Full Throttle

09/12/2023

A fine insight of the SLAF IA-58A Pucara

Here are my first impressions of the FMA IA-58 Pucará that I saw in the Sri Lanka Air Force Museum. That was one of the symbols of the Falkland war along wit...

22/11/2023

It's 60 years since the assassination of JFK ! And this rare incident of taking the presidential oath onboard Air Force One !!!

Exactly 60 years ago on November 22,1963, then United States Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One(VC-137C (Boeing 707-353B)-SAM 26000) at Love Field Airport Dallas, Texas, two hours and eight minutes after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This is probably the only incident in history, that any head of a state took oath aboard aircraft. In the photo, Jackie Kennedy (right in photo) the first lady of JFK, still in her blood-soaked clothes. By the order of new President Johnson, the plane carried Kennedy's body back to Washington. After 10 years in 1973, the same aircraft carried Johnson's body home to Texas after his state funeral in Washington. The SAM 26000 air force one aircraft served Presidents Kennedy to Clinton from 1962 to 1998.

22/11/2023

World's first true production helicopter

22/11/2023

Throwback to our 2017 Airshow when we had TWO Zeros flying, with our original engined A6M5 Zero (bottom) and the CAF SoCal's A6M3 Zero, which is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R1830 engine. There are only a small handful of Zeros flying in the world, and none have their original Sakae engine like ours! See this rare aircraft, which we only fly about once a year, on December 2nd here at Chino Airport, CA for our next Hangar Talk Flying event!

03/11/2023

Yeager On Air Combat
How P-51 pilots achieved superiority against Luftwaffe in 1944

Late Brigadier General Chuck Yeager explains how P-51 pilots achieved superiority against Luftwaffe 109 and 190 pilots by 1944 in this segment of "Yeager On ...

19/10/2023

How MiG-21 won a war for India

On 14th December Indian Air Force, 28 Sqn, delivered the finishing blow when four MiGs attacked the building where Dr. Malek, Governor of East Pakistan, was ...

17/10/2023

67 years ago, on October 15th, the last Lancaster bomber in RAF operational service took off from RAF St Mawgan with the Coastal Command’s School of Maritime Reconnaissance (later renamed No.1 Maritime Reconnaissance School).

Earlier this year, the Lancaster bomber PA474 from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Official) flew over 28 former Bomber Command airfields to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid.

Learn more about the Dambusters Raid here: https://ow.ly/9T0u50PVEby

15/10/2023

352nd FG Republic P-47D Thunderbolt gun camera footage

This footage shows the Republic P-47D Thunderbolts of 352nd FG engaging Luftwaffe Messerschmitt BF-110G2 Zerstörer aircraft that's coming upto intercept Amer...

12/10/2023

AGM-12 Bullpup

The AGM-12 Bullpup is a short-range air-to-ground missile developed by Martin Marietta for the US Navy. It is among the earliest precision guided air-to-grou...

12/10/2023

FIRST FLIGHT IN SIX DECADES!
Congratulations to Graham Peacock and all of the team associated with the rebirth of Hawker Tempest II G-TEMT, resulting in its first flight today. What a mission it has been to put a Tempest back into the skies, one that has taken over six decades to achieve. As a high-school student I became very excited when I read about 'THE POONA TEMPESTS', half a dozen of these forlorn fighters sitting as airfield decoys at Poona (now Pune) in western India. Recovered in the late 1970s, I was expecting to see one fly within the coming decade. There was even talk of one or two being rebuilt as racers to compete at Reno. But with the passage of time, some of the rescued Tempests became museum displays, others became back-burner projects and several changed hands on numerous occasions including MW763 (now marked as PR533) which has now made its triumphant first flight with Pete Kynsey at the controls, the first Tempest to fly since at least the 1960s, possibly earlier. There are a dozen Tempests known to survive of 1702 built. More than half of them are former Indian Air Force examples. A second is close to airworthiness in Canada.(Thanks to Fans of Duxford page).

