Author Topic: Interesting or unusual planes?  (Read 385833 times)

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1925 on: 01 November, 2021, 12:15:11 pm »
Or a post maintenance certification flight ?

Thor

  • Super-sonnicus idioticus
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1926 on: 09 November, 2021, 12:28:42 pm »
It was a day like any other in Ireland, only it wasn't raining

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1927 on: 09 November, 2021, 04:25:37 pm »
Oops. It'll buff out.

That's the weather radar cover which is only thin fibreglass unlike the rest of the aircraft's skin.
I've seen quite a few pictures of these with severe dents in them due to various unfortunate circumstances.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1928 on: 10 November, 2021, 07:02:09 pm »
Bit of gaffer tape, it'll  do a trip😁😁
It's not just hitting it with a hammer but knowing where to hit it and how hard

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1929 on: 15 November, 2021, 09:09:38 am »
What are the bits sticking out of the side? Pitot tubes?  They look a bit skungy and diy epoxied in place.
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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1930 on: 15 November, 2021, 10:33:49 am »
What are the bits sticking out of the side? Pitot tubes?  They look a bit skungy and diy epoxied in place.

From an answer on StackExchange


  • Ice detector
  • Multi-function probe 1
  • Static port
  • TAT probe
  • Side-slip vane
  • Pitot probe
  • Angle-of-attack vane
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1931 on: 15 November, 2021, 11:22:37 am »
That photo is one of the development A350s. Early production models had a roughly similar number of probes and sensors, but they've been rationalised a bit on later versions. Most of them exist on other types, but Airbus has chosen to group them all on the nose of the A350, whereas on most aircraft they are a little more widely distributed.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1932 on: 11 February, 2022, 05:44:12 pm »
Rumour of "fleet"* B-52 deployment to Fairford.  Via the Wilts & Glos Std, "...USAF B-52H Stratofortress bombers from Minot AFB, North Dakota will deploy to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom as part of the Bomber Task Force mission strategy." 

*Could just be journos over-egging the pudding or mis-reading "flight of" for "fleet of".  Last time there was a significant number here was during the Balkan wars 20 years ago. 

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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1933 on: 11 February, 2022, 05:59:44 pm »
Rumour of "fleet"* B-52 deployment to Fairford.  Via the Wilts & Glos Std, "...USAF B-52H Stratofortress bombers from Minot AFB, North Dakota will deploy to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom as part of the Bomber Task Force mission strategy." 

*Could just be journos over-egging the pudding or mis-reading "flight of" for "fleet of".  Last time there was a significant number here was during the Balkan wars 20 years ago.

Rumour? Four BUFFs arrived at RAF Fairford yesterday:

Quote
Four B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., deployed to RAF Fairford, U.K., on Feb. 10 for a notional three-week stay, during which they will exercise with NATO allies and partner nations.
...

A U.S. Strategic Command spokesperson said the bomber task force was “long planned” but not previously announced. Such deployments typically last about three weeks, she said, but “could move to the right or left” depending on the security situation. ...

Neither USAFE nor STRATCOM linked the bomber deployment to the unfolding security situation in Ukraine.

https://www.airforcemag.com/b-52-bomber-task-force-deploys-to-raf-fairford/

ITV's report suggests there could be up to eight B-52s deployed.

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-02-10/american-b-52-bombers-arrive-in-uk-amid-fears-of-russian-invasion-of-ukraine
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1934 on: 11 February, 2022, 06:04:31 pm »
No B-1Bs though...

TheLurker

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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1935 on: 11 February, 2022, 06:23:21 pm »
Quote from: spesh
Rumour? Four BUFFs arrived at RAF Fairford yesterday:
Only 4? Pffh.  Much as usual then. It would explain the racket I heard late afternoon yesterday.  I put it down to the U2 which makes a hell of a din on take-off.

> No B-1Bs though.
There were a couple here late(ish) last year.  Sept? Oct? Can't remember exactly when.


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TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1936 on: 11 February, 2022, 08:54:58 pm »
No B-1Bs though...

There aren't that many serviceable of the 45 left in service, but they do appear at Fairford from time to time. They're apparently meant to go on to 2036, but I think they might struggle with that. The B-21 can't appear soon enough.

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1937 on: 12 February, 2022, 12:59:39 pm »
No B-1Bs though...

There aren't that many serviceable of the 45 left in service, but they do appear at Fairford from time to time. They're apparently meant to go on to 2036, but I think they might struggle with that. The B-21 can't appear soon enough.

The latest I read regarding the B-21 suggests Northrop Grumman are making steady progress and remarkably, the project is still on time and under budget! Six aircraft are already under construction, with the rollout of the first one to fly due to take place before the end of the year.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44235/a-sixth-b-21-raider-stealth-bomber-is-now-being-built

I'm tempted to ask what Northrop Grumman's getting right - the merger of the two original companies appears to have combined the best of both, whereas Boeing (currently making a complete mess of the KC-46 tanker) now seems to be a combo of the worst aspects of the Seattle giant and McDonnell Douglas.

