The Airplane Thread

[M-technik-3]

Here's an obscure one, Convair B-32 Dominator. actually saw battle over Japan and was in the last bombing raid prior to Japan surrendering.



None exist anymore so photo's are it. https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/thread...r.45658/page-3

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

Here's an obscure one, Convair B-32 Dominator. actually saw battle over Japan and was in the last bombing raid prior to Japan surrendering.

An early example had a twin tail just like the B-24 Liberator.

More pics: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...HDRSC2&first=1

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

Not true the have one left Admiral Kuznetsov but it's really just a Cruiser that was modified into a Carrier

Thanks for the correction!

[Llarry]

Anyone care to identify these aircraft?

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Anyone care to identify these aircraft?

A Pair of F-32 'Super SLUFs'

Though the X-32 lost the Joint Strike Fighter competition. this image represents a possible 'what if', provided history had gone differently.

[3.0L]

I have a radio control F-22 and it is the easiest to fly among my RC jet fleet. It even does high alfa flight without a whimper.

[chassis]

A330-200 at 30,000 feet.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by chassis

A330-200 at 30,000 feet.

33,000 feet.

[chassis]

A330-200 on final

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

A Pair of F-32 'Super SLUFs'

Though the X-32 lost the Joint Strike Fighter competition. this image represents a possible 'what if', provided history had gone differently.

And I thought the image was unworthy of the "U" in SLUF. However, here's another view that probably deserves the moniker.

And, by the way, I don't think the F-35 qualifies as a beauty queen.

[Llarry]

Russian Navy carrier aircraft -- the Kuznetsov has been in refit now for a number of years; I suspect that the piloting skill of Russian carrier aviators has atrophied somewhat as a result.

The standard carrier combat aircraft was the Sukhoi Su-27K or -33; these are getting old and Moscow has ordered Mig-29K carrier fighters to replace or supplement them, along with a few MiG-29KUB two-seaters for training. The other Russian carrier jet is the Sukhoi Su-25UTG, a carrier-capable training version of the Su-25 that is used for close air support by the Air Force.

The Russian Navy, like all other countries other than the USA and France, has a notable weakness in its carrier capability: airborne early warning. Only the USN and the French Navy have E-2 Hawkeye AEW planes, though the Chinese are developing one. The Russian solution is the Kamov Ka-31 AEW helicopter.

[Llarry]

Speaking of carrier-based airborne early warning systems, as I have said, only the US and France have the excellent fixed-wing E-2 Hawkeye to provide AEW and control of air assets to their task forces. Other navies have made do with helicopters. The Kamov Ka-31 AEW helo pictured above is also in service with the Indian Navy.

The Chinese navy is working on its E-2 clone and has a number of Z-8 AEW helos providing interim coverage.

The Royal Navy has a long history of helicopter-based AEW with the Sea King; they have now transitioned to the Eurocopter 101 known as Merlin Crowsnest in the RN. The large antenna and dome fold for landing and can be folded down once airborne as pictured.

[Llarry]

When the movie 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' was made in the late 1960s, it was deemed necessary to have some aircraft to represent the Japanese Navy of 1941. A tall order, indeed: Japan in 1945 needed all that aluminum badly and there were precious few survivors.

The movie's producers went to considerable lengths to replicate the three main Japanese aircraft involved: the A6M Zero fighter, the B5N torpedo bomber and the D3A dive bomber. U.S. aircraft were modified considerably to resemble the Japanese aircraft. Those movie aircraft still fly today in their role as "Japanese" combat aircraft.

The imitation D3A dive bombers were modified (greatly) from Vultee BT-13 trainers. Here's a comparison of the real thing with the movie plane.

Both the A6M Zero fighter and the B5N torpedo bomber were modified from North American AT-6 trainers. In the case of the B5N, I believe the fuselage was lengthened -- not a trivial modification. Here are the photos. (An actual aerial torpedo would weight a ton or so; I'll bet that fake torpedo weighs 200 lbs max!)

[Jbrown7403]

I won’t fit at 6’3” so someone out there needs to do this and report back.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Jbrown7403

I won’t fit at 6’3” so someone out there needs to do this and report back.

Better wear earplugs!

