The Aviation Thread [Contains Lots of Awesome Pictures]

Cobol74 said:
Edit/ That HAL Tejas reminds me of an old Dassult somewhat.
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It kinda looks like a Rafale from the side.

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And the Il-62, the Russian version of the VC-10.

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Lieutenant47 said:
Great formation, but not the best or sharpest of photography, but here's the best I could do wallpaper sized
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All those pictures were taken by RAF photographers (I actually work with Andy who took the Typhoon shot as well as the one of the Spitfires). The reason they're not sharp is because they're enlarged thumbnails which have been taken from the Defence Image Database. I can assure you the full-sized shots which adorn the walls at work are of the highest quality!
 
Nocturnal said:
All those pictures were taken by RAF photographers (I actually work with Andy who took the Typhoon shot as well as the one of the Spitfires). The reason they're not sharp is because they're enlarged thumbnails which have been taken from the Defence Image Database. I can assure you the full-sized shots which adorn the walls at work are of the highest quality!
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Understood and makes sense. Any chance of getting some digital hi-res versions?
 
I'll ask on Monday, but the MOD holds copyright on images taken with their equipment. As far as I'm aware, you would have to pay for a copy. I'll certainly try, though. Andy is one of the best photographers I've met in the mob so far; I can't see he'd be happy with low-res versions of his work doing the rounds!
 
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This classic piece of Russian engineering has earned its place in here I think. It's manual lists no stall speed, and it has fully automatic flaps operated not by electronic gadgetry, but by... elastic bands. Just like the one holding your shorts on right now. (though much more substantial, of course)
 
I don't think I've posted it in here yet, but I don't think this bird gets enough coverage:
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These were all taken at Bruntingthorpe during a fast-taxi day (they're no longer licenced to fly anywhere in the world). The Lightning is formerly of 11sqn (now home to the Typhoon pictured earlier)
 
Read a story of one (Lightening) pulling up next to a blackbird, gave the US pilot a heck of a shock when he saw him - he, of course, lit up and 'Foxtrot Oscared' PDQ.

That gave the RAF pilot a hell of a shock in return.
 
I heard a similar story, but it was a Mirage that intercepted a sub-sonic SR-71 on it's way back from Lebanon. The Blackbird had a minor warning light come on that the crew suspected was just a sensor problem, but SOP dictated they drop subsonic to fly home. The French didn't give permission for them to use the airspace so they were supposed to fly out over the Atlantic, refuel and then return to the base in the UK. The crew did the math and found that at subsonic speed they might not make the tanker. They decided to say "fuck it!" and flew back over France.

The Mirage intercepted them and demanded their diplomatic flight number - which they didn't have. While the pilot was trying to think of something to say, the back-seater chimed in over the intercom, "Don't worry, I just gave it to him." The pilot looked back to see his crewmember giving the Mirage the finger. The pilot decided it was a bad idea to hang around and throttled up, leaving behind a surprised pilot of one of the world's fastest fighter planes.
 
Relating to the SR71, anyone who hasnt read this story really should, most aircraft nuts will know of it, but of the few that don't, this is a damn good one;

There were a lot of things we couldn?t do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.

It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet. I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat.

There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn?t match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury. Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him.

The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace. We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: ?November Charlie 175, I?m showing you at ninety knots on the ground.?

Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the ? Houston Center voice.? I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country?s space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that, and that they basically did. And it didn?t matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios. Just moments after the Cessna?s inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. ?I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed.?

Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then, out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. ?Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check?. Before Center could reply, I?m thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol? Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He?s the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: ?Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground.?

And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done ? in mere seconds we?ll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn. Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: ?Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?? There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. ?Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground.?

I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: ?Ah, Center, much thanks, we?re showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money.? For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A.came back with, ?Roger that Aspen, Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one.?

It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day?s work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast. For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.
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I never tire of hearing that story :)
 
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Another aircraft that doesn't get much coverage:

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Now that they've changed to CF6s and actually work properly I imagine they'll be seeing a lot more use.
 
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Nocturnal said:
I'll ask on Monday, but the MOD holds copyright on images taken with their equipment. As far as I'm aware, you would have to pay for a copy. I'll certainly try, though. Andy is one of the best photographers I've met in the mob so far; I can't see he'd be happy with low-res versions of his work doing the rounds!
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That is one of the things I really love about our government -- all their work is released totally free as we're paying them to make it. That means all those awesome pictures that come from the military are usually available in 100% full res somewhere. :)

Blayde said:
Relating to the SR71, anyone who hasnt read this story really should, most aircraft nuts will know of it, but of the few that don't, this is a damn good one;
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I never get tired of reading that one. I want the book it's in, but sadly it's essentially out of print. :(
 
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Viper007Bond said:
That is one of the things I really love about our government -- all their work is released totally free as we're paying them to make it. That means all those awesome pictures that come from the military are usually available in 100% full res somewhere. :)
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That's half-true, we're going down the route of not charging media for our images, although at the moment they have to pay if they're deemed newsworthy; that means they don't have to pay for stock images (I believe the current turnaround is 3 months before they become free).

That said, you still need the media password to the Defence Image Database. I'm guessing the Daily Mail opted for the cheaper low-res versions to publish. We have some amazing photographers in the Armed Forces, one of the Army guys took POTY for the photography journal a couple of months ago.
 
My weekend reading was this book. After reading, once again questioned myself on going into IT instead of aerospace, when I was 16. RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGEEEEE

Amazon Link
 
Has anyone checked out Flying Wild Alaska yet? New reality show from Discovery Channel where they follow the operations of Era Aviation up in Alaska. They have some pretty nice footage.

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