Plane Pr0n: Updates on the 1st 727's Last Flight Interior Photo Tour - AirlineReporter : AirlineReporter

I loved the old workhorse 727.

My first jet airliner ride was in a 727 of the old Northwest Orient in February of 1968. We were heading to Germany to meet up with Dad at his job working the old Interservice communication system in Europe. I was 13.

It's a good thing that the first one has been preserved and now undergoing a restoration process so it can be flown to DC and the Smithsonian Air Museum.



Photo by David Parker Brown-AirlineReporter.

Updates on the 1st 727's Last Flight Interior Photo Tour - AirlineReporter : AirlineReporter

B-29 “Doc” Funded For Takeoff

"Doc" is going to fly soon!
If I were still living in Wichita, I would have spent time volunteering on this restoration!
I saw a video of the first engine runs awhile back and it was so amazing to hear those big compound radials come to life!

"Doc, which was one of a squadron of World War II-era airplanes named after Snow White’s seven dwarfs, was rescued from the Mojave Desert in 1987. Doc’s Friends, a non-profit organization, formed in 2013 in Wichita, Kansas, to see the restoration to completion."

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/B-29-Doc-Funded-For-Takeoff-225086-1.html

Impressive shots of Russian Su-24 and Su-34 jets launching at night from Latakia airbase in Syria

From a personal perspective having played "Cold War Chicken" with Ivan in the Seventies this is an interesting piece at a site that some give the shoulder shrug to.

Ivan is apparently kicking some ass in Syria against ISIS.

The Su-34 is an impressive airplane. It is a big old son of a bitch from my limited point of view.

I like airplanes. I really like airplanes that blow stuff up and kill the bad guys.

A sample to get you, the reader, interested.

Su-34 in full afterburner 

Impressive shots of Russian Su-24 and Su-34 jets launching at night from Latakia airbase in Syria

Milestone on this journey

It's official.
I am a Tool Room Attendant.
No more flight line or jets for me.
The foot issues enabled me to obtain a reasonable accomodation to get off the line.
For the record:
ACC on 83-1120, 80-3666, 80-0584 and 88-0445. DCC for a time on 88-0456.
It was a good run. Father Time finally let me know that it was time to do something else not as strenuous, as well did my doctor..
The main bragging point: Oldest Crew Chief on the Line at Red Flag 12-2 at the age of 57!

Plane Pr0n: These may be the best Mig-21, Mig-29 and Su-25 air-to-air images you’ve ever seen.

Stumbling through the favorites list and look at this!

Last week, aviation photographer Anton Balakchiev was among a group of reporters who were given the really unique chance to take air-to-air photographs of the last operational Bulgarian Air Force MiG-21 Fishbed jets.

The type should be retired at the end of this year after 52 years of active service in BuAF.

There is a plethora of outstanding air to air shots in the post! 

Closest northern views of Saturn's moon Enceladus

How about a cool space exploration post?

Found this in the Saturday afternoon while wandering through the interwebs....
Interesting piece.



Sometimes a break is needed from the usual politcial crap is needed.
Closest northern views of Saturn's moon Enceladus

Autumn Thunderstorm In The Southeast Kern County Desert and the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains

A rather substantial storm front came through the So Cal Mountains into the Desert this afternoon/evening. It was short and very intense!
At the CA 58-California City Boulevard Intersection is a pull off area that I use from time to time. I got done taking pictures with my trusty Samsung Galaxy Note 3..........just as the rain arrived over me.

At one of our two traffic lights in town.

We need the rain for sure. I hope some is ending up falling in the San Joaquin Valley.
Tomorrow, it's off to the VA ACC in North Hills in the San Fernando Valley. I have the initial consult for Sleep Apnea.

Seeing stars, again: Naval Academy reinstates celestial navigation

Classic one sentence paragraph.................................After all, you can't hack a sextant.
The article is from the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

Lt. Christine Hirsch, who teaches navigation at the Naval Academy, explains methods of celestial navigation taught to midshipmen this year. The threat of cyber warfare has led academy officials to reinstate instruction in celestial navigation, the ancient methods of steering a ship by the stars. (By Tim Prudente / Capital Gazette)

I think the Navy should have always kept celestial navigation as part of the core curriculum at the Trade School on The Severn River.................................

6 years

As a little note.......................
Old Retired Petty Officer is now 6 years of age...............................
Dang, still at it....................................
Thanks to Joy, Christopher, Jeff and to the two no longer with us, Buck Pennington and Carroll Lefon..............................................

North American A-36 Apache: The Plane That Saved the Mustang

Article by Scott Schwartz at The Aviation History Online Museum

Powered by an Allison V-12 engine equipped with a single stage supercharger, the A-36 Apache was essentially an early model P-51 Mustang fitted with two dive brakes on each wing. Other modifications to the airframe included strengthening of the wings, movement of the bomb racks closer to the main landing gear for less wing “flexing” while the plane was taxiing, and the installation of small vent windows in the windscreen side panels. In addition, two Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns were mounted in each wing, and two more .50 cal. guns were mounted in the lower nose to fire through the propeller. Naturally, the A-36 inherited the Mustang’s clean aerodynamics; but why did North American turn the P-51 into a dive-bomber? To answer this question, we must look at the Mustang’s origins. 

The rest is at the link below but first a gratuitous picture.......................................

The A-36 Apache dove at speeds approaching 500 mph, and
during one test, an airplane lost its wings during a dive.

http://www.aviation-history.com/north-american/a36.html

RailPictures.Net Photo: NS 911 Norfolk Southern EMD SD60E at Tipton, Pennsylvania by CR6377

Gratuitous Train Pr0n on a Friday Evening....

Got the Kings v Coyotes game on with some OK Malt Beverages.....Miller Genuine Draft........Yeah, I know.............................

 EMD SD60E in the 9-1-1 commemorative paint scheme.

More info at the link below:

RailPictures.Net Photo: NS 911 Norfolk Southern EMD SD60E at Tipton, Pennsylvania by CR6377