The Boeing B-29 forward top turret had FOUR .50s, as did the early B-52s's tail position. In both cases, though, the gunner was somewhat removed from the sound and fury. The later B-52s had a 20mm Vulcan cannon which no doubt would throw more lead.

[Lady Jane]

1954 Payen PA-49. "Katy"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payen_Pa_49

[jmg]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

Dayum! Is that what AC units cost these days? I'm pretty sure when we replaced our AC maybe like 2014 or 2015 it was $5k for everything installed. It's not a Trane but still.

I dunno anything about HVAC but personally I would get it fixed. I would not spend all that extra money to replace a practically new unit.

It was $2k for just the condenser around that time for me, and it was the older refrigerant. I had my system just die last summer and the coils were rusted and leaky, the condenser was no longer legally for sale, so I bit the bullet for a whole new system including heat pump, blower, condenser etc. $15k and that was the mid range quote. The big fancy company with the fancy van wanted almost $20k.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. They refilled the refrigerant today. The coils are on backorder. The guy told me I could run the unit however he couldn't diagnose the extent of the leak or know when the refrigerant would 'run out.'

Hopefully the back ordered part arrives soon...complete joke.

Did they run a snake cam up to show you video of what was actually wrong with the coils?

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by jmg

Did they run a snake cam up to show you video of what was actually wrong with the coils?

No they did not.

[Llarry]

What's old is new again... The U.S. Air Force's "newest" fighter is the F-15EX Eagle. The announced plan is to buy 144 F-15EXs, although I personally think the program could be cut under budget pressure.

The first unit to get the new version of the Eagle is the formal training unit at Klamath Falls, Oregon. That was originally scheduled for 2022 but I'm not sure the aircraft are there yet. The other two squadrons planned to get the F-15EX are the squadrons in Portland, Oregon, and Jacksonville, Florida. If the full 144 are purchased, I would think more squadrons will follow.

Interestingly, apparently Israel has approached the U.S. about buying 25 of the new Eagles.

The F-15EX is a dual-seat version of the Eagle, but can be crewed by a single pilot. (The photo shows a vacant rear seat.) It incorporates a number of improvements over the older F-15C and F-15E Eagles flown by the USAF and is based on the F-15QA bought by Qatar.

These F-15EXs join 1,230 F-15A/B/C/D/J/DJ Eagles purchased by the U.S. Air Force, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Japan, as well as 502 F-15E/S/SA/I/K/SG/QA Strike Eagles purchased by the USAF, Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Korea, Singapore and Qatar. Of course, the F-15 has been in service for a long time and many of those 1,700+ aircraft have been lost or retired over the years. Nevertheless, the longevity record of the F-15 is impressive for an airplane that was designed in the 1960s and first flew in July 1972.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

What's old is new again...

Where dos it fit, lets say between the F-16, F-22, F-35?

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Where dos it fit, lets say between the F-16, F-22, F-35?

The original concept (1970s) was that the F-15A and (later) F-15C (and their export equivalents) were pure air superiority fighters. The two seaters (sometimes referred to as the "station wagons" LOL) were for training but in a pinch could also fly combat with a bit less fuel and bit less ECM.

Then the F-15E Strike Eagle came along in the 1980s with impressive (fuel and weapons) load and a Weapons System Officer in the rear seat. Those Strike Eagles specialize in air-to-ground.

The Air National Guard units flying the F-15 are air defense-oriented; The active duty Air Force F-15C units are essentially gone, I think. There were two squadrons at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa that either are being withdrawn and one in the UK that is converting to the F-35A. The remaining single-seat F-15s are all Air National Guard; I predict the F-15EX will replace the F-15Cs and few F-15Ds in the ANG and fly single-crewed much of the time.

All the fighters you list have air-to-air capabilities and, given the interminable Middle East operations, all have some air-to-ground capabilities. But the F-22 is the ultimate air-to-air fighter, though aging. The F-35A is more oriented to air-to-ground and yet equips at least one adversary squadron concentrating on air-to-air. The F-16 is a bit of Jack-of-all-trades; several squadrons have the Wild Weasel mission (suppression of enemy air defenses) and most I would say are general purpose fighters.