Pop N Wood Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 B-36 although they pretty much don't exist anymore. Magnesium and aluminum airframe, six Pratt & Whitney 4360s Wasp Major 28 cylinder radial engines, four GE J47 jet engines, and it could carry the 42,000 lb MK17 10 to 15 megaton hydrogen bomb (the largest nuclear weapon in the US aresenal). At takeoff the pilots would say, "Six churning, four burning, and one glowing..." They have one on display at the Air Force museum. Along with a dozen other airplanes on display UNDERNEATH the B36. They have a display of the weapon it carried and one of the parasite fighters (the Goblin?) they tried to carry underneath the B36. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Whats up with the bottom of the F22? Looks like something is missing looks like a bomb bay is open. I'm with Eric, the WWII warbirds are the business for me. I went to the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg FL last year ('06) and they did a mock dog fight between an F-16 and an F-86 Sabrejet that was pretty spectacular. Still though, I really like all the experimental planes from the end of WWII, like the flying pancake: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIM73240Z Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Whats up with the bottom of the F22? Looks like something is missing that is the internal bomb bay. that way it is invisible to radar while carrying the weapons untill it is to late. open doors, drop death, and go home invisible to radar. the b-1, b-2, F-117, and all new advanced tacticle fighters all have interior bays. kinda cool. jimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 I also like the F2y Seadart, the only seaplane to exceed the speed of sound. It was only a prototype though. I blame my love of multi-purposeness on watching robot shows as a kid where one thing would turn into something else (Voltron, Transformers, Mask, Gobots-blegh!, and of course, the ultimate: Robotech!)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Somehow I got stuck in the 30's & 40's with aircraft as there was as much design as there was utility in a lot of them. Some of the Beechcraft from the 30's, the infamous BeeGee, P-51, P-38, Spitfire, Fockwulfe. I have a cousin, Sam Smyth, who was an aeronautical engineer for Lockheed for 50 years. He was involved with the Skunkworks for part of that. He had some projects he worked on that he'd still have to kill you if he told you about them. Anyway, he has a library (Smythonlyan) of information on military aircraft from around the world that would rival those run my most state governments. I even have a photo he took in the early 50's of an ME-262 that had been brought over for testing & evaluation after WWII. Amazing collection. He's in his mid 80's now with failing eyesight and it's tough to see him slow down after so long watching him traipse all over the world gathering his photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 the F-22 has no exterior weapon holds. everything is held within the belly to reduce drag, and have no radar signature. Those are the doors for the weapon payload open. whoopsie, didn't realize there was a second page and this question was answered! hehe also that P-51D is from my town! (im pretty sure) there's an aviation museum here that i help out at sometimes. Have the p-51, a bearcat, a team of T6's, an avenger, and some others i can't think of off the top of my head. Really incredible stuff there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIM73240Z Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 here is one that no one has posted yet. ac-130 spectre. http://members.tripod.com/~allen8633/ac130h6568105blast.jpg http://members.tripod.com/~allen8633/ac130hair6569.jpg if all of the guns fire at the same time, with enough ammo, it will put 1 round in every sq ft of a football field. here is a on board vid from afgan. http://www.nata2.info/v/war/f/AC-130U_gunship_video_lo.wmv and another http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5708007431110936234 jimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2126 Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 B-36 although they pretty much don't exist anymore. Magnesium and aluminum airframe, six Pratt & Whitney 4360s Wasp Major 28 cylinder radial engines, four GE J47 jet engines, and it could carry the 42,000 lb MK17 10 to 15 megaton hydrogen bomb (the largest nuclear weapon in the US aresenal). At takeoff the pilots would say, "Six churning, four burning, and one glowing..." Holy smokes John, how would you like to chance out the 336 spark plugs??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgkurz Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Not necessarily in order but here's my list. A6 Intruder - Ugly but my personal favorite since I spent 4yrs of my life working on them as a US Navy avionics tech. During ANY weather condition this plane could deliver 30 x MK82 500lb bombs, make it back to the carrier and still have fuel left over. Try that Mr. F/A-18!! F-14 Tomcat - All started with TopGun. Can you say AIM54 Phoenix missile. Made dog fights obsolete. ME-109 The reason Germany had air superiority in WWII. ME-262 First production fighter jet. Could have changed WWII outcome. Very cool and top secret in the day B17 Flying Fortress - Takes a beating and keeps on flying...literally P51D Mustang - ME109 killer with legs to protect the bombers. Gotta have the bubble canopy though.. F4 Phantom - Big, heavy and fast. Wild weasel and MIG 21 killer. SR71 Blackbird - Fastest, sleekest ever. Nuff said MIG15/17 - Cheap no nonsense fighter that got the job done without frills. F15 Eagle - Wildly powerful fighter. Insane climb rate. My wife actually got to ride in one... Concord SST - Mach 2+ commuter jet. Who didn't want a ride..? One of my favorite "aircraft places" to visit.: http://www.dm.af.mil/units/amarc.asp Some pics from my recent visit to Seattle Museum of Flight: A6 Intruder in it's last configuration with the A6E Tram FLIR turret Air Force F4. SR71 with rare drone on top Last Concord to fly in 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
