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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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Here's a real avgeek treat, only one of two Martin AM-1 Mauler attack aircraft on display in the world- this is the Mauler at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Oregon, the other one is only display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. ⁣ ⁣ Only 154 Maulers were built and served on a limited operational basis 1948-1953. ⁣ ⁣ Powered by a massive Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engine, the Mauler was developed as a back up to the more complex Curtiss BTC-2 which was the planned successor to the problematic Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Originally designated the BTM-1, 750 were ordered for the upcoming invasion of the Japanese Home Islands but with the surrender in August 1945, the order was reduced to just 99 examples. ⁣ ⁣ In April 1946, the Navy had consolidated the scout bomber (SB), torpedo bomber (TB) and bomber torpedo (BT) roles into a single “A for Attack” designation. The Mauler's designation changed from BTM-1 to AM-1 and found itself in the shadow of a far more reliable and well-liked piston attack design- the Douglas AD Skyraider. ⁣ ⁣ One of the interesting features of the AM-1 Mauler was its combination landing flaps/dive brakes- the upper and lower dive brakes had intermeshing fingers that formed a solid flap when closed. As opposed to perforated dive brakes which had the many holes to reduce buffeting in a steep dive, the Mauler's dive brakes did the same thing but with the fingers exposed when the upper and lower dive brakes opened. ⁣ ⁣ I'll be posting a bit more about the AM-1 Mauler on our La Jetee Press feed as it's a fascinating story of aircraft not meant to compete with the Skyraider, but in the post-WW2 drawdown, found itself constantly compared with the Skyraider. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #MDJ #Madras #Oregon #airport #planespotting ⁣ #EricksonAircraftCollection #Martin #AM1 #Mauler #instagramaviation ⁣ #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Erickson Aircraft Collection) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf2E1rEuZz7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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roystonmunn · 7 years

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Another shot from #littlegransden Boeing B-17 #sallyb doing her memorial pass, in the Second World War this would be a crew struggling to RTB such a fitting tribute and such a wonderful event #avaddict #aviation #aviationgeek #aviationadict #avphotography #aviationismylife #instajet #iviation #instaplane #instaspotting #ig_airplane_club #instagramaviation #planegeek #planeporn #picoftheday #plane_picture #planespottinghd #planesofinstagram #splendid_transport #TV_transport #tv_transport_nm #megaplane #meanmachinez #militaryaviation #mil_aviation_originals #british_avgeek #avgeek #excellentaviation (at Little Gransden Airfield)

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ramzoozi · 7 years

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Photo by @robyn_pf Use #unlimitedscotland to feature ・・・ One of my favourite aircraft on the runway at unquestionably my favourite #airport - #Barra in the #OuterHebrides - reckoned to be the only beach airport in the world operating scheduled passenger flights, the three (yes 3!) runways at Traigh Mhor are washed twice a day by the tide and can only operate at low tide - flight times are set using tide-tables! Truly a special place to land! #1017Planes challenge. #TwinOtter #TWotter #BarraInternationalAirport #beach #AvGeek #aviation #AvPorn #AvMood #AviationDaily #AviationLovers #aircraft #Canon #MyCanon #30D #instaviation #instagramaviation #picoftheday #AirMilitaryPower #MilitaryAviation #got_vehicles #aviation_pub #mil_aviation_originals #photozone72 (at Barra Airport)

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raptor02 · 9 years

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Side view of Lockheed M-21 with D-21 Drone and Pratt & Whitney engine on display.#museumofflight #lockheed #lockheedm21 #lockheeda12 #lockheedsr71 #m21 #d21 #d21drone instaplane #instaaviation #instgramaviation #airshow #aviationgeek #avgeek #aviationdaily #airplanelovers101 #aviationclub #aviationporn #aviationbased #aviationdaily #mil_aviation_originals #igaviationcontest (at The Museum of Flight)

