~ awesome aircraft thread ~

[Dman979]

You forgot the best F-4 pic:

[zxczxczbfg]

My favorite is the relatively unknown Heinkel He 100/113.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_100

Nobody really knows why it didn't replace the Bf-109, though there are a few credible theories.

[StrandedonEarth]

You forgot the best F-4 pic:

http://www.phantom-photo-fixers.com/uploads/1/8/2/9/18295093/4323166.jpg

LOL Calvin rocks! I was going to follow up with SPaceMan Spiff's ship, but it doesn't really belong in this thread.... *runs off to another thread*

[Red Iron Crown]

Interesting loadout on this one. It's obviously a Wild Weasel for SEAD work, but has four different missile types: HARM, Maverick, Standard ARM, Shrike from top to bottom.

And for my pic, here's an unusual bird meant to replace helicopters in low speed observation, the Edgely Optica:

Look at that cabin and ducted fan!

[CelticCossack51]

http://www.steenaero.com/Files/Articles/sport_av_1998-12_eaa_honors_aviations_greats_pitts_8.jpg

Thinking about this one today because I'm trying something similar; a circumnavigation by glider with no control surfaces. I'm almost on day 6...

Best,

-Slashy

No wonder where the Albatross 3 came from.

[Hunting.Targ]

Orthographically projected diagram of the P-51D Mustang

Specifications (P-51D Mustang)

Data from Erection and Maintenance Manual for P-51D and P-51K.^[103] The Great Book of Fighters,^[104] and Quest for Performance^[105]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
  
• Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
  
• Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
  
• Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4.08 m:tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade.)
  
• Wing area: 235 sq ft (21.83 m²)
  
• Empty weight: 7,635 lb (3,465 kg)
  
• Loaded weight: 9,200 lb (4,175 kg)
  
• Max. takeoff weight: 12,100 lb (5,490 kg)
  
• Powerplant: 1 × Packard V-1650-7 liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490 hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm;^[106] 1,720 hp (1,282 kW) at WEP
  
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0163
  
• Drag area: 3.80 sqft (0.35 m²)
  
• Aspect ratio: 5.83
  

Performance

• Maximum speed: 437 mph (380 kn, 703 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
  
• Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)
  
• Stall speed: 100 mph (87 kn, 160 km/h)
  
• Range: 1,650 mi (1,434 nmi, 2,755 km) with external tanks
  
• Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)
  
• Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)
  
• Wing loading: 39 lb/sqft (192 kg/m²)
  
• Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)
  
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6
  
• Recommended Mach limit 0.8
  

Armament

• 6× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns with 1,880 total rounds (400 rounds for each on the inner pair, and 270 rounds for each of the outer two pair)
  
• 2× hardpoints for up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs
  
• 6 or 10× T64 5.0 in (127 mm) H.V.A.R rockets (P-51D-25, P-51K-10 on)
  

One of the fastest, most powerful single-engine propeller planes ever manufactured, along with the Corsair and the Zero. Featured in the films The Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails, and Empire of the Sun.

[Hunting.Targ]

ALSO:

The XB-70 Valkyrie

Designed as a supersonic strategic bomber in the 1950s-'60s using advanced engineering and construction techniques, its mission profile became obsolete with the advent of Surface-to-Air Missiles. The two prototypes were used jointly by the U.S. Air Force and NASA for aerodynamic research.

4nOkkBSA

This is more than an airframe to me; it is engineering art.

[volcanicshrimp]

The Dornier Do X:

It's basically a boat with wings. It's also the only aircraft which I could think of that hasn't been mentioned on this list.

Edited August 14, 2015 by volcanicshrimp

[Pixel of Life]

Grumman F8F Bearcat "Rare Bear". The fastest piston prop aircraft ever built.

[gmpd2000]

I've made a form for this thread!

Clicky here!

[LN400]

Seeing this is about aircrafts and not airplanes exclusive, I'll have to point to the grand old lady, the Aérospatiale Alouette II, first production line gas turbine helicopter, former holder of the world speed record, the modified version, the SA-315B until recently held the absolute altitude record for helicopters (as well as the world record in autorotation which it still holds). It's been a workhorse throughout the world, seeing numerous versions/variants/upgrades and it's a crime against the history of aviation all Alous are going to be grounded in a few years.

[StrandedonEarth]

Is that the same chopper they used in the old TV show M*A*S*H? Or is it just similar-looking?

[LN400]

That would be the venerable veteran Bell-47 but if you ask me, the Alou is everything the 47 wanted to be Sleek, ...., meaning business. Ok so I can't really take anything away from the 47, it has earned its place in history but the Alou... I'm drooling here haha

EDIT: On the rotary theme, an engineering feat of magnitude, the Mi-26, the world's largest production line helicopter, here side by side a Jet Ranger for comparison.

