New Russian Jet Fighter

[spookyload]

Favorite British Plane: Spitfire (of course)

What?? How could anyone not like the mosquito? You have to respect a WW2 fighter made of sticks and fabric.

[fvbounty]

Here's a video of fans of the P51 Mustang, great story...at least I think so....

Gray Eagles Foundation

[johnrr6]

Originally Posted by spookyload

What?? How could anyone not like the mosquito? You have to respect a WW2 fighter made of sticks and fabric.

True.....

But Spitfire just fired my imagination as a kid....

Eagle Squadron and all that....

I wanted to be the cool guy with the silk scarf and the miniature Swastikas painted on the side of my plane----showing my kills.....

Then I grew up and the Air Force said that my eyesight was too bad....

Sent me over to see the Army guys....

Who said: "Sure----we can get you involved in "air stuff"

And proceeded to make me a grunt paratrooper.....

I GUESS that is KINDA flying......

But they didn't tell me you Air Force guys got the good chow and all the girls...

although I kinda figured it.....

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by spookyload

What?? How could anyone not like the mosquito? You have to respect a WW2 fighter made of sticks and fabric.

Yeah, it's an absolute beauty.

I have a soft spot for the Bristol Beaufighter (because it looks awesome) and the Hawker Hurricane (as much, or more, a reason for the Battle of Britain victory as any Spit).

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by johnrr6

All true----and the Swedes have been excellent and innovative for as long as I can remember----I built models of J-35 Drakens as a kid. There is a reason Hitler never invaded Sweeden-----because the Swedes always recognized that neutrality AND a large and VERY capable defense force was the most beneficial path for it as a nation.

He could've slapped around the Swedish defense easily back then. And the political maneuvering around that time by the government isn't pretty. Letting Hitler move troops on trains through Sweden is really bad form, even for a neutral nation. I'm a bit ashamed of that, to be honest.

We do build nice planes, though. I've felt the Draken's afterburner pound my chest when the pilot lit it a few hundred meters over a crowd during a fly-by. It's one hell of a feeling.

[spookyload]

Never a big Draken fan. I always like the Viggen. One thing about swedish design I have liked is the ruggedness they build in. They have known their airfields would be target one in a war, so the aircraft have very substantial landing gear to handle rough terain and bomb damaged runways. I saw a Viggen take off from the infield of an airshow in the UK a long time ago. It crossed taxi ways and went back to the grass before taking off.

[maxidius]

With all interesting chat from KonGO and others, I wonder about the effects of (unmanned) UAVs which might be cheaply produced in near future. In particular, if these UAV can be supersonic then they can work both as attacking device and as neo-kamikaze since any collision at such speed can damage the fighters. I am sure this is not new idea ay at all. Pilots will have difficult time to avoid aggressive UAV than with rival pilots. Probably similar ideas to stop fighters are not rare, except they may not be technologically or economically feasible yet.

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by spookyload

Never a big Draken fan. I always like the Viggen. One thing about swedish design I have liked is the ruggedness they build in. They have known their airfields would be target one in a war, so the aircraft have very substantial landing gear to handle rough terain and bomb damaged runways. I saw a Viggen take off from the infield of an airshow in the UK a long time ago. It crossed taxi ways and went back to the grass before taking off.

Yeah, the Viggen is probably my favorite too. Big, fierce piece of kit. And they're all decommissioned now, I think (besides museum airframes) there is one left, the rest have been recycled (soda cans!). It's Gripen all the way now.

Since we've traditionally had a conscript-based military force, the specifications for material have required ruggedness and ease of service. The Gripen is a 4G fighter, but can still have its engine swapped out by trained conscripts and some technicians. Refueling and reloading is the same way. There are stretches of road that are built extra wide as forward runways[*], although with the Gripen I think most straight bits of 2-lane highway would do in a pinch.

