The General Airplane Thread

[Venom800tt]

I'd rather say it's due to the fact it's the single most expensive aircraft per hour to fly ever made...

No, it really was the F-35 that killed the F-22. At the time the budget couldn't afford both the production of more F-22's and the waaaaay over budget F-35 development. There was also political pressure to kill the F-22, due to the perceived lack of any real competition from Russia and China at the time. Many politicians questioned why build more of these "super fighters" if F-15's and F-16's can kill most other Russian/Chinese designs. Of course, the decision to terminate production was before we knew the full extent of Chinese low observable fighter development.

*EDIT*
Also the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan helped kill the F-22, since politicians figured most future wars will be similar to those two conflicts.

 

[Exorcet]

Plus, how many F15s have been shot down?

The F-15 has never gone up against a plane that was meant to destroy it. The closest have been out of date MiG-29's. It's a good plane, but it's zero loss record is basically luck. I think both in terms of absolute and relative performance, the F-22 is a better fighter. The F-35 doesn't measure up in some raw performance figures, but the F-15 likely doesn't stand a chance against it.

 

[wfooshee]

since politicians figured most future wars will be similar to those two conflicts.

Just as after WWII, most politicians figured all future wars would be nuclear. Damn, those guys are good at foresight!

The F-15 has never gone up against a plane that was meant to destroy it.

Which is astonishing since it's been in service for FORTY YEARS! And yet, the Mig-29 (and the SU-27) came about specifically to keep pace with the F-14 and -15. I'm not sure how that's not "meant to destroy it."

 

[Exorcet]

The forty year period over which the plane served included the fall of the USSR, which is one of the things that contributed to its success. It never faced any variant of the Su-27 (never defeated in air combat), and all the MiG-29's were export models that sometimes lacked support from IADS. The Flanker would have been a good test. Even though the MiG was 4th gen, it wasn't a heavy air superiority fighter and it would always be at a disadvantage to the F-15 initially, unless maybe visual RoE was in place. The Su-27 has the avionics and endurance to more closely match the F-15.

The F-15 is also not the same plane it was 40 years ago at all. You could look back to 1984 when the C was introduced to find find something sort of close to what is flying now, but even that plane would be completely outdated today with the introduction of active missiles like AMRAAM which the F-15 was only equipped with in the 90's. These earlier planes were also the ones that claimed most of the F-15's kills if I recall, so the record was established when it was ~20 years old and much better upgraded than all its opponents. It's a similar story for most of the teen series fighters, so they all have great looking records, but I don't think those records can be compared to those of the P-51, F-86, F-4, etc.

It's not that the F-15 is a bad plane, but its combat record isn't only down to its capability as a fighter.

 

[Keef]

That's just Imgur and/or the gifv format doing something stupid. It's not a long gif. You can right-click it and toggle "Loop" but that's not even working for me. *golf clap*

Try a direct link:

edit: it's still exactly the same lol. The gifv format sucks

The uploader did something dumb to it. Gifv works perfectly fine.

In order to make it loop, you have to right click and choose "loop" while it's still playing. I don't know what they uploader did to it but they didn't do it right.

 

[Carlos]

Speaking of F-35, it's coming to the Netherlands in a couple of months. Tempted to go see. It'll be here for a month or so and they say it's coming to the air show too.

But... It's ugly and I have enough chances the coming 20 years to photograph it.

 

[Dan]

Speaking of F-35, it's coming to the Netherlands in a couple of months. Tempted to go see. It'll be here for a month or so and they say it's coming to the air show too.

But... It's ugly and I have enough chances the coming 20 years to photograph it.

But you'll be one of the first to photograph it in the Netherlands!

-----------------------------

Just something funny I saw on twitter today. Never looked at the intakes before like this.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

But you'll be one of the first to photograph it in the Netherlands!

-----------------------------

Just something funny I saw on twitter today. Never looked at the intakes before like this.

I need that model. Anyone have any clues on who makes them, the details are quite beautiful on the B-2, and yeah the intakes making ghost like faces from Mario is funny. Never looked at them like that either.

