The "Pictures of the World's Coolest Aircraft" Thread

Agathon · March 30, 2003, 01:05

Post pics of your favourite aircraft here and debate their merits.

Here's my all time fave: the North American XB 70 Valkyrie. Of course due to shortsightedness and stupidity this aircraft never made it out of the prototype stage. Still it was pretty fast: Mach 3 easily.

Agathon · March 30, 2003, 01:10

And here's another beauty, the MiG 29

St Leo · March 30, 2003, 01:52

The Avro Arrow 0wnZ all.

Oerdin · March 30, 2003, 01:55

The MIG 29 is a nice looking plane but you have to over look its many short comings.

MichaeltheGreat · March 30, 2003, 02:02

You can walk around an XB70 at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB outside of Dayton, Ohio.

The coolest one of all was the X85 Goblin "parasite fighter," meant to be carried on a trapeze inside the bomb bay of the B36 bomber as mobile air escort.

Koyaanisqatsi · March 30, 2003, 02:03

Requisite Blackbird pic:

They have one of those at Wright-Pat too...

KrazyHorse · March 30, 2003, 02:04

Quote:

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
You can walk around an XB70 at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB outside of Dayton, Ohio.

The coolest one of all was the X85 Goblin "parasite fighter," meant to be carried on a trapeze inside the bomb bay of the B36 bomber as mobile air escort.

That is the coolest airplane ever.

Urban Ranger · March 30, 2003, 02:25

The S-37 Berkut

MichaeltheGreat · March 30, 2003, 02:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Frogger

That is the coolest airplane ever.

Here's a photo of it suspended from the trapeze. It never was launched from inside a B36 -- it's test flights were from an external trapeze set up on an EB29.

KrazyHorse · March 30, 2003, 02:32

Was it supposed to land, or was it supposed to redock in flight?

KrazyHorse · March 30, 2003, 02:34

Or had they not thought that far ahead yet...

Zylka · March 30, 2003, 03:08

I'd have to say the B-52 as it will probably see almost a CENTURY of service?

Oerdin · March 30, 2003, 03:11

Of course the air frame is about the only original part left on those planes. Everything else has been updated many, many times.

BTW I thought they were schedualed to be retired around 2010. Did it get pushed back again?

Asher · March 30, 2003, 03:13

I've heard ~2040.

Tattila the Hun · March 30, 2003, 03:33

Alas, this is but a replica.

Oerdin · March 30, 2003, 03:45

Didn't Daimler put Fokker out of business a few years back? It's sad since Fokker made so many of aviations early designs.

Zylka · March 30, 2003, 03:48

Saab Gripen! Only posted as I love high end Saabs and the jet just plain looks cool. It's supposedly garbage, someone care to brief us as to why? [Looks at the filthy Bajaner

]

Lots of test flight crashes, I think. Impressive!

MichaeltheGreat · March 30, 2003, 05:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Frogger
Was it supposed to land, or was it supposed to redock in flight?

It was supposed to redock, so that once a particular fighter threat had been dealt with, it would be available for continued use as long as it had fuel and ammo.

Chemical Ollie · March 30, 2003, 06:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Zylka

Saab Gripen! Only posted as I love high end Saabs and the jet just plain looks cool. It's supposedly garbage, someone care to brief us as to why? [Looks at the filthy Bajaner

]

Lots of test flight crashes, I think. Impressive!

It's supposedly garbage because the test flight crashes was on live TV. Lots of mean jokes in media after that: "The world's most expensive farming tool". But I think the plane is better than it's reputation. All warplanes crash during test flight, don't they?

What makes this aircraft special is that it is mechanically unstable. The centre of gravity is far back, and this is compensated by very advanced guiding systems on the front wings to keep the flight steady. The unstable design allows the pilot to make extremely sharp turns to avoid missiles or get behind the enemy. It has never been tested in lethal combat, and hopefulle never will, so we will never know.

Asher · March 30, 2003, 06:05

But what we do know that is because it is mechnically unstable, it has a tendancy to crash.

Chemical Ollie · March 30, 2003, 06:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher
But what we do know that is because it is mechnically unstable, it has a tendancy to crash.

Yes, if the guiding system fails, the plane is doomed. EMP, anyone?

But it now makes up the bulk of the Swedish Airforce (to which I belong) and it hasn't crashed since 1993. Or perhaps one plane was lost in a training accidident in the mid 90's, I can't remember, but such accidents happens to any warplane any time, don't they? Inexperienced pilots do mistakes. The test flight crashes were handled by an expert pilot, actually the same guy in both cases. He survived both times.

Jaguar · March 30, 2003, 06:46

I love the F14.

edit: photo was too big. I am resizing and I will post it next.

Jaguar · March 30, 2003, 06:51

Here it is. I like this photo a lot.

Asher · March 30, 2003, 06:52

Quote:

Originally posted by Olaf Hårfagre
What makes this aircraft special is that it is mechanically unstable. The centre of gravity is far back, and this is compensated by very advanced guiding systems on the front wings to keep the flight steady.

I'm sure the systems were very advanced a long time ago, but from what I've read, it's not too advanced. Although I'm sure it's a bit dated computer-wise.

3 x 266MHz PowerPC processors, 160MB harddrive, 64MB RAM with 1MB/s databusses.

Skanky Burns · March 30, 2003, 06:58

At least cooling the processors wouldn't be a problem.

Jaguar · March 30, 2003, 06:59

My computer could control that plane.

Jaguar · March 30, 2003, 07:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
At least cooling the processors wouldn't be a problem.

Smiley ettiquette lesson: Never post a

after your comment because that's laughing at your own joke which is rude. Instead, post it before your comment.

Drake Tungsten · March 30, 2003, 07:03

Jaguar · March 30, 2003, 07:05

Is the plane still around today? Or did it get destroyed in the blast? I assume it's still around because those planes could fly pretty high.

Chemical Ollie · March 30, 2003, 07:12

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher

I'm sure the systems were very advanced a long time ago, but from what I've read, it's not too advanced. Although I'm sure it's a bit dated computer-wise.

3 x 266MHz PowerPC processors, 160MB harddrive, 64MB RAM with 1MB/s databusses.

That was the state-of-the-art computers when the plane went through final testing about 10 years ago. As I wrote, it hasn't crashed since then, so the system is doing it's job properly. You don't need the system to be more advanced than that, do you?