Aviation BS and Photo Thread

Nice shot. Great timing.

 

My dad used to fly helicopters for AFSOC back in the late 80s + early 90s, and would routinely do night refueling tracks off of C-130 tankers through this valley with some relatively high peaks on both sides. Did it for quite some time without remarks.

One night, refueling checklist complete for both helicopters, separate from the wing drogues and go off on their merry way. About 2 mins later, C-130 reports a midair with (?) and returns to the field. Later ground inspection had a BUNCH of paint missing off the chin of the herc back to mid-fuselage.

A little careful flying around the area in the daytime revealed that the Phillipinos had strung a bunch of logging cables up across the valley, and just sorta...forgot to tell anyone about it. C-130 took one on the chin, and missed getting split in half by about 2 vertical feet.

 

A bit in the know on this one. AFSOC wanted it for potential island hopping re: China pacific water claims, but the rest of the USAF and Lockheed couldn't tell them how stupid it was fast enough. Glad it finally got chopped.

There's a company trying to resurrect the PBY Catalina design though, with modern equipment though, and that would be interesting as a ISR+ platform for USSOCOM.

 

If you get a chance, the seaplane flights are relatively cheap for a good day in Friday harbor. If you return on the North approach to the lake, you are coming down the approach basically between buildings, or at least it feels that way.

 

The last flying Mars Martin will be retired on Sunday when it flies from the Coulson air base on Sproat Lake Vancouver Island to Pat Bay outside the Victoria airport where it will end up in the BC Aviation Museum.

Coulson used it for fighting forest fires but it has been idle since 2017?. Ineffective for fire fighting. Not enough lakes large enough, spare parts running out, nightmare certifying pilots are top of a long list.

Video of the plane landing on Kootenay Lake several years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=mrdLJ3GYVac

Prepping for the final flight.

https://youtu.be/j674q7lMDi0?si=MLcgXYU1_7z3yHBK

 

Oh yeah, I am sure it would be an absolute waste of resources with very little chance of having any real operational value, that said it would still be cool as hell to see.

As much as there is good reason for it, it's disappointing sometimes that we don't see some of the crazy experimental designs and such they used to do 50-60 years ago, just because they could.

 

Totally agree that the 50-60s was a wild time. Given the nature of the problem statement "Pacific island mobility during conflict", I'm actually surprised the ekranoplan "Caspian Sea Monster" concept hasn't surged in popularity as a solution.

 

So, this latest crash in Brazil. How do you get into a situation where you are in a flat spin like this in that plane?
BNO News on X: "BREAKING: Voepass Flight 2283, a large passenger plane, crashes in Vinhedo, Brazil

 

I dunno man? Weight and balance shift?

I knew a former Brazilian commercial pilot...said its very unsafe down there

 

It’s almost like you have to you force a plane into that situation these days. Or hell maybe one prop went into feather as the other was at max power???

 

Most likely the plane dropped like a rock from severe icing.
There was an Icing SIGMET (severe weather advisory) in the area during the time of the accident.

 

Another Roselawn Indiana type accident. Think it’s the same type plane too. Wow

 

We won't know for awhile what the cause(s) are for the crash. Having said that, if an airplane stalls with an aft center-of-gravity, or tail heavy, then it can have a greater tendency to enter a flat spin.

 

Very similar to the Colgan air crash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33NUAy3eomg

 

Put in some landings this evening in a super cub I hadn’t flown in 2 years. I sure am glad the cub corrects my mistakes. I like planes that want to fly.

 

Almost hovered that in ya? Lol

 

Over the North Atlantic last night

 

Last flight,escorted by RCAF Snowbirds team.https://www.reddit.com/r/britishcolumbia/s/Pdh9doEzCt

 

Thunderstorms over Utah

 

Anyone into RC?
This baby is huge..
https://x.com/webflite/status/1824907867775750629?s=46