[3798j]

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[3.0L]

Originally Posted by 3798j

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My son had the opportunity to chat with a fellow who flew the B-58. He said
the B-58 had an insane amount of power.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by 3798j

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Let's do the math here:

116 B-58's manufactured.

Operational for just under ten years.

16 lost in accidents.

22.4% accident rate.

Not.... exactly a warm fuzzy if you're one of the guys driving this beast.

On the plus side? The thing could sustain Mach 2 at 50,000' and when lightweight, could climb at close to forty six THOUSAND feet a minute.

It had some *definitely* spooky handling characteristics (personally, I'd go with *terrifying*)-- which is what killed a large number of the crews.

Also? Due to cost overruns, the plane was *literally* worth more than its weight in gold (in early 1960's dollars).

That being said-- my father first sat in one while he was in ROTC in college and that's what made him decide to be an Air Force pilot.

.... which influenced my wanting to be an Air Force pilot.

So in a very roundabout way, the B-58 is a little bit responsible for my Air Force and civilian flying careers.

R.

[Llarry]

This close-up of the forward left section of a CF-118A shows a particular feature of this variant: A very bright spotlight that can be used during night interceptions to identify another aircraft. (I think it's also interesting that these land-based fighters have retained the launch bar for aircraft carrier catapult launches on the nose gear.)

When the early F-16As left active-duty service with the USAF, they were modified into air defense fighters for the Air National Guard. Among other modifications was a similar spotlight. Those F-16A ADFs are long gone now.

[Llarry]

Phantom Phriday!

One of the larger users of the F-4 Phantom was South Korea. The Republic of Korea Air Force was an early user of the Phantom when they received 92 ex-USAF F-4Ds and 27 ex-USAF RF-4Cs. These were followed by 103 F-4Es -- a mix of factory-new and ex-USAF.

South Korea's excellent economic development in recent decades, coupled with the threat from the North, has resulted in a state-of-the-art air force; the Phantoms were finally retired in 2004 as the ROKAF modernized.

[M-technik-3]

So Was on a tractor site and was told that New Orleans has opened up a WW II Museum.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

So Was on a tractor site and was told that New Orleans has opened up a WW II Museum.

That was 25 years ago. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/ev...al-wwii-museum

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

That was 25 years ago. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/ev...al-wwii-museum

Sorry I was just relaying what I heard.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

Sorry I was just relaying what I heard.

That's okay. It made me search and I learned something. So, thank you.

[Llarry]

Here's a vintage beauty: Beech Staggerwing. (chef's kiss!)

[Llarry]

The Martin/General Dynamics WB-57F (or RB-57F) is a somewhat mysterious high-altitude heavyweight complement to the Lockheed U-2. While the U-2 performance data is reasonably available, the -57F is credited with a ceiling of "60,000 feet or more." One source says 64,000 feet with 70,000 attainable under some conditions -- likely with a lighter payload.

The aircraft has been around quite a while, first flying in 1963. 21 Martin B-57Bs were modified into RB-57F configuration by General Dynamics. (The Martin B-57 was itself a modified English Electric Canberra bomber.) The modifications were so extensive that it seems to me that a new designation would have been appropriate, but keeping the B-57 designation perhaps kept the highly classified aircraft lower key.

One of the unusual aspects of the RB-57F is the propulsion scheme. The engines are TF33 turbofans -- far larger than the B-57B's engines -- but for some missions a pair of small J60 turbojets could be fitted beneath the wings, providing a slightly higher ceiling.

While the three remaining ostensibly belong to NASA, they do undertake missions for the military on occasion. I suspect that the NASA pilots have impressive security clearances.

The Wikipedia article makes for interesting reading.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin...B-57F_Canberra

[M-technik-3]

Buddy of mine worked on the the EE package they put on those for their deployment to Afghanistan. NASA was flying them looking for rare earth survey but they also had a data collection system and toys out the wazoo. The wiki mentions it. Great use of the old bird in uncontested airspace.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The Martin/General Dynamics WB-57F (or RB-57F) is a somewhat mysterious high-altitude heavyweight complement to the Lockheed U-2. While the U-2 performance data is reasonably available, the -57F is credited with a ceiling of "60,000 feet or more."