10/10/2023

Israeli F-4E v Syrian MiG-17F

This rare footage shows a low level dogfight between an IDF/AF F-4E Phantom II and a Syrian Air Force MiG-17F during Yom Kippur War 1973. ...

03/10/2023

U.S. Navy Corpsmen Herald B. Williams, James E. Carr and William N. Shipworth help carry a wounded man from a U.S. Marine Corps VMO-6 Sikorsky HO3S-1 evacuation helicopter to a hospital in Seoul,Korea on 3 October 1950.

The Sikorsky H-5s gained its fame during the Korean War when it was called upon repeatedly to rescue United Nations pilots shot down behind enemy lines and to evacuate wounded personnel from frontline areas. It was eventually replaced in most roles by the H-19 Chickasaw.

Via U.S Navy

30/09/2023

The powerhouse that powered the F4 Phantom to the IAI Kfir was General Electric's J79 turbojet engine. This engine propelled various aircraft, including the F4 Phantom, B58 Hustler, IAI Kfir, F104 Starfighter, and A-5. It was produced under license by many manufacturers, including Japan's IHI, Italy's Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Aeritalia, Israel's Beit Shemesh, Germany's MTU Aero Engines, and Canada's Orenda Engines for the Canadair CF-104, the Canadian version of the Starfighter. The J79 could produce a maximum thrust of around 80kN+ with an afterburner and was one of the widely used turbojet engines before the US adopted many afterburning turbojet engines in their fighters.

30/09/2023

This flightline photo of 120th IAP PVO MiG-3s were taken on the day (7 March 1942) that the unit was awarded Guards states for its participation in the defence of Moscow. It duly became 12. Gv. IAP as a result of the decoration. The MiG-3's ability at high altitude made it a useful tactical reconnaissance aircraft also an interceptor, but at medium to low level it was no match for the Bf-109E/F variants.

Image Below was colorized by Massimo Tessitori

29/09/2023

A Royal Navy Grumman Hellcat MKIIN of Fleet Air Arm 808 Naval Air Squadron k6F flying low over Katukurunda, Ceylon 1945.

23/09/2023

A Thunderchief's gun camera frame only hints at the gut-wrenching life and death duel taking place between a MiG-17 and another F-105D. Turning with MiG-17s in an aircraft as long as a B-24 Liberator (but with more bombs and ten fewer crew members) required precise judgment to know when to disengage and accelerate away before the adversary could get on the Thunderchief's tail. F-105 pilots could not easily employ the tactic used by F-4 crews, which sought to draw MiG-17s into a vertical fight where the Phantom's superior thrust gave it a decisive advantage.

Via USAF.

21/09/2023

21/09/2023

The OV-10 Still viable as a COIN aircraft in low threat environment

The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special airc...

20/09/2023

Infantry troops about to board U.S. Army Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw helicopters to be transported to the front lines at the 6th Transportation Helicopter Company, Eighth Army, Korea.

18/09/2023

TOMCAT SUNSET

Via C.J Heatley

29/08/2023

MiG-19 (NATO: Farmer): marked the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. It achieved supersonic speeds in level flight and faced off against advanced rivals like the F-4 Phantom II. Originally used by the USSR, it later found its place in the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Image by : USAF

20/08/2023

**Revolutionizing Flight: The Future of Aircraft Technology**

Exciting news from the Department of Defense! They're investing $235 million over four years to fast-track the development of Blended Wing Body (BWB) technology – a game-changer in aviation.

Unlike traditional tube-and-wing aircraft, the BWB design integrates the aircraft body into its wing, reducing drag by 30% and boosting lift. This translates to extended range, longer loiter times, and more efficient payload delivery. Imagine the impact on fuel consumption and global reach!

The Air Force plans to use BWB aircraft for military transport, a sector responsible for 60% of their annual jet fuel use. This innovation stems from collaboration between the Department of the Air Force, NASA, and the Defense Innovation Unit, with private investment on the horizon.

This technology doesn't just benefit defense; it has implications for commercial aviation too. Think increased cabin or cargo space and lower fuel costs for airlines and freight companies.

