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WEBSep 11, 2024 · Aviation News, History, and insights from Avgeekery. We feature military, commercial, space, and general aviation insights.
Col Stapp Endured The Highest G-Forces Ever To Advance Safety
WEBJanuary 1, 2024. Mike Killian. Col Stapp was a real human crash test dummy who advanced aerospace safety. He then went on to advocate for seatbelts. Oh, and he coined the term “Murphy’s Law”! Over the decades, a lot of research has been conducted by the USAF to understand the affects and limits of G-forces on aircrews.
The Delta-Winged Deuce: Convair’s First Century Series …
WEBThe F-102A Delta Dagger Interceptor Was a ‘Round The World Cold-War Warrior. Convair’s F-102A Delta Dagger served with distinction as an Air Defense Command (ADC) interceptor with the United States Air Force (USAF) and with the Air National Guard (ANG) for twenty years. Commonly referred to as The Deuce, the F-102A was the first operational delta-winged supersonic jet interceptor to see ...
Remembering Western Airlines: The Only Way to Fly!
WEBNov 21, 2023 · It is Tuesday, May 7, 1957, and you are a passenger aboard Western Airlines flight 70, a Douglas DC-6B which has just leveled off at its cruising altitude after an 0825 departure from San Francisco. The flight is bound for Salt Lake City and Denver. You are settled in with your newspaper and book. Suddenly you hear a …
Movie Star Aircraft: The P-51 Mustang in Top Gun: Maverick
WEBMar 29, 2020 · Cruise’s Mustang, registered as N51EW, was built as an F-6K-15-NT with a Construction Number (CN) of 111-36123 at North American’s Dallas assembly plant in 1944. P-51Ks and F-6Ks were built in Dallas and differed from the D models primarily in the propeller department. Ks were equipped with an 11 foot Aeroproducts prop as …
The T-45 Goshawk: It’s What You Fly When You Want to Fly Navy
WEBGulf Coast Goshawks. In addition to TW-1, TW-2 (Tail code B– VT-21 Red Hawks and VT-22 Golden Eagles) at NAS Kingsville in South Texas also employs the T-45C for the Intermediate and Advanced portions of the Navy / Marine Corps Strike Pilot Training Program.When the T-45 finally began to replace the T-2C and TA-4 in service, there was an entire integrated training system package that came ...
“Props” for McDonnell Douglas: Unducted Fans Never Took Off
WEBJan 10, 2021 · GE unveiled their engine concept at the 1984 Farnborough Air Show, promising up to 30% reduction in fuel burn without decreasing inflight cruise speeds. Two key points for GE’s proposal was twin contra-rotating fans which kept fan blade length to a reasonable size (12 feet) vs. a single prop at nearly 20 feet in diameter.
That Other Air Force Tanker: The Flexible Capable KC-10A Extender
WEBJul 13, 2018 · McDonnell Douglas Got a Head Start on the KC-10. The KC-10A was first flown in 1980, but development of the KC-10 actually began as soon as the DC-10 airliner version entered service in 1971. Two DC-10s were flown to Edwards Air Force Base in California to simulate potential wake turbulence issues that might be experienced during aerial refueling behind a DC-10-derived tanker in 1972.
That Time an F-15 Pilot Shot Down a Satellite - Avgeekery.com
WEBSep 16, 2017 · On Sept. 13, 1985, F-15 test pilot Maj. Wilbert D. “Doug” Pearson (now retired Maj. Gen.) took off from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on a mission which would see him become history’s first space ace. Dubbed the “Celestial Eagle Flight,” the assignment called for Pearson to make a near vertical ascent in a specially-configured F-15A to over 35,000 feet, to fire a 2,700 pound, 18 ...
The Incredible OV-10 Bronco: Kicking Tail For 50 Years
WEBJul 16, 2018 · The story of the OV-10 Bronco actually begins in 1960 with a couple of guys (Marine Corps Majors W.H. Beckett and K.P. Rice) getting together out in the desert and brainstorming a concept study for a small, lightweight, rugged close air support (CAS) aircraft that could be forward deployed with and operated near …