(From Wikipedia/Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2003–2004)

General characteristics

• Crew: Five: 2 pilots, 1 navigator, 1 flight engineer, 1 flight technician
  
• Capacity:
  
  • 90 troops or 60 stretchers
    
  • 20,000 kg cargo (44,090 lb)
    

  [*]Length: 40.025 m (131 ft 3¾ in) (rotors turning)

  [*]Rotor diameter: 32.00 m (105 ft 0 in)

  [*]Height: 8.145 m (26 ft 8¾ in)

  [*]Disc area: 804.25 m² (8,656.8 ft²)

  [*]Empty weight: 28,200 kg (62,170 lb)

  [*]Loaded weight: 49,600 kg (109,350 lb)

  [*]Max. takeoff weight: 56,000 kg (123,450 lb)

  [*]Powerplant: 2 × Lotarev D-136 turboshafts, 8,500 kW (11,399 shp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 295 km/h (159 kt, 183 mph)
  
• Cruise speed: 255 km/h (137 kt, 158 mph)
  
• Range: 1,920 km (1,036 nmi, 1,190 mi) (with auxiliary tanks)
  
• Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
  

Edited September 3, 2015 by LN400

[BlueCanary]

all Alous are going to be grounded in a few years

Wait what? Why? That sucks, they've been flying 57 years, what's changed now? My granddad used to fly them at some point.

I'm stuck between the Sea Vixen, Hawker Hunter, Sea Fury and P-47 Thunderbolt. Sea Vixen and Sea Fury because I just think they're cool, Hawker Hunter because my granddad said it was his favourite to fly, P-47 because it just kept going whatever happened. Kind of like a flying Toyota Hilux. Apparently they would come back to base with pistons flapping around in the air where cylinders used to be, half a wing still in France, various liquids streaming out of places,

[LN400]

Wait what? Why? That sucks, they've been flying 57 years, what's changed now? My granddad used to fly them at some point.

Your granddad was a lucky guy who got to fly them. Unfortunately, it's getting old but what's worse, the spares production ended long ago and the lack of trained technicians and even worse, the lack of documentation on Alous and lack of documentation on the few spares that are available, in certain parts of the world made Eurocopter, now Airbus to call it quits for all Alous and Lamas worldwide. Last flights will be some time around 2020.

[FishInferno]

The Eurocopter AS350 "Squirrel", the only helicopter to ever land on the top of Mount Everest.

[LN400]

The Eurocopter AS350 "Squirrel", the only helicopter to ever land on the top of Mount Everest.

No matter how I can't really like the outer appearance of the squirrel, it is one of the most reliable designs out there. Incidentally it is also the heli that holds the new altitude record!

[FishInferno]

No matter how I can't really like the outer appearance of the squirrel, it is one of the most reliable designs out there. Incidentally it is also the heli that holds the new altitude record!

It does look more attractive with a white/red paint scheme, but I have to say I like the overall design. Rounded, sleek, and tri-bladed

[Flymetothemun]

That and the max airspeed definitely goes all the way to 11.

Fun Fact: The Blackbird, at it's highest speed, couldn't be hit by ICBMs or Antiaircraft missile simply because it went too fast for any missile or ICBM.

[LN400]

Another classic and back to fixed wings: The DeHavilland Mosquito, the Wooden Wonder, the Finest Piece Of Furniture ever to come out of the UK.

[Red Iron Crown]

Fun Fact: The Blackbird, at it's highest speed, couldn't be hit by ICBMs or Antiaircraft missile simply because it went too fast for any missile or ICBM.

That was briefly true, but the US quickly put an end to SR-71 missions over the USSR when they demonstrated SAMs that could catch it. They didn't want another Gary Powers-type international incident.

A pic in every post, have a supersonic VTOL prototype, the XFV-12A:

[FishInferno]

Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO code name : Bear)

575 mph, 9,400 mile range, 4 Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprops (the most powerful turboprop ever built). A menacing icon of the Cold War - can still be found skulking around the airspace of western nations.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Russian_Bear_%27H%27_Aircraft_MOD_45158140.jpg/1024px-Russian_Bear_%27H%27_Aircraft_MOD_45158140.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Tupolev_Tu-95_Marina.jpg/1024px-Tupolev_Tu-95_Marina.jpg

Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees KSP nosecones on the propellers.

[Nemrav]

The successful and innovating Canadian predecessor of the osprey that didn't get produced because nobody thought that a prop craft was useful anymore and others said "not invented here"

CL-84 dynavert

Edited September 4, 2015 by Nemrav

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Actually flew in one of these:

(Quite likely this one)

- - - Updated - - -

Page 6 and still no SR-71? Let me remedy that:

http://quackpot.com/albums/album21/sr71.jpg

Iconic, unique, purposeful. It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none.*

*Not sure if this crowd is old enough to get that reference.

YES! THE BLACKBIRD!

Also:

And:

[GoSlash27]

Best,
-Slashy