Initial flight testing could be done by 2027, showcasing the potential to revolutionize air travel. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting transformation in the world of flight! ✈️🚀🛫

Graphic Image by USAF

20/08/2023

Eye Candy !!

"EYE CANDY"

Sporting elaborate eye markings on the cannon bulges, this Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6(Works Number 18807) of III. /JG 3 'Udet' was flown by one of the Luftwaffe's shortest-lived, but most effective aces. Alfred Surau scored his first kill on the 28th February 1943, while flying on the Russian front. When III. /JG 3 was transferred to the Western front his kill tally had reached 41 in just six months. The skilled veterans of the Eastern Campaign made III. /JG3 one of the most effective in Luftwaffe at downing the USAAF heavy bombers that now threatened German cities and industry on a daily basis.Surau's winning streak was not to last. On October 14th, 1943, return fire from a B17, his 46th and final kill, fatally injured him. He bailed out but died of his injuries later that day.

While the Bf109G-6 was not the most effective machine for tackling the big heavy bombers it was still capable of some successes. The Bf 109 G-series was developed from the largely identical F-series airframe, although there were detail differences. Modifications included a reinforced wing structure, an internal bullet-proof windscreen, the use of heavier, welded framing for the cockpit transparencies, and additional light-alloy armour for the fuel tank. It was originally intended that the wheel wells would incorporate small doors to cover the outer portion of the wheels when retracted. To incorporate these the outer wheel bays were squared off. Two small inlet scoops for additional cooling of the spark plugs were added on both sides of the forward engine cowlings. A less obvious difference was the omission of the boundary layer bypass outlets, which had been a feature of the F-series, on the upper radiator flaps. Like most German aircraft produced in World War II, the Bf 109 G-series was designed to adapt to different operational tasks with greater versatility; larger modifications to fulfil a specific mission task, such as long-range reconnaissance or long-range fighter-bomber, were with "Ruststand" and given a "/R" suffix, smaller modifications on the production line or during overhaul, such as equipment changes, were made with kits of pre-packaged parts known as Umrust-Bausatze, usually contracted to Umbau and given a "/U" suffix. Field kits known as Rustsatze were also available but those did not change the aircraft designation. Special high-altitude interceptors with GM-1 nitrous oxide injection high-altitude boost and pressurized cockpits were also produced.

Art by Steven Heyen

18/08/2023

The first Jet Ace of USAF

'THE FIRST JET ACE OF USAF '

On 26 May 1953, second-ranking USAF Korean War ace Maj James Jabara went head-to-head with a formation of 16 MiG-15s at high altitude over Uiju. He was leading a formation of four
F-86F Sabres from the 334th FIS/4th FIG on a patrol along 'MiG Alley' at the time, the ace spotting the large communist formation across the Yalu River. Without hesitating, he immediately engaged the MiGs head-on, scattering the silver fighters all over the sky.
Jabara claimed two kills following this mission, one jet shot down and the other forced into an uncontrollable flick roll when its pilot tried to evade Jabara's aggressive collision course attack. These were the American's eighth and ninth victories of the war.

One year earlier, on 20 May 1951, veteran fighter pilot Jabara had earned the distinction of being the first all-jet ace of the USAF. His combat report for this historic mission read as follows;
'We found about a half-dozen MiGs coming in on us. Another pair of Sabres split the enemy formation and we tacked onto the other three. I was just setting up for a firing position when three more MiGs attacked us. They overshot me as I turned into them. Two broke away, but I latched onto the tail of the third one. He tried everything in the book to shake me but he couldn't. I closed to within 1500 ft and gave him three good bursts. I saw the armour-piercing incendiaries hit his fuselage and left-wing. He did two violent snap rolls and started to spin. At 10,000 ft, with my wingman and I circling him, the MiG pilot bailed out. It was a good thing for him that he didn't wait any longer because the MiG exploded a few seconds later. The next few minutes were wild, with 28 Sabres trying to watch some 50 MiGs buzzing around them like angry bees. I climbed back up to 20,000 ft and spotted six more MiGs. I was in a good position so I bounced them. Picking one of them out,
I closed the range and got off two good bursts, scoring heavily both times on his fuselage and tail surfaces. He flamed out right away, with smoke pouring from his exhaust. One more bullet hit him right in the middle and he caught fire.'

