Random aviation photos

Got it....it happened during desert storm to a Grissom tanker (Balls 13) and crew...apparently it was caused by the aircraft flying through the jet wash of a large aircraft which made the aircraft swerve so much it ripped two engines off...!!! God knows how they got back control and landed it...apparently they tried to reproduce it in a sim and every time they did the aircraft crashed....a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: Silentvulcan

Damn good Crew Resource Management. That's the only thing that saved their ass.

Local unit updates-

Fort Wayne will see A-10s the 28th scheduled to begin at 11am. Indy will see them the 30th, starting at 1045.

Missouri will see a B-2 with A-10s and T-38s the 28th.

The oddest flyover scheduled to date will be next week in Bakersfield, when the California Aeronautical University performs their flyover of the city.

Pop quiz time!

If you look very closely at this picture, you can tell what his in flight emergency was. Who can tell why they initially declared an emergency, and bonus points if you can say why it happened.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Looks like a landing gear issue. I'd say it didn't fully retract.

a reply to: JIMC5499

Centering valve on the right main let go.

a reply to: Zaphod58
I noticed that it wasn't hanging right.

a reply to: JIMC5499

You were one of the ones I figured would notice. It's kind of subtle if you aren't used to seeing the gear hanging.

just found this in my photo collection...early 80’s I think...air test of a phantom being carried out at RAF St Athen...apparently this pilot was renowned for doing this sort of thing and yes he is flying on full burners between the hangers...!!!!

C/KC-130T AOU program. They completed a remote design review recently.

Saw this big one over head out on a trail earlier. It was huge but I don't know enough to say if its a c17 or whatever. This is about the limit of my phone. Could have been airforce (probably) or national guard in this area, heading east I think. Direct sunlight so there is reflection, it was a neutral grey color

a reply to: rktspc

You have in fact caught a C-17 in it's natural habitat!

a reply to: Zaphod58
I'm not really familiar with the 707/KC-135 gear geometry but there is an obvious difference between L & R mains. RH is tilting fwd axle down and left is centered. I'm guessing a failure in a bogie tilt actuator. Does the gear on the KC-135 need to tilt or centre during gear retract is my question? I'm guessing it needs centering as virtually all landing gear will tilt forwards or backwards with weight off wheels. So I'm going with a sequencing problem with the RH main gear. Possibly a sequencing servo block or shuttle valve got jammed. Or a tilt actuator blew a hose or internal seal and was just bypassing internally, had one of those myself recently.

a reply to: thebozeian

There's a valve on each main that centers the gear and keeps it flat. If that valve fails the gear doesn't retract, and they get to burn fuel and head back. That's what happened here.

The -135 has a very flat landing because of the boom. There's almost no flare to it at all. It's fun to land in the pod because even that tiny little flare puts your nose on the runway as you look out the pod.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Even more fun for take off. Rotation suddenly drops you right towards the runway, and then just as suddenly it's up, up, and away.

a reply to: RadioRobert

The one flight I got to do where the crew was willing to look the other way, I did the takeoff standing at the back of the cockpit. I wish I had been in the pod, but that was fun too.

I’ve been in the “rumble seat” for both the takeoff and landing from Eilson AFB in the late 80’s...would have loved to have been in the pod but got a pretty good view from the front...also got a backseat ride in one of our GR 1’s from the same place...even did some tanking...so got to see it from both perspectives....!! a reply to: Zaphod58

Viper Demo Team unveiled Venom today.