The General Airplane Thread

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Prop trails of Fat Albert!!! Nice!

Tripod would have been useless, and unless you're shooting a 400 or 500mm lens, completely unnecessary. Too much movement of your own body needed to pan around with it, and it takes up enough room for 4 other people in that crowd. Did you leave it in the car when you saw you didn't have the plate, or did you end up carrying it around as dead weight all day?
Well the first thing we did (we got there as soon as gates opened) is found a spot near the beginning of RWY 13, as winds were coming from the east (However, only one aircraft took off into the winds, which kinda pissed me off). I set it out, and got it to a height to where if I wanted to video something (I have quite shaky hands) that I could pan all the way down the runway freely. Got out the camera, took off the cap, and noticed the plate was missing... So at that point it became a coat hanger.

And you mention the prop trails... I was hoping with some of the high G turns they were doing and high speed passes we'd get some clouding over the wings, but it never really happened... I also missed a good shot of after burners, which really pisses me off as that was something on my list to get.

I'm pleased with the images overall, not ecstatic however. The focusing on the kit lens is quite frankly crap, and stopping down further from f/8 I could no longer get still images, and if I opened up any more to f/5.6 it all became soft and more and more of the shots were getting unfocused. I'm hoping the Sigma will alleviate this issue, and also focus a lot faster..


Still gotta work on the 767 shots, so maybe after 1pm est they'll be up...
 
@Swagger897 Yeah the show was "a go" today but we had no more than a 400 ft ceiling all day so nobody flew any demonstrations. They were perfectly okay with packing in as many people as possible (and there were a lot) before they finally admitted the Blues weren't going to perform. We got to see a C-130 take off and do a touch-and-go, Fat Albert land, a Cessna 172 take off (star of the show right here), and eventually all 8 Blue Angel planes take off to gtfo to Pensacola.

Needless to say, there were a lot of angry people in the bus line. We only went because we couldn't get refunds and because the thunderstorms actually held off :grumpy:

Also I heard that at yesterday's show they oversold some of the VIP passes and beer tent passes, so there are A LOT of people angry at the show organizers... honestly, they could score the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, an F-35 demo, a shuttle launch, and a fly-by from Air Force One for next year and I still don't think I'd go back. It took thousands of people standing in the cold rain for hours before they admitted they took our money and brought us in for no good reason. Screw these people.
/rant

I'm just glad we staked out by lake McIntosh yesterday to still get a great view of the Blues. And your pictures look great! I didn't take my camera because I know the shots wouldn't have turned out well :lol:


Edit: Oh and we got to talk a bit with some of the Commemorative Air Force guys. There was a mostly finished P63 King Cobra on display that they hope to have airworthy next year. At least 15 years ago, my school took us on a field trip to see their operation and I remember seeing that plane when it was just a frame. Now the body is all ready to go and most flight controls are good. They just need to finish up the engine, finish up a few last touches, paint it, and get a guy brave enough to fly it. Pretty neat to see it so close to flying after all that time.
 
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@Swagger897 Yeah the show was "a go" today but we had no more than a 400 ft ceiling all day so nobody flew any demonstrations. They were perfectly okay with packing in as many people as possible (and there were a lot) before they finally admitted the Blues weren't going to perform. We got to see a C-130 take off and do a touch-and-go, Fat Albert land, a Cessna 172 take off (star of the show right here), and eventually all 8 Blue Angel planes take off to gtfo to Pensacola.

Needless to say, there were a lot of angry people in the bus line. We only went because we couldn't get refunds and because the thunderstorms actually held off :grumpy:

Also I heard that at yesterday's show they oversold some of the VIP passes and beer tent passes, so there are A LOT of people angry at the show organizers... honestly, they could score the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, an F-35 demo, a shuttle launch, and a fly-by from Air Force One for next year and I still don't think I'd go back. It took thousands of people standing in the cold rain for hours before they admitted they took our money and brought us in for no good reason. Screw these people.
/rant

I'm just glad we staked out by lake McIntosh yesterday to still get a great view of the Blues. And your pictures look great! I didn't take my camera because I know the shots wouldn't have turned out well :lol:
I'm sure they'd be better than mine.... really.

In all honesty it's just that mother nature is a 🤬. I can see how you all view the event organizers about not refunding, but someone has to pay all the pilots, sponsors, etc...