The aircraft has been around quite a while, first flying in 1963. 21 Martin B-57Bs were modified into RB-57F configuration by General Dynamics. (The Martin B-57 was itself a modified English Electric Canberra bomber.) The modifications were so extensive that it seems to me that a new designation would have been appropriate, but keeping the B-57 designation perhaps kept the highly classified aircraft lower key.

One of the unusual aspects of the RB-57F is the propulsion scheme. The engines are TF33 turbofans -- far larger than the B-57B's engines -- but for some missions a pair of small J60 turbojets could be fitted beneath the wings, providing a slightly higher ceiling.

While the three remaining ostensibly belong to NASA, they do undertake missions for the military on occasion. I suspect that the NASA pilots have impressive security clearances.

The Wikipedia article makes for interesting reading.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin...B-57F_Canberra

The wing spar structure that wraps around the engines must be interesting.
The Brits were famous for that.

[Llarry]

Myasischev Monday!

This week featuring the Soviet equivalent of the American Boeing 747 space shuttle carrier: The Myasischev VM-T Atlant. Two were built and were used to carry the Buran shuttle and various rocket boosters and large fuel tanks. The VM-T first flew in 1981 and was retired by 1989.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Myasischev Monday!

This week featuring the Soviet equivalent of the American Boeing 747 space shuttle carrier: The Myasischev VM-T Atlant. Two were built and were used to carry the Buran shuttle and various rocket boosters and large fuel tanks. The VM-T first flew in 1981 and was retired by 1989.

Talk about a built-in headwind!

[M-technik-3]

What about a crosswind during landing that thing looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

[Llarry]

It looks like the blended wing body aircraft is well on its way to becoming a reality. The U.S. Air Force started the ball rolling with a US$ 235 million contract with company JetZero to develop their Z4 aircraft. Alaska Airlines chipped in, as has United Airlines; the latter has placed an order for 100 aircraft, with an option for a further 100, if certain milestones are met.

JetZero plans to fly a full-scale demonstrator in 2027 with a goal to enter commercial service in 2030. The commercial version is planned to accommodate up to 250 passengers in various configurations and is projected to fly routes up to 5,000 miles with significantly less fuel consumption. JetZero has also proposed a freight version and a USAF "KZ4" tanker version.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Llarry

It looks like the blended wing body aircraft is well on its way to becoming a reality. The U.S. Air Force started the ball rolling with a US$ 235 million contract with company JetZero to develop their Z4 aircraft. Alaska Airlines chipped in, as has United Airlines; the latter has placed an order for 100 aircraft, with an option for a further 100, if certain milestones are met.

JetZero plans to fly a full-scale demonstrator in 2027 with a goal to enter commercial service in 2030. The commercial version is planned to accommodate up to 250 passengers in various configurations and is projected to fly routes up to 5,000 miles with significantly less fuel consumption. JetZero has also proposed a freight version and a USAF "KZ4" tanker version.

Wonder how many seats will be in a row... I sure wouldn't want a middle seat!

What's the wingspan of that thing?

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Wonder how many seats will be in a row... I sure wouldn't want a middle seat!

I've seen renderings using traditional seats with 15 seats per row and three wide aisles for handicapped access, in a 2-3 | 2-2 | 3-2 layout.

The big selling points are 50% fuel savings, an overhead bin reserved for each seat, and that it will fit into existing airports/gates with no changes needed at every destination.....

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Wonder how many seats will be in a row... I sure wouldn't want a middle seat!

My thoughts exactly!

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by Llarry

It looks like the blended wing body aircraft is well on its way to becoming a reality. The U.S. Air Force started the ball rolling with a US$ 235 million contract with company JetZero to develop their Z4 aircraft. Alaska Airlines chipped in, as has United Airlines; the latter has placed an order for 100 aircraft, with an option for a further 100, if certain milestones are met.

JetZero plans to fly a full-scale demonstrator in 2027 with a goal to enter commercial service in 2030. The commercial version is planned to accommodate up to 250 passengers in various configurations and is projected to fly routes up to 5,000 miles with significantly less fuel consumption. JetZero has also proposed a freight version and a USAF "KZ4" tanker version.

Vaporware, IMHO.

R.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Wonder how many seats will be in a row... I sure wouldn't want a middle seat!

What's the wingspan of that thing?

Company video: https://www.jetzero.aero/