Aircraft aesthetics

[R011]

3 hours ago, Olof Larsson said:

Development started 11 years after the US Navy retired its last biplane fighter. I wonder if any A-5 pilot, ever started his career flying biplanes.

AFAIK, all the primary training during WW2 was done on biplane trainers.  

The last biplane attack aircraft (SBU and SBC dive bombers) left frontline USN service in 1940/41, replaced by the SBD Dauntless.  Torpedo bomber pilots had been flying monoplanes (TBDs) since about 1937.  1961 when the Vigilante entered squadron service was only twenty to twenty four years later than that.  There had to be quite a number of pilots who flew biplanes.

Meanwhile, a USN pilot who flies F-18E today may well have started his career with them back at the turn of this century. 

[sunday]

On 11/17/2024 at 11:05 PM, lucklucky said:

A-5/ RA 5C Vigilante is also a 1950 design, only a little more than a decade after propeller aircraft

 

Now that is a really pretty jet.

[Ivanhoe]

2 hours ago, TrustMe said:

Strictly speaking it's a F4-Phantom 2     

Strictly speaking, its Phantom II.

[Dawes]

Or F-110 to the early AF types.

[R011]

F4H under the USN designation system (the 4th Navy fighter manufactured by the McDonnell company) before becoming the F-4 under the unified designation system.

[sunday]

35 minutes ago, R011 said:

F4H under the USN designation system (the 4th Navy fighter manufactured by the McDonnell company) before becoming the F-4 under the unified designation system.

Because McNamara could not remember F-110 and F4H to be the same plane.

[Olof Larsson]

20 hours ago, R011 said:

AFAIK, all the primary training during WW2 was done on biplane trainers.  

The last biplane attack aircraft (SBU and SBC dive bombers) left frontline USN service in 1940/41, replaced by the SBD Dauntless.  Torpedo bomber pilots had been flying monoplanes (TBDs) since about 1937.  1961 when the Vigilante entered squadron service was only twenty to twenty four years later than that.  There had to be quite a number of pilots who flew biplanes.

Meanwhile, a USN pilot who flies F-18E today may well have started his career with them back at the turn of this century. 

Isn't there a B-52 what has been flown by three generations of the same family? And a CH-46 that was flown by a granddaughter of a earlier pilot?

[Olof Larsson]

19 hours ago, Ivanhoe said:

Strictly speaking, its Phantom II.

Luftverteidigungsdiesel

[Stuart Galbraith]

1 hour ago, Olof Larsson said:

Isn't there a B-52 what has been flown by three generations of the same family? And a CH-46 that was flown by a granddaughter of a earlier pilot?

I read a twitter post the other day, where a Lightnig pilot was paying tribute to one in Hendon he flew in 1988, and found his father flew it 24 years before. So another generation doesn't sound a stretch, particularly  for a tanker or RC135.

[Olof Larsson]

23 hours ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

I read a twitter post the other day, where a Lightnig pilot was paying tribute to one in Hendon he flew in 1988, and found his father flew it 24 years before. So another generation doesn't sound a stretch, particularly  for a tanker or RC135.

It was a son, father and (maternal) grandfather, that all flew B-52H's. The son and grandfather, and the father and the (maternal) grandfather in the same squadron.

Three Generations of B-52 Airmen

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

[lucklucky]

On 11/18/2024 at 6:44 PM, Olof Larsson said:

Development started 11 years after the US Navy retired its last biplane fighter. I wonder if any A-5 pilot, ever started his career flying biplanes.

Test pilots i would bet. 

[sunday]

On the retro-futuristic theme

 

[lucklucky]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Colani#/media/File:Luigi_Colani_concept_aircraft.jpg

Fictional giant megalodon inspired Luigi Colani design.

[Mighty_Zuk]

IAF been releasing pics of Rampage missiles on F-16s for months now. These were apaprently used vs the Houthis last night. Good stuff.

Poor F-16 though.

[Stuart Galbraith]

'Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!'

[Mighty_Zuk]

Vibes.

IAF 707 tanker boom operator station.

[shep854]

12 minutes ago, Mighty_Zuk said:

Vibes.

IAF 707 tanker boom operator station.

Shades of KC-46!

[Tim Sielbeck]

I still like the old stuff:

 

 

[Marsh]

In terms of pure aesthetics for post war aircraft, I don't believe you can beat the Mirage III or the Mirage 5/Nesher. I have seen both flying combat missions at a ridiculously low altitude and they are bloody marvelous. (Seen Phantom F-4s and various Skyhawks doing the same, but without a similar frisson). Haven't seen the Draken outside of a museum, but that gave me a similar vibe to the Mirage.. 

Edited March 19 by Marsh
clumsy fingers

[urbanoid]

4 minutes ago, Marsh said:

In terms of pure aesthetics for post war aircraft, I don't believe you can beat the Mirage III or the Mirage 5/Nesher. I have seen both flying combat missions at a ridiculously low altitude and they are bloody marvelous. (Seen Phantom F-4s and various Skyhawks doing the same, but without a similar frisson). Haven't seen the Draken outside of a museum, but that gave me a similar vibe to the Mirage.. 

+1