' Quickly I cut my power and popped the speed brakes, following him down to about 6500 ft to make sure that he hit the ground. All of a sudden I heard a "popcorn machine" right in my cockpit. Looking back, I saw two MiGs firing at me, and they had a very good position. My wingman should have warned me, but he had been busy with some other MiGs while I was attacking these. I was in big trouble. Breaking left, I went to full throttle and closed the brakes. For about two minutes we were all over the sky, with them shooting all the time and me running like hell, and doing some jinks and things that the F-86 wasn't meant to do. Then I heard two other guys from my flight on the R/T. "There's an F-86 in trouble
down there!" I came right on with, "Roger, I know it only too damned well!" "Call us if you need help!", they said. Since I was on "Bingo Fuel", I said, "I sure could use some!"
'The two F-86s rolled over and came down to my aid. They were just beautiful! One MiG, seeing help on the way, broke off and ran for home. The other MiG held on and kept firing. Gene Holley was one of the F-86 drivers. He pulled in behind the MiG and started to pour fire into him. We flew round and round, me running, the MiG firing at me, Holley firing at him, and Pitts, in the other
F-86, covering all of us. The MiG started to smoke and broke off his attack, heading back across the Yalu. Since we were below "bingo", none of us could give chase. I called Holley. "Thanks for saving my neck!" It had been a very rough 20 minutes.'

James Jabara was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on 10 October 1923. His interest in aviation dated back to his formative years, when barnstorming was in its prime, but only 5 ft 5in in height, and with poor eyesight, Jabara's dream of becoming a fighter pilot seemed almost impossible. Rumour has it that he consumed heavy doses of Vitamin A to improve his sight, and this apparently worked well enough for him to be accepted into the USAAF's pilot training programme right out of high school. He received his wings on 1 October 1943 and was posted to the Ninth Air Force's 382nd FS/363rd FG in England in April 1944.

Flying P-51B/Ds with the group, he claimed 1.5 aerial kills prior to returning home tour-expired in August. Jabara returned to England in February 1945 when he was posted to the 354th FS/355th FG, and he remained with the unit until war's end - by which time he had flown more than 100 missions. Staying in the air force post-war, Jabara attended Tactical Air School at Tyndall air force base and then completed a tour in Okinawa with the 53rd FG. He transitioned to the F-86A in 1950 and was posted to the 334th FIS/4th FIG. Jabara went to Korea with the unit in December 1950, and on 20 May 1951, he downed his fifth and sixth MiG-15s to become the first American jet ace. Jabara was immediately withdrawn from Korea and flown to Japan the very next day, senior USAF officers deeming the first jet ace too valuable to risk in combat.
Finally managing to get reassigned to the 4th FIG in January 1953, Jabara once again made an impact in the skies over Korea. By this stage of the war close to 800 MiG-15s were based north of the Yalu in Manchuria, so the hunting was much better than it had been in early 1951. By the time Jabara's second tour came to an end, he had become a triple ace with 15 confirmed kills. This made him the second-highest scoring Sabre pilot of the Korean War.

VIA - Aircraft OF THE ACES, LEGENDS OF THE SKIES.

Top left - A dramatic portrayal of Capt James Jabara's F-86F-30-NA Sabre 52-4513 making a head-on pass with a North Korean MiG-15.
Art by Iain Wyllie

Top right - The 334th FIS's Capt James Jabara gets a victory ride from two fellow 4th FIG Sabre pilots upon his return to Suwon after becoming the first American jet ace on 20 May 1951(USAF)

Bottom - F-86A-5 Sabre 48-259 of Capt James Jabara, 334th FIS/4th FIG, Su won, May 1951
Seen in early 4th FIG colours, this machine was one of a string of Sabres used by James
Jabara during his first tour in Korea, which lasted from December 1950 through to 20 May
1951. One of the oldest F-86s to see combat in the war, this aircraft was actually Jabara's assigned jet, although it appears that he never actually scored a kill while flying it.

