Mystery - Jet Powered Sailplane - Van Nuys Airport

wrote in message
ups.com...
Alan is right. It is not a U2. The U2 would have a much longer nose.
Also the tapering of the wing planform is clearly not that of a U2.

It is a U2 with wing tanks, see http://www.area51zone.com/aircraft/u2.shtml
for the pics.

Peter.

Earlier, Pete S wrote:

It is a U2 with wing tanks...

I disagree. I think that the others have nailed it; it's the GROB
Egret.

For comparison:

The Van Nuys photo:

http://www.abtriplec.com/images/misc...tery_plane.jpg

U-2 3-view:

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft...s_schem_01.jpg

Photo of GROB Egret:

http://www.spyflight.co.uk/G850.HTM

The reasons I'm pretty sure that it's not a U-2 or TR-1:

* Nose too short

* Aft fuselage too long

* Wing pods too short, too far inboard

* Wing planform has greater aspect ratio

* Absence of large air intakes

Bob Kuykendall wrote:
Earlier, Pete S wrote:


It is a U2 with wing tanks...


I disagree. I think that the others have nailed it; it's the GROB
Egret.

Strangely enough, there are two registered in the US:

N520EG (Gentran Corp)
N520DM (Raytheon E Systems)

I wonder what they're up to 8^)

Definitely not a U2. And Van Nuys is where I would expect Raytheon to
base their Grob.

I agree. Definitely not a U2. Look at the canopy location.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Definitely not a U2. And Van Nuys is where I would expect Raytheon to
base their Grob.

meant to include ... the planform is way too narrow for the U2, which
is wide at the wing root and tapers noticably to the wingtip. I've
spent some time admiring SR-71s and U2s over the years and the Van Nuys
photo does not look like a U2.

Very interesting find though!