# Museo de Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain



## gekho (Jan 24, 2010)

The Museum at Cuatros Vientos airfield in Madrid houses an impressive collection of aircraft. This airfield was Spain’s first military airfield and opened as long ago as 1911. Over 100 aircraft are currently on display, however the impressive collection also comprises photos and paintings, squadron badges, engines, airfield equipment, weapons, and other memorabilia. Famous aircraft on show include a Vilanova-Bleriot XI built in 1911, a Breguet XIX (Jesus del Gran Poder) used on the flights to Asia and America in 1928-29, and the famous G-ACYR Dragon Rapide, which flew General Franco from the Canary Islands to Tetuan at the begining of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

Immediately upon entering the museum, you will confront Stratotanker, variant of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Boeing KC-97L TK.1-03 (c/n 16971) is preserved in the squadron markings of Escuadrón 123 (123-03) and it served to refuel the F-4 Phantoms of Ala 12: the badge near the cockpit is indicative for this task. Note the jet pod under the wing, these were added to increase performance on take off. The refuelling boom on this Boeing KC-97L is clearly visible. The former USAF serial for this plane was 53-0189. The Spanish Air Force operated 3 of these KC-97L's, how the other 2 ended up can be seen on Stratocruisers at San Cugat And yet another C-97 existed as a restaurant / discotheque at Sotillo de la Adrada (about 75km west of Madrid) during the late-1970s / early-1980s.


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## evangilder (Jan 24, 2010)

Neat stuff. There are very few of those left in the US too.


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## gekho (Jan 24, 2010)

The Dornier Do-24 flying boat was produced during the early 1930s, initially for the Netherlands, to replace their obsolete Wals flying boats. The Dutch planned to build 50 flying boats under license for service in the East Indies. The Do-24 had many of the characteristics of the earlier Dornier flying boats, such as a broad-beamed, shallow hull, semi-cantilever high wing with sponsons. With the onset of World War II, the Germans occupying Holland took over the building of the Do.24 and pressed it into service in the role of air-sea rescue/transport flying boat in the Black Sea and Mediterranean campaigns. It was a rugged and sturdy aircraft, which equipped 15 Luftwaffe Seenotstafflen throughout the War. It later saw service with Sweden and Spain, too. Actually is being restored.


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## gekho (Jan 24, 2010)

The displayed airplane is actually TB-25N 44-29121, once carrying the civil registration of N86427. The B-25 ended up with John Hawke's Visionaire Intl. Co. in 1978 for use in the filming of the dubious-at-best Hanover Street as Brenda's Boys. It was later used in Yanks and Cuba. During that filming, it apparently was making a low pass at Malaga,Spain, hit an obstruction and made an emergency landing. It was subsequently abandoned, obtained by the museum for display. It was restored for static display. The original B-25, callsign 74-17, was another B-25 which served in the Spanish Airforce and landed in Nador (North Africa) on August 4th 1944. It was military license no. 41-30338. It was interned in the Morocco Air Armory; some years later (in 1948) it was decided to put into flying condition and between 1950-1953 served in the airforce. Unfortunately without spare parts, it was scrapped in 1956.


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## gekho (Jan 24, 2010)

Assigned to the Conder Legion in Spain in 1937, this German aircraft was so fast it could operate without fighter escort. A total number of 7.500 airframes were manufactured in Germany, France, Romania and Spain.
This particular aircraft is the oldest surviving example and was operational until 1956. The museum received it in 1967. The Condor Legion's nickname was "Pedro".


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## Crimea_River (Jan 24, 2010)

Great pics! Thanks for sharing. If you have more please post but try to reduce the size to about 800 to 1000 pixels wide.

I think I saw a Ju-52 behind the Mitchell


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## gekho (Jan 24, 2010)

Actually the Museum has two Dragon Rapide:

- DH-89A Dragon Rapide (G-ACYR) re-painted in original Olley Air Service Ltd. colours + titles (c/n.6261)
- DH-89A Dragon Rapide (40-1) in camouflage scheme, without titles (c/n ????)

The excellent 1999 guide book "Guia del Museo Del Aire" has a photo of G-ACYR in an earlier 'sand' colour with two thin red central stripes and registration; it is now overall 'silver dope' with blue stripe outlines to the roof top and bottom side fuselage, reg. now in blue (and a plate under the nose to commemorate the aircraft's use to transport General Franco from Tonda, Canary Islands to Tetuan in (then) Spanish Morocco in 1936). The plate quotes 19th July but the sign board says 18th.

The other Rapide, previously noted under restoration, is now complete, in a camouflage scheme, painted as '40-1". Although this serial was a known pre-WW2 Rapide, it is unclear whether or not this is the original aircraft. This is, with no douth, the most beautiful Dragon Rapide I have ever seen.


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## gekho (Jan 24, 2010)

This Museum has two Casa 352, the spanish version of the Junkers Ju-52. The spanish company built 170 examples of the Casa 352 version of the Junkers Ju-52/3m and the type was designated T.2B in Spanish military service. These examples are coded 911-16 721-14. Their construction numbers are 102 and 145. Most of the Ju-52 still airworthy are Casa 352.


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## Crimea_River (Jan 24, 2010)

Nice! Thanks!


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## gekho (Jan 25, 2010)

Around 10 Storchs were adquired by the Spanish Goverment during and after the Civil War. This example wears the colours of the "Ejercito del Aire" (Air Force). In my first visit to the museum, the size of the plane surprised me. I always tought that the Storch was smaller. In any case, it´s a great warbird!!


