Weird Aircraft

[wacojoe]

Excellent videos, Ben.

[Truckman]

Excellent videos, Ben.

I chose wisely for a change?...Yay me......Ben

[Truckman]

Here's one that qualifies as both weird and aircraft, and hasn't even made its first flight yet......Ben

[wacojoe]

That thing will be the devil to taxi. Nose cameras?
Reminds me a great deal of the old 50’s X-3 Stiletto, which I thought beautiful and had a plastic model on my wall as a kid.

[Truckman]

That thing will be the devil to taxi. Nose cameras?

I would add proximity sensors also......Ben

[Truckman]

Always one of my favorite weird aircraft, and still in service today is the Super Guppy...Captured below by an unknown photographer......Ben

[UTAH]

That X-59 certainly looks fast - even caught in a faux still.

And, the Super Guppie displays Ben's camera skills.

Hunter

[Truckman]

And, the Super Guppie displays Ben's camera skills.

Hunter

Blind squirrels and acorns, Hunter...Here's a little history on the Guppy, which was developed from a 1938 Boeing design...Remember it's still in service today by NASA because no other means of transportation can accomplish the same job in less time or expense......Ben

[Truckman]

Here’s one I think is quite beautiful in its own way and designed by a genius in his own way — Burt Rutan’s Proteus

Proteus spotted at China Lake...

I pulled over to see if I could see them and to my surprise both Model 401s were in formation with the Proteus high overhead... I don't think there are any photos of any of these planes together in formation.

...Ben

[TriGuy]

[wacojoe]

Oddly enough the “Flying Pancake” from all reports was a success, and was strongly considered in the years of its development after WWII for an aircraft carrier fighter plane because it had adequate speed and maneuverability for the era, plus it had perhaps the best attribute ever of extremely slow stall speed, which is ideal for aircraft carrier landings. The navy went instead for the future in jet powered aircraft

[Truckman]

Oddly enough the “Flying Pancake” from all reports was a success...

I've often wondered whether the radome on the E-2 Hawkeye might be a detriment to flight characteristics aboard a carrier at sea, now I'm thinking it might even be an advantage......Ben

[wacojoe]

I doubt the radar dome has any Bernoulli lifting characteristic like the entire body of the “Flying Pancake,” but I never thought about that before. I guess it would make sense though. I never noticed that seeming airscoop looking affair on the fuselage between the engines before. I wonder what that could be for?

[Truckman]

I never noticed that seeming airscoop looking affair on the fuselage between the engines before. I wonder what that could be for?

I'm not sure on that one, but I can declassify this info: You will notice that the E-2, and its cousin, the C-2 Greyhound, both have four vertical stabilizers, as opposed to their predecessors, the E-1 and the S-2, both of which carried two vertical stabilizers...Three of the stabilizers also have rudders, and the outboard surfaces are directly in line with the 8 blade props which helps with low speed yaw control...The port side inboard stabilizer with no rudder is referred to as an "executive" because it has nothing to do and is just along for the ride......

Curiously the C-2 Greyhound is a derivative design of the E-2 Hawkeye, while of the previous service models the S-2 was the parent design of the E-1......Ben

[Truckman]

Editor's note for Joe who is clever enough to avoid doing his own research, but is consequently gullible enough to assume he's being told the truth:

The large scoop behind the cockpit provides the air supply for the heat exchanger to cool the electronics. The starboard scoop provides air for the Radar Liquid Coolant System (RLCS — and is mission critical) as well as a turbine used to air condition and pressurize the E-2.

SOURCE......Ben