On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:10:49 -0800, "Dave D"
wrote:


"Bob (not my real pseudonym)" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:57:46 +0930, "Dave Kearton"
wrote:

"Salamanda" wrote in message
...
Anyone know what happened?
"guido" wrote in message
. ..
How can a plane fly in this conditions?


http://www.talkingproud.us/HistoryB52NoTail.html

Boeings ~usually~ make it home after the tail falls off.

http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1989/8901260265.asp

Of course, the KC-135/707 was designed with a folding tail, for back
in the days when it were the big'n in the hangar.

Bob ^,,^
In fact, none of the 135s upon which I flew had folding tails. BTW and FWIW,
the 135 is not a 707. It is, per Boeing, a 717.....

DaveD With about 10k hours in RC135 aircraft.

I'm not an expert on this stuff, but thought I had read that at least
the KC-135 had this feature. Could it have either been removed, or
just never used?

When I look at my own and other's photos of KC-135s from before the
re-engining projects, they all have what appears to be a walkway
outlined in black (looked like a big check mark) on the port side of
the vertical stabilizer - which would have been the topside when
folded.

http://aviation-safety.net/photos/ai...-P-d-1-500.jpg

Also, wasn't part of the reason the USAF scarfed up so many used 707
and 720 airframes back in the '80s was for replacement vertical stabs
for the KC-135s? Or was the folding stab only implemented on the
367-80?

Sorry - limited vision and blood flow to the brain inhibit further
research on my part at this time.

Bob ^,,^