What's the best sounding aircraft you ever heard?

Funny, but you don't hear too many people talk about that period in
aviation
these days. I'd love to hear more about what being in the USAF and flying
things like the F-94 was like.

See Flight Journal Magazine (http://www.flightjournal.com/) for some really
interesting articles from this amazing era of flight.

It really was an amazing period, when the Air Force (and, actually, air
forces all over the world) was rolling out a new aircraft every few
months -- for years at a time!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Yeah, and I've got a great resource, too. My uncle was a USAF test pilot in
the F-104 program, and I've never taken the time to really talk to him about
it. Might have something to do with the fact that I've only seen him twice
in about 15 years.

The B-58 Hustler is another amazing aircraft, along with the B-36 that I'd
like to hear more about, too.

Amazing feats of aviation when you look back at them. Looking at Concorde
up close, you get a real sense of stepping back in time, as well. Although
she looks "futuristic", she really is a relic of the design days of the late
60s when Vulcans, Valkyries, and Century Series fighters were all being
built to similar constraints and principles.

Shawn

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
newsl0Ab.432326$Tr4.1215008@attbi_s03...
Funny, but you don't hear too many people talk about that period in
aviation
these days. I'd love to hear more about what being in the USAF and
flying
things like the F-94 was like.

See Flight Journal Magazine (http://www.flightjournal.com/) for some
really
interesting articles from this amazing era of flight.

It really was an amazing period, when the Air Force (and, actually, air
forces all over the world) was rolling out a new aircraft every few
months -- for years at a time!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

The B-58 Hustler is another amazing aircraft, along with the B-36 that I'd
like to hear more about, too.

The Hustler *is* truly amazing. We visited the Chanute Air Museum (formerly
the Chanute Air Force Base), in Rantoul, IL, last week, where they have the
B-58 Hustler that set the speed record from the U.S. to Japan. (I think the
record still stands...)

From every angle, the plane is perfect. Even the engine pods, which look
kind of odd at first, hanging down below the delta wing, blend in nicely
from all angles, just like the toy Hustler I had as a boy. The wasp-waist
flows nicely into the aft fuselage, and the whole thing just SCREAMS
"speed!"...

Until you get up close, and take a look at the construction. Even though
the designers used some exotic materials, due to the extreme heat build-up
at Mach 2+, the construction techniques don't look dramatically different
from the B-29s and even the B-17s that were built just a few years earlier.
You could literally take large pieces off the plane with a simple Phillips
screw driver, and the cockpit instrumentation would be right at home in a
Piper Apache.

And those engine pods have some really bizarre details, with elaborately
curved, flush-riveted, intricately cut pieces butting up against plates that
are simply screwed on. The whole aircraft is a perfect "period piece",
bridging the gap from World War II, past Korea, and right into the Viet Nam
era...

One of the coolest planes ever conceived. Wish I had seen it fly.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Shawn

Talk to your uncle before he dies and the data goes with him. I know a
lot about the 104 but there is so much more from Edwards and WP that
would make an exciting story. One of my very good friends was
Commander of one of the first two Squadrons and the bird killed him
(along with many others until they got things debugged).

'58 also a wonderful beast. I stoppd to refuel at one of their bases
one night and one took off. I have never as much noise and fire and
lights around a airplane as came out of the engines in A/B with all
the nav and obstruction lights on.

Big John


On Fri, 5 Dec 2003 15:46:56 -0000, "ShawnD2112"
wrote:

Yeah, and I've got a great resource, too. My uncle was a USAF test pilot in
the F-104 program, and I've never taken the time to really talk to him about
it. Might have something to do with the fact that I've only seen him twice
in about 15 years.

The B-58 Hustler is another amazing aircraft, along with the B-36 that I'd
like to hear more about, too.

Amazing feats of aviation when you look back at them. Looking at Concorde
up close, you get a real sense of stepping back in time, as well. Although
she looks "futuristic", she really is a relic of the design days of the late
60s when Vulcans, Valkyries, and Century Series fighters were all being
built to similar constraints and principles.

Shawn

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
newsl0Ab.432326$Tr4.1215008@attbi_s03...
Funny, but you don't hear too many people talk about that period in
aviation
these days. I'd love to hear more about what being in the USAF and
flying
things like the F-94 was like.

See Flight Journal Magazine (http://www.flightjournal.com/) for some
really
interesting articles from this amazing era of flight.

It really was an amazing period, when the Air Force (and, actually, air
forces all over the world) was rolling out a new aircraft every few
months -- for years at a time!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"