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## gekho (Feb 5, 2010)

The Azor was the third twin-engined transport type built by the Spanish Casa company after World War II.
The first, the 201 Alcotan, flew in February 1949 and with its tailwheel design resembled the British Vickers Viking. A total of 112 production examples powered by Armstrong Siddelely Cheetah radial piston engines were built for the Spanish Air Force under the designation T5. From the Alcotan, Casa developed the 202 Halcon, or T6, which featured a nosewheel undercarriage and Elizalde radial pistons. The type first flew in May 1953 and 20 were ordered for the air force with accommodation for a crew of three and 14 passengers.
The 207 Azor was basically a scaled up version of the Halcon and first flew on September 28, 1955, as a contender for the domestic civil market.

With types such as the Avro 748 and Fokker F27 then under development the twin Bristol Hercules radial piston powerplant of the Azor meant it was already obsolete. However, it was rescued from total obscurity by the air force, which eventually operated 22, including the two prototypes. The type entered service in 1960 with the military designation T7A and featured a crew of four and space for 40 passengers. Two of the first ten were fitted experimentally with Pratt and Whitney Double Wasp engines. The second batch of ten were designated 207Cs, or T7Bs and featured large cargo doors at the rear of the fuselage and space for 37 paratroopers.
In the early 1970s, Casa proposed a four-turboprop STOL aircraft, the 401, to replace the Azor but this was dropped in favour of the smaller 212 Aviocar. The type served on into the 1980s at Madrid's Getafe air base. All the surviving aircraft are in Spain, either preserved or derelict. None are airworthy.


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## gekho (Feb 5, 2010)

De Havilland Canada designed the DHC-4 as a DC3 sized aircraft but with the short field performance of its earlier Beaver and Otter. The twin 1,450hp Pratt and Whitney two-row radial engined aircraft was a joint venture with the Canadian Depatment of Defense Production and one was ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force as the CC-108. The first prototype flew on July 30, 1958 and entered service evaluation in August 1959.
Five aircraft were ordered for evaluation by the US Army as the YAC-1 and 159 of a heavier version were delivered to the service between 1961 and 1965. The type was designated AC-1 and later CV-2A and B.
Many saw service in the Vietnam War, where the type's ability to deliver 32 troops into short dirt strips proved invaluable. Some were converted as airborne command posts with the 1st (Air) Cavalry Division. The US aircraft were transferred to the air force in 1967 and redesignated C-7A. The type saw service for 12 other air forces and by 1975 more than 330 had been built. Penn Turbo Aviation has offered a PT6A version but has not secured any sales despite amassing a large stock of stored airframes at its base in New Jersey, USA. Today, few remain in active service with several flown by preservation groups in the United States.

The first of 12 were delivered in Jan68 to the Spanish Air Force and equipped Escuadrón 372 of Ala 37 (first based at Los Llanos, later at Villanubla). The Spanish Caribous were withdrawn from service by June 1991.


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## gekho (Feb 5, 2010)

When World War I ended, the German Air Force was disbanded under the Treaty of Versailles, which required the German government to abandon all military aviation by October 1, 1919. However, by 1922, it was legal for Germany to design and manufacture commercial aircraft, and one of the first modern medium bombers to emerge from this process was the Heinkel He 111, the first prototype of which an enlarged, twin-engine version of the single-engine mail-liaison He 70, which set 8 world speed records in 1933 flew in February of 1935. The second prototype, the He 111 V2, had shorter wings and was the first civil transport prototype, capable of carrying 10 passengers and mail. The third prototype, He 111 V3 also had shorter wings and was the first true bomber prototype. Six He 111 C series airliners were derived from the fourth prototype, the He 111 V4, and went into service with Lufthansa in 1936, powered by a variety of engines, including BMW 132 radials. The first production models had the classic stepped windshield and an elliptical wing, which the designers, Siegfried and Walter Gunter, favored.

As a military aircraft, it took longer to gain favor, because military load requirements and underpowered engines kept its cruising speed down to less than 170 mph. However, in early 1936, the plane was given 1,000 hp Daimler Benz DB 600A engines which improved performance dramatically enough to bring in substantial orders. The first two mass-production versions, He 111 E and He 111 F experienced great success during the Spanish Civil War, where they served with the Condor Legion as fast bombers, able to outrun many of the fighters sent against them.

In fact, the experience in Spain generated a false sense of security in which the Germans thought that the He 111's light armament and speed would be sufficient in the coming war. Thus, although it was out of date, the large numbers in which it had been produced made the He 111 the Luftwaffe's primary bomber for far too long in the war, availability being more persuasive than practicality for this serviceable, but highly vulnerable, aircraft. Modern fighters like the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane proved the He 111's inadequacy during the Battle of Britain. As soon as possible, the Luftwaffe replaced the Heinkel with the Junkers Ju 88, reassigning the Heinkel to night operations and other specialized tasks until, by war's end, it was being used primarily as a transport.

More than 7,300 had been built for the Luftwaffe by autumn, 1944, with another 236 (He 111H) being built by the Spanish manufacturer, CASA, during and after the war (as the CASA 2.111), some with the traditional Jumo 211 engines, some with Rolls-Royce Merlins. In service with the Luftwaffe from 1937 to 1945, the Heinkels remained in Spanish service until 1965.

One of the more bizarre adaptations of the Heinkel by the Luftwaffe was the He 111 Z-1, in which two He 111s were joined at the wing with a special section containing a fifth engine. Two prototypes and 10 production models were manufactured, their purpose being to provide the power to haul the huge Messerschmitt Me 321 transport gliders.

The sole remaining He 111 in regular use was owned by the Arizona wing of the Commemorative Air Force in the USA. It was a Spanish-built CASA 2.111D that was used to transport VIPs during the Franco regime. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a crash in July 2003. Another He 111 is currently under restoration in the USA.

(information taken from Warbird Alley: Privately-owned, vintage, ex-military aircraft)


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## vikingBerserker (Feb 6, 2010)

NICE! I love the Dorniers


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## Micdrow (Feb 6, 2010)

Great stuff many thanks for sharing!!!!


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## Gnomey (Feb 6, 2010)

Great stuff, thanks for sharing.


