Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys

Today on the VFT. Mystery of the century for sure. That open flywheel has Maytag written all over it? I wonder how it stops?:umm:
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The chines on the sides of the YF-12 fuselage were cut-back to just ahead of the cockpit to help the big Hughes air-to-air intercept radar work better and they also had an IR "eye-ball" sensor built into the leading edge - but apparently, these small modifications had a marked effect on the stability of the aircraft and made it noticeably more difficult to fly. The other A-12 variants (i.e. the A-12 itself and the SR-71A and -B) had the chines go right up to the tip of the nose.

One of my best friends (d. 2012) was on the original A-12 design team at Lockheed and while he didn't discuss very many details (me being a foreigner and with all that Canadian aluminium flooding across the border, a substantial security risk to the supply of beer cans in the United States), he did tell me a few funny stories about the aircraft.

Like the Lockheed U2/TR-1, each Blackbird aircraft was different and each had its own distinct quirks: some aircraft were very reliable and easy to deal with, while others were really quite miserable machines on which there was always a snag juuuust prior to launch.
 
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I read about this product on another forum. Apparently if you spray the Aluminum and other metals it leaves a film that protects against corrosion. One coat is supposed to last a couple of months and will stop that white corrosion powder forming on the engine. It was developed by Boeing but is now used on all sorts of outdoor equipment e.g. bicycles, chains, car engines and outboard motors.

I posted it here cause I thought some of the ex-aircraft professionals may have encountered it.
 
State of the art Bomber on the VFT today. Interesting piece of history.
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Very cool - that aircraft was hot stuff in its day. There was one built with a 37 mm (1.5 inch) nose cannon which would have made a mighty blast. I think that is it in the photo posted by HalfMile.
 
Very cool - that aircraft was hot stuff in its day. There was one built with a 37 mm (1.5 inch) nose cannon which would have made a mighty blast. I think that is it in the photo posted by HalfMile.
That had to rattle that plane
 
MaxPete, I do not think that is a 37mm cannon. More likely a nozzle for refueling from tankers mid-flight.

Well, possibly, but I think if you check carefully, you will find that that refuelling probe is mounted in a Scarff ring with traversing and elevating gear and a ring and bead sight.....;)
 
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Has anyone out their used Boeshield T-9 to prevent their polished alloy engine covers from deteriorating over Winter in the damp?

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In the Navy helicopter squadrons I served in, we used cpc corrosion preventive compound. I tried to look it up just now and found many different CPCs with mildpec numbers. I just remember that the stuff was sticky and dust stuck to it.
 
I got curious and looked it up. The first successful air-to-air refueling occurred in 1923! I'd have thought at least 20 years later than that.

Early aviators were some brave, or crazy, or both, individuals.

Yeah, the first trials were done by the Americans using to DeHavilland-designed AirCo DH4 aircraft - I think in US Postal service.

Pretty gutsy move and in many respects, fairly similar to modern systems.
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