U2 (U.S.!) Forwardment

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe wrote:
"Shawn" sdotherecurry@bresnannextdotnet wrote in message
. ..

But the U2 gets to take the engine along with it. :-)
I suspect a 12,000 ft runway helps.

Shawn


So, like, we should take the winch along in the glider?

Getting it to release would be interesting.

Getting it to hook to something on the ground, without landing, when you
need a boost would be an even neater trick.

Shawn

Second guessing myself, that is either an old 141 with forward fuse
missing or a steel mockup used for fire training. I'm leaning toward
mockup as the engine nacelles are not placed right for C141 or C17.
It's something they can torch again and again without destroying it.
The inner round circle is probably a gravel burn pit with a berm around
it. The asphalt is just for jockeying the fire suppression equipment.

The 57 is probably used for battle damage repair exercising. Chop a
few holes with an fire axe and let the repair guys patch it. We had an
F106 at Incirlik for this for a number of years. It was finally
destroyed by EOD blowing it to pieces and then buried in the base
burial pit not far from a C-130 burial site.

Frank Whiteley

Frank Whiteley wrote:
Second guessing myself, that is either an old 141 with forward fuse
missing or a steel mockup used for fire training. I'm leaning toward
mockup as the engine nacelles are not placed right for C141 or C17.

I'll buy that. Real fuselages are not cylindrical all the way back to
the tail.

The 57 is probably used for battle damage repair exercising. Chop a
few holes with an fire axe and let the repair guys patch it.

That's a marginally more respectable end than that of one at RAF
Barkston Heath. It was used for fire training. When Tom Smith*, who was
on its design team, saw the remnants he nearly cried.

That Canberra was destroyed 20 years ago but the remains are still
there, gradually disintegrating: the bones of a fire rescue practice BAe
Hawk were added later. Truly an object lesson in how to look after an
airfield.

* went on to head the Lightening design team.

--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. |
org | Zappa fan & glider pilot

It was common to put them on flight test aircraft too. MD80 fuselage
909 (RIP) had one on the center windshield. More like a cord than the
light yarn we use. I don't remember how it was attached, probably to
one of the windshield bolts. One use may have been to maximize single
engine climb performance for the cert numbers.

I see more pictures these days of flight test aircraft with an extended
test probe on the nose. It looks like it carries alpha and beta vanes
so they probably don't bother with the string any more.

Andy