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## Junkers88A1 (Feb 6, 2010)

thanks for sharing..but some of those pics are a bit large.. 
but always wanted to go there


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## gekho (Feb 7, 2010)

The Polikarpov I-16 was the main fighter of the Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. The example of the museum is a restored aircraft with post-civil-war markings (Ejercito del Aire) on its right side, and republican markings on its left side. 

When the tiny I-16 flew for the first time in December 1933, it was far ahead of any other fighter design in the world, featuring retractable landing gear, a cantilever wing and variable pitch propeller. Although not among the best remembered aircraft of the thirties, it was nevertheless a very able and rugged machine and featured prominently in the events of the time. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, almost 500 were put into service with the Republicans. The outstanding maneuverability, firepower and rate of climb, surprised the enemy leading to the opposition nickname of Rata (Rat) and the friendly name Mosca (Fly). Equipped with the Soviet 20 mm cannon it was the most powerful aircraft weapon in front line service with any nation on the eve of World War II. It had a very high rate of fire and was extremely reliable. Another batch of I-16s was purchased by China to fight the Japanese, again surprising the other side with excellent performance.


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## gekho (Feb 7, 2010)

The Polikarpov I-15 "Chato" (flat nose) was deployed to Spain in October of 1936 to be used by the Republicans during the Civil War. Spain built over 285 Polikarpov I-15 Chaika aircraft under a license agreement with the USSR. When the Spanish Civil War ended in March of 1939, many of the aircraft were taken over by the Nationalists. I is considered the second best fighter of the Republican Air Force after the Polikarpov I-16 Mosca (Fly). Like the I-16, one side is painted with the colours of the Republican Air Force and the othre side with the post-war "Ejercito del Aire".


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## gekho (Feb 7, 2010)

In 1943 the Spanish government arranged a manufacturing licence with Messerschmitt AG to build the Bf-109 G-2, with DB605A engines, propellers, instruments, and weapons to be supplied from Germany. This proved impossible, as Germany was incapable of meeting her own needs, let alone Spain's; in the event, only twenty-five airframes (minus their tails) and not even half the necessary drawings were delivered.

As a result, Hispano substituted the 1.300 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Z-89 engine, which flew at Barcelona in 1944, while the first HA-1109-J1L made its maiden flight 2 March 1945 at Seville, using a VDM prop and lash-up engine mounting. The other twenty-four airframes were flown during 1947-9 with Escher-Wyss props, but never became operational. A developed version, with an improved installation for the Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 engine, appeared in May 1951 as the HA-1109-K1L. Fitted with a three bladed DH Hydromatic propeller, it was nicknamed Tripala ("three blades"). Its armament consisted of one or two 12.7mm Breda machineguns and Pilatus eight-packs of 80mm rockets. It first flew in 1951, and although 200 units were planned, only 65 were ever built. The aircraft in the upper picture was posted to Tablada, Morón, Torrejón and León. It was retired from service in 1955. On 6 May 1971 it was placed in the Museo del Aire (Spain). These Hispano V12-powered versions of the German design, since the Hispano engines used a clockwise rotation propeller, with the Bf 109F introduced asymmetric vertical fin still present that was airfoiled to produce a slight left movement of the tail, that counteracted the left-side torque reaction from the counterclockwise rotation Daimler-Benz DB 601 605 inverted V12 engines that they were designed for, created a hard-to-counteract right swing on takeoff instead, from the combination of the airfoiled fin and the Hispano engine's clockwise-turning propeller essentially "working" in the same direction.

A second version, the HA-1110-K1L, was a two-place tandem trainer model. The final variant was the HA-1112-M1L Buchon (literally, "big throat"), which is both a male dove or a pelican in Spanish. It first flew 29 March 1954. The 1112-M1L was equipped with the 1,600 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-45 engine and Rotol propeller. This engine required the addition of a deep chin intake, whence the name Buchón. Its armament consisted of two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza 404/408 cannons and two Oerlikon or Pilatus eight-packs of 80 mm rockets. It remained in service until 27 December 1965. HA-1112-M1Ls remained in flying condition until the mid-1960s. This made them available for theatrical use, disguised as Bf 109Es and Gs in movies like "Battle of Britain", "Memphis Belle", and "The Tuskegee Airmen". Remarkably, Buchons also played the Bf 109's opposition, the Hawker Hurricane, in one scene in "Battle of Britain".

(Information taken from Wapedia)


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## ontos (Feb 26, 2010)

Grat vshots gekho. 8) 8)


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## vikingBerserker (Feb 26, 2010)

Nice!


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## gekho (Mar 1, 2010)

The Catalina never served in great numbers with the Spanish Air Force, altough this example spent all its operational life in Spain. The first Catalina which arrived to our country belonged to the USAF; during a flight between Canada and Great Britain, the pilot had to landed at Sidi Ifni, Morrocco, by that time a spanish colony. During the WWII Spain was a neutral country, so the american crew and the plane were interned. The Catalina spent seven years at the Barajas airport, when it was finally adquired by the "Ejercito del Aire". During its operational life, it was used as a trainning and naval cooperation aircraft, having its base at Mallorca. In 1957 it was finally scrapped.

However, this wasnt the end for the spanish Catalinas; 30 years laters two examples were adquired in Chile to be used as a firefighting planes. Thanks to that, the Cuatro Vientos Museum has its own Catalina, shown in these pictures with the colours of the first Catalina that arrived to Spain and the only one which served the Air Force.


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## gekho (Mar 1, 2010)

In 1926 Ramón Franco became a national Spanish hero when he piloted the Dornier Plus Ultra on a trans-Atlantic flight. His co-pilot was Julio Ruiz de Alda Miqueleiz; the other crew members were Teniente de Navio (Navy Lieutenant) Juan Manuel Duran and the mechanic Pablo Rada. The Plus Ultra departed from Palos de la Frontera, in Huelva, Spain on 22 January and arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 26 January. It stopped over at Gran Canaria, Cape Verde, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. The 10,270 km journey was completed in 59 hours and 39 minutes.

