Sky High

Sky High:
A DC-4 passenger plane flies over Midtown Manhattan in this 1939 photo by Margaret Bourke-White. "You know how you think you're too smart to be swayed by the constant barrage of advertising, only to find yourself buying Coke Zero every day at lunch because of some perpetually repeated commercial with a gal in a bikini? Well, a large-size print of this photo hung in the lobby of the LIFE.com offices and was a constant presence, greeting us as we came to work every day and saying 'Until next time' when we left. So I guess when I see this image I can't help but be reminded that one of the miracles of modern technology is that it's possible to have a soft drink that both tastes great and is less filling. Also, it's just an all-around kick-ass pic." -- Michael Y. Park

F-35B

F-35B:

The Marines just got their first F-35B. The F-35 program has suffered a lot of setbacks. I’ll be interested to see how the F-35B meets its testing schedule.

The first F-35B

Machine Birds

Machine Birds:

Machine Birds



They roar to their heart’s content. They swallow loads of oil. They spit thick fumes. They go in groups. Some go alone. They fly at supersonic speeds… They are machine birds.

All shot @ Al Ain Aerobatic show 2011.

Linking with this week’s Sunday Stills challenge.

~~~

Our Gallery: The Machines of Atlantis

Our Gallery: The Machines of Atlantis:

Fleet review by vnetwatnik @ LJ

The Atlantic Republic project is jointly developed in Russian-speaking LiveJournal community Atlantic Republic – A Dieselpunk Legend.

In March 2010, the setting was outlined in English on Dieselpunks.org and in January 2012, a short story by Ignat Solovey was published on the same network.

The year is presumably 1934, no exact date given. The Republic is going to celebrate its Centennial – with navy review, air parade, and every kind of festivals. Of course there are pirates, spies, at least one Mad Scientist, brave sailors and aviators, femmes fatales and lady adventurers. And lots of Dieselpunk – factories and workshops, weird airplanes, flying aircraft carriers, streamlined trains, air taxicabs, destructive secret weapons, etc. etc.

The multi-faceted story of the Republic unfolds in an alternative world a bit more happier than ours, no Great Depression or Nazi threat. Nevertheless, the Modern Atlantis does everything possible (and impossible) for self-defense, hence a multitude of military machines – along with civil cars, diesel trains, airliners and mailplanes. Enjoy.

Gwook floatplane fighter pursuing a pirate aircraft

ReL Cyclecar

ReL LuftMaster

Dh04 locomotive

Silver Torpedo Diesel-hydraulic motor unit

Lady V multitask floatplane

Trimotor Mailplane

Basstoelpel Flying Boat

AHGG Heavy bomber, 1935

Persecutor naval attacker

Carrier-borne Takapu biplane over the ARNS Neptune

Sturmschwalbe torpedo bomber

Cahow B-10 dive bomber

Crux airship interior

Colleoni airship

ARNS Aquilon destroyer

ARNS Meduse experimental AA cruiser

SCISC heavy tank Mk.1

Credits: der_fluger, lnago, vasillich, vnetwatnik @ atlantic_rep LJ community

Eurocopter in NH90 acronym hell - shock

Eurocopter in NH90 acronym hell - shock:

Forgive us - but when confronted with a press release jam-packed with acronyms (TTH, DGA, NAHEMA, ALAT etc) the will to live is quickly eroded. Nonetheless, we present to you the first NH Industries NH90 Tactical Troop Transport in final operational configuration for the French armed forces. And yes, that's a TTH in FOC to you.

Credit: Eurocopter

A Closer Look: Transitioning to the next generation 777 and A340

A Closer Look: Transitioning to the next generation 777 and A340: Building on last Friday's post about unlocking customers to evaluate competing airframer's products, I wanted to look a bit closer at the changes Airbus and Boeing made to develop their respective second generation 777s and A340s. For Boeing, the aircraft maker would evolve the 777-200ER and -300 into the the 777-300ER, -200LR and freighter, while Airbus would take its A340-300 and -200 to become the A340-600 and -500.

I went digging into the Flight International archive to find the technical evolution of each model and the structural changes that were required from their respective baseline designs. The changes to create the longer range A340s were significantly more extensive with its stretched wingbox, fuselage and revised empennage.

With its raised main landing gear, raked wingtip extensions and structural strengthening, the 777, by comparison did not need a fuselage stretch as the original 777-200 and -300 established the airframes for the -200LR and -300ER.

October 1996 - A340-500/600 soft launch

March 1997 - 777-200X/300X launch

Additional details of the 777 and A340's evolution are below the fold.

September 1998

March 2000

June 2001

July 2002

January 2004

“…A career in flying was like climbing one of those...

“…A career in flying was like climbing one of those...:

“…A career in flying was like climbing one of those ancient Babylonian pyramids made up of a dizzy progression of steps and ledges, a ziggurat, a pyramid extraordinarily high and steep; and the idea was to prove at every foot of the way up that pyramid that you were one of the elected and anointed ones who had the right stuff and could move higher and higher and even-ultimately, God willing, one day-that you might be able to join that special few at the very top, that elite who had the capacity to bring tears to men’s eyes, the very Brotherhood of the right stuff indeed.”

(photo via)

VIPs - Showa L2D (Douglas DC-3) - 零式輸送機 #2

VIPs - Showa L2D (Douglas DC-3) - 零式輸送機 #2: Jacob sent us the following:

About a month ago I saw on UTube a Dutch documentary about the Indonesian struggle for Independence.
This documentary had some footage about a "propaganda" trip of the first president of the Republik, Mr Soekarno (Sukarno). He travelled in May 1945 with a Japanese L2D2 in the archipelago. The last three digits of the unit code are XX- 200. The images below are stills I took from that footage.
My question is: can that Tabby unit be identified?
Jacob Terlouw / The Netherlands.

We asked leading authority on the subject of units and tail markings Akimoto Minoru-sensei and here's what he replied:

The DC-3 belonged to the Dai Nippon Koku with civilian registration J-MKOM and name "WAKASA"*. It was one of about 40 DC-3s that formed a unit by DNK called "Dai Nippon Koku Choyo Yusoki Tai" (DNK Commandeered Transport Unit) and operated for the IJNAF. The particular plane belonged to the 2nd Choyo Yusoki Tai.
Tail number. The second katakana is the first "YU" of "YUsokitai" but the first katakana is difficult to discern. It could be "SE" or "NA" or "CHI" or even a "2". If the first is a "CHI" then it's the first katakana for "Choyo"**. If it's a number "2" then it could signify the 2nd Yusoki Tai.

I believe the photo was taken when Sukarno was visiting Singapore to discuss the details regarding the forthcoming independence of Indonesia.

*"Wakasa" probably refers to the gulf starting from Fukui prefecture and ending in Kyoto.

**"Choyo" is written as "CHIyoUYOU" in kana but it's pronounced as Choyo with stretched "o"s.

We are grateful to Jacob and Akimoto-sensei for their contribution to our blog.

これらの写真は、オランダで放送された、インドネシア独立についてのドキュメンタリー映画からのもので、Jacob Terlouw さんが送ってくれました。スカルノはインドネシアの中を零式輸送機で移動していたということです。 Jacob さんから、この飛行機はどこの部隊のものなのかと、質問がありましたので、
秋本実先生に、お聞きし、お返事をもらいました。
”大日本航空で使用していた零式輸送機の1機で登録記号はＪ－ＭＫＯＭ。「若狭」号。
他の零式輸送機（約４０機）とともに海軍に徴傭され、大日本航空徴傭輸送機隊の第二徴傭輸送機隊で使用された。
尾翼記号は、徴傭輸送機隊を示しているはずで、２字目は「ユ」とよめすが、１字目が不明。
セ・ナ・チ・２などに見える。チならばチユで徴傭輸送機隊になる。２なら２ユで第二徴傭輸送機隊になる。
スカルノは日本の支援のもとに独立運動を進めていたとき、打ち合わせのためシンガポールなどに出向いておりますので、そのときの写真と思われる。”
とのお返事をいただきました。
秋本先生お忙しいところ、質問にお返事いただきありがとうございました。

flyhighr:the size difference is just incredible: boeing 707...

flyhighr:

the size difference is just incredible: boeing 707...:

flyhighr:

the size difference is just incredible: boeing 707 vs. boeing 747

wolodymir nelowkin | airliners.net

Tupolev Tu-134UB-L

Tupolev Tu-134UB-L:

Tupolev Tu-134UB-L

Phantom II

Phantom II:

Phantom II

O avião sem piloto mais mortal do mundo

O avião sem piloto mais mortal do mundo:

Conheça o X-47B, um avião dos EUA sem nenhum piloto que o controle. O que não impede que ele seja muito perigoso, praticamente um assassino invisível Continua...

French jet firm makes Swiss new offer: report

French jet firm makes Swiss new offer: report: Geneva (AFP) Jan 29, 2012



French aircraft maker Dassault has made a new offer to Switzerland for its Rafale fighter jets after the government decided in November to buy Sweden's Gripen planes instead, a report said Sunday.

Dassault has sent a letter to parliament - which has yet to approve the November decision - offering 18 Rafale planes for 2.7 billion Swiss francs (2.24 billion euros, 2.96 billion dollars), repo

Showa L2D (Douglas DC-3) - 零式輸送機 #1

Showa L2D (Douglas DC-3) - 零式輸送機 #1: In the three photos below from the October 20, 1943 issue of "Asahi Graph" female maintenance crew members check a Showa L2D, the Japanese version of DC-3. The group was called "Joshi Gijutsu Yoin" (Female Technical Members) and they are working at the Fukuoka branch of the airline Dai Nippon KK in Ganosu airfield.


３枚の写真は、昔の雑誌からのものです。
大日本航空福岡支所で働く「女子技術傭員」です。
彼女たちは、雁ノ巣空港で飛行機が発着するたびに、清掃・点検・修理等の精密な手入れを行っています。



sunday fantasy #365: A Lonely Sky, by Nick RyanDeath, glory,...

sunday fantasy #365: A Lonely Sky, by Nick Ryan

Death, glory,...:

sunday fantasy #365: A Lonely Sky, by Nick Ryan

Death, glory, and Dave Bowman.

(via Airminded)

Navy Blue Angels - Fargo Airshow, 2011

Navy Blue Angels - Fargo Airshow, 2011:

As a Navy Vet, I’m really happy with how this photo came out. I took my son, Brennan with me that day and we had a great time. I took this photo with my trusty DMC-GF1! It was such a lucky shot…I only wish that it was perfectly focused. But for a relatively inexpensive camera, it did a nice job. I had my 200mm telephoto lens out for this photo as #5 and #6 Angels did a fly-by the grandstand.

Hope you like it!

~tacamojoe~

GO Navy!

5+6 = totally frickin' awesome