And yes, yesterday was packed. It was hard to even stand in front next to the mesh fence that we sat DIRECTLY in front of, because everyone would rush in to look. I was just happy to be with friends rather than go only with my sister...
 
What model of jet is that? I'd like to be able to identify jets now, but they all look very similar. I know 747s have four engines and 737s are twinjets with the "squished" looking engines, but how do I identify big commercial planes from far away?
 
What model of jet is that? I'd like to be able to identify jets now, but they all look very similar. I know 747s have four engines and 737s are twinjets with the "squished" looking engines, but how do I identify big commercial planes from far away?
767-400 (432 I think) ER.

Looks a lot like the 757, but it's got a large undersection and only has two doors, as the 757 has three. Also, you can tell the difference between a 300 and a 400 by the winglets/tips. The 300 either has the winglet option, and the 400 has the wing tip option that's swept back.

Edit:

Good thing I'm not the only one who calls the engines on the 737's "squishy" looking.
 
767-400 (432 I think) ER.

Looks a lot like the 757, but it's got a large undersection and only has two doors, as the 757 has three. Also, you can tell the difference between a 300 and a 400 by the winglets/tips. The 300 either has the winglet option, and the 400 has the wing tip option that's swept back.

Edit:

Good thing I'm not the only one who calls the engines on the 737's "squishy" looking.
777 also looks strikingly similar to the 767, but the APU in the back is flat like a MD88, and the nose of the plane behind the cockpit looks dented in:

Rainy Days by Jacob Buchanan, on Flickr
 
@Swagger897 I looked at your Flickr set, and saw the Blues took off with three, then #4 followed separately. I've never seen that, as #4 usually takes off at #2's right wing and slides into the slot once airborne. I wonder if the runway there is a bit narrow or something... EDIT: Yeah, looking again, 2 and 3 are pretty darn close to the edges of the runway!!


I've actually never been to an air show that had an admission price...... Then again, I live a good bike ride from Tyndall AFB, an hour from Eglin AFB, and just over two hours from the Blues' home base, Pensacola NAS. Military air shows are free, with free parking, although you can purchase bleacher seats at some of them if you like.

Tyndall is the best I've ever been to for photography, with the afternoon sun behind the crowd, and even the morning sun well off to one side. They don't seem to care for motorcycles, though, as they park them with the cars, way across the base so you still have to ride the shuttle bus to the flight line.

Eglin is meh. the runway has the same heading but the crowd is on the opposite side, so anything to the left of your position is in the sun during the later part of the show, i.e. the highlight performer. They claimed to have motorcycle parking but nobody could actually point me to it.

Pensacola NAS has sun behind you most of the day, although by the end of the day it creeps into the view to your left. They have a night show on the first day, though, which is incredible. Starts just before sunset and runs into pitch black night, finishing with an excellent fireworks show and the Wall of Fire!!! They also maintain well-marked motorcycle parking fairly close to the show line entrance, and all their traffic cops know where it is. :)

The Pensacola NAS Blue Angels Homecoming Show is this coming weekend, on Friday and Saturday, Nov 6 and 7, with the night show being on the 6th. I have my bleacher tickets for both days and the night show.

If there's anyone on here considering going, don't consider. GO! You don't HAVE to have bleacher seats, but in all honesty you can't see any ground activity without them; the crowd at the fenceline is literally going to be 20 to 50 feet deep. You have no problem seeing the air unless you try to stay too close to the center, in which case it's VERY crowded or you're behind the vendor tents.

Of course, the Museum of Naval Aviation is there, too, but don't count on having time for a visit on on air show day.
 
@Swagger897 honestly, they could score the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, an F-35 demo, a shuttle launch, and a fly-by from Air Force One for next year and I still don't think I'd go back.
Only thing on your list that I haven't seen yet is the F-35 demo. If you're talking about the actual Air Force One, with the President on board, it's not the best idea. Looking at pics from 2011 Wings over Pittsburgh, it left about half an hour of dead time while we were waiting for it to land, then another half hour pause while the President flew out on Marine One. It's cool to see, unfortunately the PA announcer had to fill an hour with the same three bits of Air Force One trivia.
_DSC9350 by fatman_5050, on Flickr

I've been lucky so far with shows, the only problems I run into are with concessions and parking.
 