The event appeared in most of the major newspapers world wide, though some of them underlining the fact that the airplane itself plus the technical expertise were foreign. Throughout the Spanish-speaking world the Spanish aviators were glamorously acclaimed, particularly in Argentina and Spain where thousands gathered at Plaza de Colón in Madrid. In 1929 Franco attempted another trans-Atlantic flight, this time crashing the airplane to the sea near the Azores. The crew was rescued days later by the aircraft carrier Eagle of the British Royal Navy. This example is a replica. The original is placed in Argentina.


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## gekho (Mar 2, 2010)

The Morane-Saulnier MS.230 aircraft was the main elementary trainer for the French Armée de l'Air throughout the 1930s. In fact, almost all French pilots flying for the Armée de l'Air at the outbreak of World War II had had their earliest flight training in this machine. It was the equivalent of the Stearman trainer in the United States air services and the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the British Royal Air Force.The MS.230 was designed to meet French Air Ministry requirements. It first flew in February 1929 and proved to be an excellent and stable machine that was very easy to fly. It was placed into service in the military flight schools throughout France and was exported abroad to the air forces of numerous other countries. It also became a popular aircraft for sport aviation. The MS.230 was of metal tubular framing with fabric covering throughout except the forward area of the fuselage, which was metal covered. It had a wide fixed landing gear that made it very stable in takeoff and landing. Unlike other trainers of the time that were largely biplanes, the MS.230 was a high parasol wing monoplane. It did have the usual tandem cockpit arrangement in the fuselage for the instructor and pupil. At least six of these trainers fought with the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, all of them provided by "Armee de´l Air".


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## gekho (Mar 2, 2010)

What can I say of this marvelous aircraft? The Texan is, with no doutb, the most popular and beautiful trainnig plane of the aviation history. In 1954 Spain received many Lockheed T-33 and North American T-6 for trainning purpouses, being also used as fighters during the conflics with Morocco, in 1975. The Texan was found to be a very suitable plane for that operational theater, reaching 165 operational sorties during this conflict.

The Cuatro Vientos Museum has, as far as I know, three examples, but I am almost sure that they have more Texans stored. In the pictures I have attached you can see the three diferent camouflage painting used by the "Ejercito del Aire". The one painting in brown, yellow and green was used in Morocco; as you can see on the picture, its the only Texan armed with machine guns and rockets.


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## gekho (Mar 7, 2010)

The Breguet 19 was designed as a successor to a highly-successful World War I light bomber, the 14. Initially, it was designed to be powered by a 450 hp/335 kw Bugatti U-16 engine, driving a four-blade propeller, and such a prototype was shown on the 7th Paris Air Show in November 1921.A new design was flown in March 1922, featuring a conventional layout with a single 336 kW (450 hp) Renault 12Kb inline engine. The aircraft was built in a biplane platform, with shorter lower wings. After trials, the Breguet 19 was ordered by the French Air Force in September 1923. The first 11 Breguet 19 prototypes were powered by a number of different engines. A "trademark" of Breguet was the wide usage of duralumin as a construction material, instead of steel or wood. At that time, the aircraft was faster than other bombers, and even some fighter aircraft. Therefore, it met with a huge interest in the world, strengthened by its sporting successes. Mass production, for the French Air Force and export, started in France in 1924.

Spanish Air Force bought a prototype and a license in 1923, and started production in the CASA works, in A2 and B2 variants. The first 19 aircraft were imported, the next 26 completed from French parts, then 177 were manufactured (50 of them had Hispano-Suiza engine, the rest the Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine). The Breguet 19 was the basic equipment of Spanish bomber and reconnaissance units until the initial period of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, there were 135 in service. They were actively used as bombers during the war, especially on the government (Republican) side. In 1936, the Nationalists bought an additional twenty from Poland. With an advent of more modern fighters, the Br.19 suffered many losses, and after 1937 were withdrawn from frontline service. The Republican side lost 28 aircraft, and Nationalists lost 10 (including 2 Republican and 1 Nationalist aircraft, that deserted). The remaining aircraft were used for training until 1940.

The Breguets of the museum are Br.XIX TR and GR. During this time CASA a built the French Breguet XIX, two of which would be made especially famous. One, was the Breguet XIX GR (Grand Raid) named the Jesus del Gran Poder, currently preserved in the Museo del Aire de Cuatro Vientos (Madrid), which in 1929 flew an epic flight between Seville and Bahia (Brazil). This aircraft was piloted by Captains Ignacio Jiménez and Francisco Iglesias and covered 6746 km in 43 hours 50 minutes of flight. The other was the Breguet XIX Super Bidon named the Four Winds and was flown by Mariano Barberan and Collar Joaquin Serra to Havana (Cuba) in 1933.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 9, 2010)

More cool photos Gekho. 


Wheels


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## gekho (Mar 9, 2010)

This Avro is a replica, as many others aircrafts of the museum. I recomend you to visit this page. It describes the construction process of the planes, piece by piece.

replicas museo del aire Polikarpov I-15 Chato


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## gekho (Mar 9, 2010)

The Cierva C.6 was the sixth autogyro designed by engineer Juan de la Cierva, and the first one to travel a "major" distance. Cierva, the engineer responsible for the invention of the autogyro, had spent all his funds in the research and creation of his first five prototypes. So, in 1923, he turned to the Cuatro Vientos Aerodynamics Laboratory chief, Commander Emilio Herrera, who succeeded in persuading General Francisco Echagüe, the director of the Military Aviation Aeronautics Department, to take over the second stage in the research and development of Cierva's Autogyros.After several wind tunnel tests, Military Aviation built a Cierva C.6 autogyro in an Avro 504 frame. This machine, piloted by Captain Joaquín Loriga Taboada, performed three flights, all of them in March 1924. One of those flights, the eight minute trip from Cuatro Vientos airfield to Getafe airfield (10.5 km / 7 miles), was considered a giant's step and the "leap into glory" of Cierva's autogyros.

