Question for aviation buffs...

[stroker]

What was the coolest plane to never see production?

I vote F-20

[opinionated ow]

There are lots, I quite like the Bell D-188A (XF-109)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Bell_XF-109.jpg


And on a patriotic note, the CA-15 Kangaroo. It was pretty much the ultimate piston engined fighter, just came too late.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/CA-15.jpg

[Sean Malone]

Did they have to actually be built? If not the Nazi's had all kinds of wild shtuff.

Coal burning mini-jet anyone?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lippisch_P-13a

[Elmo T]

XB-70

http://i41.tinypic.com/v5930i.jpg

Museum of Air Force Factsheet XB-70 (http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=592)

[Gnam]

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2913/633921216578802045sr71b.jpg

[NismoZ]

Kangaroo, eh? No P-51 influence there, is there?:D

[opinionated ow]

Kangaroo, eh? No P-51 influence there, is there?:D

Believe it or not, none actually. A superficial resemblance and in the end an (Australian built) Merlin, but a clean sheet design.


EDIT: Actually it ended up with a Griffon but was originally designed to have a P&W Radial

[stroker]

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2913/633921216578802045sr71b.jpg

Doesn't count--the Blackbird went into production. Perhaps you meant the YF-12? ;)

[G.]

What was that thing that Steve Austin crashed?

Yeah, that was cool.

[datachicane]

Horten IX/HO 229.
Functional stealth tech in 1945.

http://aerostories.free.fr/constructeurs/horten/ho9const.jpg
http://www.nasm.si.edu/webimages/640/WEB11216-2009_640.jpg

[Steve99]

http://www.nasm.si.edu/webimages/640/WEB11216-2009_640.jpg

Is that a 1st Gen Cylon Raider?

[Elmo T]

What was that thing that Steve Austin crashed?


NASA Lifting Body - don't recall which one.

Something like this:

http://i44.tinypic.com/15fqa1e.jpg


Plenty of cool "one of a kind" aircraft here:

Dryden Historical Aircraft Photo Collection (http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/index.html)

[Indy]

From Wiki:


The lifting body seen crashing in the opening sequence of the show is real footage of the loss of the M2-F2, though the sequence is misleading in that it shows both the M2-F2 crash and images of the earlier model HL-10 being released from its B-52 mothership. This continuity error is notable by the presence of the central fin and dihedral of the outer fins of the HL-10 at one point followed by the lack of a centre fin and presence of the vertical outer fins indicative of the M2-F2 on the crash footage a few seconds later. The dialogue spoken by actor Lee Majors during the opening credits is reportedly based upon communication prior to a crash that occurred on May 10, 1967: (“I can’t hold her; she’s breaking up! She’s breaking—”). Test pilot Bruce Peterson lost an eye due to infection following the crash, but likewise also miraculously survived what appeared to be a fatal accident even though his lifting body aircraft hit the ground at approximately 250 mph (400 km/h) and tumbled six times.

See both here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HofoK_QQxGc

[emjaya]

NASA Lifting Body - don't recall which one.

Something like this:

http://i44.tinypic.com/15fqa1e.jpg


Plenty of cool "one of a kind" aircraft here:

Dryden Historical Aircraft Photo Collection (http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/index.html)

And movies, too.

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Movie/M2-F2/480x/EM-0021-03.mov

[Elmo T]

Nice shot here too -

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/Fleet/Small/EC97-44165-149.jpg

[devilmaster]

Avro Arrow

http://www.xplanefreeware.net/barry/X-Plane%208.0/Avro%20Arrow_screenshot.jpg

Perhaps not the coolest, but i would have loved to see what it could do.

[dando]

Does this one count?

http://www.zipclan.com/wp-content/gallery/futurismo/755px-YB49-2_300.jpg

:cool:

-Kevin

[mapguy]

Avro Arrow

http://www.xplanefreeware.net/barry/X-Plane%208.0/Avro%20Arrow_screenshot.jpg

Perhaps not the coolest, but i would have loved to see what it could do.

:thumbup:

It was good enough to scare the Americans....

[Gnam]

It was good enough to scare the Americans....
:laugh:

I'll tell you what's scary. Nuclear tipped anti-aircaft missiles designed to shoot down Soviet bombers over Canada. CIM-10 BOMARC missiles. :eek:

[Elmo T]

:laugh:

CIM-10 BOMARC missiles. :eek:

Some little know NJ history - oops...

Bomarc Missile Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIM-10_Bomarc)


Although a number of IM-99/CIM-10 Bomarcs have been placed on public display, concerns about the possible environmental hazards of the thoriated magnesium structure of the airframe have resulted in several being removed from public view.[2] Radioactive contamination from a fire at McGuire AFB, N.J., that destroyed an active Bomarc-A airframe on the launch pad on 7 June 1960, resulted in that area remaining off limits to the present day, primarily due to plutonium contamination.[3] However, the nuclear warhead was not activated in this Broken Arrow accident. The site remained in operation for several years following the fire.

NJ Bomarc Facility (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=fort+dix+nj&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.160552,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Fort+Dix,+Burlington,+New+Jersey&ll=40.033299,-74.439626&spn=0.00782,0.01929&t=h&z=16) - I think the concrete pads are the location of the fire. Older satellite images showed damaged buildings. You can see them just off 539 on the back roads to the NJ Shore.