het976 Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 For my 2 cents the most beautiful plane of all time is the ME-262. Way ahead of it's time. Here are a couple of shots from the London RAF museum. Also, not military exactly, the X-15 and the X-1 are among my favorites. These are from the Air and Space in DC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I prefer piston-engined warbirds to jet fighters. I've been to several airshows with WWII aircraft displays. There's NOTHING that sounds close to a Rolls-Royce or Packard Merlin-engined fighter on low altitude... I still remember the sound of a Spitfire and a Spanish-built Hispano HA-1112 Buchon (licence built Bf-109G-14 with Merlin XX) flying just over my head. I was a kid back then, and things like these fascinated me so much that I dreamed to become a pilot one day. Even tough I have a great passion for cars, I've always had a special place for aircraft deep down in my heart. My favorites are: Supermarine Spitfire, Focke Wulf FW-190, Messerschmitt Bf-109, Macchi M.C. 205, Kawasaki Ki-61 & Ki-100, Nakajima Ki-84, Vought Corsair & F6F Hellcat. To the guys that visited Imperial War Museum - if you haven't been to RAF Muesum in Hendon - regret it now! There are much more things to watch than in IMW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
het976 Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I agree, there is NOTHING like the sound of a P-51 at full song on a low altitude pass...The ultimate Hybrid...it was not much a plane until they pulled the Allison and dropped in the Merlin, then it became the best fighter ever built. A WWII pilot friend of my dad said, "when you sent a picture home to family, you wanted it in front of the sexy P-51, but if you wanted to make it back to base you flew a P-47 -Radiators and bullets do not mix." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 280zforce and i went out to Chino Hills for the Planes of Fame airshow this last weekend. There were lots of WWII and Vietman era aircraft there! Ligting was horrible, but whatever. Heres a couple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I agree, there is NOTHING like the sound of a P-51 at full song on a low altitude pass...The ultimate Hybrid...it was not much a plane until they pulled the Allison and dropped in the Merlin, then it became the best fighter ever built. A WWII pilot friend of my dad said, "when you sent a picture home to family, you wanted it in front of the sexy P-51, but if you wanted to make it back to base you flew a P-47 -Radiators and bullets do not mix." You always have to wonder what the P38 could have been had they pulled the Allisons out and put in a pair of Merlins. Or better yet, Griffon engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srgunz Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 My favorite is of course the one I worked on in the Air Force. The F4C/D Phantom. Being under one of these arming and dearming weapons with engines running was a rush! This is our squadron picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 srgunz, did you ever spend time at George AFB in Victorville, CA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boodlefoof Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hmmm... so many to choose from... I would go with the F4U-1 Corsair or the Spitfire. The B-25 Mitchell is a contender too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatMan Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 My faves, in order from getting the military aricraft bug (12 years old) till now: ALL - TIME favorite SR-71 Blackbird (flew from NY to LA in 45 mins:icon52:, LA to Paris, France in less than 5 hrs - at 3/4 throttle!!!) B-17 Flying fortress P-51 AC-130H Spectre (a C-130 Hercules with 20mm, 40mm and 105mm guns) http://www.strategic-air-command.com/aircraft/attack/ac130_spectre.htm and http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_AC-130H_Specter_Firing_lg.jpg F-15 (either streak or strike eagle) http://www.answers.com/topic/f-15-vertical-deploy-jpg F/A 18 Mig 25 Foxbat - so ugly yet so powerful. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aviationexplorer.com/Assorted_Aircraft_Pictures/images/mig_25_foxbat_jpg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aviationexplorer.com/assorted_aircraft_photos.htm&h=989&w=2685&sz=998&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=9D1DItR1GXl5EM:&tbnh=55&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmig%2B25%2Bfoxbat%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den F-22A Raptor Sorry about the long links, for some reason my permissions won't let me make attachments, DAMMIT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
283VZ Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Lockheed Martin - Second To None Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeder Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I had an uncle who flew P51s. Among many of his stories that amazed me as a kid was the account of how he liked to find an excuse to use "combat emergency" power. Seems that his Merlin had a 2-speed gearbox driving its supercharger. Push the throttle all the way forward to break a safety wire and now your supe is in high gear/ boost and you're haulin' ass. According to Uncle there were indicators that the crew could monitor to tell when this feature was used, and it would flag the need for a very much shortened engine rebuild interval. He said that you better have a good story for the crew chief or you were in for a butt-chewing. Without a doubt WW2 aviation provided a great amount of engine technology that we take for granted today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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