For those who like Aircraft pictures

[Metr0Land]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

I always heard the Constellation was a aircraft designers wet dream rather than honed in a wind tunnel hence the odd fuselage shape and extra tail planes.

 

I always understood the tail design was driven by the need to have sufficient control surface/s and fit within the hangars of the day, though I've never ever seen a sketch or drawing of what the aircraft would have looked like with a single large tail.

[Jeff Smith]

Just to get some terminology correct, the tailplane generally refers to the horizontal stabilizer, the fin is the vertical stabilizer and the whole assembly is the empennage, or just the tail assembly.

 

There were plenty of aircraft in service at the same time as the Constellation with taller fins.

 

The fuselage must have been more expensive than a regular constant diameter fuselage to produce.....

[brian daniels]

Passed Fairford earlier this week just as this U2 was taking off to do circuits and bumps, bit lucky.

[boxbrownie]

Lucky devil you.......

[rob D2]

8 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

I always heard the Constellation was a aircraft designers wet dream rather than honed in a wind tunnel hence the odd fuselage shape and extra tail planes.

If that’s their wet dream, I wonder what their nightmares look like .

[rob D2]

1 hour ago, brian daniels said:

Passed Fairford earlier this week just as this U2 was taking off to do circuits and bumps, bit lucky.

Nice, I’ve seen them do that a few times, as my cycle route takes me onto the nearest A419 bridge.

Fairford will be getting a lot busier soon when they base permanently some RC135 ( I think ) , electronic intelligence aircraft - if that plan has survived covid 

[Jeff Smith]

Re the U2 pics, in certain countries you would have been arrested and confined for taking and publishing pics like those - there's a lot to be said for freedom in the West......

[big jim]

There had got to be more wheels on it than that surely? 

[5944]

Saturday morning was spent being suitably deafened by this beauty... 

[rob D2]

6 hours ago, big jim said:

There had got to be more wheels on it than that surely? 

It lands on the centre front and rear wheels, if it’s coming to a stop folk drive along side and then run out and attach out rigger wheels.

 

presumably for circuits , it touches briefly and goes , before any wingtip gets near the ground .

 

must be a nightmare in a crosswind , and I’d assume the book crosswind limit is pretty low .

[Johann Marsbar]

5 minutes ago, rob D2 said:

It lands on the centre front and rear wheels, if it’s coming to a stop folk drive along side and then run out and attach out rigger wheels.

 

presumably for circuits , it touches briefly and goes , before any wingtip gets near the ground .

 

must be a nightmare in a crosswind , and I’d assume the book crosswind limit is pretty low .

 

Some taken in April 1997 at Beale AFB in California.

 

Overflight before landing...

 

 

Same aircraft taxying in to the apron - with outriggers attached...

 

 

Two seater version....

 

 

They were rather more relaxed regarding photography there than I was expecting, given the ongoing conflict in the Balkans at that time where the U2's were being deployed. Our tour group was only discouraged from taking close up shots, though we even got the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of one if we wanted!

Even more interesting was that the tour included being shown the high altitude flight suits used and their operation. One of the group members was handed a space style helmet to hold and advised not to drop it as it cost something ludicrous like $300K !!

The USAF tour guide seemed more bemused when I asked him if the tour bus could stop for me to take a photo of this though....

 

[rob D2]

I’ve seen in the inter web that 10 kts is the crosswind limit ? That’s not a lot , so I’d imagine ideally based at somewhere where the runways always into wind 

[Metr0Land]

There's an episode of Mythbusters where the lucky devil gets to fly in a 2-seat U2.  He had to spend a week in training learning how to use the flying suit (plus other tests).  I think the myth they were exploring was that it's the world's most difficult aircraft to fly.

 

I think the episode's online as it also explains the odd landing gear (basically doing everything in to save weight).

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, rob D2 said:

If that’s their wet dream, I wonder what their nightmares look like .

Well aircraft designers have little to express their flare with, a tin tube with a couple of sheets sticking out.....oh yes I know......where shall we put the smaller tubes? 

[Sidecar Racer]

 

 

 

[rob D2]

2 hours ago, Metr0Land said:

There's an episode of Mythbusters where the lucky devil gets to fly in a 2-seat U2.  He had to spend a week in training learning how to use the flying suit (plus other tests).  I think the myth they were exploring was that it's the world's most difficult aircraft to fly.

 

I think the episode's online as it also explains the odd landing gear (basically doing everything in to save weight).

One of the more difficult to land , probably east to fly as a jet powered subsonic glider .

 

saw an interview with a USAF U2 pilot on YT and his background was on transports , so you don’t need to be a top gun or test pilot 

[David Bell]

I found a couple more from Goodwood

[Metr0Land]

As we seem to have gravitated towards the black arts, herewith the best ever Black Friday. I've only ever seen one SR71 flying and that was arrivals day at Greenham Common July 1983.  She did 2 passes and they were LOUD.  I couldn't get there in time for the depature the following Monday

[sb67]

Love the U2 pictures, that is one amazing plane! I remember being so enthralled watching the James May programme about it, great stuff! 

[Kris]

Saw an Airbus Beluga XL flying around Newquay this afternoon. No photos from me as I was a little too far away. 

 

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/super-transporter-cargo-plane-airbus-4796537

 

 

[5944]

2 hours ago, Kris said:

Saw an Airbus Beluga XL flying around Newquay this afternoon. No photos from me as I was a little too far away. 

 

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/super-transporter-cargo-plane-airbus-4796537

 

 

Last I saw it had made 9 missed approaches at the airport! 

[PMP]

3 hours ago, 5944 said:

Last I saw it had made 9 missed approaches at the airport! 

Almost certainly crew training. Newquay is one of the few airports in the uk that accommodate either circuit or multiple instrument approaches.

[J. S. Bach]

In the U. S. Navy, we called them "touch-n-go". Real fun watching them shoot touch-n-goes off a carrier!

Edited December 15, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[Mark Pelham]

9 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

In the U. S. Navy, we called them "touch-n-go". Real fun watching them shoot touch-n-goes off a carrier!

 

"Touch-n-go" involves rubber contacting tarmac; with missed approaches there's no contact with the ground. Missed approaches are more commonly known as "Go Arounds", but missed approach is the correct term.

 

I believe Newquay is quite popular for crosswind landing (or just approach in this case) training, a bit like Shannon.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, Mark Pelham said:

 

"Touch-n-go" involves rubber contacting tarmac; with missed approaches there's no contact with the ground. Missed approaches are more commonly known as "Go Arounds", but missed approach is the correct term.

 

I believe Newquay is quite popular for crosswind landing (or just approach in this case) training, a bit like Shannon.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

When I was learning to fly (admittedly nearly 40 years ago) a "go-around" was intentional whereas a "missed approach" was unintentional. "Touch-and-goes" were avoided at some aerodromes that regarded them as landings (brief) and charged a landing fee for each one.