17/08/2023

Laden with fuel tanks for the ferry flight home, a MiG-23UB from 19 Guards Fighter-bomber Aviation Regiment departs Lärz in East Germany with full afterburner. Notice the raised periscope to provide the rear-seat occupant with a measure of forward visibility.

The Aviation Regiment left East Germany in March 1993 and went to Millerovo, only 25 km east of Ukraine. All Floggers were soon withdrawn from service and the Regiment received MiG-29s.

Picture by Rob Schleiffert

16/08/2023

US Army MiG Kill

"US Army's only Mig Killer"

Cpt Mike Langer of the Army Aviation Test Board engages a Viet Cong target during a fire support mission over Vietnam, In December 1964.
This OV-1A(60-3736) was assigned to the 225th Aviation company, phantom hawks.
Mike Langer later bought this same Mohawk which is one of the few civilian-owned Mohawks.

The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was a two-seat , twin-turboprop armed observation, liaison and a light attack aircraft which was developed to outperform aircrafts like Cessna O-1 Bird Dog which was also used during the Korean war and Vietnam.

And one of these Mohawks claimed the sole air kill achieved during the Vietnam war by the United States Army.
It was in February 1968 two OV-1As from 131st "Nighthawks" Aviation regiment were flying at 2000ft above the A shau Valley, leading the fight was Captain Ken lee and they were transiting to Laos above South Vietnam’s A Shau valley, located just south of the DMZ and close to the Laotian border. Flying above the valley with a low ceiling and heavy clouds overhead Lee's Mohawk was suddenly bounced by a North Vietnamese Mig 17F , the Mig scored hits on his aircraft's empennage and rear fuselage but overshot the relatively slow Mohawks.
As the Mig was turning to engage them again he got in front of the two 19 shot M159 rocket pods with 2.75-inch unguided rockets and two XM14 .50 calibre gun pods mounted on Lee’s underwing racks. Lee realized his best chance to stay alive was to fire everything at the MiG while it was in front of him, and fire (almost) everything he did.
As Ken Lee tells it,
“When I felt the hits on the aircraft I told my wingman to break south as there was no point in both of us getting shot down. I was still a bit jumpy in that area- I didn’t want another .51 calibre round in my side, so I started a right turn to put some distance between me and the AAA batteries in the valley. I looked out the right side of the airplane to clear my turn and then just as I began the turn the MiG flew past me. I had only 170 knots of airspeed as we were heavy. At first, I thought the MiG might have been an Aussie F-86 (RAAF CA-27 Sabres were based out of Ubon in those days) but then I saw the red star on his tail. When he passed me he just about lined himself up. He just happened to be right on my pipper, so I have to say there was no great skill involved in leading him or anything. I just started shooting."
Lee fired most of his 38 rockets at the MiG in several four-shot salvos, believing he hit it with four of them. He also claimed to have hit the Fresco with approximately 100 rounds of .50 calibre gunfire, observing tracer fire light up the MiG’s fuselage. After the attack, the two aircraft lost sight of each other in a cloud bank but by then the MiG was well ablaze and although Lee did not see the stricken MiG impact the ground he was confident that it had gone in..

Though this kill was kept a secret by US ARMY due to the USAF would have forced them to disarm Mohawks or even turn them over to the USAF because the Airforce had reserved the shooting down Migs as their exclusive domain.
Lee's kill was finally formally recognized by the Army in 2007.

Reference - https://www.avgeekery.com/avgeekery-exclusive-mig-killing-army-ov-1-mohawk-pilot-ken-lee/

Art by Don Greer.

16/08/2023

In the 1960s, at the MASDC located in Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona (USA), retired U.S. Air Force Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers could be seen. Approximately 1,500 B-47s were decommissioned within a span of around six years.

Author: USAF

09/08/2023

Kelly Johnson, the visionary behind the Blackbird's design, faced a scorching dilemma. The external temperatures would reach a staggering 300°C, threatening to transform the aircraft into a fiery furnace. The ingenious solution? A special fuel named JP-7.