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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The Grumman TBF Avenger was the heaviest single engine aircraft to operate off carrier decks in WW2. A fully-loaded TBF was as heavy as two Wildcats. The Avenger's most significant innovation was its gun turret. ⁣ ⁣ At the time the Avenger was ordered, few aircraft used gun turrets as most guns were trained manually on gimbaled mounts through hatches and windows. The gun turrets in use had either mechanical or hydraulic systems to train the guns. Neither system was satisfactory as they were either too slow or too heavy for the TBF. The Navy wanted a responsive but lightweight system. ⁣ ⁣ Leroy Grumman turned over the challenge to the first electrical engineer hired by the company, an ex-GE engineer named Oscar Olsen. ⁣ ⁣ Olsen relied on his time with GE and looked at amplidyne motors. These were electrical motors in which the speed and torque can be controlled. GE made them for the construction industry where two motors were used to lift up bridge spans. It was important to have absolute control over the speed and torque of the motors winching up the span. GE also made them for the steel industry to wind up the steel sheet. As the flattened sheet comes out of the furnace, the tension has to kept within a narrow range or the sheet sags and breaks. Amplidyne motors were used to spool up the steel sheet- as the roll got bigger and heavier, the torque could be increased but the speed controlled to maintain the same amount of tension on the steel sheet. ⁣ ⁣ Amplidyne motors were the solution for the Avenger's turret. ⁣ ⁣ GE produced amplidyne motors that were tested on the Avenger prototypes, proving superior to both mechanical and hydraulically-driven gun turrets. The gun turrets on many combat aircraft subsequently were patterned on the amplidyne motor-driven system devised by Oscar Olsen and pioneered in operational use by the Avenger. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #MDJ #Madras #Oregon #airport #planespotting ⁣ #EricksonAircraftCollection #Grumman #TBF #Avenger #instagramaviation ⁣ #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Erickson Aircraft Collection) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeY5kMUuqul/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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One of the great ultimate expressions of the piston engined fighter as a lethal weapon would be the Grumman F8F Bearcat. ⁣ ⁣ The Bearcat would use the same Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial piston engine as the F6F Hellcat, but it would better the Hellcat in the dogfighting arena- to give the Bearcat a better power-to-weight ratio than the F6F Hellcat, the fuselage was five feet shorter and the rear fuselage was cut back, allowing a bubble canopy, the first in a US Navy production fighter. ⁣ ⁣ The wing had the same span as the Hellcat but was thinner for less drag. Compared to the Hellcat, the Bearcat only had four machine guns versus six, but the final design was 20% lighter than the F6F, had a 30% better climb rate, and was 50mph faster for a given engine setting. It only needed 2/3 the takeoff roll of the Hellcat on a carrier deck. The 13-foot three bladed prop of the Hellcat was swapped out for a 12-foot four bladed prop which also allowed for a slightly shorter landing gear than what would have been the case had the Hellcat prop been used. ⁣ ⁣ As one Commemorative Air Force Bearcat pilot put it, the Bearcat had “no missiles, no radar, just a nasty, mean little street fighter with an attitude!”⁣ ⁣ The landing gear was unusual in that the pivot point was about a foot below the main landing gear trunion- as it retracted it not only pivoted inward, it also slid outward- the top 1/3 of the main landing gear leg actually pivoted outward!⁣ ⁣ The prototype F8F flew on 21 August 1944, only nine months after the design work began! The first production Bearcat was delivered in February 1945 and the first squadron, VF-19, was operational by 21 May 1945 and was embarked on the USS Langley (CVL-27, the second carrier to bear the name) headed across the Pacific when the war ended. ⁣ ⁣ BTW, I publish aviation books now! Check us out at www.lajeteepress.com⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #MDJ #Madras #Oregon #airport #planespotting ⁣ #EricksonAircraftCollection⁣ #Grumman #F8F #Bearcat #instagramaviation ⁣ #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Erickson Aircraft Collection) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeU0JdmMRNp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” of the Commemorative Air Force starts its engines at Warbirds Over Dallas this past October. Note the ground crew ready with the fire extinguishers.⁣ ⁣ Note the slots on the wing just behind the engine nacelles- they’re the exhaust slots from the intercooler of the Flying Fortress’s turbosupercharger. ⁣ ⁣ The turbosupercharger is driven by exhaust gases from the radial engines- the turbine of the turbosupercharger compresses incoming air and delivers it to the engine, improving the engine’s power output at high altitude as it’s being fed compressed air as if it were operating at a lower altitude. ⁣ ⁣ However, one of the thermodynamic consequences of compressing the air is that it heats up and this can decrease the air density, offsetting the very compression you’re trying to accomplish. Intercoolers are used in turbosuperchargers reduce the air temperature and can also increase the pressure of compression by virtue of the flow restriction by the internal fins in the intercooler. ⁣ ⁣ If you look at the leading edges of the B-17’s wing, there are rectangular openings which are the intakes for incoming air that’s compressed by the turbosuperchargers and another intake that’s for the cooling air that flows through the intercooler. The exhaust air from the intercoolers is vented out through those slots on the top of the B-17’s wing.⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #WingsOverDallas2021⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #instagramaviation #igaviationcontest #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation ⁣#TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW94SSbsVkf/?utm_medium=tumblr

