Planes you'd never heard of

[3point14]

Stereotypes aside, there doesn't seem to be any good information about how it happened. Some say it was to mislead the Soviets, or fit into some negotiation with them. Others say it was to attract the top pilots. Still others suggest it was an accident - just another meaningless anomaly in the application of the tri-service numbering system.

The only thing I've read is that they wanted the best pilots and USAF top guns got all lairy at being downgraded to only flying an 'A' or 'B', because the best all flew 'F's.

Probably not true, but a nice little tale.

 

[Pope130]

Caproni Ca.60

100 passenger flying boat. It made one and a half successful flights.

 

[jimbob]

The Edgley Optica was a weird one. It came to prominence for two reasons: being flown by Mark Hamill in the 1989 movie Slipstream, and for a crash which killed the police pilot and his passenger.

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

um...

A total of 22 Opticas have been manufactured, and construction of a 23rd begun but not completed. Ten aircraft were destroyed in an arson attack at the factory.[6]

 

[jimbob]

Victor had a constant critical Mach number across the entire wing and consequently a high cruise speed, the nose and tail, were also designed to the 'area rule' for the same critical mach number so the shape of the Victor had a constant critical mach number all over.
A similar looking aircraft was the Buckaneer, it had similar crescent wings for the same reason.

I like the Buccaneer. I remember being in the Cairngorms and one flew low over me and it was surprisingly *quiet*.

The TSR-2 and Lightning both look as though Dan Dare should have piloted them.

 

[3point14]

100 passenger flying boat. It made one and a half successful flights.

Holy moly!

 

[Andy_Ross]

I like the Buccaneer. I remember being in the Cairngorms and one flew low over me and it was surprisingly *quiet*.

The TSR-2 and Lightning both look as though Dan Dare should have piloted them.

Buckaneer was desigtned to be flown between 50 and 100 ft off the sea at 500 knots.
It used what is known as 'Boundry Layer Control' this bled high pressure air from the engines, which was blown through full-span slits along the wing's trailing and leading edges giving almost 50% more lift. This allowed it to have low aspect, short wings suited for high speed cruising but gave a low enough stall speed to allow carrier landings.

It had a 'rotating' weapons bay that allowed it's underside to remain 'clean'
It was designed to carry a 'Red Beard' free-fall nuclear bomb, as well as conventional munitions including anti ship missiles.
It's method of attack with the nuclear weapon was to come in low then pull up as it released 'tossing' the bomb in an arcing trajectory that would allow the aircraft to escape before detonation.

They were operated by both the RN and the RAF taking part in the first Gulf War.

 

[Giordano]

A ship-helo team can operate in more conditions than a seaplane. And while the helo's own endurance is limited, the destroyer it's flying from can stay on station for weeks at a time - in any weather. A seaplane that has to fly thousands of miles away to land is not going to be much use in hunting the submarine it left behind. When the USN does need that kind of trade-off, they just operate land-based ASW planes like the P-3 and the P-8.

Thanks! That helps.

Do you known the weather limits for a helicopter to launch and land on a destroyer? Sea state and winds? Although I imagine a destroyer can stay on station through a wide range of weather conditions (at the cost of quite a ride for the crew) I wonder about the limits of the helo - part of the team. I've seen video of helicopters attempting to land in chop and high winds and it would appear to be very dangerous at some point. Is that the point that the land-based ASWs are deployed (when their range and endurance are sufficient)?

 

[BStrong]

100 passenger flying boat. It made one and a half successful flights.

Reminds me of a friend who witnessed an early V-22 test where the aircraft crashed w/o injury to the pilot, etc. He told me it was a success...why? "It didn't land on me"

 

[theprestige]

Thanks! That helps.



Do you known the weather limits for a helicopter to launch and land on a destroyer? Sea state and winds? Although I imagine a destroyer can stay on station through a wide range of weather conditions (at the cost of quite a ride for the crew) I wonder about the limits of the helo - part of the team. I've seen video of helicopters attempting to land in chop and high winds and it would appear to be very dangerous at some point. Is that the point that the land-based ASWs are deployed (when their range and endurance are sufficient)?

Or the destroyer continues the mission until the weather clears enough to send out the helo again.

 

[Belz...]