With over 80,000 pounds of this remarkable substance stored in six main fuel tanks, the Blackbird defied the odds. Even at skin-melting temperatures, JP-7 remained unflinchingly stable, thanks to its exceptionally high flashpoint. Picture this: a crew chief casually tossing a match or a cigarette butt into JP-7, only to watch it extinguish in the face of such impressive resilience.

From soaring at mind-bending speeds to mastering heat that could reduce others to ashes, the SR-71 Blackbird showcased its prowess in every detail.

Image credit: NASA Photo / Jim Ross

30/07/2023

The New Phoenix!!!

The Fakour-90, also known as "Wisdom-90" in Persian, is an air-to-air missile developed by Iran. Its design is based on the AIM-54 Phoenix missile, which was originally used by the United States. The Fakour-90 is specifically deployed on Iran's F-14 Tomcat fighter jets, enhancing their air combat capabilities.

It's worth noting that while the missile's deployment on F-14 Tomcats is confirmed, its usage on Iranian MiG-29s has not been officially verified. Nonetheless, the missile has reportedly undergone testing for potential use on the MiG-29s as well, indicating Iran's efforts to equip multiple aircraft types with this advanced weaponry.

The development and deployment of the Fakour-90 demonstrate Iran's ongoing efforts to enhance its military capabilities and bolster its air defense systems.

Image credit: Mahdi Afrakhteh

25/07/2023

On October 1, 1940, a historic moment in aviation history took flight! The XF4U-1 became the FIRST single-engined U.S. fighter to soar faster than 400 mph (640 km/h) with a jaw-dropping average ground speed of 405 mph (652 km/h) from Stratford to Hartford! 🇺🇸

But that's not all – this incredible aircraft also boasted an exceptional rate of climb. However, with thrilling tests reaching speeds up to 550 mph (890 km/h), it encountered some intense challenges, including damage to control surfaces and even an engine failure!

Undeterred, these daring pilots and engineers pressed on, overcoming obstacles and rewriting requirements to make the XF4U-1 a true force to be reckoned with in the skies!



Image : The Chance Vought XF4U-1 Corsair prototype (BuNo 1443) during tests at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Langley Research Center at Hampton, Virginia (USA), in 1940-41.

Image credit: NASA

23/07/2023

A Junkers Ju 87D-5 banks to starboard over the River Dnieper. Its bomb racks are empty, implying a successful mission,but its days as an effective aircraft are numbered. As soon as the Soviets gain air superiority, the Stuka will be a doomed weapon.

20/07/2023

Did you know that the North American Aviation X-15 rocket planes paved the way for the Apollo lunar missions? Acting as flying laboratories, they explored atmospheric and space flight at incredible speeds. NASA's Flight Research Center learned invaluable lessons from the X-15 program, which directly contributed to Apollo's success!

The designers of Apollo's Command/Service Module (CSM) drew inspiration from the X-15, even using it as a test bed for new materials. Advanced alloys developed for the X-15 found applications in Apollo's spacecraft. One cool example: a bi-metallic "floating retainer" concept, originally used to dissipate stresses in the X-15's windshield, was later applied to the Apollo and space shuttle orbiter windshields.

The X-15's remarkable performance allowed researchers to accurately simulate aerodynamic heating conditions that the Apollo Saturn rocket would face. In 1967, they even applied cryogenic insulation samples to the X-15's speed brakes to test their adhesive properties and response to high temperatures.

In short, the X-15's re-entry experience and heat-transfer data played a pivotal role in designing a computerized mathematical model for aerodynamic heating, crucial in the initial Apollo design study. The lessons learned from turbulent heat-transfer studies also enabled designers to build lighter-weight Apollo CSM vehicles with less thermal protection than previously thought possible.

Cheers to the X-15, a true pioneer of space exploration!