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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While 1941 was a dark year for the Allies especially in the Pacific, the exploits of the Flying Tigers against a numerically superior Japanese force boosted American morale early in the war.⁣ ⁣ The leader of the Flying Tigers, General Claire Chennault, rigorously trained his men to capitalize on the strengths of the P-40 Warhawk against the more maneuverable Japanese fighters. They avoided a turning fight and used the Warhawk’s speed and sturdiness in slashing attacks at high speed. Contrary to popular belief, the Flying Tigers never battled against the legendary Mitsubishi A6M Zero- it was likely a case of mistaken identity as the Zero was a naval fighter and the Imperial Japanese Navy had withdrawn its Zero units from China before the Flying Tigers went into action. ⁣ ⁣ Their main opposition would have been the Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar and the elderly Ki-27 Kate fighters of the Imperial Japanese Army. In those days, just about any Japanese fighter was referred to as a "Zero". Though not as a capable as the Zero, the Oscar was a more nimble and maneuverable fighter than the P-40 Warhawk. ⁣ ⁣ Flown in the right way, the Warhawk could effectively battle the Japanese. The Flying Tigers astutely realized the P-40 had a climb and speed advantage and used their P-40s in slashing attacks, avoiding the turning fight with the more nimble Japanese fighters. ⁣ ⁣ The bigger ailerons of the Oscar that gave it outstanding roll maneuverability were also a liability as Warhawk pilots would keep their speed up during dogfights- the higher speeds put higher dynamic loads on the Oscar’s ailerons, making the aircraft sluggish and less maneuverable.⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #WingsOverDallas2021 #CommemorativeAirForce⁣ ⁣ #Curtiss #P40 #Warhawk #FlyingTigers #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVwSKSSslnc/?utm_medium=tumblr

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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The Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Fifi" rolls out after landing at Wings Over Dallas back in October. ⁣ ⁣ One of the least-known success stories of B-29 combat ops was the mining of the straits and harbors of the Japanese Home Islands. ⁣ ⁣ Starting in January 1945, the 313th Bomb Wing became the Twentieth Air Force’s specialist mine laying unit. Based at North Field on Tinian in the Marianas Islands, the 313th BW was made up of the 6th, 9th, 504th and 505th Bomb Groups. While B-17/B-24 bomb groups in Europe had four squadrons per group, B-29 bomb groups had only three squadrons. ⁣ ⁣ How successful was the mine laying operation? Keep in mind that coastal shipping was vital to Japan as their bridge and rail network wasn’t as developed as it is today and most of the land based transportation infrastructure were a B-29 targets. As a result, the Japanese economy was heavily reliant on coastal shipping. ⁣ ⁣ So many Japanese ships were lost to B-29-sown minefields that just in the eight months from January to August 1945 that mine laying missions flown, nearly 10% of all Japanese shipping sunk during the ENTIRE war was sunk just by B-29 delivered minefields.⁣ ⁣ By the time of the unconditional surrender in August 1945, every large port on the Home Islands was closed and the B-29 mine-laying campaign had expanded to Japanese-occupied Korean ports. ⁣ ⁣ The postwar US Strategic Bombing Survey of the European and Pacific strategic bombing campaigns concluded that the B-29 aerial mining campaign exerted far more pressure on Japan than attacks on industrial targets- in fact, at one point coal was nearly choked off to the factories on the biggest island, Honshu, as ships were unable to transport it from mines on Hokkaido in the north. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #WingsOverDallas2021⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #B29 #Superfortress #instagramaviation #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation ⁣#FIFI #CommemorativeAirForce⁣ ⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYtljKNLfPn/?utm_medium=tumblr

