in mind I was earning less than £40 per week in quite a well-paid job).  However it was just about an affordable luxury if you really wanted to fly on a 104.  A friend and myself had the last 2 seats (staff travel standby) on the connecting Sabena early model 707 LHR-BRU, and it was a diabolically rough flight due to very bad weather.  Late Friday evening we boarded the TU-104 which was ~on time.  We had no idea exactly how we’d get back from LUX to BRU. The cabin was very Spartan but unusually did include an altimeter.  After we took off the weather wasn’t quite as bad as earlier, but concerning enough.  We could see we were descending into LUX and things were not good outside. We were going down and down when the altimeter started going back up!  Just after, the stewardess came round and said ‘unfortunately we are returning to Brussels’.  On arriving back at BRU we got the flight coupons back from the agent who said ‘if I give these back to you I can do nothing more for you’.  That’s ok said we, knowing we’d be able to get a full refund when we got back home.  So it was a flight in a TU104 for free.  Result!

 

 

Short Sandringham Sep77.  Qantas used to have a pair of Short Sandringhams (civilianised Sunderlands) to operate from Sydney to Lord Howe Island until there was an airstrip at the island.  They passed to Antilles Air Boats and VP-LVE came to England in 1977.  It was based at Calshot on the edge of Southampton for a short period operating longer trips round the Isle of Wight and some shorter trips.  Money was tight at the time as we’d just had a big house move Nov75 and increased travelling costs to/from work.  In those days there were no mobile phones and you couldn’t pay over the phone with a credit card to organisations who didn’t regularly make financial transactions.  IIRC there was a specific phone number which was only answered at certain times and you had to get lucky making contact and being lucky with them having space on a flight you wanted.  After that of course you had to post a cheque and wait.  Anyway, my friend and I got lucky again and the day eventually came.   Although it was still legal at the time for flying boats to operate from Southampton Water, the Harbourmaster was pretty snotty about it (never having had to deal with flying machines in ‘his’ water) and insisted the aircraft was moored the very edge of the area.  This meant getting a boat from Calshot  to the spot where the Sandringham was moored (which seemd to take forever) and climbing into/out of the plane from a boat; I’d never appreciated how tricky this is.  When the plane started it’s engines, I’d never experienced such a strong smell of petrol when an aircraft started but apparently this was normal.  The captain (Charles Blair) was the 3rd husband of Maureen O’Hara, and sadly died a year later. 

 

 

Concorde July84.  In July 1984 British Aerospace chartered a Concorde for 3 trips round the bay (of Biscay) for it’s workers who paid about £300 a head – so another ‘affordable luxury’ for them.  The aircraft had to operate from Heathrow to Filton and back.  Internally BA offered the seats to staff at £50 a head.  Bear in mind there was no internet, so you had to pop a £50 cheque into the post to the department at Gatwick that was organising the flights, and hope you were in the first 100 to get there.  I was!  On the day the take-off was like a rocket.  It had the minimum fuel load required for load and balance (50 tons?)  When we got to Bristol the captain did some tight turns round Bristol with plenty of noise to announce our arrival.  The take-off for the flight back was equally dramatic though without the fun arriving at LHR.  I had a scheduled flight Washington-London the following year which was quite tame by comparison

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Metr0Land

[boxbrownie]

The Tupolev is the only one in the list I don’t envy you with 

[Ron Ron Ron]

If that CSA TU-104A was OK-NDF , then it survives today.

 

It was withdrawn from use in September 1974 and later served as a restaurant in a park, at Olomouc in what is now eastern Czechia, for something like 20 years or so.

The aircraft was then left to deteriorate for many years, before being restored and placed put on display at an air park museum, at Zruč nad Sázavou, about 40km SE of Prague.

 

 

Long since closed down as a restaurant and left to deteriorate in Olomouc.

Photographed in January 2008....

 

 

 

 

 

Eleven years later at Zruč in 2019

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

[Kris]

On 28/12/2021 at 13:00, KeithMacdonald said:

Something unusual found on Flight Radar...

Here's the most recent surveying flight, flying backwards and forwards along the Cornish coast.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/c-ftgi#2a4ecfe0

 

Old tin (in the air) looking for new tin (under the ground) perhaps?

This was flying around again today.

[PMP]

Ukrainian friends three years ago today.