 

[Dan]

I just love the B-2. Northrop Grumman is such an amazing company because they have the power to make things that shouldn't be able to fly, or extremely difficult to maintain stable flight. Riding in a B-2 is at the top of my bucket list.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Who remembers this?

If you have a guitar to take on a plane to your next gig, don't fly United.

 

[Carlos]

I need that model. Anyone have any clues on who makes them, the details are quite beautiful on the B-2, and yeah the intakes making ghost like faces from Mario is funny. Never looked at them like that either.

Not sure if it is the same but it looks pretty decent. Not a very high price on eBay!
http://www.herpa.de/collect/(S(53wj...productid=554848&express=1&thumb=1&lang=en-GB

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Not sure if it is the same but it looks pretty decent. Not a very high price on eBay!
http://www.herpa.de/collect/(S(53wj...productid=554848&express=1&thumb=1&lang=en-GB

Good find, wish there were other angles of it.

 

[Carlos]

 

[GregTheStig]

Mon Dieu!

Rafale ready to launch off Charles de Gaulle.

 

[Exorcet]

B-21 reveal

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/26/polit...mage-long-range-strike-bomber-b-21/index.html

 

[Dan]

B-21 reveal

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/26/polit...mage-long-range-strike-bomber-b-21/index.html

I'm so excited. I wonder what the actual name will be.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I feel aircraft are going to just make evolutions at this stage for a while, and not actual revolutions.

 

[Dan]

I feel aircraft are going to just make evolutions at this stage for a while, and not actual revolutions.

I see what you mean. It's still interesting that we've got a new flying wing coming now, and it's going to bring new technology to the table. If it didn't, then there's no reason to build a new plane.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I see what you mean. It's still interesting that we've got a new flying wing coming now, and it's going to bring new technology to the table. If it didn't, then there's no reason to build a new plane.

Oh it will bring new tech I agree, if it didn't I wouldn't be betting my working career on this field.

 

[Swagger897]

Well I got to do some flying again today with my friend. Still in the same 172 I showed pictures of earlier, but this time I got to do almost all of the flying.

Landings are.... Well, landings are best done when one person has control of both the throttle and the control surfaces. I'm not sure why I didn't ask, but we did about 6 attempts, 2 go-arounds, 4 landings, 1 of them was terrible, 1 was meh, 2 were okay.

But yeah, cutting my throttle off and then pushing it all the way in isn't the best descent on super-short final. He's more of one to go by the books and stall it right over the marks, but I'd rather hold speed from the threshold all the way down and cut it off at 5 feet and glide the rest. Over all though, FSX (and all other flight sims) has(have) nothing, absolutely nothing, along with all the weather addons, and detailed aircraft you can think of to represent what it's actually like. A racing simulator is truly the closest thing to reality I've compared (well, maybe a ship, and train simulator too, but those are quite dull) that actually represents reality. There is no feel in FS, while in something like GT6, I can 'feel' understeer and oversteer.

 

[Dan]

Well I got to do some flying again today with my friend. Still in the same 172 I showed pictures of earlier, but this time I got to do almost all of the flying.

Landings are.... Well, landings are best done when one person has control of both the throttle and the control surfaces. I'm not sure why I didn't ask, but we did about 6 attempts, 2 go-arounds, 4 landings, 1 of them was terrible, 1 was meh, 2 were okay.

But yeah, cutting my throttle off and then pushing it all the way in isn't the best descent on super-short final. He's more of one to go by the books and stall it right over the marks, but I'd rather hold speed from the threshold all the way down and cut it off at 5 feet and glide the rest. Over all though, FSX (and all other flight sims) has(have) nothing, absolutely nothing, along with all the weather addons, and detailed aircraft you can think of to represent what it's actually like. A racing simulator is truly the closest thing to reality I've compared (well, maybe a ship, and train simulator too, but those are quite dull) that actually represents reality. There is no feel in FS, while in something like GT6, I can 'feel' understeer and oversteer.

