Cool American military planes.

[Yamaki]

 

[Yamaki]

 

[Christian B]

Lockheed XFV



OK, now that they built it how do we get a pilot in it?!

 

[Catmanboo]

Lockheed XFV

View attachment 3761151

OK, now that they built it how do we get a pilot in it?!

Pole vault?

 

[cason]

Clockwise from top: DC-3, B-36, B-17, B-29

 

[cason]

Regarding the above photo, foreshortening makes the B-17 appear almost as large as the B-29…It wasn’t.

 

[mfenberg]

My friend and I went to the Pima Air & Space Museum, in Tuscon, AZ, the first week of April! Way too many great aircraft to choose from, but I decided on these pictures!

 

[cason]

That is a cool museum. And the “boneyard” at Davis-Montham is amazing—even for an Air Force brat like me.

 

[mfenberg]

More MAPS air museum pics. We even have our own mini MiG alley.

I completely forgot about the MiG Alley at March Air Museum, which is right next to March Air Reserve Base, in Riverside, California. I live reasonably close and have gone there many times by myself!

 

[cason]

Static displays are cool, but there’s nothing like live action.

Loring AFB, Maine, circa 1958

 

[mfenberg]

That is a cool museum. And the “boneyard” at Davis-Montham is amazing—even for an Air Force brat like me.

Yes it is! What was very cool were how many A-10's were taking off and landing! I have no doubt it was in response to readyness for what was/is going on!

 

[cason]

Did a little looking and didn’t see that this has been posted before, so:

 

[TSmith8605]

Did a little looking and didn’t see that this has been posted before, so:
View attachment 3761422

I did not look back through the 2,000 posts here so apologize if this has already been posted.

I saw a B-36 many years ago in the Air Force museum in Dayton, OH (no handy iPhone cameras back then). What I recall:
- The four jet engines were used for takeoff assist only and were shut down once in flight.
- It carried two hydrogen bombs. The museum displayed the bomb casings (no bomb inside I hope) that looked like giant soup cans but 10' in diameter - so big and heavy that this plane could only carry two.
- recall a small jet fighter at the museum that the B-36 could carry with it to provide remote fighter protection. A Google search found this short video that refreshed my memory on that. I guess only a variant of the B-36 carried the fighter and probably could not then carry the bombs.

If you want, you can watch the "official" Hollywood movie: "Strategic Air Command."
Here's the trailer, you have pay to watch (rent) the actual movie on YouTube.

 

[Catmanboo]

Static displays are cool, but there’s nothing like live action.
View attachment 3761413
Loring AFB, Maine, circa 1958

That guy had about 10 gallons of fuel left, going by the straight wings upon touchdown. Wings designed to flex up to 18' at the tips iirc, hence the wingtip takeoff/ landing gear, which would likely scrape concrete with a full fuel load without the wheels. Watching the wings moving in a stiff wind while parked was rather hypnotizing.

 

[cason]

Response to TSmith above:
Dad was stationed at Travis AFB near Sacramento, CA twice. The second time in 1952, when I was 5 years old, and right before he was transferred to Japan during the Korean Conflict. Travis was a SAC base (heavy) and home to B-29s and B-36s. One day Dad took me to see his workplace — a hanger right on the flightline. He walked me underneath a parked B-29 and B-36, both with bomb bay doors open. This little five year old kid was IMPRESSED. Got to see B-52s at Loring AFB the same way.

 

[Christian B]

Goodyear Inflatoplane. Not sure if it was a good idea building military aircraft that could be shot down by bow and arrow.
Is it my imagination, or does that pilot have a somewhat skeptical expression?

 

[Erik Tracy]

Welcome home!

 

[cason]

Another of the U.S. military’s fun toys.

 

[Erik Tracy]

 

[Mr Boochie]