[Racer X 69]

Douglas A3D-2P, on static display at NAS Whidbey. Built in 1959, 3 years after I was born.

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Last edited by Racer X 69; 06-05-2018 at 06:47 PM.

[paulh]

The Bristol Blenheim.

Truly excellent set of shots, Dave. That Blenheim is one of the last (if not THE last) flying examples. Most of them didn't survive the war. Great work at the airshow, and hope to see more

[subsea]

A shot of Fi Fi I made nearly 4 years ago while still driving Monstro.

Hi, Racer,


Same airplane in 1985 at the EAA Airshow in Oshkosh, taxiing out for takeoff. Taken with a Pentax Program Plus and a 55mm/ƒ1.8 lens on Kodacolor film.

[Racer X 69]

Hi, Racer,


Same airplane in 1985 at the EAA Airshow in Oshkosh, taxiing out for takeoff. Taken with a Pentax Program Plus and a 55mm/ƒ1.8 lens on Kodacolor film.

It is an awesome airplane. The sounds it makes are incredible. The sight of it starting, warming up, taxiing and flying can move me so much that it is difficult to explain.


Radial engines sound like no other.

[subsea]

Intruders taking off.

Racer,

One on the right is a Prowler (EA-6) electronic warfare aircraft. When I worked for Grumman, my office used to overlook the runway where we saw these, F-14s and E-2s taking off and landing all day long. These days, the runway has a water tower growing out of the middle of it!

---------- Post added 06-05-18 at 11:17 AM ----------

It is an awesome airplane. The sounds it makes are incredible. The sight of it starting, warming up, taxiing and flying can move me so much that it is difficult to explain.


Radial engines sound like no other.

Agree! At Oshkosh, she did a low altitude pass down the runway and the whole place just shook as she went by.

[Jome]

Trying with my biggest zoom (crop 100% and PP for sharpness and light)

[Racer X 69]

Racer,

One on the right is a Prowler (EA-6) electronic warfare aircraft. When I worked for Grumman, my office used to overlook the runway where we saw these, F-14s and E-2s taking off and landing all day long. These days, the runway has a water tower growing out of the middle of it!

In 1966 and 1967 my family lived in the Navy housing just outside the gate to Ault Field on Whidbey Island. My bedroom window faced the runway. I would lay awake at night and watch them take off and land as they did their nighttime carrier landing practice. Each one would come in, touch down, take off, fly to the other field near Coupeville a few miles away do the same thing, then return to Ault Field and repeat. The entire squadron would do this night after knight, all night long.


Today most of the apartments have been torn down, nothing remaining but the concrete pads they sat on.


And the Prowlers have been placed on posts or scrapped.


The Douglas A3 I posted earlier was parked in one of the parking areas that used top be in front of one of those apartment buildings.

[subsea]

In 1966 and 1967 my family lived in the Navy housing just outside the gate to Ault Field on Whidbey Island. My bedroom window faced the runway. I would lay awake at night and watch them take off and land as they did their nighttime carrier landing practice. Each one would come in, touch down, take off, fly to the other field near Coupeville a few miles away do the same thing, then return to Ault Field and repeat. The entire squadron would do this night after knight, all night long.


Today most of the apartments have been torn down, nothing remaining but the concrete pads they sat on.


And the Prowlers have been placed on posts or scrapped.


The Douglas A3 I posted earlier was parked in one of the parking areas that used top be in front of one of those apartment buildings.

Yeah. Things have changed. I grew up 1.5 miles from Grumman's airfield and the company would hold an airshow every year. I'd go up on the roof, lie back, and watch all of the planes fly over my house. That's what got me interested in engineering and then going to work for them designing advanced aircraft. We had 28,000 employees on Long Island back then. I think the company is down to less than 1,000 on Long Island now. I've got to say that my all-time favorite aircraft is the F-14.

The last F-14 to fly is now on a pad outside the only remaining Northrop Grumman building in Bethpage.

[wtlwdwgn]

Boeing P8 training at KBIL today.


---------- Post added 06-05-18 at 07:28 PM ----------

Hey Racer, how come the 737 Max has winglets and the P8 has 777 type wingtips?

[Racer X 69]

Hey Racer, how come the 737 Max has winglets and the P8 has 777 type wingtips?

They are both 737 type wings (there are differences from wings of other models), but it would be the engineers who would know why the difference. Or the absence may be because of how part of the military specification for the P8 is written.


I really don't know.

[subsea]

They are both 737 type wings (there are differences from wings of other models), but it would be the engineers who would know why the difference. Or the absence may be because of how part of the military specification for the P8 is written.


I really don't know.

Winglets are one of the easiest ways to reduce drag which increases the endurance of the P-8. Since the P-8 is a maritime surveillance aircraft, endurance is a highly prized asset.

The winglets with a fin on the lower surface are deemed by the Navy to provide a small increase in drag reduction with a potential increase in vulnerability. The Navy decided they could get sufficient drag reduction with the simpler winglets they actually used and still meet the endurance requirement.

Edit: I really should have said that Boeing successfully convinced the Navy that this type of wing planform successfully improved endurance while maximizing reliability.

[Racer X 69]

Winglets are one of the easiest ways to reduce drag which increases the endurance of the P-8. Since the P-8 is a maritime surveillance aircraft, endurance is a highly prized asset.

The winglets with a fin on the lower surface are deemed by the Navy to provide a small increase in drag reduction with a potential increase in vulnerability. The Navy decided they could get sufficient drag reduction with the simpler winglets they actually used and still meet the endurance requirement.

I knew all that but didn't want to ramble on about that which is not my area of expertise. Thanks for the explanation.


I have observed that with the advent of the upturned wing tips many airplanes sprouted them.


Then they sprouted the extra downturned tips, like the newer 737 has.


The P8 appears to have neither, but a stub that is more swept back than the rest of the wing, and a slight upturned angle.


Is that the winglet that you refer to that the Navy chose?

[subsea]

I knew all that but didn't want to ramble on about that which is not my area of expertise. Thanks for the explanation.


I have observed that with the advent of the upturned wing tips many airplanes sprouted them.


Then they sprouted the extra downturned tips, like the newer 737 has.


The P8 appears to have neither, but a stub that is more swept back than the rest of the wing, and a slight upturned angle.


Is that the winglet that you refer to that the Navy chose?

That's the one. Basically, it provides higher sweep at the wing tip than does a conventional winglet. This does a better job of generating vortical flow than the normally seen winglets and is better at helping to keep the flow attached at non-zero angles of attack and reducing drag to improve endurance.

[Kevin B123]

Farnborough Airshow 2016:

---------- Post added 06-06-18 at 11:39 AM ----------

[Kevin B123]

And another