All Things Aviation Related

[john70t]

https://thefactsource.com/concrete-arrows-in-american-desert-airmail-beacons/
Horse express, railroad mail, and finally airmail

The vast distance between America’s Atlantic and Pacific coast was covered first by horse-mounted riders relaying the mail. The 1860 Pony Express was advertised to take only 10 days from coast to coast. This time was decreased by railroad in late 1800s.

But introduction of airmail changed everything. Airplanes were much faster than railroad, but still relatively slow back in 1920s. Airco DH.4 was a typical airmail machine, and its maximum speed was 143 mph (230 km/h). Airplanes could travel only in daylight. These were times long before GPS and satellite navigation. It was only 20 years after Wright Brothers’ maiden flight, but aircraft were already commonly used for mail delivery.

[john70t]

[harvardma]

[edgemar]

[Tobra]

Sorry if a repost Tex and the 707 demonstration flight

[Brown747]

First flight of the Raptor. Overheating and stability issues.

https://youtu.be/_H9a2tGDaHE

[dar636]

Longitudinal stability looked pretty poor on that test flight. It wouldn't have taken much to get behind those oscillations. I hope the test pilot was well paid, I think he earned it.

[john70t]

Two runner-ups to the F-22 Raptor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_YF-23

[jcwade]

[Racerbvd]

[Rednine11]

Originally Posted by jcwade

is that a B36

[oldE]

Spruce Goose. B 36 had three pusher props on each wing along with an additional jet.

Best
Les

[tcar]

Originally Posted by oldE

Spruce Goose. B 36 had three pusher props on each wing along with an additional jet.

Best
Les

With an additional PAIR of jets.... on each wing.

6 turnin'and four burnin', as they say.

[doug_porsche]

I got to see the Spruce Goose when it was down in Long Beach.
It is definitely a machine with a presence.
When you went into the dome, it was almost church like quiet inside.
When you got to go into the pane and see all the wood, (I recall them looking like 2 x 4’s, but I am probably wrong), it gave you the impression of an airplane built out of matchsticks, by the Jolly Green Giant.

There was a number of Hughes airplanes on display, the one that was built with flush rivets was memorable, but was literally overshadowed by the Goose.

[fanaudical]

The Goose's current museum in McMinnville, OR is nice and you get good access to the plane. The thing is so huge it's impossible to find a place to see it all at once within the building.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by john70t

Two runner-ups to the F-22 Raptor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_YF-23

what do you mean, two runner ups.. it was a 2 plane competition
1 YF22
2 Runner up .. YF23
3 Runner up doesn't exist.

[KNS]

B-2 and B-21

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by svandamme

what do you mean, two runner ups.. it was a 2 plane competition
1 YF22
2 Runner up .. YF23
3 Runner up doesn't exist.

There was supposedly a YF-24, not pictured. Lots of rumor and conjecture but also a decent amount of evidence it exists.

Why did the YF-23 lose? Marketing. And this is a good video.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by flipper35

There was supposedly a YF-24, not pictured. Lots of rumor and conjecture but also a decent amount of evidence it exists.

Navy fly-off?

The fighter fly-off that never was. Lockheed Martin YF-24 vs. Northrop YF-25.
https://twitter.com/classicnavalair/status/503332975229304833

[edgemar]