Airplane Porn (and the occasional helicopter)

[Jesse C.]

The Gee Bee got a bad rep as a pilot killer due to pilots with not much experience in powerful aircraft. The plane was designed and built to win races and break records. It was Jimmy Doolittle who tamed it and proved that in the right hands it was a good plane and a winner. 

 

None of the originals survived

[VFR800]

[paradime]

The Gee Bee got a bad rep as a pilot killer due to pilots with not much experience in powerful aircraft. The plane was designed and built to win races and break records. It was Jimmy Doolittle who tamed it and proved that in the right hands it was a good plane and a winner. 

 

None of the originals survived

 

There's good reason the GB had a bad rep, it was stable to a point, but once that point was crossed it was over. It didn't have enough control surface to overcome a mistake, but the designers at Granville Brothers Aircrafts made many sacrifices to minimize drag. Keep in mind the Gee Bee is under 18 feet long front to back. That's shorter than a Cadillac Eldorado two door Coupe.

 

Although the wings are tiny, the fuselage itself actually provides positive lift. There are guys who have modified the control surfaces and use this things as stunt planes, so that says something about the inherent stability of it's design. Check this shit out.

 

 

http://youtu.be/puZDmj2QuX8?t=1m32s

[]2eDeYe]

Like this one Figbuck? I live near jblm (McCord air base) and see p-3's pretty frequently flying around, and the just stationed some Osprey and Apaches which are cook to see.

 

 

Got to climb around in a few of these as a kid, as well as a few DC-9s. Being a Navy brat had it's perks. Got to go to a ton of air shows as well.   :)

 

 

 

The pregnant Guppy. Nothing sexy about this plane except the payload. It carried sections of the Atlas rockets to cape Canaveral during the moon missions. This thing would fly out of the San Diego airport when I was a kid. It looked like there was no fucking way it could be flying, but somehow it did. Very unsettling.

 

 

 

 

I like this one better. Everytime I see it taking off I think "Holy Shit, that thing has lift!?"   :lol:

I might be biased though as I got to see it a few times while it was being built. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These I am pretty familiar with as well, got to sit in a few and they were always flying over my back yard on Whidbey. Some Nimbys moved to Whidbey recently and have been complaining about the noise, wtf the aircraft were there first? 

 

 

 

 

 

Deception Pass is a pretty sweet photo-op for those Navy guys. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I would have had a decent camera back on Whidbey. The planes flew low over my house, even had a Blue Angel wave at me as they passed over inverted. I live by the Arlington airport now and get to see all kinds of cool planes fly over, but I need a better camera to get pics. 

 

I only ever get to see them on the ground through the fence. I really need to make time for the Fly-In one of these times. 

 

 

 

 

[Ranman72]

^^^^^ put some wheels on that thing 

LOL :devil:  :devil:

[Z-train]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ehwvZXVKmPU

[paradime]

I grew up in a house that overlooked the San Diego Airport, Coronado Naval Air Station, and the San Diego Naval (Carrier) Ship yard. 10 mile South was Air Force Brown Field, 10 miles North was MIramar NAS (the actual F14 Top Gun school). My best friend's name was and still is Frank Lindsay Lawler. Named after his Grandfather, one of the original Flying Tigers. My neighbor John Lupton Sr. served on the USS Hornet as a plain mechanic in WW2, so I was absolutely surrounded by aviation royalty. I had no option but to be a plane nut. I've seen some serious hardware over the years.

 

 

 

 

The planes flew low over my house, even had a Blue Angel wave at me as they passed over inverted. I live by the Arlington airport now and get to see all kinds of cool planes fly over,

 

 

I moved to San Francisco in the late 80's and lived in North Beach. Every year during Fleet Week the Blue Angels did their show over the bay, so we'd go on the roof of our Apt building to watch it. I'd seen the Angels many times in SD, but this was the Best damn seats I ever had. Those F18s would bank hard left screaming right over our heads ripping a huge hole in the sky as the came back to the bay. Fucking orgasmic sound.

 

]2eDeYe If you haven't seen this movie, you must. Best plane scene ever.

