Aviation Pictures: A-Seven-th Thread--CorsAirin' Through Time and Airspace

[chanman]

Legion of issues, yes... design overall?  Not so sure...

That's because it's drawn from an unusual angle. The little scallop between the jet pipes and the doming cockpit are distinctive and not really something you see elsewhere. The Lucifer has a more triangular wing, leaving the fins to be moved back to the fuselage, and a bit more of a 'neck' to move the cockpit forward, but those details and the flattened fuselage shape seem very Cutlass-y, even when you don't factor in the fluff.

[Daryk]

Good points! :)

[chanman]

More F-104s

[worktroll]

Ain't no Starfighter like a ZELL Starfighter!

[I am Belch II]

The F-104 Starfighter was such a awesome iconic plane. It looks better with those stubby thin wings holding fuel tanks over missiles IMHO.

[Porshadoxus]

Both of these F-15E models had my name on the side.
TN 207 was 391st FS, 366 FW at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.

TN 326 was 492 FS, 48 FW at RAF Lakenheath, UK. Although the red tail flash indicates 494 FS from a later date.

[truetanker]

Nice...

TT

[chanman]

F-4s carrying AIM-4 Falcons

[Gorgon]

I recently discovered this fantastically weird plane, the Nemeth Parasol, a circular wing design from the '30s. The best thing is, there's even some surviving video footage documenting one of the test flight!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzjpXLKLx1s

[Fat Guy]

A whopping 12 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers took to the skies to cap off the recent Spirit Vigilance exercise. This was so many of the bombers that none of the official pictures from the event show all 12 aircraft at once. This one got closest with 11.

[glitterboy2098]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-us-military-is-keeping-it-secret-who-won-the-real-world-dogfight-between-a-human-pilot-and-an-ai-flying-an-f-16-fighter-jet/ar-AA1nkfed

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'm guessing that means that the AI didn't come close to performing as advertised.

[Daryk]

Me too... given how real-world pilots usually fare in the high-end flight combat simulators.

[Fat Guy]

[ANS Kamas P81]

It only hurts because it's true

[Cannonshop]

[Luciora]

Such a beaut.

[Daryk]

When did the Air Force stop using the Navy refueling method?

[Cannonshop]

When did the Air Force stop using the Navy refueling method?

the "navy" refueling method was developed by the USAF.  Drogue-and-probe was the FIRST method they used.



Yes, that's a B-50, aka product improved B-29, only that's a KB-50, one of the very first in-service aerial refueling platforms ever.  Please note the service marking.

tey also built one on the Boeing 307 platform, and developed the big refueling probe everyone is familiar with concurrently...



Please to note the era in both pics.

[Daryk]

Good to know, thanks!  Still wondering when they stopped using drogue and probe... :)

[glitterboy2098]

i think sometime in the 60's, after retiring their older refueling aircraft for the KC-135.

they developed both methods, but the USAF ended up going all in on the flying boom set up because of the strategic air command's needs. the big bombers tended to be very fuel hungry, plus they were frequently being kept in the air for prolonged periods of time. so they were refueling often. the probe and drogue system couldn't pump fuel fast enough to refuel the big bombers efficiently. so they went in for the booms, which while heavier and needing a bigger plane, could move the fuel fast.

[Istal_Devalis]

Its also worth noting that modern USAF tankers can do both, they have multiple systems in place. Cause they refuel more then just USAF planes.

[glitterboy2098]

my understanding is that a flying boom equipped tanker can have a drogue hooked to the end of the boom to handle the other system.. but it has to be done on the ground before the mission, it can't be done mid-air. the USAF just makes sure that they have their tankers configured to handle whichever aircraft they've been routed to service before sending the orders out.

[worktroll]

tey also built one on the Boeing 307 platform, and developed the big refueling probe everyone is familiar with concurrently...

I can't find a stall speed for the B-47, but I did find this:

During refueling, the B-47 flew just above stall speed while the KC-97 flew at full throttle

The 307 had a cruising speed of 220mph, and a max speed of 250mph; the KC-97 (the B-29 based frame) had a cruise of 230mph, and a max of 400 (altitude not specified.)

Look how nose-up the B-47 is ...

[Daryk]

Thanks!  The 60s sounds reasonable.

[Istal_Devalis]

my understanding is that a flying boom equipped tanker can have a drogue hooked to the end of the boom to handle the other system.. but it has to be done on the ground before the mission, it can't be done mid-air. the USAF just makes sure that they have their tankers configured to handle whichever aircraft they've been routed to service before sending the orders out.

Modern tankers are built with both systems (KC-10, KC-46), or are being retrofitted to have both (KC-135) through the use of wingtip tanks. Note this KC-135, from a seven year old video, refueling Australian F/A-18s. Currently unsure how many KC-135's were modified for this, but the adaptor option is still around.

https://youtu.be/LlKY5kLsih8