@Swagger897 I looked at your Flickr set, and saw the Blues took off with three, then #4 followed separately. I've never seen that, as #4 usually takes off at #2's right wing and slides into the slot once airborne. I wonder if the runway there is a bit narrow or something... EDIT: Yeah, looking again, 2 and 3 are pretty darn close to the edges of the runway!!
Yeah, KFFC is only a 100ft wide strip (in a 172 it looks huge though) and I was surprised Fat Al was able to even turn around...

I've actually never been to an air show that had an admission price...... Then again, I live a good bike ride from Tyndall AFB, an hour from Eglin AFB, and just over two hours from the Blues' home base, Pensacola NAS. Military air shows are free, with free parking, although you can purchase bleacher seats at some of them if you like.
Damn

the crowd at the fenceline is literally going to be 20 to 50 feet deep.
The crowd line for us was about 50 feet deep to begin with, I don't know what it was like when it filled up.

Of course, the Museum of Naval Aviation is there, too, but don't count on having time for a visit on on air show day.
Went to that while I was in scouts and our fishing trip got rained out... Had fun in there.

Only thing on your list that I haven't seen yet is the F-35 demo. If you're talking about the actual Air Force One, with the President on board, it's not the best idea. Looking at pics from 2011 Wings over Pittsburgh, it left about half an hour of dead time while we were waiting for it to land, then another half hour pause while the President flew out on Marine One. It's cool to see, unfortunately the PA announcer had to fill an hour with the same three bits of Air Force One trivia.
_DSC9350 by fatman_5050, on Flickr

I've been lucky so far with shows, the only problems I run into are with concessions and parking.
Meh, I don't really want to see the president ever come to Atlanta (I see why you said that Greg).... Traffic comes to a halt for HOURS down here.... Let alone to begin with, it's not like people in Atlanta know how to drive anyways...
 
Agh... Presidential visits!

Clinton came to town some years ago for a rally at the local Community College, which is as far west as you can be in Panama City before crossing the bay onto the beach area. Air Force One landed at Tyndall AFB, and US 98 was CLOSED for several hours before the event so the motorcade would be secure. Thing is US 98 is THE MAIN ROAD east-and-west in Panama City, and there was no crossing it during that time. If you wanted to be home that evening, you took the afternoon off from work. If you forgot, you were trapped on the wrong side of 98 until nearly midnight, when the rally ended and ol' Bill went back to his aeroplane.

G.W. Bush has also been here, but he went downtown, so the west side of town was able to move about freely.
 
Some from today. Weather wasn't great... Also unedited, I'll edit them when I come back home in 7 days..

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5 more spotting days left :) Tomorrow probably the fighters!
 
China has made a commercial jet...I repeat...China has made a commercial jet. The Comac C919.
BBmIxRk.img

I feel frightened at the thought of being in that thing. :scared:
I see 787, A320, 757, and a bit of ERJ190 all in that thing...

I can't recall where, but I believe the FAA has yet to certify it to come to the US (not like it's gonna make it from Beijing or anywhere else for that matter)...

Mildenhall, tomorrow maybe Lakenheath.

Yours truly.. ;)
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Damn should practice on my taking-a-photo-face...

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Having the worlds most heavily traveled airport inside of one of the worlds most congest/populated cities, it's hard for me to find good spots like this...
 
Only thing on your list that I haven't seen yet is the F-35 demo. If you're talking about the actual Air Force One, with the President on board, it's not the best idea. Looking at pics from 2011 Wings over Pittsburgh, it left about half an hour of dead time while we were waiting for it to land, then another half hour pause while the President flew out on Marine One. It's cool to see, unfortunately the PA announcer had to fill an hour with the same three bits of Air Force One trivia.

I've seen Air Force One with President Obama on board before but when it was still at least a few thousand feet overhead. Totally random too. I was in San Jose, CA on vacation one summer and I was at a gas station when I happened to look up at the sound of a big plane on approach. Was not expecting to see AF1 at all. :lol:


The Pensacola NAS Blue Angels Homecoming Show is this coming weekend, on Friday and Saturday, Nov 6 and 7, with the night show being on the 6th. I have my bleacher tickets for both days and the night show.

After being rained out from a proper view of the Blues show we thought about driving down for that. Now that I see a chance of a thunderstorm on both days, that's not happening :( I hope the weather holds out for you because that sounds awesome. We've been down there several times for practices but never for the full show (except for the one on the beach).