The Cierva C.6 prototype was fitted with ailerons mounted in two small wings, elevators and rudder. This complete three-axis control scheme was needed because the pilot had only limited control over the rotor (See Helicopter rotor). Only the front propeller was powered, so this aircraft could not hover, and could lose control at low speed. The vertical axis rotor spun freely; the faster the autogyro flew, the faster the rotor would spin and the greater lift it produced. A replica of the Cierva C.6 was built to be shown in Murcia pavilion in Seville Expo '92 World's Fair. That replica can be now be seen in Museo del Aire, Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain.


Before the experimental Cierva C.19 Mk V, autogyros had been controlled in the same way as fixed wing aircraft, that is by deflecting the air flowing over moving surfaces such as ailerons, elevators and rudder. At the very low speeds encountered in autogyro flight, particularly in the landing phase, these controls became useless. The experimental machine showed that the way forward was to have a tiltable rotor hub and a control rod coming down from the hub to the pilot's cockpit with which he could change the rotor plane. This was known as "direct control" and was adopted by the C.30. The production variant, called C.30A in England was preceded by several development machines.

The first in the series was the C.30, a radial engined autogyro with a three blade, 37 ft (11.3 m) rotor mounted on an aft-leaning tripod, the control column reaching back to the rear of the two cockpits. The engine was the five-cylinder, 105 hp (78 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major I used in the C.19 series. The fabric covered fuselage carried an unbraced tailplane, without elevators but with turned up tips. The port side plane had an inverted aerofoil section to offset the roll-axis torque produced in forward flight by the advancing port side blades. As with most autogyros, a high vertical tail was precluded by the sagging resting rotor, so the dorsal fin was long and low, extending well aft of the tailplane like a fixed rudder and assisted by a ventral fin. A wide track undercarriage had a pair of single, wire braced legs; there was a small tail wheel. It flew in April 1933. It was followed by four improved machines designated C.30P (P here for pre-production) which differed in having a four-legged pyramidal rotor mounting and a reinforced undercarriage with three struts per side. The rotor could be folded rearwards for transport. The C.30P used the more powerful (140 hp, 104 kW) seven-cylinder Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA radial engine.

The production model, called the C.30A by Avro, was built under licence in Britain, France and Germany and was similar to the C.30P. The main alteration was a further increase in undercarriage track with revised strutting, the uppermost leg having a pronounced knee with wire bracing. There was additional bracing to the tailplane and both it and the fin carried small movable trimming surfaces. Each licensee used nationally built engines and used slightly different names. In all, 143 production C.30s were built, making it by far the commonest pre-war autogyro. Between 1933 and 1936, Cievra used one C.30A (G-ACWF) to perfect his last contribution to autogyro development before his death in a DC-2 (fixed wing) crash in late 1936. To enable the aircraft to take off without forward ground travel, he produced the "Autodynamic" rotor head, which allowed the rotor to be spun up by the engine in the usual way but to higher than take-off r.p.m at zero rotor incidence and then to reach operational positive pitch suddenly enough to jump some 20 ft (6 m) upwards. At least one of the RAF C.30As was in January 1935 on floats as a Sea Rota.

A full-scale flying reproduction was built in Spain in the mid-1990s. After a brief flying career a crosswind accident led to the damage to the rare rotor blades. The aircraft is now on display at the Museo del Aire, Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain.


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## gekho (Mar 13, 2010)

Links were established in the 1950s with the United States. Spain received its first jets, like the F-86 Sabre and Lockheed T-33 together with training and transport planes like the T-6 Texan, DC-3 and DC-4. This first age of jets was replaced in the 1960s by newer fighters like the F-104 Starfighter, F-4C Phantom and F-5 Freedom Fighter.


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## gekho (Mar 13, 2010)

The Spanish Air Force received their F-104s under the Military Assistance Program: 18 Canadair-built F-104Gs and three Lockheed-built TF-104Gs were delivered under MAP to Spain's Ejercito del Aire in 1965. These aircraft were transferred to Greece and Turkey when they were replaced by F-4 Phantoms in 1972. It is notable that no aircraft were lost through accidents during 17,000 hours of operational use in Spain although it should also be noted that the aircraft was used in its intended role of an interceptor and mainly in very good flying weather.

GAF F-104G Starfighter, Luftwaffe s/n 26+23, is preserved at the Air Museum of Spain, in Madrid, Spain. The aircraft is an ex-Luftwaffe machine which retains its German markings on the left side but is unusually painted with Spanish markings on the right side.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2010)

Spain acquired 270 U.S.-built F-86Fs between 1955-1958. They were designated C.5s and assigned to 5 wings: Ala de Caza 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. They were retired 1972. The Patrulla Ascua´s F-86 (old spanish acrobatic team, now replace by the Eagle Patrol) on display was withdrawn from service on December 31st, 1971 and donated to the Museum by the USAF in 1974.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2010)

Following the end of the War, the Spanish government allied themselves with the Western countries in their struggles against the Soviet Union. On March 18th 1946, Spain’s first dedicated paratroop unit was formed. The establishment of a mobile force and key changes in the Ejercito mid level structure made it possible for the country to receive, on a continuing base, top flight aircraft from the United States.

Between the fall of 1950 and the spring of 1959, the Ejercito incorporated its first jet powered platforms; US-built F-86 Saber fighters, Lockheed T-33 trainers and DC-3s and 4s transports were delivered to the Spanish government. Most of those first generation jet systems were replaced in the mid-to-late1960s. It was in the spring of 1968 that the Spanish government initiated an aggressive re-armament effort that culminated with the incorporation of top shelf F-4Cs Phantoms and F-5s Freedom Fighters.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2010)

The 1970s brought in another refurbishing phase with the assimilation into the Ejercito of French-developed Mirage III and F-1s. Dassault’s deltas, as the III was commonly refer to, formed the backbone of the Spanish AF for much of the 1970s and early 80s. The Mirage III was one of the biggest success stories in the field of post-WW II combat aircraft design. The vaunted Mirage III first flew on November 17th, 1956 which made the system more than a decade old when it joined the Ejercito.