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sentinelchicken · 3 years

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Here's a great photo (source: National Museum of Naval #Aviation) of the #Northrop #BT1 dive bomber showing the perforated split dive brakes nicely. With little change, these innovative dive brakes were carried over to the BT-2 which became the prototype #aircraft for the #Douglas #SBD #Dauntless dive bomber of #WW2. ⁣ ⁣ It was a product of the first incarnation of Northrop Aircraft which was established in 1932 by Jack Northrop with the assistance of Douglas Aircraft.⁣ ⁣ The BT-1 was designed in 1934 for a #USNavy specification for a monoplane dive bomber. Powered by a 700hp Pratt & Whitney R-1535-66 Twin Wasp Jr. engine, this was later replaced with an 825 hp R-1535-94 engine to allow the aircraft to carry a 1000 lb bomb. ⁣ ⁣ The Navy ordered 54 BT-1s in 1936 and they entered service in 1938 and were operational briefly aboard the carriers Yorktown and Enterprise. A significant number were lost in crashes due to poor low speed flying characteristics which is a fatal flaw in carrier aircraft. ⁣ ⁣ Of the 54 built, two were used in the flight test program. Sixteen were built as spare aircraft for the two squadrons that used 18 BT-1 aircraft each operationally- VB-5 (USS Yorktown) and VB-6 (USS Enterprise).⁣ ⁣ Northrop BT-1s appeared in pre-war yellow wing paint schemes in the Technicolor film Dive Bomber (1941) starring Errol Flynn.⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #planeporn #instaplane #instaplane #instagramaviation #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #mil_aviation_originals #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmYtL6h7aY/?igshid=r4h1cqz9ctui

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sentinelchicken · 3 years

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Here's a great photo (source: National Museum of Naval #Aviation) of the #Northrop #BT1 dive bomber on top and the improved version, the #BT2 which became the prototype #aircraft for the #Douglas #SBD #Dauntless dive bomber of #WW2. ⁣ ⁣ Jack Northrop revised the control system of the BT-1 for the BT-2 and the engine was upgraded further to a more powerful #Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial engine with 1000 hp. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Douglas DC-3/C-47 also used the R-1820 engine. ⁣ ⁣ The BT-2 first flew on 25 April 1938, some of the handling vices of the BT-1 persisted. Jack Northrop himself flew the BT-2 prototype to NACA Langley (NASA's predecessor agency) to be analyzed in the full-sized wind tunnel. A whole host of changes were determined to be needed after six months of NACA testing but by that point, Jack Northrop resigned from Douglas Aircraft to form his own company, the second incarnation of Northrop Aircraft. ⁣ ⁣ Few aircraft can boast having been developed by two giants in aerospace design- the SBD Dauntless holds that distinction with its roots in the BT-1/BT-2 of Jack Northrop and the redesign following NACA testing led by Ed Heinemann. ⁣ ⁣ As a result, the aircraft was redesignated as a Douglas product from BT-2 to SBD and named Dauntless. Two versions made up the initial order, the SBD-1 for the #USMC and the SBD-2 for the #USNavy. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #planeporn #instaplane #instaplane #instagramaviation #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #mil_aviation_originals #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmreq4h_Mb/?igshid=rjhb2roxhcvz