Fun story about that one actually... this was at least 10 years ago now. We were in a hotel on Pensacola Beach for the air show and my dad met one of the B1 Lancer pilots at a bar a night or two before the show. After he became friendly with the guy, he told him which hotel we'd be sitting in front of for the show. Come show day, the dude points that bomber right at us as he's coming from the ocean and does high-ish AOA climb on afterburner right over us. I can still feel it to this day...
 
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Was browsing /r/aviation and saw a post talking about what might be the ugliest plane around. OP suggested the Britten-Norman Trislander.



But then there was this... I lol'd so hard

I wish I could find a link to this - apologies for the copypasta, but it is hilarious:

Undaunted by aerodynamic reality, the design team at Pilatus/Britten-Norman has announced plans for the BN2-XL (Extra Loud), promising more noise, reduced payload, a lower cruise speed, and increased pilot workload.

We spoke to Mr. Fred Gribble, former British Rail boilermaker and now Chief Project Engineer. Fred was responsible for developing many original and creative design flaws in the service of his former employer, and assures he will be incorporating these in the new BN2-XL technology under a licensing agreement.

Fred reassured BN-2 pilots however that all fundamental design flaws of the original model had been retained. Further good news is that the XL version is available as a retrofit.

Among the new measures is that of locking the ailerons in the central position, following airborne and simulator tests which showed that whilst pilots of average strength were able to achieve up to 30° of control wheel deflection, this produced no appreciable variation in the net flight path of the aircraft.

Thus the removal of costly and unnecessary linkages has been possible, and the rudder has been nominated as the primary directional control. In keeping with this new philosophy, but to retain commonality for crews transitioning to the XL, additional resistance to foot pressure has been built into the rudder pedals to prevent overcontrolling in gusty conditions (defined as those in which wind velocity exceeds 3 knots).

An outstanding feature of Islander technology has always been the adaptation of the 0-540 engine, which mounted in any other aircraft in the free world (except the Trislander) is known for its low vibration levels, so as to cause it to shake and batter the airframe, gradually crystallise the main spar, desynchronise the accompanying engine, and simulate the sound of fifty skeletons fornicating in an aluminium dustbin.

Britten-Norman will not disclose the technology they applied in enhancing this effect in the XL, but Mr. Gribble assures us it will be perpetuated in later models and sees it as a strong selling point; "After all, the Concorde makes a lot of noise," he said, "and look how fast it goes."

However, design documents clandestinely recovered from the Britten-Norman shredder have solved a question that has puzzled aerodynamicists and pilots for many years, disclosing that it is actually noise which causes the BN-2 to fly. The vibration set up by the engines and amplified by the airframe, in turn causes the air molecules above the wing to oscillate at atomic frequency, reducing their density and causing lift. This can be demonstrated by sudden closure of the throttles, which causes the aircraft to fall from the sky. As a result, lift is proportional to noise rather than speed, explaining amongst other things the aircraft's remarkable takeoff performance. In the driver's cab (as Gribble describes it), ergonomic measures will ensure that long-term PBN pilots' deafness does not cause inflight dozing. Orthopaedic surgeons have designed a cockpit layout and seat to maximise backache, enroute insomnia, chronic irritability, and terminal (post-flight) lethargy. Redesigned 'bullworker' elastic aileron cables, now disconnected from the control surfaces, increase pilot workload and fitness.

Special noise retention cabin lining is an innovation on the XL, and it is hoped in later models to develop cabin noise to a level which will enable pilots to relate ear pain directly to engine power, eliminating the need for engine instruments altogether.

We were offered an opportunity to fly the XL at Britten-Normans' developmental facility, adjacent to the Britrail tea rooms at Little Chortling. (The flight was originally to have been conducted at the Pilatus plant, but aircraft of Britten-Norman design are now prohibited from operating in Swiss airspace during the avalanche season). For our mission profile, the XL was loaded with fossil fuel for a standard 100 nm with Britrail reserves, carrying one pilot and nine passengers to maximise discomfort.

Passenger loading is unchanged, the normal under-wing protrusions inflicting serious lacerations on 71% of boarding passengers, and there was the usual entertaining confusion in selecting a door appropriate to the allocated seat.

