The 2023 Aviation Thread

[Burning Man]

When I used to tow gliders, we used a C-150 with a 180 hp engine and STOL kits on the wings. Pulling a glider out of grass, it was underpowered and the climb rate on a hot day with both craft heavy was only 150 to 200 fpm. But one day we were bringing it back from a maintenance run to an actual concrete runway and happened to be taking off into about 20 knots of cold front wind. There was almost no takeoff roll.

They used to use a Stearman with a 450 hp radial engine to tow gliders but the previous tow pilot flipped and wrecked it and I never got to fly that one.

But it's another Cessna that made me drop by this thread. I never heard of the C 172 that flew continuously for almost 65 DAYS. Not hours, days.



I don't know. Is it really all that astonishing that no one wanted to fly a Cessna (or anything else) for 65 straight days? I certainly don't want to. I'm amazed that these guys wanted to.

It's 1,558 hours, which seems like a pretty long time to go without checking the oil.

I did not know that and I see that plane hanging in the airport at LAS everytime I fly in and out. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Ventucky Red]

The sonic boom was loud as shit on Kent Island. It sounded like a big black powder cannon.

We used to get them all the time with the Space Shuttle coming back into Edwards... waBoom -waBoom...

The best was when they set the SR-71 coast-to-coast speed record... took off from Palmdale, refueled and got to altitude over the Pacific, put the spurs to her, and off she went WABOOM-WABOOM... It did it in an hour and a few minutes from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. I didn't realize what it was until the news that night.

 

[Marcjsmith]

The sonic boom was loud as shit on Kent Island. It sounded like a big black powder cannon.

Heard it plenty loud down in herring bay as well.

Eerily reminiscent of Payne Stewart’s accident

 

[veni vidi vici]

 

[Ventucky Red]

Enjoy

 

[NaClH20]

I did not know that and I see that plane hanging in the airport at LAS everytime I fly in and out. Thanks for sharing!

The Unceasing Cessna Hacienda

In 1958, one heavily modified airplane flew out of Las Vegas with a single objective: Don’t land.

www.damninteresting.com

A longer read on that Cessna. They also have an article on some other ill-advised aeronautics and mountaineering:

Lofty Ambitions

In 1933, British WWI vet Maurice Wilson hatched an unorthodox plan to reach the still-untouched summit of Everest.

www.damninteresting.com

 

[Rasputin22]

 

[Pertinacious Tom]

Speaking of big, ungainly seaplanes, suppose you were doing your normal thing of flying one from San Fran to New Zealand only it was December 7, 1941 and you learned that anywhere you might possibly be would be unsafe. What to do?

Go West, young man, via Australia, Africa, and Brazil to New York.

The article says it's the first commercial flight around the world. Nobody really paid to have that happen to them but it was a commercial airliner.

 

[billy backstay]

Where is the small tail wheel in this photo? Hidden behind starboard main gear, or already stowed away?

 

[Ease the sheet.]

Where is the small tail wheel in this photo? Hidden behind starboard main gear, or already stowed away?

Nose wheel, doors visible up front...

 

[veni vidi vici]

I had Revelle models of all the first jet fighters

 

[Ventucky Red]

 

[Keith]

 

[MagentaLine]

Jim Tweto, legendary Alaska bush pilot, dies in Cessna that went down in Western Alaska

If you watched Flying Wild Alaska on Discovery channel you know who he was. Rest in peace. https://mustreadalaska.com/jim-tweto-legendary-alaska-bush-pilot-believed-to-be-in-cessna-that-went-down-in-western-alaska/ .

forums.sailinganarchy.com

 

[billy backstay]

Beautiful display of aircraft, but at what cost to the public purse????

 

[Ventucky Red]

Beautiful display of aircraft, but at what cost to the public purse????

The 100th Anniversary of the RAF was a similar gig.

 

[billy backstay]

The 100th Anniversary of the RAF was a similar gig.

Okay, I get that, but to do this hugely expensive flyover to celebrate the King????

 

[Ease the sheet.]

Okay, I get that, but to do this hugely expensive flyover to celebrate the King????

Training exercise...

 

[billy backstay]

Training exercise...

Yeah, sure, sure, cough, cough....

 

[Ease the sheet.]

Yeah, sure, sure, cough, cough....

Seriously.

Like Aussies rescuing sailors half way to Antarctica.


The ship's there. The crews there. May as well do something constructive...