 

[paradime]

Corsair Bad Assery Whistling Death.

 

Turn this up oh my brothers.

 

[Z-train]

Trivia time: First prop driven aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight?

[wayno]

I cheated, I searched your sentence, it was the first thing that came up in the search. :lol:

So I will let someone else guess. :)

[paradime]

Unofficial was the Thunderbolt XP-47, but when I searched it said the f-80, so?

[DanielC]

Without searching.

Mustang P-51, or "Goodyear" Corsair.  Some Corsairs has a two row radial engine.  These had a three blade propeller.  The "Goodyear" corsairs had a four row radial engine, and a four blade propeller 

[wayno]

F80 is a jet, he said prop driven.

 

This statement taken from my search doesn't say unofficial, it just says,

 

"The XP-47J -- First conventional propeller-driven airplane to exceed 500 mph in level flight."

 

I got the statement from this link.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seabee.info%2Fseabee_history_racac.htm&ei=lPoMVPiYHaaKjAKimoHAAg&usg=AFQjCNEvcVLELFkEFkFW7MdrXbRBKn9Stg&sig2=cmZNrW1T-GwUvhQHeEectw

[Z-train]

Yes,It was the "Jug"(505 MPH).That variant was being designed to chase down "Buzzbombs"(V-1s).No Mustang or Corsair went over 500 MPH in level flight during the war.

[KiloTango1200]

There's good reason the GB had a bad rep, it was stable to a point, but once that point was crossed it was over. It didn't have enough control surface to overcome a mistake, but the designers at Granville Brothers Aircrafts made many sacrifices to minimize drag. Keep in mind the Gee Bee is under 18 feet long front to back. That's shorter than a Cadillac Eldorado two door Coupe.

 

Although the wings are tiny, the fuselage itself actually provides positive lift. There are guys who have modified the control surfaces and use this things as stunt planes, so that says something about the inherent stability of it's design. Check this shit out.

 

 

http://youtu.be/puZDmj2QuX8?t=1m32s

What an awesome video. I was stunned that this thing could make long knife edge passes down the runway. It shouldn't be able to do that. It has a tiny vertical stabilizer and rudder and a mostly round fuselage. The landing gear fairings help, but this is all horsepower. A huge ass engine hooked to a huge ass propeller dragging everything else along behind it. I have done knife edge passes in a 2 place Pitts, really sloppy ones in a Decathlon, and really long nice ones in a T-38 simulator at Sheppard AFB, but I would never attempt to fly a Gee Bee, much less do what the did. This dude is AWESOME!!! And possibly has a Death Wish.

[KiloTango1200]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ehwvZXVKmPU

Save the first Air Force One!!!!

[red13]

so were starting trivia questions.  then answer this one.

First reciprocating/piston driven aircraft to set world altitude record of 67,028 ft.

[wayno]

Answer  Boeing Condor :)

[KiloTango1200]

 

That G35 is smoking hot!

[KiloTango1200]

Group picture of the "Greatest Generation". We have a long ways to go, to live up to their sacrifice and accomplishments. Old guys Kick Ass!!!

[paradime]

True Dat^^^

 

 

Seriously, would you trust that at 67k alt. That thing couldn't go faster than 150 mph at sea level, or it'd start wing oscillation like a condor. 

[Jesse C.]

Strap in and have fun! 

 

[Jesse C.]

World only all original flying Focke Wulf 190. This is one bad "Butcher Bird"! 

 

Hard to believe she survived in the woods in Russia since it was shot down until it was found in the 80's almost totally intact. Only missing the canopy and the clock. Pilots head gear was found neatly folded on the seat!! 

 

[wayno]

True Dat^^^

 

 

Seriously, would you trust that at 67k alt. That thing couldn't go faster than 150 mph at sea level, or it'd start wing oscillation like a condor. 

No human had to trust it, it's an unmanned aircraft, top speed is 233mph, it has a 200 foot wingspan, it's a spy plane.

[KiloTango1200]

Strap in and have fun! 

 

A Jimmy Buffet et al concert combined with an airshow. What could be better???