The facility for the clothing of embarking passengers to remove oil slicks from engine cowls during loading has also been thoughtfully retained. Startup is standard, and taxying, as in the BN-2, is accomplished by brute force. Takeoff calculations called for a 250 decibel power setting, and the rotation force for the (neutral) C of G was calculated as 180ft/lbs of back pressure.

Initial warning of an engine failure during takeoff is provided by a reduction in flight instrument panel vibration. Complete seizure of one engine is indicated by the momentary illusion that the engines have suddenly and inexplicably become synchronised. Otherwise, identification of the failed engine is achieved by comparing the vibration levels of the windows on either side of the cabin. (Relative passenger pallor has been found to be an unreliable guide on many BN-2 routes because of ethnic considerations).

Shortly after takeoff the XL's chief test pilot, Capt. "Muscles" Mulligan, demonstrated the extent to which modem aeronautical design has left the BN-2 untouched; he simulated pilot incapacitation by slumping forward onto the control column, simultaneously applying full right rudder and bleeding from the ears. The XL, like its predecessor, demonstrated total control rigidity and continued undisturbed.

Power was then reduced to 249 decibels for cruise, and we carried out some comparisons of actual flight performance with graph predictions. At 5000' and ISA, we achieved a vibration amplitude of 500 CPS and 240 decibels, for a fuel flow of 210 lb/hr, making the BN-2 XL the most efficient converter of fuel to noise since the Titan rocket.

Exploring the constant noise-variable speed and constant speed-variable noise concepts, we found that in a VNE dive, vibration reached its design maximum at 1000 CPS, at which point the limiting factor is the emulsification of human tissue. The catatonic condition of long term BN-2 pilots is attributed to this syndrome, which commences in the cerebral cortex and spreads outwards.

We asked Capt. Mulligan what he considered the outstanding features of the XL. He cupped his hand behind his car and shouted. "Whazzat?" We returned to Britten-Norman field convinced that the XL model retains the marque's most memorable features, while showing some significant and worthwhile regressions.

Pilatus/Britten-Norman are however not resting on their laurels. Plans are already advanced for the three-engined Trislander XL, and noise tunnel testing has commenced. The basis of preliminary design and performance specifications is that lift increases as the square of noise, and as the principle of acoustic lift is further developed, a later five-engined vertical takeoff model is another possibility.
 
Pretty much all that's left is the F4U, before Vought bought the company. It has also been featured in a few movies, so I'm sure yall can spot it out..

Untitled by Jacob Buchanan, on Flickr

I'm not sure what you're saying here, I seem to be missing some context, especially since this is a P-51 Mustang.

All of these are home built aircraft...

Untitled by Jacob Buchanan, on Flickr


Team AeroDynamix, known as Team RV when I saw them in 2012 and 2014. They fly in the night show, and it's pretty cool! This is from last year:
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After being rained out from a proper view of the Blues show we thought about driving down for that. Now that I see a chance of a thunderstorm on both days, that's not happening :(

Friday actually looks pretty good, "periods of sunny and cloudy, and humid," so hoping for some good vapor. Saturday, may be kinda iffy.
 
Was browsing /r/aviation and saw a post talking about what might be the ugliest plane around. OP suggested the Britten-Norman Trislander.



The yellow Tin shed planes... awwww... takes me back.. I used to go spotting at Jersey Airport when I was little and we went on Holiday there.
 
China has made a commercial jet...I repeat...China has made a commercial jet. The Comac C919.
BBmIxRk.img

I feel frightened at the thought of being in that thing. :scared:

It's a pretty well engineered plane and uses foreign avionics / engines. Comac is state owned and funded and you can bet when the government is involved they wouldn't want something which is going to fall out of the skies and they wouldn't scrimpt on development funding. It's probably much safer than older Airbus and Boeing models flying right now.
 
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I'm not sure what you're saying here, I seem to be missing some context, especially since this is a P-51 Mustang.




Team AeroDynamix, known as Team RV when I saw them in 2012 and 2014. They fly in the night show, and it's pretty cool! This is from last year:
22731293532_360dd13da9_o.jpg





Friday actually looks pretty good, "periods of sunny and cloudy, and humid," so hoping for some good vapor. Saturday, may be kinda iffy.
*all that's left (to edit and upload.

Sorry for that.
 
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