The Avro Arrow

Just a shade under MACH 2 in level flight and one of the first fly by wire systems before it was cancelled in 1958. Probably one of the first modern looking planes, most of it's supersonic contemporaries were basically missiles with stubby wings.

https://vmcdn.ca/f/files/sudbury/images/LocalImages/avroarrowsized.jpg;w=630

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Avro_Arrow_rollout.jpg

I'm Canadian. We've heard of the Arrow and we still hate everyone over this issue.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Thanks! That helps.

Do you known the weather limits for a helicopter to launch and land on a destroyer? Sea state and winds? Although I imagine a destroyer can stay on station through a wide range of weather conditions (at the cost of quite a ride for the crew) I wonder about the limits of the helo - part of the team. I've seen video of helicopters attempting to land in chop and high winds and it would appear to be very dangerous at some point. Is that the point that the land-based ASWs are deployed (when their range and endurance are sufficient)?

Here you go deck landings in rough sea.

They have a 'harpoon' on the bottom of the helo that engages with a grid on the deck to hold them down after landing



Or. like the Canadians they use a 'Haul Down' system

 

[3point14]

Here you go deck landings in rough sea.

They have a 'harpoon' on the bottom of the helo that engages with a grid on the deck to hold them down after landing



Or. like the Canadians they use a 'Haul Down' system

Thanks for those. There can't be many more difficult landings anywere in the sphere of aviation than those. They look, quite frankly, terrifying.

It took me a while, on the second one, to realise it was the ship that was rolling so heavily. I only realised it when I worked out to watch the horizon.

 

[Andy_Ross]

remember they are peace time operations. In a war with a sub to kill they would have to fly.

 

[jonesdave116]

I like the Buccaneer. I remember being in the Cairngorms and one flew low over me and it was surprisingly *quiet*.

The TSR-2 and Lightning both look as though Dan Dare should have piloted them.

The English Electric Lightning was one hell of a plane. Brian Cox went up in one in one of his series. I think a few remained in flying condition in South Africa until recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwgfU228clE

 

[jimbob]

The English Electric Lightning was one hell of a plane. Brian Cox went up in one in one of his series. I think a few remained in flying condition in South Africa until recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwgfU228clE

Allegedly, they were able to intercept U2s

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2546087/The_curious_tale_of_the_Lightn.html

Although the only reference I have found to this is in various forums.

 

[The Don]

It's not often that I cannot immediately recognise a plane that flies around here, there isn't much variety. Yesterday I was at the cricket in Bristol and on the horizon I saw a medium/large sized four turboprop plane with a T-tail. Unfortunately by the time I got my binoculars, it had disappeared over the horizon....

 

[bluesjnr]

Here you go deck landings in rough sea.

They have a 'harpoon' on the bottom of the helo that engages with a grid on the deck to hold them down after landing



Or. like the Canadians they use a 'Haul Down' system

On both of those videos I couldn't see where they store the barrows which the pilots put their cojones in to allow then to walk inside.

 

[bluesjnr]

The English Electric Lightning was one hell of a plane. Brian Cox went up in one in one of his series. I think a few remained in flying condition in South Africa until recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwgfU228clE

A beautiful plane and after the Vulcan and Avro Lancaster my third favourite.

Could it intercept a U-2? <Taps side of nose>

In September 1962, Fighter Command organised interception trials on Lockheed U-2As at heights of around 60,000–65,000 ft (18,000–20,000 m), which were temporarily based at RAF Upper Heyford to monitor Soviet nuclear tests. Climb techniques and flight profiles were developed to put the Lightning into a suitable attack position. To avoid risking the U-2, the Lightning was not permitted any closer than 5,000 ft (1,500 m) and could not fly in front of the U-2. For the intercepts, four Lightning F1As conducted 18 solo sorties. The sorties proved that, under GCI, successful intercepts could be made at up to 65,000 ft (20,000 m). Due to sensitivity, details of these flights were deliberately avoided in the pilot log books.

From here

 

[Andy_Ross]

It's not often that I cannot immediately recognise a plane that flies around here, there isn't much variety. Yesterday I was at the cricket in Bristol and on the horizon I saw a medium/large sized four turboprop plane with a T-tail. Unfortunately by the time I got my binoculars, it had disappeared over the horizon....

You need to get the Flightradar24 app on your phone.

 

[MetalPig]

100 passenger flying boat. It made one and a half successful flights.

That's one more than I would have expected