Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys

[40north]

It is my favorite sound in the world.

It's seductive...back in 1968 I heard a 51 on approach at Montera CA, south of Frisco, and made it fast to the strip in time to see her still running. A bibigthrill indeed! Just rolling with (I presume) carb heat o) that gal as she glided in...oh boy!

Arcane stuff, in wind tunnel tests at Wright Field (WW2) several variations of Merlin exhaust stacks. With the "best" design stacks they both raised engine power and made exhaust-thrust (as in rocket or jet) and picked up about 7 knots, as I remember. This was all online, pdfs of old test data. 7 additional kts @ 400 kts is a whole lota ponies.

 

[46th Georgia]

It's seductive...back in 1968 I heard a 51 on approach at Montera CA, south of Frisco, and made it fast to the strip in time to see her still running. A bibigthrill indeed! Just rolling with (I presume) carb heat o) that gal as she glided in...oh boy!

Arcane stuff, in wind tunnel tests at Wright Field (WW2) several variations of Merlin exhaust stacks. With the "best" design stacks they both raised engine power and made exhaust-thrust (as in rocket or jet) and picked up about 7 knots, as I remember. This was all online, pdfs of old test data. 7 additional kts @ 400 kts is a whole lota ponies.

I lived in Fremont in '68, I was 9 at the time, and there was this guy that would fly over heading north with regularity at probably 1000 ft. and what seemed like a million mph, and if we were outside playing, everyone stopped to watch and listen. I'm sure we all looked like we were catching flies with our mouths. The beginning of a lifelong love of the Merlin for me!

 

[Raymond]

This clip hints at that Merlin sound

 

[Jan_P]

Sensation seekers Biggles Style
Only Question is Which one Dies First the man on the ground or the one in the soon burning Aircraft.

Heard stories about jet fighters flying under the bridge .. Not sure if true
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Höga_Kusten_Bridge

Instantly terminating their own flying career --Next stick in hand was a broomstick sweeping the hangar floor The rest of the short military career.

 

[Adamc]

 

[Adamc]

 

[Jan_P]

This clip hints at that Merlin sound

Wow that looks low and a complicated way to cut the grass Lawn Need to keeping the fishing rod horizontal

 

[Mailman]

I learned something new a couple days ago. A lot of you aircraft guys will already be familiar with this I’m sure. It’s called The Magnus Effect. By definition “Magnus effect, generation of a sidewise force on a spinning cylindrical or spherical solid immersed in a fluid (liquid or gas) when there is relative motion between the spinning body and the fluid.”
I always knew that a spinning ball will curve, I just never knew the science behind it, it’s what allows a pitcher in baseball to throw crazy curve balls,

Or a soccer player to bend a ball into the goal net,


But what really surprised me is that the same law of physics can be applied to aircraft,

Spinning cylinders can act as wings, maybe not as well as true wings, but the fact that they work at all surprised me.

I even watched a YouTube video where these college students made a flying RC plane out of spinning chicken take out buckets.

There have been attempts in the past to create full size planes using spinning cylinders as wings.
“The Plymouth A-A-2004 was built for Zaparka in 1930 by three anonymous American inventors. It was reported to have made successful flights over Long Island Sound.
An inherent safety concern is that if power to the rotating drums were lost—even if thrust was maintained—the aircraft would lose its ability to generate lift as the drum slowed and it would not be able to sustain flight.”

They have also built ships that have used cylinders as sails, they have reported that even though it takes engines to drive the spinning cylinders that they are 20-30% more fuel efficient than similar sized prop driven ships.

I found all this quite interesting. Never too old to learn something new!

 

[Adamc]

FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED:

 

[gggGary]

Concorde contained a series of fuel tanks distributed through-out the airframe. Numbered 1 to 11, this network consisted of main tanks, engine feed-tanks and trim-tanks.
As Concorde went faster, to adjust the C of G rearward in flight, fuel was pumped from the tanks at the front of the aircraft to the tank at the back: 'Tank 11 beneath the fin. Around 10 tonnes needed to be transferred in this way to keep her trimmed.
The fuel was always loaded in a particular way as well. The fuel hoses were plugged in and a number tapped into the computer that told the system how much fuel vou needed to put on board. The bowser operators did something similar, so that the two numbers tallied. As the fuel was being pumped, the aircraft distributed it to the right tank at the "right moment" by opening and closing a series of valves and pumps that kept the C of G in the same place - this being determined by the kind of trip you were to make.

And I have a hard time remembering to turn off my petcock when I'm done riding.

 

[Jim]

Concorde contained a series of fuel tanks distributed through-out the airframe. Numbered 1 to 1 1, this network consisted of main tanks, engine feed-tanks and trim-tanks. As Concorde went faster, to adjust the C of G rearward in flight, fuel was pumped from the tanks at the front of the
aircraft to the tank at the back: to 'Tank 11 beneath the fin. Around 10 tonnes needed to be transferred in this way to
keep her trimmed.The fuel was always loaded in a particular way as well The
fuel hoses were plugged in and a number tapped into the computer that told the system how much fuel vou needed to
put on board. The bowser operators did something similar, so that the two numbers tallied. As the fuel was beingpumped, the aircraft distributed it to the right tank at the
"right moment by opening and closing a series of valves and pumps that kept the C of G in the same place - this being determined by the kind of trip you were to make.

