Who Likes Aircraft ?

[65Bel]

The above photo from 1979 shows the B-17 'Texas Raiders' performing an airshow routine called “Bowing To the Crowd”. In spite of how it looks in a still photograph, the aircraft is not in motion. It is at a complete stop directly in front of the crowd. With Brakes on, flaps down and engines revved up, the tail would rise, giving the illusion of a bow. The demonstration was quite popular with airshow crowds. Due to safety concerns, this act was discontinued about 40 years ago.

 

[65Bel]

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

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[hemi71x]

Guess you can say I'm rather biased towards the F-4 Phantom.
The F-4 Phantom and the SR-71, for me are the most bad assed military aircraft that was flown.

 

[Floyd]

Let’s not forget the “Vige”

 

[BearDodge67]

Let’s not forget the “Vige”

View attachment 1452362

IIRC it's what the F14 was based off of... this was too big, and they needed a plane to handle the huge radar and Phoenix missile, so they built the Tomcat around that.. and the AF got the F111B

 

[snakeyes]

 

[65Bel]

A reunion of Chance Vought F4U Corsairs will be among the warbird highlights at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 . . .

 

[Photon440]

69 years old and still earning its keep.

 

[65Bel]

McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle . . .

 

[Photon440]

With a first flight in 1955, the MIG-21 has been one of the most successful fighters to come out of the former USSR.

A basically simple design of a large jet engine with wings attached, the '21 was cheap to build, costing under $3 million in 1959.

The variable air inlet helped it reach a speed of Mach 2.1, enabling pilots to attack and then speed away.

It is the world's most produced jet fighter, with over 11,000 being built, plus an additional 2,400 Chinese copies, the Chengdu J-7 which was built until 2013.
With continual upgrades, it could easily remain in service past it's 70th birthday. Currently, it is in use by 18 different countries.

 

[snakeyes]

 

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