Airplane Porn (and the occasional helicopter)

[J-Luis]

Yes, the Super Guppy was based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter (the military version of the Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser). It featured a lengthened and widened fuselage with a detachable rear section for loading cargo. It was used to transport the first stage of the Saturn V rocket during the Apollo program.

[J-Luis]

In January 1968, the Saturn V S-IVB stage that housed the orbital workshop, which was renamed Skylab, was unloaded from the Super Guppy at Redstone Airfield in Huntsville, Alabama. 

 

It doesn't look like it's gonna make it. 

[J-Luis]

A2D Skyshark

[Cardinal Grammeter]

This is probably a repost.  But every now and then....

 

Edited August 8, 2025 by Cardinal Grammeter

[Jesse C.]

14 hours ago, J-Luis said:

A2D Skyshark

 

This beast is currently parked at the San Diego Air and Space Museum Annex at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, CA and it is huge! 

[ggzilla]

i don't remember reading about this plane. Most have been post-WWI what with its high-perf contra-rotating propellers?

On 8/7/2025 at 4:09 PM, J-Luis said:

A2D Skyshark

[ggzilla]

OK, so how'd they land it on a postage stamp, was there a lot of headwind or something?

On 4/10/2025 at 3:42 PM, J-Luis said:

[J-Luis]

The Internet says the first flight was in 1950, so the jet age doomed it.

A2D top speed in 1950: 500 mph. MiG-15 top speed in 1948: 669 mph. 

Also, the A2D that Jesse C. described in El Cajon appears to be the last one, only one left. 

[Cardinal Grammeter]

How did the Bear bomber muster 575 mph from turbo props?  More jet thrust?

[Z23T]

On 8/11/2025 at 4:19 PM, ggzilla said:

OK, so how'd they land it on a postage stamp, was there a lot of headwind or something?

 

Link to the company that built the plane, and a bunch of videos about it.

 

https://cubcrafters.com/redbull

 

[a.d._510_n_ok]

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Occurred to me using military tech could probably target all cars >x mph on a road.

[J-Luis]

The Texan is a truly versatile machine.

[a.d._510_n_ok]

[J-Luis]

Heck of a salvage operation going on there. 

[J-Luis]

H-13 Sioux 

[a.d._510_n_ok]

yo dawg! I heard you liked.....

[J-Luis]

XR-8 Kellett

[Cardinal Grammeter]

2 hours ago, J-Luis said:

XR-8 Kellett

So many funny things come to mine, but.... how 'bout named "The Bug"?

[Cardinal Grammeter]

On 9/13/2025 at 9:07 PM, a.d._510_n_ok said:

yo dawg! I heard you liked.....

Wow, just like German where they create new words by stringing them together.  Submarine is das Unterseeboot

[Cardinal Grammeter]

On 8/12/2025 at 8:42 PM, J-Luis said:

The Internet says the first flight was in 1950, so the jet age doomed it.

A2D top speed in 1950: 500 mph. MiG-15 top speed in 1948: 669 mph. 

Also, the A2D that Jesse C. described in El Cajon appears to be the last one, only one left. 

Wonder if any Plane Guys dreamt of this at the Reno Air Races

[J-Luis]

F5D Skylancer. I believe Evergreen in Oregon has one. 

[J-Luis]

Tomcat loaded onto USS Enterprise CVN-80... I mean CVN-65.

[J-Luis]

F-22 Raptor plant in 1957... or not.

[Jesse C.]

On 9/13/2025 at 6:07 PM, a.d._510_n_ok said:

yo dawg! I heard you liked.....

 

Cool "What If?" image. They could barely keep the 262 flying, much less a Mistel setup. 

 

Conventional was the only ones that worked.