reply to post by gamesmaster63
I'd
ask them again, much more carefully....perhaps show pictures too:
I have been told by family and friends (most Air Force veterans that know how to identify aircraft) that witnessed the aircraft hitting the
towers.
All of the veterans identified the craft as KC-135's, not Boeing 767 passenger jets.
Sorry, they are dead wrong. (Maybe they were pulling your leg??)
The B-767 has
two engines. One each wing.
The KC-135 has
four engines. Two each wing.
No one with any aviation knowledge would ever, ever confuse them. I don't feel like uploading pics, to post in-thread, so will just provide links
---
Boeing 767:
(Please, take note. I selected this one, because you can see all the gear doors still open, as it is in the process, still, of gear retraction).
KC-135 (Also, retracting the gear):
A 767 "beauty shot":
^ ^ ^ Above is a -300, little bit longer than UAL 175 on 9/11. Same paint scheme. Gear is up, but flaps are still extended, at 15°, and leading
edge slats extended too.
KC-135, clean (no gear, no flaps/slats) from below:
(Those sharp-eyed viewers will spot the difference in the four engines, from this version to the other KC-135 up above. Most of the aging tanker
fleet has been re-engined, to the newer high-bypass turbofans, but some still are flying with the older original turbojet engines).....
The 767 and KC-135 simply cannot be mistaken for one another.
Of course, there are countless photos and videos of UAL 175, as well.
ALSO, regarding "under belly tanks". No, that is a very, very old and well-discredited claim, based on bad interpretations by some people of certain
poor resolution photos and still frames from videos.
See if you can tell, in this photo of a United 767, again in the "old" paint scheme as 2001. Here, due to the camera angle, its even more exaggerated
-- the "bumps" on the belly of the fuselage, either side just at the wing root. Those are fairings that "bump out" a bit to accommodate the the man
landing gear bogeys (the four double tandem wheels, each gear) when they are retracted.
Also, that angle it's hard to tell, but down the center (bottom) of the belly is an area that is not painted. The dark blue lower "half" of the
fuselage doesn't continue all the way 'round, below. SO, you are left with a long, narrow rectangle of unpainted aluminium there. When people think
they're seen "under belly pods", it is just an illusion based on the design of the paint.
Look at this one:
Here's an example of their "next" paint scheme, they were transitioning to fleet-wide.....until the Continental merger, where they decided to adopt
the Continental scheme, just changing the name on the side:
You can see the same rectangles on the belly, where the paint stops.
Continental paint scheme, Ship #053, in May 2010:
Now, the SAME exact airplane, with the name already re-painted. In March 2011:
The light gray paint scheme prevents that optical illusion on the belly, doesn't it??
edit on Sat 3 December 2011 by ProudBird because: (no reason given)