Have you ever used a professional, full-motion simulator? You know, the ones that look like sheds on hydraulic pipes.

 

[Swagger897]

Have you ever used a professional, full-motion simulator? You know, the ones that look like sheds on hydraulic pipes.

Actually two weeks ago I did. Played with a 777, 738 and a 764 for about two hours.

But I'm talking about light aircraft. Those simulators are meant to train pilots that can transition from them, into the real thing without even knowing.

 

[Carlos]

Well I got to do some flying again today with my friend. Still in the same 172 I showed pictures of earlier, but this time I got to do almost all of the flying.

Landings are.... Well, landings are best done when one person has control of both the throttle and the control surfaces. I'm not sure why I didn't ask, but we did about 6 attempts, 2 go-arounds, 4 landings, 1 of them was terrible, 1 was meh, 2 were okay.

But yeah, cutting my throttle off and then pushing it all the way in isn't the best descent on super-short final. He's more of one to go by the books and stall it right over the marks, but I'd rather hold speed from the threshold all the way down and cut it off at 5 feet and glide the rest. Over all though, FSX (and all other flight sims) has(have) nothing, absolutely nothing, along with all the weather addons, and detailed aircraft you can think of to represent what it's actually like. A racing simulator is truly the closest thing to reality I've compared (well, maybe a ship, and train simulator too, but those are quite dull) that actually represents reality. There is no feel in FS, while in something like GT6, I can 'feel' understeer and oversteer.

It's a shame no big jets or small props are in DCS because I have the feeling the weather is pretty realistic.. I've only flown a plane myself once though so I could be horribly wrong (Example)

Any chance you get yourself a GoPro or something so we can witness you practicing?

 

[Swagger897]

It's a shame no big jets or small props are in DCS because I have the feeling the weather is pretty realistic.. I've only flown a plane myself once though so I could be horribly wrong (Example)

Any chance you get yourself a GoPro or something so we can witness you practicing?

Yeah the first time I went I had it on a GoPro from my sister but she had a corrupt card, so not all of it came out too well.

I'll see what I can upload though..

 

[ScottPuss20]

My brother had the bright idea of going plane spotting yesterday at Melbourne Airport, and we ended up seeing quite a lot actually. From the usual QANTAS and Virgin Australia 737's along with Jetstar's A320's and A321's to an ETIHAD 777-300. A few more interesting spots included a blue and yellow Saab 340 (which I assume is an ex-Regional Express plane), a Virgin Australia ATR-72, an Emirates A380, Thai Airways 777-200, Cathay Pacific A330-300, Malaysia Airlines A330-300, 3 Jetstar 787-8's (one took off, one was in maintenance and one was parked) an Emirates 777-300, Singapore Airlines 777-300 and 2 QANTAS A330-200's.

 

[Swagger897]

I mean... I live near the world's busiest airport... And they don't even have the decency to make a spotters pad..

THE WORLD'S, FRICKIN, BUSIEST AIRPORT...

Edit:
I'm preparing to make a video of my first flight in the right seat, should have that on YouTube sometime tomorrow (well today I guess) morning, and we'll see how long it takes to process before being released..

edit 2:

Seems like it didn't work out too good.. So I'll upload videos individually..

 

[unit-one]

B-21 reveal

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/26/polit...mage-long-range-strike-bomber-b-21/index.html

Aw, so we'll see the working one somewhere in 2020?

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Aw, so we'll see the working one somewhere in 2020?

Or sooner, considering something was flying in Texas. The military released render of a flying wing that look in shape to the B-2, but aren't the B-2. And what was seen in Texas was a flying wing with record logs not belonging to a B-2 they tried to pass it off as. So yeah official pictures may come around 2018-2020, but unidentified and plane spotting may be seen now and between then due to aviator buffs knowing what to look for.

 

[Swagger897]

Part 1 of about 6... Depending if they all turn out good.

I haven't watched the whole video in a while so if it's corrupted in any way please tell.

 

[gnomefromnome]

Don't remember if this was posted