The for aircraft enthusiasts megathread. For all of us who are just plane crazy.

Blazer

Blazer

Nov 27, 2003
1,994
5,198
5,451
48
The Netherlands
Disclosures
Rogue luthier employed at Knooren Handcrafted bass guitars
#1
Well it has been brought up that people would love to see a megathread for all propellor heads on this here forum. and since I am not dumb enough to push away a good idea, here it is.

So the object is to post about aviation and everybody can join in with what ever they want to post about as long as it is about those magnificent flying machines.

So to start things off, here's a Sikorsky UH-34 starting and just listen to that cool rumble of its Wright cyclone 9 cylinder radial.
 
  • Like
Reactions: P. Aaron and 99Z3
#3
I've been reading Across the Fence about the US SOG teams during the Vietnam war in 1969. They used these, which were flown by the Vietnamese Air Force. I understand they were fairly well armored, but still vulnerable to ground fire. They were made a few miles from where I'm sitting.
Thanks for posting.
 
#4
Radio said:
I've been reading Across the Fence about the US SOG teams during the Vietnam war in 1969. They used these, which were flown by the Vietnamese Air Force. I understand they were fairly well armored, but still vulnerable to ground fire. They were made a few miles from where I'm sitting.
Thanks for posting.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the "Choctaw" was a tough dependable workhorse.

With my country we used them on the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman as a SAR aircraft.
s58a_uh34j_royalnetherlandsnavy_134_mlm-soesterberg09.jpg

A Choctaw in the Dutch air Force museum.
 
  • Like
Reactions: P. Aaron, 99Z3, murphy and 1 other person
#5
001128368.jpg

The CJ-6 is WW II type plane with a radial engine that is still being manufactured today in China. China exports them to third world countries as a basic military trainer. When I first started flying, I wanted to buy a used one of these as they are relatively cheap, (as far aircraft cost goes) but my pilot wife said hell no. " We are not flying and betting our lives on something built in China." Yep, she is smarter than me. With that said, I still would like to fly one. They are fairly easy to fly and maintain, and one would get the feeling of how it would be to be a WW II fighter pilot. I guess there is a little Walter Mitty in all of us. We have a squadron of these at my local airport, see video, and they can be seen on weekends flying in a 5 or 6 aircraft formation around the Los Angles area.

nanchang.jpg


Specifications (CJ-6A)
Data from Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide [4]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

  • 2 x 7.62mm machine guns
  • Weapons stations and hardpoints under the wings
  • Bombs
  • Rocket launchers
 
Last edited:
#8
EC-121 Affectionately known as the Willy Victor. The were used for supporting the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line from 1955 to 1965. They were also used by the Hurricane Hunters until replaced by C 130s. I have over 1000 hours in this type. I was in VW13 flying between Greenland and Iceland and Iceland and England. We had radar with a 300 mile range. We also had all kinds of electronic surveillance equipment and were able to keep track of everything in the sky, on the water, and under water.
the_last_willy_victor.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: bholder, 99Z3, Immigrant and 2 others
#9
Blazer said:
...here's a Sikorsky UH-34 starting and just listen to that cool rumble of its Wright cyclone 9 cylinder radial.
Click to expand...

This is what my dad started in. He worked on the first Army project to assess the viability of arming helicopters and this was the platform used for those tests. He transitioned to the huey program and flew many hours in the testing of an updated rotor system designed to counter retreating blade stall in deep dives. He was also heavily involved in development of the concept of vertical envelopment. He later became the primary author of the Army training standard for instrument flight training which eventually became the world standard for rotary wing IFR training until the advent of the glass cockpit. When he finally gave it up he was the head of the aviation standards division for the department of the army.

In his career he survived two midair collisions, three high altitude engine failures, a catastrophic tail rotor failure, and a huey door blowing off and damaging both rotor blades. In typical fashion, when asked about flying helicopters he says it's not much different than driving a tractor.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: NigelD
#10
Gravedigger Dav said:
EC-121 Affectionately known as the Willy Victor. The were used for supporting the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line from 1955 to 1965. They were also used by the Hurricane Hunters until replaced by C 130s. I have over 1000 hours in this type. I was in VW13 flying between Greenland and Iceland and Iceland and England. We had radar with a 300 mile range. We also had all kinds of electronic surveillance equipment and were able to keep track of everything in the sky, on the water, and under water.
the_last_willy_victor.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks like it is related to the Lockheed Constellation.
 
#12
For anyone who has never flown in a small four seat aircraft this is kind of what it feels like. Mostly fun and sometimes even a little scary. My wife likes to shoot and edit videos. This is one of her videos of a lunch trip to the extreme airport in the sky on Catalina Island. Kind of like landing on an aircraft carrier. The trip is just a short 12 minute flight off the California coast.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: catcauphonic, Immigrant and S-Bigbottom
#15
Stewie26 said:
Barry Schiff is a legend in the general aviation community. I have read a lot of his writings and learned a lot from him.
Click to expand...
He was a fixture in the CompuServe AVSIG forum that predated The Internet (certainly the WWW) by a decade or so. And a frequent participant in the SoCal fly-in scene.
You haven't lived until you've heard Barry Schiff play the theme from 'High and the Mighty' on the noseflute.
In the dwindling stash of VHS tapes I still keep are signed copies of two editions of The Proficient Pilot video series. And I think there might be a book...
Neat guy - interesting story about how he got his hot-air certificate... (and the FAR change it spawned...)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stewie26
#16
Blazer said:
Well it has been brought up that people would love to see a megathread for all propellor heads on this here forum. and since I am not dumb enough to push away a good idea, here it is.

So the object is to post about aviation and everybody can join in with what ever they want to post about as long as it is about those magnificent flying machines.

So to start things off, here's a Sikorsky UH-34 starting and just listen to that cool rumble of its Wright cyclone 9 cylinder radial.
Click to expand...

Hi guys! I'm fascinated with commercial aircraft. Why? They're so boring... But I can't help myself. Working at one of the busiest cargo hubs in the US, I see a lot of cool planes. Here are a few pics (and there will be more) of planes at my airport.
Boeing 737-700.
20160131_085430.jpg


CFM-56 engine, #1 pictured. B737-700
20160108_175502.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: S-Bigbottom, Planespotter and murphy
#18
for me , its British and German war birds of all types, I even fly a MK IX Spitfire remote plane , J for Johnny, Canadian Markings. Was never much into Yank war birds , they just didnt have the classic styling of Brit planes or the great design of the German planes
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back