Author Topic: End of a Legend... (Read 1720 times)

Krotki · « **Reply #30 on:** April 11, 2003, 03:18:32 PM »

Seems to me the US had a successful SST, but the program was scrapped due to "anti-noise activists".

Dowding · « **Reply #31 on:** April 11, 2003, 03:44:56 PM »

No Hilts, I was definitely not referring to you.

Muckmaw - I used to see it every year, at RAF Finningley. Never got tired of seeing it fly.

If you think that is loud, you ought to hear this baby take off. At RAF Finningley they used to have a squadron of them. Before my time though, I just used to see the sole flying example fly as a kid until funding was cut and it was mothballed. Seriously, there's something about the sound it makes as it throttles up - like armageddon.

I was only a kid but I remember the feeling - excitement, tinged with fear.

And when it finished the display, the raptuous applause was always accompanied by sound of a thousand car alarms blaring.

Skuzzy - the Mini was owned by Rover, which was bought by BMW. BMW was going to end Rover production, but it first stripped it of the successful brands - Mini, Range-Rover and Land-Rover. The Mini is made entirely in the UK by BMW as a subsidiary. Fortunately, a British managment consortium bought out Rover and they are producing some good cars.

The new mini is simply great - I went on a test drive in a Cooper S at the weekend, and it's definitely the car I'm going to buy.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #32 on:** April 11, 2003, 03:47:52 PM »

Thank you Dowding. I knew BWM had thier hand in it, but was never really clear on how the Rover thing turned out.

AKIron · « **Reply #33 on:** April 11, 2003, 03:51:26 PM »

You ain't heard loud 'till you heard one o' these puppies take off.

Dowding · « **Reply #34 on:** April 11, 2003, 03:53:57 PM »

Missed out on that priviledge. Went to Mildenhall the year after it went out of service. It had planned to do a flyby at Finningley once, but technical problems prevented that.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #35 on:** April 11, 2003, 04:05:10 PM »

Got to see a SR-71 land and take-off once. Stood flight line duty for it one night.

Of all planes that have every graced the air, this one has always left me with an adrenalin rush. It just screams, "I am the baddest bad-boy on the block!"

An incredible aircraft.

Oh,..the dang thing leaks fuel like crazy when it is on the ground. Apparently, the design takes into account for frame/panel expansion and seals itself at high speed, but once on the ground and cooled off, it seeps fuel.
I don't know what they put in it for fuel, but it is not JP4. All I was told, was do not let the fuel touch any part of your body/clothing.
The guys that filled it up early next morning were wearing protective clothing I have never seen before.

AKIron · « **Reply #36 on:** April 11, 2003, 04:30:44 PM »

I've spent quite a bit of time at radar sites very close to runways. The three loudest planes I've heard are in the following order.

3. F-111
2. Fully loaded KC-135
1. SR-71

The SR-71 may not really be all that loud. But it has an unmistakeable deep rumble that you feel deep in your bones.

Krotki · « **Reply #37 on:** April 11, 2003, 04:30:45 PM »

Skuzzy, as you well know in that time frame that was afigment of our imagination, You eyes wasn,t functioning properly, especially out on that flight line

. Na workked on one of them Figments in the late 60,s somewhere in the UK an not Mildenhal either

SP's ain't got no sense of humor never forget sound of M-16, going lock load.

AkIron, you ain't heard a F4 bubble check in full ab then.

Frogm4n · « **Reply #38 on:** April 11, 2003, 04:49:56 PM »

actually i think the bear is one of the loudest planes, if you go by sound levels.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #39 on:** April 11, 2003, 04:53:15 PM »

I dunno Iron. Between a fully loaded C5A, KC-135 and a SR-71...

You are probaby right. The pitch of the SR-71 is unmistakable. To this day, I have never heard another plane come close to that sound.
The C5A and KC-135 are screamers....the SR-71 is a rumbler.

You should have seen that plane landing at dawn. And the take-off was just as breath-taking.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #40 on:** April 11, 2003, 04:55:00 PM »

Krotki,..lol!

Yeah, couldn't even talk about that plane until a few years ago. Did you get to see the cockpit?

It was amazing.

AKIron · « **Reply #41 on:** April 11, 2003, 06:08:05 PM »

Skuzzy, I spent 6 years at Kadena, saw the "Habu" do it's stuff many times. You always knew when there was a mission up. The locals would be lined up on highway 58 at the end of the runway with their cameras and telephoto lenses.

I've been to a lot of airshows. Got to watch the F15 do some test flights in Panama in the early '70s, but the most fun I've ever had watching an airplane was at Carswell AFB in '76. They were still testing the F-16 at General Dynamics and put on some truly amazing shows. I spent 3 years at Nellis and never saw the Thunderbirds do anything even close.

vorticon · « **Reply #42 on:** April 11, 2003, 06:13:31 PM »

damn...that bird was the best
it also had the best safty record...20 years and 1 crash due to human error:(

AKIron · « **Reply #43 on:** April 11, 2003, 06:20:45 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by vorticon
damn...that bird was the best
it also had the best safty record...20 years and 1 crash due to human error:(

Damn good record.

If ya wanna talk airline safety records now, Southwest Airlines, no fatalities since it began service in 1971.

gatso · « **Reply #44 on:** April 11, 2003, 07:36:33 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Dowding
If you think that is loud, you ought to hear this baby take off.

I miss the Vulcan

If you want pure ground shaking, gut wrenching noise then thats the baby you want to be watching. I still remember the displays, intentionally getting as close to crowd centre as possible, turning away and climbing at a crazy AofA at full throttle with the business ends of 4 Olympus engines pointing straight at the crowd. THAT was loud.

The Harrier must get a mention too. Especially while hovering because it can get pretty close to the crowd and the noise is CONSTANT. Fun stuff.

Back on topic, I hear Branson wants to buy the whole fleet of Concords for £1. BA has said NO in no uncertain terms. Shame, I'd love to see them keep flying. I can't see them scrapping any of them though. I'm sure just about every museum in the world will be after one.

Gatso