oh crap i found what the infamous nick pope photo show!

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: playswithmachines

They have supersonic wind tunnels. And if it's unstable at low speeds, how does it land? If you can't control it at speeds needed to land, you're sure as hell not going to build it. It can't fly forever.

Why couldn't it fly forever?

a reply to: RedDragon

Fuel, oil, pilot endurance.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I hate to nitpick, but the Hopeless Diamond was just a test shape that Lockheed put into the anechoic chamber during the Harvey study in the mid 1970s. The RCS results were so promising that designers evolved the concept into the XST (Have Blue) through several intermediate steps in the anechoic chamber and the wind tunnel. At the time, there was a fair amount of skepticism that a faceted aircraft would be flyable. The original Hopeless Diamond shape was elongated and equipped with wings and first one vertical tail, and later two inwardly canted rudders. Accommodations were added for a pilot and two turbojet engines. The overall shape pretty much violated every traditional aerodynamic concept.

a reply to: Shadowhawk

When it comes to Have Blue and her sisters you have far more detailed information than I do, so nitpick away.

a reply to: Zaphod58

ummm so its possible?

a reply to: humanoidlord

It was a test shape. It was used as an experiment in the anechoic chamber, not actually flown. The original point still stands. When it actually flew it was in the Have Blue configuration.

Never mind.

The object in Nick''s poster was considerably larger than the Harriers that were in attendance

Nick Pope Photcopy of Photo

Given that a Harrier is itself 14 metres long then, the object was closer to 30 metres, that's 100 feet. The B2 is only 21 metres in length so it looks like that, there's little chance it was some "prototype "fighter". The F-117 was actually slightly smaller than a Harrier.

a reply to: FireMoon

That's a harrier in the background?

Near impossible to gather much in terms of perspective with that photo. The Harrier was a big bird.

I mean, with that picture the thing could have been a view from the side, it could have been pitching and the pic is a good birds eye perspective.

It also looks closer but I'm not trained to notice such things, it could be a air balloon for all I know.

originally posted by: RAY1990
a reply to: FireMoon

It could be a air balloon for all I know.

Don't know about a balloon but the witness reports about the flight characteristics of the object do sound very intriguing - also interesting is that the MOD broke with all official protocol when reporting and investigating the incident.

The witnesses said it hovered for about 10 minutes – during which time military aircraft were also seen making a series of low-level passes – before moving upwards, out of sight, at great speed.

British Ministry of Defense reportshuge diamond shaped object over Scotland

a reply to: FireMoon

but still a faceted triangular craft with two military planes benhind scream military
note: this doesnt mean that the triangle ufos are military i think that 99% of them are true ufos of unknow origin(possibly interdimensional)

Thats not a photo nor a photocopy of a photo.

As I remember, the "shape" and the harrier were a graphical recreation (i.e picture) of a Photo Nick Pope claims he saw.
Accordingly no inference to shape/size can be made - and I wouldn't put outright lies or a prank on Mr Pope out of the question.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Like this?

Forty years ago (March 7, 1971), a prototype of a new class of aircraft, so odd-shaped that John McPhee of The New Yorker dubbed it the "Deltoid Pumpkin Seed" (see image below) completed its one and only successful test flight at the FAA Test Center in New Jersey. The craft was an early attempt at a hybrid airship that would rely on both an aerodynamic shape and internal helium to lift heavy cargo loads at low cost, and into remote areas where large cargo planes could not land.

Taken from The Atlantic: The Rocky Road to Discovery.

a reply to: Krakatoa

nice
that doesnt looks like the picture of nick
also:
"The craft was an early attempt at a hybrid airship"
isnt this one of the theories about the use of the black triangle ufos?:

a reply to: Krakatoa

No, the one I mentioned was supposed to be a hypersonic platform with no protruding flight control surfaces. I don't think it had an actual name beyond a program number, but was informally called Pumpkin Seed because of the shape.

a reply to: Zaphod58

weird that theres no information on it in internet

a reply to: humanoidlord

Because it never became an official program. There are a lot of things that get to wind tunnel testing that aren't official or quickly get dropped that have no information on the Internet.

a reply to: Zaphod58

ok so it isnt the hopeless diamond so what the nick pope picture showns?

a reply to: humanoidlord

I know it does not. However, consider it an early prototype and research project. Add stealth capabilities, make it much larger (to contain a LOT more helium for increased buoyancy) and super-light engines of some sort, and what do you have? A large, slow moving/floating triangle, that does not show up on radar, yet can speed off at an instant. Great for lingering observation over a target or disinformation to cloud the topic for shielding more advanced platforms.

a reply to: Krakatoa

thats what i said