Watchlords

I spent the day with codguy at the Oregon International Airshow Saturday. A cloud deck at 2700 feet loomed until just before showtime. That is fairly normal this time of year, the cooler temps in the morning allow marine layers to hang around until the heat of the sun burns them off by late morning or early afternoon, (usually). The show started at noon with mostly clear sky which makes for reflections on aircraft surfaces. A real high overcast would make it much easier to get good pictures, but what are you gonna do? Around here you get severe clear or low ceilings which would stop the show altogether. So here we go, I'll show a few of the better shots. I know a lot of folks don't care much about airplanes so I'll point out a bit about each picture.
The top side of an Oregon ANG F15C inverted flight.

Condensed air over the F15Cs wing as it climbs through the broken layer at 2700 feet.

The humid air moving over the bottom side (smooth surfaces designed to lower the radar signature) of the F35A can be seen here.

A shock wave begins to form as the F35A flirts with the sound barrier on a high speed pass.

The shock wave reflects a faint rainbow as it passes over.

An A37 Dragonfly, based on the much more common and long serving T37 Tweet trainer airframe. The A37 was used in an attack role during Vietnam. Several South American countries still fly these. Very few airworthy A37s in the US.

USAF heritage flight. F35A Lightening II and P51 Mustang.

The Thunderbirds were the main attraction. Here are four passing over in a formation I forgot the name of.

The two solo Thunderbirds performing a knife edge pass. If anyone can tell me how to get both in focus as they close at 1000 mph plus, please send me a PM.

One of the solo Thunderbirds does a maximum climb with the sun directly behind it.

I thought this photo was interesting because it shows the diamond formation pass with speed brakes deployed. You rarely see the speed brakes outside of the landing sequence.

Super cool M & D!

God dang. Fuck. These pics made my dick hard.

America! FUCK YEAH!!!

But seriously they are incredible shots. Outstanding!

^^^THIS!! This is where it all started!

Henry Royce developed the 4 valve, 4 cam, two-stage supercharged V12 which would go on to power the onslaught against the Luftwaffe and establish the air superiority which helped save the free world!

Fan-fucking-TASTIC!! Those are great photos, Mark. I think I could almost hear them!

The jet aircraft are amazing…. But I can’t keep my eyes from being drawn toward that RR Merlin-powered P51 mustang in gleaming shiny aluminum!

I’ve seen so many images of them from above, looking down toward the aircraft, that I don’t think I’ve ever seen the air intake scoop on the underbelly of the fuselage.

Plus, I also appreciate the talent required (peripheral vision!) to successfully taxi and take off in an ass-dragger where the pilot’s view is pointed up toward the sky!

(I hear a pilot hit a fat lady that way: dis-assed her!)

Of course breaking the damn sound barrier is pretty damn cool as well!

Thanks for sharing that, great post!

Nuvolari wrote: ↑

August 21st 2022, 7:49am

^^^THIS!! This is where it all started!

Henry Royce developed the 4 valve, 4 cam, two-stage supercharged V12 which would go on to power the onslaught against the Luftwaffe and establish the air superiority which helped save the free world!

I am a little partial to the Mustang myself. That same aircraft has been my avatar for a while now. Packard was also involved in the Merlin engine program, acquiring a license to build them in the US. The decision to reengine the P51 with the more powerful Merlin played a huge part in the Allies turning the tide in WWII. The Merlin engines sound is just as distinctive to generations of enthusiasts as the whump, whump, whump of the UH1 helicopter. I know you're a car guy-stay tuned next weekend.

Great photos Mark. Looks like you both had a good time. Wonder if any of these still fly? B47B stratojet. This one looks to have a jato pack with water-methanol injection being used.

Love it!

I am so lucky to have a continuous air show where I work. The Guppy showed up the other day; I missed it coming in for a landing, it was pouring rain at the time. But that plane is so cool!




Fingers crossed; the Artemis I is supposed to blast off August 29. Given that Boeing has a cost-plus contract with NASA to build 3 Artemis rockets, I'm not optimistic. But I really do want the thing to fly.

koimaster wrote: ↑

August 21st 2022, 12:07pm

Great photos Mark. Looks like you both had a good time. Wonder if any of these still fly? B47B stratojet. This one looks to have a jato pack with water-methanol injection being used.

The B47 is long gone. Can't say when they were retired but it was at least 45 years ago. It's replacement, the B52, (first flight in 1952) is currently on the B52H model series. The Air Force recently announced that more upgrades are coming to the B52 and the new upgrades will result in the B52I or J series aircraft. Yes, the airframe that starred in 1964s Dr. Strangelove continues on for another 20 years or so. These airframes could be grandparents to the crews that fly them today. Amazing as it is, one has to consider, are these planes that good, or are the current designers that bad?

bbattle wrote: ↑

August 21st 2022, 2:25pm

Love it!

I am so lucky to have a continuous air show where I work. The Guppy showed up the other day; I missed it coming in for a landing, it was pouring rain at the time. But that plane is so cool!


Fingers crossed; the Artemis I is supposed to blast off August 29. Given that Boeing has a cost-plus contract with NASA to build 3 Artemis rockets, I'm not optimistic. But I really do want the thing to fly.

I have encountered NASA's Guppy and the Super Guppy program, having been stationed in Florida as a youngster. Boeing used the Guppy program to develop their own wide bodied (Boeing 747 based) LCF program. Boeings Dreamlifters are used to haul huge aircraft parts from one factory to another to assemble their aircraft. I have seen the Boeing hangar used to unload these beasts at their Paine Field plant in Everett, Washington. Had to dig a bit, here are a couple pictures of their facility at Paine field. Unfortunately, there were no Dreamlifters present when I last visited the museum next door.

I remember the D versions of the B52. The rear gunner did not have an ejection method so if it went down, most likely he did as well. There were some G models as well but the D version I think was the workhorse.

Great pics as usual M1 !
Was a grand time. Nice warm day, fantastic show and great visit with a good friend.

Believe the Thunderbirds call that stacked formation their Echelon.

FWIW- wore this Armand Nicolet/SWI at the venue.




Love me some airshows, next up will be automotive.




Mark,
Picked you up a gift in Newberg yesterday. Will feed it until next weekend for you------- hopefully my wounds will be healed by then.

They worked out the best shapes for wings and fuselages for different aircraft types a long time ago; engineers wanting a large, subsonic bomber would come up with something similar to the B-52 today.

Same for the 'supposed to have been supersonic' B-1 bomber. Although there was a similar design, the Valkyrie, that was reincarnated as the Concorde.

While they didn't have access to the radar-absorbing materials of today, Lockheed knew how to make a plane as radar stealthy as possible when they came up with the SR-71.

Heck, the F-16 will be flying for decades to come in many countries.

New designs come about when it's next to impossible to cram all the electronics and other new-fangled stuff that hadn't been invented when the plane first was designed.

What we really need are better ground support aircraft; something the Air Force is loathe to do because it reminds them of the old days when the Army had more planes than they did and ground support seems so terrestrial.

codguy wrote: ↑

August 22nd 2022, 6:40am

Mark,
Picked you up a gift in Newberg yesterday. Will feed it until next weekend for you------- hopefully my wounds will be healed by then.

I hope you are kidding.

Great pics — almost like being there.