And both the Viggen and Gripen are STOL to some degree, the Viggen had those neat titanium doors you could use to reverse the thrust, I always like to show people this video, because being able to parallel park a Mach 2 fighter is cool. (One can hear the pilot actually increase thrust after wheels down, since he's closed the rear exhaust path off and is in reversing mode).
[*] We actually have one just outside town, and Google Maps has really nice resolution photos around here: Google Maps

[TQ]

My good friend and former boss E.A.W. "Ted" Smith flew Spits in WWII. From 1981 until 1992 he was the general manager of a local radio group once owned by the LBJ family. I worked for him for several years. He emigrated to the U.S. to work in advertising the year I was born.
Ted wrote the book "Spitfire Diary" about his experience as an R.A.F pilot. Some pretty harrowing stuff to read but even more so when he tells you the stories in person. I am honored to know him.

[TQ]

Originally Posted by fvbounty

Here's a video of fans of the P51 Mustang, great story...at least I think so....

A spectacularly beautiful aircraft.

[spookyload]

Originally Posted by maxidius

With all interesting chat from KonGO and others, I wonder about the effects of (unmanned) UAVs which might be cheaply produced in near future. In particular, if these UAV can be supersonic then they can work both as attacking device and as neo-kamikaze since any collision at such speed can damage the fighters. I am sure this is not new idea ay at all. Pilots will have difficult time to avoid aggressive UAV than with rival pilots. Probably similar ideas to stop fighters are not rare, except they may not be technologically or economically feasible yet.

In my opinion, UAV fighters is why the DOD is pushing so hard for the F-35. It is likely the last manned fighter to be built. Since the people in the Air Force who make decisions are mostly fighter pilots, they are using the F-35 and F-22 as their last bastion of heritage in fighters. There is a program called UCAV that is going to be the first plane stepping into the unmanned fighter role. With a UAV, you wont need front line fighter technology. If it goes down, you have lost a relatively inexpensive airframe and no life. The pilot will still walk away from every loss. No need to put rescue forces in harms way in a war either if it is just a UAV that is lost.

[johnrr6]

Interesting....

and from a pilot no less.....

Me----I see it different...technology will never truly replace the human.....

there will be some adaptations----cyborg, robot, whatever....

But in the end, nothing much will really change and unfortunately the world won't really change------and 1000 years from now.....

There will still be a grunt, sitting in a trench somewhere, waiting to go "over the top"...

Now he may have some sort of energy rifle----with a laser bayonet-----and he may be augmented with electronics and be sheathed in enhanced armor...heck, his hand grenades may be small nuclear devices....

But in the end----he will still have to "take and hold ground'----and take away from the enemy what used to be theirs-----whether that be their lives, territory, wealth, whatever....

Yes in the end-----they will simply have to do what Wellington said: "The enemy came on in the same old way----and we drove him off in the same old way!"

albeit----with technological marvels......

[XJ.]

Imagine what can be done with an airframe once you lose the weight, volume and systems needed to support a pilot (or two). The number of Gs that bird could pull would be pretty nuts. No manned craft would be able to match it.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by fvbounty

Here's a video of fans of the P51 Mustang, great story...at least I think so....

Gray Eagles Foundation

Nice story. Always been my favorite airplane. Thanks FV.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by k0NG0

Yeah, the Viggen is probably my favorite too. Big, fierce piece of kit. And they're all decommissioned now, I think (besides museum airframes) there is one left, the rest have been recycled (soda cans!). It's Gripen all the way now.

Since we've traditionally had a conscript-based military force, the specifications for material have required ruggedness and ease of service. The Gripen is a 4G fighter, but can still have its engine swapped out by trained conscripts and some technicians. Refueling and reloading is the same way. There are stretches of road that are built extra wide as forward runways[*], although with the Gripen I think most straight bits of 2-lane highway would do in a pinch.

And both the Viggen and Gripen are STOL to some degree, the Viggen had those neat titanium doors you could use to reverse the thrust, I always like to show people this video, because being able to parallel park a Mach 2 fighter is cool. (One can hear the pilot actually increase thrust after wheels down, since he's closed the rear exhaust path off and is in reversing mode).[*] We actually have one just outside town, and Google Maps has really nice resolution photos around here: Google Maps

Very cool video. I've never seen that capability in action. Thanks k0NG0.