Image credit: NASA

19/07/2023

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9, Developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich shortly after WWII, it made history as the first of its kind. This remarkable aircraft utilized reverse-engineered German BMW 003 engines to take flight. Although classified as a first-generation jet fighter, it encountered a persistent issue: engine flameouts during high-altitude gun firing due to gas ingestion. Numerous armament configurations were tested, but none resolved the problem. Despite evaluating various engines, none were ultimately used as the MiG-15 prototype promised superior performance.

Image credit : Mike1979 Russia

18/07/2023

17/07/2023

Gun Camera footage of a F- 86 sabre shot down a North Korean Mig - 15, in 1952 during the Korean war. The Korean war marked the first Jet vs Jet fighter dogfight air war in history.

Video credit: US Air force

14/07/2023

The White Lily

Image Above Left - One of Lydia's most famous pictures colourized.

Image Above Right - Lidya Litvyak and her, Yak-1b No 23.

Profiles :

Couple of Lydia Litvyak's Yakovlevs. Yak-1 of 73rd IAP No 44, she scored three 109s and one Ju 88 flying this machine.
Yak -1b of 73rd GvIAP, she scored six 109s flying this machine and the last aircraft she flew.

12/07/2023

A U.S. Navy Douglas F4D-1 Skyray from Fighter Squadron VF-213 "Black Lions" armed with AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles photographed flying patrol during the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis.

The Skyray had a relatively brief service life, during which it never participated in actual combat. Despite this, it was the first carrier-launched aircraft to hold the world's absolute speed record, having attained a top speed of 752.943 mph (1,211.744 km/h), and was the first USN and USMC fighter that could exceed Mach 1 in level flight.

Via U.S Navy

12/07/2023

Why is it called super manuverable ?

Traditional aircraft maneuvering relies on altering airflow over control surfaces like ailerons, elevators, flaps, air brakes, and rudder. These surfaces change pressure distribution, enabling pilots to control pitch, roll, and yaw. However, maneuverability decreases with reduced airflow, and exceeding the critical angle of attack can lead to a stall. Pilots train to avoid stalls during aerobatics and combat. Corner airspeed represents the maximum maneuverability, while supermaneuverable aircraft offer high maneuverability even below this speed. Jet-powered drones have expanded the potential for extreme maneuvers beyond 90 degrees, replacing some wind tunnel research.Some of these abilities are achieved by providing thrust vectoring.

Image : The first Rockwell-MBB X-31 (Bu. No. 164584) flies over Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1993. Aircraft 584 completed 292 flights during the Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability (EFM) program before being lost on January 19, 1995 when icing in the nose probe caused the flight control computer to receive bad data. German test pilot Karl-Heinz Lang ejected after the aircraft became uncontrollable.

Image author: Jim Ross, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (NASA-DFRC)

10/07/2023

Did you know that self-sealing fuel tanks are revolutionizing aircraft safety? 🛩️ These incredible tanks are designed to prevent leaks and potential fuel ignition even after sustaining damage. Let's take a closer look at how they work.

Typically used in aircraft fuel tanks and fuel bladders, self-sealing tanks consist of multiple layers of rubber and reinforcing fabric. One layer is made of vulcanized rubber, while another layer is untreated natural rubber. When the tank is punctured, fuel seeps into these layers.

Here comes the magic : The untreated rubber layer absorbs the fuel, causing it to swell and expand upon contact. This swelling effectively seals the puncture, preventing fuel leakage and reducing the risk of ignition. This ingenious technology ensures greater safety for both aircraft and passengers.

But wait, there's more! This concept isn't limited to fuel tanks alone. Self-sealing run-flat tires also utilize a similar principle, allowing vehicles to continue driving even after sustaining tire damage.

During World War II, self sealing tanks were a game changer.These tanks could withstand bullets and cannon shells, providing better protection than conventional tanks. Some studies showed the tanks ability to withstand .50 and even 20mm rounds.Although self-sealing tanks had lower capacity, they allowed planes to sustain more damage. This innovation gave American aircraft an advantage over Japanese designs like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. The concept of self-sealing was also applied to fuel lines in aircraft.



Image : self sealing tank of Me262