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## gekho (Mar 14, 2010)

The 1970s brought in another refurbishing phase with the assimilation into the Ejercito of French-developed Mirage III and F-1s. Dassault’s deltas, as the III was commonly refer to, formed the backbone of the Spanish AF for much of the 1970s and early 80s. The Mirage III was one of the biggest success stories in the field of post-WW II combat aircraft design. The vaunted Mirage III first flew on November 17th, 1956 which made the system more than a decade old when it joined the Ejercito.

The other major platform utilized by the AF was the Mirage F-1. The F-1 is a single seat strike fighter which made its maiden flight on December 23rd, 1966. It became operational with the French Air Force in the spring of 1974. The F-1 was one of Dassault’s biggest export success stories.


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## Gnomey (Mar 15, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

The aircraft was designed in response to a Spanish Air Force requirement in 1975 for a jet trainer to replace its aging fleet of Hispano HA-200s and Ha.220s. Like many European jet trainers, it was also to have a limited attack capability. CASA sought technical assistance from Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) and Northrop, the latter designing the wings. A design along largely conventional lines was the result, the only surprising feature being a large internal weapons bay beneath the rear cockpit, allowing for a wider variety of armament to be carried than the underwing pylons alone would allow. Alternatively, this bay can be used to carry reconnaissance equipment. The aircraft is designed in a modular fashion to ease manufacturing and maintenance, and enjoys a great range since its initial requirement called for autodeployment to the Canary Islands from the Spanish mainland.

Although the first flight took place on June 29, 1977, test flights did not begin until April 17, 1978. Performance was found to be better than anticipated by the designers. An initial Spanish Air Force order for 92 machines was placed, a dedicated trainer version designated C-101EB-01 by CASA and E.25 Mirlo ("Blackbird") by the air force. The first aircraft entered service on March 17, 1980. This was followed in production by a combination attack/trainer with an uprated engine designated C-101BB-02 bought by Honduras, which bought four, and Chile, which bought four aircraft and parts for another eight to be assembled locally by ENAER. All Chilean BB-02s are designated T-36 Halcón.

In 1983, CASA flew a dedicated attack version, the C-101CC-02, which was again ordered by Chile. This time, only the prototype was built in Spain, with the remaining 22 machines built by ENAER. This variant features yet another engine upgrade and increased fuel capacity and is designated A-36 Halcón ("Falcon"). Sixteen similar aircraft, the C-101CC-04 were sold to Jordan. The final version of the C-101, the C-101DD was demonstrated by CASA in 1985, featuring vastly improved avionics and the capability to carry the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, but failed to attract any orders.

In the 1990's the armament system was modernized.


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

The Transavia PL-12 Airtruk is a single-engine agricultural biplane aircraft designed and built by the Transavia Corporation in Australia. The Airtruk is of all metal construction with the cockpit mounted above a tractor engine and short pod fuselage with rear doors. It has twin tail booms with two unconnected tails. Its first flight was in 22 April 1965, and was certified on 10 February 1966.

It was developed from the Bennett Airtruck designed in New Zealand by Luigi Pellarini. It has a 1 tonne capacity hopper and is able to ferry two passengers as a topdresser. It can be used as a cargo, ambulance or aerial survey aircraft, and carry one passenger in the top deck and four in the lower deck. The Airtruk is also sometimes known as the Airtruck. Because the name "Airtruck" was registered by the New Zealand companies Bennett Aviation Ltd and Waitomo Aircraft Ltd, for their PL-11, Transavia found another name for their PL-12 ("Airtruk").

The PL-12 was famously seen in the 1985 movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

No idea of what it was doing in Spain or how it arrived here


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

In 1950, Westland Aircraft, already building the American Sikorsky S-51 under license as the Westland Dragonfly, purchased the rights to manufacture and sell Sikorsky's larger Sikorsky S-55 helicopter. While a Sikorsky-built pattern aircraft was flown by Westland in June 1951, converting the design to meet British standards (including the provision of a revised main-rotor gearbox), was time consuming, and the first prototype British aircraft, registered G-AMJT, powered by the 600 hp Pratt Whitney R-1340-40 Wasp did not fly until August 1953. This was followed by ten Whirlwind HAR.1s, which entered service shortly afterwards. They served in non-combat roles, including search and rescue and communications functions. The HAR.3 had a larger 700 hp Wright R-1300-3 Cyclone 7 engine.

The performance of early versions was limited by the power of the American Wasp or Cyclone engines, and in 1955, the HAR.5, powered by the more powerful British power plant, the Alvis Leonides Major, flew for the first time. This was followed by the similarly powered HAS.7, which became the first British helicopter designed for anti-submarine work in the front-line when it entered service in 1957. It could either be equipped with a dipping Sonar for submarine detection or carry a torpedo, but could not carry both simultaneously, so sonar equipped "Hunters" were used to direct torpedo armed "Killers". The HAS.7 was powered by a 750 hp (560 kW) Alvis Leonides Major 755/1 radial engine. It had a hovering ceiling at 9,400 ft and a range of 334 miles at 86 mph. Later in their lives, some HAR.7s were converted to use the Rolls-Royce Gnome turboshaft engine.

From its start with the Navy, the Whirlwind came to be used by the British Army and Royal Air Force. More than 400 Whirlwinds were built, of which nearly 100 were exported to the foreign customers.