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sentinelchicken · 4 years

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The B-17G “Texas Raiders” on its bombing run! Well, sort of. You get the idea. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ During the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, most B-17 Flying Fortress missions were flown from 25,000-30,000 feet, but if the target was weakly defended by flak, the bombing missions could take place at considerably lower altitudes on the order of 15,000 feet.⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Bombing accuracy tailed off with increasing altitude as did flak accuracy, for that matter. From the IP (Initial Point) where the bombing run started, to the actual bomb drop point was about 10 miles and took about 30 seconds to traverse while the bombardier took control of the aircraft via the Norden bombsight. It was an agonizingly long 30 seconds to fly straight and level to the bomb drop point! ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ USAAF planners were not biased by notions of the accuracy of high altitude daylight bombing. Data from training and ongoing missions showed that a bomber at 20,000 feet at a 1.2% chance of hitting a 100x100 foot square target zone. That meant you needed just over 200 bombers to have a 90% chance of destroying that target. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ The standard 500 lb bomb had a lethal radius of under 90 feet and it dug a crater just two feet deep and nine feet across. As a result, the need for 1000-plane bombing missions against key targets becomes pretty obvious!⠀ ⠀ ⠀ It’s been said that “amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.” A typical Eighth Air Force B-17 bombing mission used the same amount of aviation fuel as what Nazi Germany could produce in a single month for the Luftwaffe. And in 1944-1945, there were some days where there were several such missions mounted by both the Eighth Air Force in the UK and the Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #WingsOverDallas2018 #WoD2018 ⠀ ⠀ #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekNation (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B72IIWmhFlW/?igshid=5bfp9pabdlgm

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sentinelchicken · 4 years

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To the military brass in Vietnam, the forward air controller (FAC) pilots were the biggest bunch of miscreants to ever fly a USAF aircraft. To the boots on the ground, they were a guardian angel with eyes up above that could summon air strikes. And to the pilots of the fast movers that hit targets marked by the FACs, they had big brass balls to fly low and slow using the Mark One eyeball to ID targets. ⠀ ⠀ The USAF procurement of the Cessna O-2 Skymaster came out if a need for a more capable forward air control platform in Vietnam than the O-1 Bird Dog. Having twin engines have it a measure of redundancy when flying low over the battlefield in the FAC role, but it also allowed the O-2 more performance in the tropical air in Vietnam as well as being able to carry more weapons. The USAF would procure 532 O-2 Skymasters. In Vietnam, the Skymaster had two nicknames- “Oscar Deuce” and “Duck”. ⠀ ⠀ The first O-2 Skymasters flew with 7.62mm Minigun pods underwing, but aggressive O-2 pilots were taking matters into their own hands attacking targets and O-2 losses climbed. So the gunpods were banned and white phosphorus target marking rockets were carried. But the O-2 pilots, being a scruffy and resourceful bunch, took their M16s with them and fired them out the side windows. Ejected shell casings were dinging the rear prop, damaging the instrument panel and messing with radios. So the M16s got banned. ⠀ ⠀ Not ones to give up, the FAC pilots (as one pilot said, “We’ll FAC anything!”) took to using their service pistols and hand grenades to keep the enemy occupied until the fast movers arrived. ⠀ ⠀ Of the 532 O-2 Skymasters built for the USAF, 82 were lost in combat. Seven O-2 drivers earned the Distinguished Flying Cross in Vietnam. ⠀ ⠀ November Aviation Photo Challenge | @kjdphoto1971 | #1119planes | “Air Force” | Day 26⠀ ⠀ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #AllianceAirport #FWAAS2017 #airport #planespotting #Cessna #O2 #Skymaster #USAF #FAC #instagramaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Fort Worth Alliance Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5VQ14ThOV8/?igshid=5iy13z6rz0fc

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sentinelchicken · 4 years

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While the overnight marathon session that resulted in the B-52 Stratofortress is the stuff of legend, a similar session also led to the Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider. ⠀ ⠀ In 1945, Douglas’ lead designer, the legendary Ed Heinemann, was presenting the BTD Destroyer to the Navy who had plans to order 358 BTDs. At the meeting, Heinemann suggested to the Navy’s surprise the BTD be canceled and funds go to a better design he would present in 30 days. The Navy agreed but they wanted Heinemann’s proposal presented to them the following morning!⠀ ⠀ Heinemann and his top engineers, Leo Devlin and Gene Root, gathered in a hotel room and fleshed out what would become the Skyraider based on preliminary work they had already done. The next morning after a few hours of sleep, they gave their presentation to the Navy. By noon that day, the Navy canceled the BTD Destroyer and allocated those funds to the BT2D Dauntless II which in 1946 was redesignated and renamed the AD Skyraider. ⠀ ⠀ Using the same massive Wright R-3350 radial engine as the BTD Destroyer, the Skyraider was a much lighter aircraft and the last aircraft designed for dive bombing- but instead of the split flaps used on the Navy’s dive bombers of WW2, the Skyraider had large airbrakes on the fuselage sides and a large ventral airbrake as well. ⠀ ⠀ Heinemann’s dogged pursuit of weight reduction resulted in one of the finest ground attack aircraft ever built until the arrival of the A-10 in the 1970s- the Skyraider is one of the few aircraft that can lift a fuel and weapons load equal to its empty weight. Being simple to maintain, able to absorb damage, and having a battlefield endurance time that jets of the day could only dream of having, the Skyraider endeared itself to ground forces to the point that even the USAF adopted the Skyraider as an escort for its CSAR helicopter teams. ⠀ ⠀ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #AllianceAirport #FWAAS2016 #airport #planespotting #Douglas #AD #A1 #Skyraider #instagramaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge⠀ (at Fort Worth Alliance Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5MghmOBR4p/?igshid=cre58bhc3gq9

