Aviation BS and Photo Thread

More currently; IFR training has been an absolute blast

 

Husband and I just saw a clip of the mid-air, sheared her empennage right off. No chance, absolutely horrific.

 

I couldn’t agree more. I have friends who did 141 university programs who went from learning to fly to teaching to fly and straight into the regionals and now to the majors. I took a different approach by going part 61 and doing corporate flying. I have had so much more variety in aircraft I’ve flown and airports I’ve visited when compared to them. I like the idea of not flying the same hour 1500 times. I did not want to fly circles around the same lakes for a year and luckily I didn’t have to.

I just got home from a really fun trip. I took the Cardinal down to Marathon, FL to see a friend who is working as a CFI down there. I put 24 hours on the plane and got to check off some bucket list items. I flew around the tip of Key West so I got my plane as far south in the US as I can. I flew over the keys, saw fish from the air and chased the coast all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi where I then turned northwest toward home. It was a blast! Seeing all the reefs, the different shades of the gulf, and the white sand beaches near Destin was so fun. Now I just need to wash the salt off the plane!

 

We took advantage of a cold morning but otherwise great weather to fly up to Leadville today. Calm winds at the surface, light winds aloft and just a perfect day to fly to North America's highest airport.

 

Walked in to work this morning and they were spinning up the RAT on the final 747 to be built. Going to be weird to not see them in the building anymore.

I never worked on them so I don't have a huge attachment to them but it is crazy to think about the fact that the factory I work in was originally built specifically for the 747 and they have been building them in there for over 50 years.

 

The end of an era. Kinda sad

 

Sad news for me.
I had experienced many trips overseas on B-707s & C-141s. Loved the B-707! So reliable and always thought it was huge.
Then in 1970 ----- sitting in the transit lounge at the Tokyo airport (2nd floor) and all I can see out of the lounge window is the radome of a B-747!! Usually looked over the top of the 707s from there and here this monster still went UP from there!

I get on the 747 and during taxi I have the impression of a whole building moving, not a vehicle. Looking at the stairway to the upper deck (lounge) prolly helped.
I was awestruck and very impressed to say the least!
Then in Hawaii, I change planes back to a 707. Going to my seat I bump my head on the hat rack (not bins then). First time ever doing that. It was all due to the 747 spoiling me with enormous room.
'Twas 1969 and I remember it like it was last week. That B-747 gained my admiration from the get-go!

Then I was privileged enough to pull maintenance on them and build the engines for them at Northwest Airlines in the 80s & 90s. P&W JT9D-7A, 7E, and 7Q mostly (Qs were for the freighters). 7R4 was in the works, but I didn't get to turn wrench on them. The -200 planes were a corrosion nightmare though. That was pre-MSG3.

I'll end with this:
Do you know why the B-747 has that hump at the cockpit?

It's so the pilots can sit on their wallets.

 

My dad was one of the first 747 pilots for American Airlines. After retiring from AA he flew 74s again with Eva Air. The end of production coincides with the year he passed away. The end of an era for sure.

 

Condolences to you for the loss of your dad. He had quite the honor of being one of the first Jumbo Jet pilots. Fitting that the world loses both in the same year.

 

Thank you. He had an amazing life.

 

Sorry to hear this. My dad started at American in 1991 so he wasn't able to fly the 747. That's a neat story of your father.

 

Thanks for sharing that...reinforcement to my belief of common threads...your Paps prolly enjoying his new wings

 

First commercial flight was in the mid 70s on a 747. I remember how impressed I was and how elegant that plane was. Things have certainly changed for the average consumer experience.

 

Went to Warbirds Over Monroe in NC this past weekend and had a great time! Here's a few photos. Never gets old seeing and hearing those warbirds fly!

 

Wow, great photos! Jealous.

 

Failed because it didn’t have any orders?!?!?!

I think they should offer it again!
https://twitter.com/clark_aviation/status/1593722865370767361?s=46&t=eedZEqJrr3c8FaQlOuoIPA

 

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...^^^... Those pics remind me of the "SMS Project" that I worked on with McDonnell Douglas ...

SMS was supposedly able to do emergency, fire and misc. rescue from any size (height wise) building because it was lifted by a helicopter ...

.... by flying side-to-side (360 degree circle) with 4 vector-able nozzles and gyro.

It was kind of crazy to fly (standing on the SMS and belted to the overhead center hook) and very dangerous IMO.

The helicopter could hover on the side of the (away from) building with a 1,000' cable attached to the SMS and the SMS could dock at the building's window.

I never flew it, but I did ride in it ... really weird feeling.

http://aviationarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/mcdonnells-suspended-maneuvering-system.html