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

Seeking to improve low-speed and takeoff/landing performance of the Su-7B fighter-bomber, in 1963 the Sukhoi OKB with input from TsAGI created a variable geometry wing technology demonstrator. The Su-7IG (internal designation S-22I, NATO designation Fitter-B), converted from a production Su-7BM, had fixed inner portions of the wing with movable outer segments which could be swept to 28°, 45°, or 62°. A fixed inner wing simplified construction, allowing the manufacturer to retain the Su-7 landing gear and avoiding the need for complex pivoting underwing hardpoints, and it minimized the shift in the center of pressure relative to the center of mass with change in wing sweep. The new wing also had extensive leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flaps. Su-7IG first flew on 2 August 1966 with V. S. Ilyushin at the controls, becoming the first Soviet variable geometry aircraft. Testing revealed that takeoff and landing speeds had decreased by 50-60 km/h (27-32 kn, 31-37 mph) compared to the conventional Su-7.

The production aircraft was named Su-17 (NATO designation 'Fitter-C', factory designation S-32) and was unofficially dubbed Strizh (Стриж, martlet) in service. Aside from the new wing, it differed from its predecessor Su-7 in having a new canopy and a dorsal fuselage spine for additional fuel and avionics. Su-17 first flew on 1 July 1969 with E. K. Kukushev at the controls.A total of 2,867 Su-17 and its variants were built, of which 1,165 were exported to 15 nations worldwide.

The Fitter of the museum is a Luftwaffe (ex GDR Air Force) Sukhoi Su-22M4 Fitter, 25+18.


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a swing-wing fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet "Third Generation" aircraft category along with similar-aged Russian-produced fighters like the MiG-25 "Foxbat". It was the first Soviet fighter with a look-down/shoot-down radar and beyond visual range missiles, and the first MiG production fighter plane to have intakes at the sides of the fuselage. Production started in 1970 and reached large numbers with over 5,000 aircraft built. Today the MiG-23 remains in limited service with various export customers.

The Luftwaffe (ex GDR Air Force) Mikoyan Gurevitch MiG-23ML, Flogger, 20+12, was donated to Museo del Aire at Madrid Cuatro Vientos (LECU / LEVS) by the german goverment.


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21) (NATO reporting name "Fishbed") is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek (English: pencil) by Polish pilots due to the shape of its fuselage. Early versions are considered second-generation jet fighters, while later versions are considered to be third-generation jet fighters. Some 50 countries over four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it still serves many nations a half-century after its maiden flight. The fighter made aviation records. At least by name, it is the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history and the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War, and it had the longest production run of a combat aircraft (1959 to 1985 over all variants).

This Luftwaffe (former GDR Air Force) MiG-21SPS, 22+26 was donated to Museo del Aire where is on display. Madrid Cuatro Vientos (LECU / LEVS).


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## gekho (Mar 15, 2010)

he Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17) (NATO reporting name: Fresco) (China:Shenyang J-5) (Poland: PZL-Mielec Lim-6)[1] is a high-subsonic performance jet fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants. It is an advanced development of the very similar appearing MiG-15 of the Korean War, and was used as an effective threat against supersonic fighters of the United States in the Vietnam War. It was also briefly known as the "Type 38", by USAF designation prior to the development of NATO codes.

The Mig-17 of the museum belonged to the Bulgarian Air Force.


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## Gnomey (Mar 16, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 16, 2010)

Cool pics. 8)


Wheels


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2010)

The majority of Albatrosses were used by the U.S. Air Force, primarily by the Air Rescue Service, and initially designated as SA-16. The USAF utilized the SA-16 extensively in Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy craft. Later, the redesignated HU-16B (long-wing variant) Albatross was used by the U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service and saw extensive combat service during the Vietnam conflict.

The U.S. Navy also employed the HU-16D Albatross as a Search And Rescue aircraft from coastal naval air stations, both stateside and overseas. It was also employed as an operational support aircraft worldwide and for "skunk runs" from the former NAS Agana, Guam during the Vietnam War. Goodwill flights were also common to the surrounding Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in the early 1970s. Open water landings and water takeoff training using JATO was also frequently conducted frequently by U.S. Navy HU-16s from locations such as NAS Agana, Guam; Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii; and NAS Pensacola, Florida, among other locations.

The HU-16 was also operated by the U.S. Coast Guard as both a coastal and long-range open ocean SAR aircraft for many years until it was supplanted by the HU-25 Guardian and HC-130 Hercules.


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## gekho (Mar 16, 2010)

The Saab Company was approached in 1948 to develop a turbojet-powered strike aircraft to replace a series of 1940s vintage attack, reconnaissance and night-fighter aircraft in the Flygvapnet: the Saab B 18/S 18, J 21R/A 21R and J 30 (de Havilland Mosquito). The design was initially designated the P1150.

Swedish Air Force requirements for the P1150 were demanding: the aircraft had to be able to attack anywhere along Sweden's 1,245 miles (2000 km) of coastline within one hour of launch from a central location. It had to be capable of being launched in any weather, day or night. Special attention was to be paid to integrating the electronics and weapons systems to create the equivalent of today's weapons systems approach to combat aircraft design. The aircraft was to be armed with four 20 mm cannons, rockets, bombs and/or a new anti-ship missile being developed, the Rb 04.

The design team created a sleek airframe with clean lines powered by a license-built Rolls-Royce Avon Series 100. Uniquely, the design of the swept wings was the result of an early application of computer technology. To test the 35° sweepback design, a half-scale wing was mounted on a Saab Safir, the Saab 202 Safir. The design initially featured both Fowler flaps and a leading edge slot. The slot was discarded as unnecessary after trials with the prototypes and never appeared on a production aircraft. A small batch of P1150 prototypes completed design and evaluation trials with series production of the newly renamed Saab J 32 Lansen ("Jakt" [Fighter]) beginning in 1953. There were no trainer versions, but some Lansens had rudimentary controls installed in the rear seat.