[oddlycalm]

XB-70
Yup, I gotta go with the Valkyrie as well Elmo. All kinds of cool. Designed to fly 7500 miles at mach 3 with 534,700 lb. takeoff weight (about the same as the Boeing 787-9) with manual hydraulic controls in an era of vacuum tubes and a few 1st generation transistors. Plus, its' a waverider.... (http://www.aerospaceweb.org/design/waverider/main.shtml)


The aircraft was shaped to remain within its Mach cone throughout the flight regime thereby reducing drag and increasing lift. The latter was accomplished by manipulating the high pressure of the shock wave beneath the wing to generate compression lift.

Riding the shock wave with the six J93's on the burner. :cool:

http://www.alphasim.co.uk/images/Premier%20pics/XB-70_3.jpg

[stroker]

It was good enough to scare the Americans....

Which generates all kinds of respect for a government that canceled it and cut up the prototype and tooling before anyone could possibly reverse the decision...

:shakehead

[SurfaceUnits]

Which generates all kinds of respect for a government that canceled it and cut up the prototype and tooling before anyone could possibly reverse the decision...

:shakehead

one went missing

[mapguy]

Which generates all kinds of respect for a government that canceled it and cut up the prototype and tooling before anyone could possibly reverse the decision...

:shakehead

Who do you think influenced the Canadian government to cancel it? I'll give you a hint. It was the same country that sold Canada Bomarc missles...

[mapguy]

one went missing

Hoax.

[stroker]

Who do you think influenced the Canadian government to cancel it? I'll give you a hint. It was the same country that sold Canada Bomarc missles...

Color me dubious without evidence. It was an exceptional plane no doubt, but as the USAF was flying Canberras at the time I don't buy the Not Invented Here argument on its face.

No love around here for the Ares?

[Elmo T]

No love around here for the Ares?

I thought this was planes only - not spacecraft.

As for spacecraft, I've always had this fascination with the Soviet lunar program. I remember see some show with a warehouse full of old dusty hardware. Kinda sad for an aviation buff.

[mapguy]

Color me dubious without evidence. It was an exceptional plane no doubt, but as the USAF was flying Canberras at the time I don't buy the Not Invented Here argument on its face.

No love around here for the Ares?

Comparing the Canberra to the Arrow is like comparing a crapwagon to the Williams FW14B. The Arrow was light years ahead of anything out there. My old man was on a transfer from the RAF and was at the RCAF base at North Bay when the Arrow did a high speed run up north. He was in the tower and the controller kept saying at every sweep of the radar "Look at that son-of-a-bitch go". I asked him recently which was faster, the EE Lightning or the Arrow. He told me that if the Arrow got the Orenda engines then nothing would have got close.

[nrc]

Pretty plane. With some development it would have been able to keep up with our bombers. Well, for a very short distance. :gomer:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Convair_B-58A_Hustler_in_flight_(SN_59-2442)._Photo_taken_on_June_29%2C_1967_061101-F-1234P-019.jpg/800px-Convair_B-58A_Hustler_in_flight_(SN_59-2442)._Photo_taken_on_June_29%2C_1967_061101-F-1234P-019.jpg

[stroker]

I thought this was planes only - not spacecraft.

I meant this:

http://www.scaled.com/projects/ares

[stroker]

Comparing the Canberra to the Arrow is like comparing a crapwagon to the Williams FW14B. The Arrow was light years ahead of anything out there. My old man was on a transfer from the RAF and was at the RCAF base at North Bay when the Arrow did a high speed run up north. He was in the tower and the controller kept saying at every sweep of the radar "Look at that son-of-a-bitch go". I asked him recently which was faster, the EE Lightning or the Arrow. He told me that if the Arrow got the Orenda engines then nothing would have got close.

Who compared the two? The claim was that Washington pressured Canada to cancel the Arrow in preference of buying missiles, the implication being because Washington wanted to protect US interceptor manufacturers rather than take a chance on the Arrow being allowed to compete for sales to the US. I'm not buying the argument without documentation.

[Elmo T]

Pretty plane. B-58 Hustler


:thumbup:

One of my favorites to see at the AF Museum in Dayton. A plane that looks fast even when parked.

[SteveH]

As a kid growing up in north central Indiana I was treated to Hustlers flying overhead based out of Bunker Hill AFB (later renamed Grissom AFB). Lots of sonic booms, lots of low level flying. Very cool times except for the fact that everyone knew nuclear ordinance was stored on the base.

[Elmo T]

Another one I like - I just may have to plan another trip to Dayton this Spring. ;)

http://i39.tinypic.com/14bne4h.jpg

[dando]

Another one I like - I just may have to plan another trip to Dayton this Spring. ;)

What about the Air & Space Museum south of y'all?

-Kevin

[Elmo T]

What about the Air & Space Museum south of y'all?

-Kevin

Meh - some cool stuff, but a small collection in an overcrowded building. The Udvar-Hazey Annex is nice.

I could spend days in the USAF Museum.

We have a local museum at the Willow Grove JRB:

Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association (http://www.dvhaa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1)

They have a Sea Dart, an Me-262, and an F7U-3 Cutlass.

[dando]

The Udvar-Hazey Annex is nice.


That's what I meant. I haven't been down there since the annex was opened...or to the A&S Museum on the Mall since the 80s. :( My mom worked @ Wright Patt in the 70s, so I spent a bunch of time @ the AF Museum. :)

-Kevin

[oddlycalm]

I gotta nominate an honorable mention in the "Most Reciprocating Parts" division; the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-4360) a 28 cylinder radial with 4 rows of 7 cylinders making 4,300hp. :cool: Plenty of them built, but what an insanely complex contraption the were.

These pics at Wiki show the cutaway version that is part of the Spruce Goose exhibit. Of all the things in the Evergreen Museum I've spent more time looking at the Wasp Major than even the SR71. Easy to see why it took the turbine engine for flight to get a lot safer. :laugh:

oc