(Lockheed Martin would have been the obvious comparison, but to be fair - only a smidgen, though - the F-35 is a case of trying to produce three different aircraft at the same time, when hindsight suggests it would have been better to have had a separate competition for a low-observable jump jet.)
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1938 on: 12 February, 2022, 04:18:43 pm »
I don’t think Boeing ever originally thought they’d get to make the KC-46 as the A330 MRTT was already well established and won the contract on capability and cost. Then the pollies objected (U!S!A!) and won the overturn, and so they had to make it work. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the 767 as a base; it’s just a very old design. Add to that the quality control problems that the company brought on itself, and which came to a head with the 737-Max, and Boeing really doesn’t look good.

NG may be much, much smaller, but they’ve made some great (if incredibly expensive) aeroplanes over the postwar era.

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1939 on: 24 May, 2022, 09:24:08 pm »
A RAF airbus a400m flying really low down the firth of Clyde the last 2 days.   Seems like there is some military exercise going on.  It seemed really quiet

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1940 on: 25 May, 2022, 05:28:21 am »
Quote from: sg37409
A RAF airbus a400m...  It seemed really quiet.
A quiet A400? That's ... unusual.  The racket they make is one of the easiest ways to distinguish them from C17s, both types are like fleas on a dog here.
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TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1941 on: 25 May, 2022, 07:56:25 am »
Quote from: sg37409
A RAF airbus a400m...  It seemed really quiet.
A quiet A400? That's ... unusual.  The racket they make is one of the easiest ways to distinguish them from C17s, both types are like fleas on a dog here.

Blimey. The RAF has 20 A400s, mostly unserviceable, and 8 C-17s. That’s not a lot, so I guess you must live next door to Brize!

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1942 on: 25 May, 2022, 08:38:50 am »
Quote from: sg37409
A RAF airbus a400m...  It seemed really quiet.
A quiet A400? That's ... unusual.  The racket they make is one of the easiest ways to distinguish them from C17s, both types are like fleas on a dog here.

Blimey. The RAF has 20 A400s, mostly unserviceable, and 8 C-17s. That’s not a lot, so I guess you must live next door to Brize!

Just down the road from me as I'm more or less on the base leg turn

Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1943 on: 25 May, 2022, 11:11:20 am »
A RAF airbus a400m flying really low down the firth of Clyde the last 2 days.   Seems like there is some military exercise going on.  It seemed really quiet
Seems it has been touring much of Scotland, spotted it on Monday.



ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1944 on: 30 May, 2022, 08:05:27 pm »


I'm not sure the Airbus came off much better.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/vulture-bird-strike-plane-madrid-b1946849.html

Back in the day, my dad had something called "speed tape" in his toolbox, aluminium with a sticky side. Not sure it would have coped with that thobut
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ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1945 on: 30 May, 2022, 08:11:35 pm »
Last Friday, two of those new fanged Ospreys, not unusual, but framed with a spitfire (probably from Duxford) in the background.

This morning, while out trimming the hedge, KC135 low, boom extended followed at very low level by an F15 in a screaming turn, air brake fully extended.  WIth the level of detail visible, I reckon not a lot more than 500ft and making a hell of a racket.  About two mins later a pair of F15s (possibly the first one and a mate from the direction), also pretty low, could see stuff on the wing pylons but not quite make out what.  I might be just more alert to the noise, but i seems to me that there's been more activity round here lately
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Mr Larrington

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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1946 on: 30 May, 2022, 08:17:25 pm »
Got buzzed by a Chinook last Thursday.  In Putney ???
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Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1947 on: 31 May, 2022, 12:33:38 pm »
I've been "buzzed" by a Chinook on the A32 in Gosport.  This is not rare, as they're all over the place, but this one was on a (very wide) truck.  They mend them there, or at least used to.  The sound of a Chinook going absolutely flat out whilst strapped to the ground is quite something, leading one to look around wondering where the hell the thing is (its behind a building).  I hate the things, they ain't natural...
Wombat

Wombat

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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1948 on: 31 May, 2022, 12:35:48 pm »
Quote from: sg37409
A RAF airbus a400m...  It seemed really quiet.
A quiet A400? That's ... unusual.  The racket they make is one of the easiest ways to distinguish them from C17s, both types are like fleas on a dog here.

They fly over here (Welshpool-ish) from time to time.  They've always seemed quiet to me, but then I'm used to Vulcans, Lightnings and Concorde at fairly close quarters.
Wombat

Salvatore

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Re: Interesting or unusual planes?
« Reply #1949 on: 12 July, 2022, 03:34:27 pm »
South Korean Black Eagles, which have been flying over my house for the last half-hour or so. Must be the Farnborough air show.
Quote
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