[subsea]

The X-29 is a cool design. I remember watching a video about how beneficial it's forward swept design was a week or two ago. Out of curiosity, how closely did you work with A&P techs?

I knew some of the Grumman A&P techs, but my primary responsibilities related to developing CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tools to predict the forces and moments on the aircraft, performing predictions of the aerodynamics, working on the aerodynamic (as opposed to structural) design and conducting wind tunnel tests (along with analyzing the test data). Those were the early days of CFD and developing the tools that would work properly with forward sweep had some unique challenges. I never worked with the A&P techs other than attending some program meetings with them.

[Wasp]

SMC Pentax A 400mm f/5.6 on my dearly departed Pentax K10D.

[wtlwdwgn]

with 18-135mm

Nice shot of the AN-2!

[jquill]

Thunderbirds

[redpit]

A lot of beautiful and interesting aviation pictures! Those NASA U-2s are rare too! Thank you guys for sharing! Keep on posting such remarkable material, I really enjoy it!

[subsea]

An F-14 at NASA Ames in 1979, for an airshow that took place while I was out there.

[subsea]

Another view of the F-14 at NASA Ames. What's particularly interesting in this view is that you can see a minor flaw in the paint detailing for the unit markings. If you look at the nose of the aircraft, in the previous picture, you can see a side view of the shark mouth and eye painted on the radar dome. If you look at the nose-on view in this image, you can see that the port eye is aft of, and above, the starboard eye! I wonder if the unit knew that the markings were lopsided at the time!

Attached Images

 

[NomNamNom]

I knew some of the Grumman A&P techs, but my primary responsibilities related to developing CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tools to predict the forces and moments on the aircraft, performing predictions of the aerodynamics, working on the aerodynamic (as opposed to structural) design and conducting wind tunnel tests (along with analyzing the test data). Those were the early days of CFD and developing the tools that would work properly with forward sweep had some unique challenges. I never worked with the A&P techs other than attending some program meetings with them.

Thanks! I start my A&P classes next fall, so had a bit of curiosity.

Another view of the F-14 at NASA Ames. What's particularly interesting in this view is that you can see a minor flaw in the paint detailing for the unit markings. If you look at the nose of the aircraft, in the previous picture, you can see a side view of the shark mouth and eye painted on the radar dome. If you look at the nose-on view in this image, you can see that the port eye is aft of, and above, the starboard eye! I wonder if the unit knew that the markings were lopsided at the time!

If it were me, I'd be very annoyed of that. I love looking at the photos of F-14s, especially from this angle. The way the intakes and wings are shown here is eye-catching. It's too bad we don't have any flying samples, I would of loved to have seen one.

[subsea]

If it were me, I'd be very annoyed of that. I love looking at the photos of F-14s, especially from this angle. The way the intakes and wings are shown here is eye-catching. It's too bad we don't have any flying samples, I would of loved to have seen one.

I'll never forget my first day working for Grumman in Bethpage, NY. At lunch time I walked down the F-14 production line in one of our plants and saw an employee taking a nap, lying down in a F-14 engine nacelle!

As for flying samples, even if you could get through the classification issues (i.e. when your remove all of the classified equipment, what's left would be unflyable), the cost to buy and operate an aircraft like an F-14 would be prohibitive. That's why there's only a single flyable F-5 in civilian hands (that I know of). The owner bought a number of wrecked F-5s and managed to put together a complete example by cannibalizing parts from the wrecks. That will never happen with current (or recent) military aircraft.

[K-Three]

As for flying samples

I've heard the the Irani's are still trying to fly theirs, but running out of spares to keep them going

[Wasp]

Aerobatics, taken at the same time time as my previous post. The shutter speed should have been slower for more propeller blur, but so it goes.

[subsea]

An S-3 taxiing into position after arriving for the 1979 NASA Ames airshow.

[subsea]

And a F-111 after arrival at NASA Ames.

[dronegeek]

And a F-111 after arrival at NASA Ames.

Your picture reminds me of a funny story about the F-111. I had a 2nd level manager who flew in the Air Force for many years before moving into the Computer Business.
I had a large library of aircraft pictures I would rotate as my wallpaper. One day Bob comes by my desk when I have a picture of an F-111 with afterburners lit as my wallpaper.
Bob stops and says to me you know I flew that plane. I turned to him and said your flew F-111's ? He said yes and that plane on your screen was MY plane. He recognized the
tail number. We had a very interesting conversation that followed.

Thanks for the picture !

[subsea]

Your picture reminds me of a funny story about the F-111. I had a 2nd level manager who flew in the Air Force for many years before moving into the Computer Business.
I had a large library of aircraft pictures I would rotate as my wallpaper. One day Bob comes by my desk when I have a picture of an F-111 with afterburners lit as my wallpaper.
Bob stops and says to me you know I flew that plane. I turned to him and said your flew F-111's ? He said yes and that plane on your screen was MY plane. He recognized the
tail number. We had a very interesting conversation that followed.

Thanks for the picture !

Neat! It was always interesting to talk with people who actually flew the aircraft we designed. On the other hand, we had some interesting experiences with the company test pilots while we were developing new planes. For instance, while working on the X-29 development, we had a company test pilot on the program who was a former Marine combat pilot. He would lean over our shoulders while we were designing the X-29 and, later, when we were doing the aerodynamic analysis of the configuration. He said he wanted to completely understand what he would be flying. One day he walked in, said that he wasn’t going to fly “that thing” and walked out. He left the company shortly thereafter. Our chief test pilot took over the flight test responsibilities. He ended up being grounded for a while because he performed a barrel roll on the plane’s first flight, which wasn’t in the test plan!