View attachment 240777
And I have a hard time remembering to turn off my petcock when I'm done riding.

Reminds me of an old joke about how do you shut off an airplane when fuel has leaked into the cockpit?

You stick one finger in your left ear, one finger in your right ear, then turn the master off with your elbow.

 

[Mailman]

Concorde contained a series of fuel tanks distributed through-out the airframe. Numbered 1 to 1 1, this network consisted of main tanks, engine feed-tanks and trim-tanks. As Concorde went faster, to adjust the C of G rearward in flight, fuel was pumped from the tanks at the front of the
aircraft to the tank at the back: to 'Tank 11 beneath the fin. Around 10 tonnes needed to be transferred in this way to
keep her trimmed.The fuel was always loaded in a particular way as well The
fuel hoses were plugged in and a number tapped into the computer that told the system how much fuel vou needed to
put on board. The bowser operators did something similar, so that the two numbers tallied. As the fuel was beingpumped, the aircraft distributed it to the right tank at the
"right moment by opening and closing a series of valves and pumps that kept the C of G in the same place - this being determined by the kind of trip you were to make.

View attachment 240777
And I have a hard time remembering to turn off my petcock when I'm done riding.

Now days all that would probably be reduced to a 12” touch screen.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Now days all that would probably be reduced to a 12” touch screen.

Nope! It’s just gone. The flight engineer was replaced with automation. And yes, the pilots have panels of LCD screens to look at. Oh! There’s a tray table where the yoke used to be.

 

[40north]

Sensation seekers Biggles Style
Only Question is Which one Dies First the man on the ground or the one in the soon burning Aircraft.

Heard stories about jet fighters flying under the bridge .. Not sure if true
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Höga_Kusten_Bridge

Instantly terminating their own flying career --Next stick in hand was a broomstick sweeping the hangar floor The rest of the short military career.

I seem to remember that Yager flew a P-80 under his home town's bridge. I knew a fella that flew down interstate 5 in the very flooded road closed and flooded time..in the 80's. An ultralite, said that so long as the wheels are kicking up spray bridges are no problemo. I think he really did it. He was at war with himself over Vietnam stuff.

 

[40north]

The vanished flight engineer...I didn't know that. I suppose I suspected it though.
And the navigator's seat is also vacant, ah suspicion.
I myself have observed manual celestial navigation in an early 707, chatted with the navigator. That was very neat. Sextant, radar altimeter, clock and WWV, slide-rule, repeat @ 15 minute intervals and hand on paper the course correction to pilot. Great circle sorta thing.

 

[gggGary]

While camped on a reservoir near me, a Guardsman put a fighter, F15? on the deck and roostertailed it all the way up the lake! 30 years ago....

 

[jetmechmarty]

The vanished flight engineer...I didn't know that. I suppose I suspected it though.
And the navigator's seat is also vacant, ah suspicion.
I myself have observed manual celestial navigation in an early 707, chatted with the navigator. That was very neat. Sextant, radar altimeter, clock and WWV, slide-rule, repeat @ 15 minute intervals and hand on paper the course correction to pilot. Great circle sorta thing.

The engineer was designed out of the airplane in the 1970’s. The 767 began flying in 1981 with no engineer panel.
The L1011 TriStar first flew in 1970. It was fully automated. It had an engineer panel, but navigating was handled by the Flight Management System. As far as flying and landing, the captain had to manually operate the brakes after touchdown. With later aircraft, the pilot doesn’t operate the brakes either. There isn’t much to do on long flights.
Single pilot will happen sooner than later. Some of us will still be here when transport aircraft are flying pilotless.

 

[Jim]

The engineer was designed out of the airplane in the 1970’s. The 767 began flying in 1981 with no engineer panel.
The L1011 TriStar first flew in 1970. It was fully automated. It had an engineer panel, but navigating was handled by the Flight Management System. As far as flying and landing, the captain had to manually operate the brakes after touchdown. With later aircraft, the pilot doesn’t operate the brakes either. There isn’t much to do on long flights.
Single pilot will happen sooner than later. Some of us will still be here when transport aircraft are flying pilotless.

Both the Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737 were developed as 2 man crew aircraft..... in the 60's

 

[jetmechmarty]

Both the Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737 were developed as 2 man crew aircraft..... in the 60's

Yes, I forgot that. One had early success over the other and it had to do with ALPA and the engineer position. The rest is foggy at the moment.

 

[Jim]

The rest is foggy at the moment.

Same here. I do recall that ALPA burned through wheelbarrows of money fighting Boeing and Douglas over that 3rd seat, all to no avail. It was pretty much the death of the engineer station at that point. The first generation 747... 100, 200, SP had 3 man crews. By the time the 400 rolled out, even that monster was a 2 man airplane.... early 80's I believe?