30-03-2003 10:05									#1
	The "Pictures of the World's Coolest Aircraft" Thread Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Post pics of your favourite aircraft here and debate their merits.

Here's my all time fave: the North American XB 70 Valkyrie. Of course due to shortsightedness and stupidity this aircraft never made it out of the prototype stage. Still it was pretty fast: Mach 3 easily.

Attachment: xb70.jpg
This has been downloaded 264 time(s).

	30-03-2003 10:10									#2
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

And here's another beauty, the MiG 29

Attachment: mig_mig29.jpg
This has been downloaded 261 time(s).

	30-03-2003 10:52									#3
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

The Avro Arrow 0wnZ all.

	30-03-2003 10:55									#4
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

The MIG 29 is a nice looking plane but you have to over look its many short comings.

	30-03-2003 11:02									#5
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

You can walk around an XB70 at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB outside of Dayton, Ohio.

The coolest one of all was the X85 Goblin "parasite fighter," meant to be carried on a trapeze inside the bomb bay of the B36 bomber as mobile air escort.

Attachment: f85-2.jpg
This has been downloaded 251 time(s).

	30-03-2003 11:03									#6
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Requisite Blackbird pic:



They have one of those at Wright-Pat too...

	30-03-2003 11:04									#7
	Increase Your PM Length

quote: Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat You can walk around an XB70 at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB outside of Dayton, Ohio. The coolest one of all was the X85 Goblin "parasite fighter," meant to be carried on a trapeze inside the bomb bay of the B36 bomber as mobile air escort.

That is the coolest airplane ever.

	30-03-2003 11:25									#8
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

The S-37 Berkut

	30-03-2003 11:31									#9
	Suffering from ads?

quote: Originally posted by Frogger That is the coolest airplane ever.

Here's a photo of it suspended from the trapeze. It never was launched from inside a B36 -- it's test flights were from an external trapeze set up on an EB29.

	30-03-2003 11:32									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Was it supposed to land, or was it supposed to redock in flight?

	30-03-2003 11:34									#11
	Inflate your Upload Space

Or had they not thought that far ahead yet...

	30-03-2003 12:08									#12
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

I'd have to say the B-52 as it will probably see almost a CENTURY of service?

	30-03-2003 12:11									#13
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Of course the air frame is about the only original part left on those planes. Everything else has been updated many, many times.

BTW I thought they were schedualed to be retired around 2010. Did it get pushed back again?

	30-03-2003 12:13									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

I've heard ~2040.

	30-03-2003 12:33									#15
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Alas, this is but a replica.

	30-03-2003 12:45									#16
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Didn't Daimler put Fokker out of business a few years back? It's sad since Fokker made so many of aviations early designs.

	30-03-2003 12:48									#17
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Saab Gripen! Only posted as I love high end Saabs and the jet just plain looks cool. It's supposedly garbage, someone care to brief us as to why? [Looks at the filthy Bajaner ]

Lots of test flight crashes, I think. Impressive!

	30-03-2003 14:05									#18
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by Frogger Was it supposed to land, or was it supposed to redock in flight?

It was supposed to redock, so that once a particular fighter threat had been dealt with, it would be available for continued use as long as it had fuel and ammo.

	30-03-2003 15:02									#19
	Got spare money?

quote: Originally posted by Zylka Saab Gripen! Only posted as I love high end Saabs and the jet just plain looks cool. It's supposedly garbage, someone care to brief us as to why? [Looks at the filthy Bajaner ] Lots of test flight crashes, I think. Impressive!

It's supposedly garbage because the test flight crashes was on live TV. Lots of mean jokes in media after that: "The world's most expensive farming tool". But I think the plane is better than it's reputation. All warplanes crash during test flight, don't they?

What makes this aircraft special is that it is mechanically unstable. The centre of gravity is far back, and this is compensated by very advanced guiding systems on the front wings to keep the flight steady. The unstable design allows the pilot to make extremely sharp turns to avoid missiles or get behind the enemy. It has never been tested in lethal combat, and hopefulle never will, so we will never know.

	30-03-2003 15:05									#20
	Got spare money?

But what we do know that is because it is mechnically unstable, it has a tendancy to crash.

	30-03-2003 15:08									#21
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Asher But what we do know that is because it is mechnically unstable, it has a tendancy to crash.

Yes, if the guiding system fails, the plane is doomed. EMP, anyone?

But it now makes up the bulk of the Swedish Airforce (to which I belong) and it hasn't crashed since 1993. Or perhaps one plane was lost in a training accidident in the mid 90's, I can't remember, but such accidents happens to any warplane any time, don't they? Inexperienced pilots do mistakes. The test flight crashes were handled by an expert pilot, actually the same guy in both cases. He survived both times.

	30-03-2003 15:46									#22
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

I love the F14.

edit: photo was too big. I am resizing and I will post it next.

	30-03-2003 15:51									#23
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Here it is. I like this photo a lot.

Attachment: f14.jpg
This has been downloaded 203 time(s).

	30-03-2003 15:52									#24
	Remove this text

quote: Originally posted by Olaf Hårfagre What makes this aircraft special is that it is mechanically unstable. The centre of gravity is far back, and this is compensated by very advanced guiding systems on the front wings to keep the flight steady.

I'm sure the systems were very advanced a long time ago, but from what I've read, it's not too advanced. Although I'm sure it's a bit dated computer-wise.

3 x 266MHz PowerPC processors, 160MB harddrive, 64MB RAM with 1MB/s databusses.

	30-03-2003 15:58									#25
	Increase Your PM Length

At least cooling the processors wouldn't be a problem.

	30-03-2003 15:59									#26
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

My computer could control that plane.

	30-03-2003 16:01									#27
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by Skanky Burns At least cooling the processors wouldn't be a problem.

Smiley ettiquette lesson: Never post a after your comment because that's laughing at your own joke which is rude. Instead, post it before your comment.

	30-03-2003 16:05									#29
	Put an end to popups!

Is the plane still around today? Or did it get destroyed in the blast? I assume it's still around because those planes could fly pretty high.

	30-03-2003 16:12									#30
	Get a bigger avatar today!

quote: Originally posted by Asher I'm sure the systems were very advanced a long time ago, but from what I've read, it's not too advanced. Although I'm sure it's a bit dated computer-wise. 3 x 266MHz PowerPC processors, 160MB harddrive, 64MB RAM with 1MB/s databusses.

That was the state-of-the-art computers when the plane went through final testing about 10 years ago. As I wrote, it hasn't crashed since then, so the system is doing it's job properly. You don't need the system to be more advanced than that, do you?