For the aviation fans

[Bateleur1]

Would if I could ... I am dreaming of a Rond van Suikerbosrand

 

Hang in there.  Soon you will.

[SwissVan]

Pretty awesome.  We have summer temps all of a sudden and I go for a bike ride every afternoon at the moment.  You should try it 

 

Just make sure you don't draft and stay 30m back

[kosmonooit]

Interesting doccie on the history of the 707

 

[Bonus]

Cool - I'll watch that tomorrow :-)

[Spokey]

 

 

His greatest achievement must be the Saturn V

 

 

 

 

Apologies for coming across as a Mr Know It All on this subject, but I did become slightly obsessed with this  during my MSc studies at Imperial in London and read just about everything I could find on the topic.

 

Next door at the Science Museum they have an original A4 / V2

Keep the info coming man! I enjoy the space craft. On my bucket list is to visit Kennedy Space Centre. I have managed various wonderful museums just flying the boss around, but he has yet to do business in that part of the US!

[kosmonooit]

Keep the info coming man! I enjoy the space craft. On my bucket list is to visit Kennedy Space Centre. I have managed various wonderful museums just flying the boss around, but he has yet to do business in that part of the US!

That is a must!  Outside the KSC visitors center they have a bunch of early rockets propped up, including the Redstone (first large American ballistic missile) which was a direct descendant of the V2. One giveaway iss from the engine exhaust, the 4 carbon steering vanes that direct the thrust.

 

And then up the road in inside another building they have one of the last Saturn V's that survived because the Apollo program  was cancelled. The scale of this beast is just amazing.

[CAAD4]

On our first visit to Orlando in the early 90's, we were driving back to Miami and decided to pop into Kennedy Space centre on the way down. In those days it was mostly space junk and bits and pieces of Saturn 5 types etc in a field, as the free part. There was a marquee set up, which we entered. It was a good atmosphere, but only a few people around. A lady approached us and invited us to have a soft drink and some cake, which we gratefully extended. I asked what the ocassion was and she said "Today is the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, you just missed Neil Armstrong". On our next visit, a few years later we were lucky enough to see a shuttle upright on the launch pad, due for liftoff the following day. I had always had a fascination with space, since I had collected stickers for the sticker book from Caltex (?) Petrol stations.

 

Still unhappy about just missing Lance's brother that day...

Edited April 10, 2020 by CAAD4

[patham]

On our first visit to Orlando in the early 90's, we were driving back to Miami and decided to pop into Kennedy Space centre on the way down. In those days it was mostly space junk and bits and pieces of Saturn 5 types etc in a field, as the free part. There was a marquee set up, which we entered. It was a good atmosphere, but only a few people around. A lady approached us and invited us to have a soft drink and some cake, which we gratefully extended. I asked what the ocassion was and she said "Today is the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, you just missed Neil Armstrong". On our next visit, a few years later we were lucky enough to see a shuttle upright on the launch pad, due for liftoff the following day. I had always had a fascination with space, since I had collected stickers for the sticker book from Caltex (?) Petrol stations.

 

Still unhappy about just missing Lance's brother that day...

 

 

KSC is an awesome destination. On a road trip in the US I was hoping to get there in time to watch a Delta rocket launch, but the timing didn't succeed. Anyways, after doing the Florida coast, Keys and Disney we swung past to KSC on a random day (2001 - if you wanted internet access to do any research you needed to find a public library), and were lucky enough to be there, and on the runway grandstands, when one of the shuttles landed. Largest glider ever - so quite an eerie sight to see this thing come in silently. And the double sonic boom as it slows down (quite high up and far, far away) was also pretty cool.

[bertusras]

And so it begins ends

 

[geomark]

Man accidentally ejects himself from fighter jet during surprise flight

Sixty-four-year-old lands in field after grabbing ejection handle to steady himself, French air investigators find

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/14/man-accidentally-ejects-himself-from-fighter-jet-during-surprise-flight?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[Bonus]

 

Man accidentally ejects himself from fighter jet during surprise flight

Sixty-four-year-old lands in field after grabbing ejection handle to steady himself, French air investigators find

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/14/man-accidentally-ejects-himself-from-fighter-jet-during-surprise-flight?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

 

Not sure if it was this guy or a previous guy who said "I knew something was wrong when I found myself outside of the airplane"  ;-)

[Bateleur1]

 

Man accidentally ejects himself from fighter jet during surprise flight

Sixty-four-year-old lands in field after grabbing ejection handle to steady himself, French air investigators find

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/14/man-accidentally-ejects-himself-from-fighter-jet-during-surprise-flight?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

 

 "A malfunction prevented the pilot from being automatically ejected too and he was able to land the plane on the runway despite the involuntary departure of his passenger and the loss of the cockpit canopy."

 

Bloody lucky for the malfunction otherwise the jet would have been stuffed for no reason.

 

Already it is an expensive oopsie this.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Bateleur1

[geomark]

 "A malfunction prevented the pilot from being automatically ejected too and he was able to land the plane on the runway despite the involuntary departure of his passenger and the loss of the cockpit canopy."

 

Bloody lucky for the malfunction otherwise the jet would have been stuffed for no reason.

 

Already it is an expensive oopsie this.

Indeed, one wonders if the pilot has found his sense of humor again yet? Couldn't have been funny at the time.

[kosmonooit]

Pilot Yellow up to his usual antics in BC

 

[patham]

Not sure if it was this guy or a previous guy who said "I knew something was wrong when I found myself outside of the airplane"  ;-)

 

For the best story in that vein read this: where a SR-71 Blackbird at Mach 3 and 80 000 ft disintegrated around the pilot who was not able to eject.

 

https://theaviationist.com/2015/03/17/sr-71-mid-air-disintegration/

 

Even better for Blackbird fans, read the book that is mentioned in the article - it's truly outstanding.

[Bonus]

For the best story in that vein read this: where a SR-71 Blackbird at Mach 3 and 80 000 ft disintegrated around the pilot who was not able to eject.

 

https://theaviationist.com/2015/03/17/sr-71-mid-air-disintegration/

 

Even better for Blackbird fans, read the book that is mentioned in the article - it's truly outstanding.

 

Wow!

 

I have a PDF copy of "Sled Driver" here which is what I'm going to read after I finish my current book.