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sentinelchicken · 4 years

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In 1940, Rolls Royce and the British government turned to the American manufacturer Packard Motor Car Company to assist with the wartime production of the Merlin engine. ⁣ ⁣ Packard’s role in the history of the Merlin gets glossed over when it was much more significant than just license production. Of all the Merlin engines built during World War II, 1/3 of them were built by Packard in the United States, but more importantly, it was Packard that made the Merlin mass-producible. ⁣ ⁣ Prior to engaging Packard’s assistance, the Merlin was built in small production lots that were near-hand built with some variations from production lot to production lot. Packard took the Merlin design and made subtle changes (primarily to accept American accessories) that essentially standardized the Merlin design with proper production drawings and measurements to allow mass production on *both* sides of the Atlantic. ⁣ ⁣ Packard assigned 200 draftsmen just to prepare drawings of the Merlin design and then in a short period of time lined up second and third tier suppliers to mass produce an engine that as superb as it was in its early marks, wasn’t originally designed to be mass produced. ⁣ ⁣ That this conversion took place *and* without sacrificing the performance of the Merlin engine is Packard’s legacy to the Merlin’s history as one of the iconic aircraft engines in history.⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #NorthAmerican #P51 #Mustang #instagramaviation #igaviationcontest #Avgeekery #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CER8sf0BlTg/?igshid=1dqksy2yfyifw

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sentinelchicken · 4 years

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A little different perspective on the Lockheed F-22A Raptor’s three weapons bays. ⠀ ⠀ The two side bays each house an AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missile. For a number of years after it entered service, the Raptor had to use the older AIM-9M Sidewinder missile which didn’t have a lot of the off-boresight capabilities of the AIM-9X that other fighters were getting. It was only a few years ago that the AIM-9X was integrated into the F-22, finally giving it a very potent dogfighting missile. I believe in the last year or so the even more capable AIM-9X Block II missile has been integrated into the Raptor. ⠀ ⠀ The Sidewinder’s motor ignites while it is still on the rail and there is a deflector built into the aft part of the LAU-141/A launch rail in the side weapons bays that directs the hottest part of the exhaust plume out of the weapons bay. Early in flight testing, there wasn’t a deflector on the rail and the motor exhaust damaged the inside of the weapons bays. ⠀ ⠀ The main underside weapons bay for the air-to-air mission houses six active radar homing AIM-120C missiles. Though the AIM-120 doesn’t have an official name, pilots have referred to the AIM-120 as the “Slammer”. Having its own onboard radar means the Raptor doesn’t have to keep illuminating the target with its radar, revealing its location. The missile that the AIM-120 replaced, the AIM-7 Sparrow, was a semi-active radar homing missile, meaning it homed in on the reflected radar returns of the target from the fighter’s own radar, which obviously had some tactical disadvantages.⠀ ⠀ Because of the airflow around the weapons bay and the possibility of hard maneuvering during a dogfight, the LAU-142/A launch rail for the AIM-120 uses powerful hydraulics to eject the missile out of the weapons bay with a force of 40Gs before motor ignition. ⠀ ⠀ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #AllianceAirport #FWAAS2019 #AllianceAirShow2019 ⠀ ⠀ #airport #planespotting #Lockheed #F22 #Raptor #instagramaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⠀ ⠀ #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Fort Worth Alliance Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B85SmZJhL6y/?igshid=1g3f78ly2mleg

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