This Lansen was given to the museum by the Swedish govermente


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2010)

The Saab 37 Viggen (English: Thunderbolt) was a Swedish single-seat, single-engine, short-medium range fighter and attack aircraft, manufactured between 1970 and 1990. Several variants were produced to perform the roles of all-weather fighter-interceptor, ground attack and photo-reconnaissance, as well as a two-seat trainer.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2010)

A trainning airplane of the "Fuerzas Aereas Republica Española" (FARE)


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2010)

he Morane-Saulnier G was a sport aircraft produced in France in the years before the First World War. It was a development of the racing monoplanes designed by Léon Morane and Raymond Saulnier after leaving Borel and like its predecessors, was a conventional, wire-braced, shoulder-wing design. Construction was of fabric-covered wood throughout, except for the undercarriage struts which were of steel tube.

The type was a sporting success. In April 1913, Roland Garros took second place in the inaugural Schneider Cup in a floatplane version, finishing with a time of 40 minutes 40 seconds. On 26 June, Claude Grahame-White flew another float-equipped example from Paris to London via Le Havre, Boulogne-sur-Mer, and Dover, covering some 500 km (300 miles) that day.Between 21 and 28 September the same year, two float-equipped Type Gs competed at the seaplane meeting at San Sebastián, with Lord Carbery winning the short take-off prize on one, and Edmond Audemars winning the maneuverability prize on the other. The following week, Carbery flew his Type G in the Italian Waterplane Contest from Lake Como to Pavia and back, along with two other Type Gs in the field of fifteen competitors, these flown by Garros and Morane. Garros not only won the Grand Prize in the "general class", but also the prizes for best speed (127.7 km/h, 79.8 mph) and greatest altitude (2,100 m, 6,000 ft).

In 1914, Russian manufacturer Duks arranged to build the type under licence at their Moscow factory for the Russian Army, and the same year, the Turkish military ordered 40 examples. Before these could be delivered, however, war broke out, and the aircraft were impressed into the French Army. To these, the Army soon added an order of 94 aircraft, and the British Royal Flying Corps also acquired a number, these latter machines purchased from Grahame-White, who was manufacturing the type in the UK under licence. At the outbreak of war, the type's military value was found to be wanting, and the French machines were quickly relegated to training duties. Despite this, a dedicated single-seat fighter version was built in 1915, armed with an 8 mm Hotchkiss machine gun that fired through the propeller arc, the propeller blades being protected by deflector plates. Only one or two prototypes were built, and the type never entered service.

Some Type Gs were modified by Morane-Saulnier to have their wings mounted above the fuselage, parasol-fashion, rather than at the fuselage sides. This arrangement was found to offer far better visibility for the pilot, and formed the basis for the Morane-Saulnier L. A Type G is preserved at the Museo del Aire de Cuatrovientos in Madrid.


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2010)

The Fokker C.I was a German reconnaissance biplane under development at the end of World War I. The design was essentially an enlarged Fokker D.VII fighter with two seats and a 138 kW (185 hp) BMW IIIa engine. The C.I was originally developed to sell to the German Army. It never saw service in World War I, but Anthony Fokker managed to smuggle parts out of Germany at the time of the Armistice. The C.III version eas a two-seat advanced trainer version of the C.I, powered by a 164 kW (220 hp) Hispano-Suiza engine.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Mar 18, 2010)

Great picture.
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/at...entos-madrid-spain-morane-saulnier-tipo-g.jpg
I would love to be able see it in person.


Wheels


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## gekho (Mar 20, 2010)

The MBB Bo 105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose utility helicopter developed by Bölkow of Stuttgart, Germany. Production began under Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), which became a part of Eurocopter in 1991. Eurocopter continued to produce the Bo 105 until 2001. It was replaced in the product line by the EC 135.

The Bo 105A made its maiden flight on the 16th February 1967 at Ottobrunn in Germany with Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm's test pilot, Wilfried von Engelhardt, at the controls. The German Civil Aviation Authority certified the helicopter on 13 October 1970 and production for German civil and law enforcement organizations began shortly afterwards. Further safety certification by the FAA was granted in April 1972 with United States export orders following. The Bo 105C was developed in 1972 and the German Ministry of Defence selected this model for its light observation helicopter program, purchasing 100 helicopters in 1977. A specialist anti-tank version armed with Euromissile HOT missiles and designated as the Bo 105PAH-1 was procured by the German Army around the same time, with a total of 212 eventually being delivered.

In 1976, the Bo 105CB was developed with more powerful Allison 250-C20B engines. This was further developed as the Bo 105CBS with the enlargement of the fuselage by 10 inches to meet American market demands for emergency medical service operations, with this version becoming known as the Bo 105 Twin Jet in the United States. In 1984, the Bo 105LS was developed with the enlarged fuselage of the Bo 105CBS combined with more powerful Allison 250-C28C engines to increase the maximum take-off weight.

Production ended in 2001, due to the Bo 105 being superseded by the more modern Eurocopter EC 135, after 1,406 machines had been built. The last BO105-LS was delivered in 2009 to Dam Helicopters Inc. of Nelson, BC, Canada. Being the first light twin-engined helicopter in commercial service, it gained widespread use over rural areas (police and EMS / medevac) as well as offshore.

In Spain, it has been used as an attack helicopter and also by the "Guardia Civil" (military police).


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## gekho (Mar 20, 2010)

The Stampe et Vertongen SV.4 (also known as the Stampe SV.4 or just Stampe) is a Belgian two-seat trainer/tourer biplane designed and built by Stampe et Vertongen. The aircraft was also built under licence in France and Algeria. The SV.4 was designed as a biplane tourer/training aircraft in the early 1930s by Stampe et Vertongen at Antwerp. The first model was the SV.4A an advanced aerobatic trainer followed by the SV.4B with redesigned wings and the 130 hp/97 kW de Havilland Gipsy Major.

Only 35 aircraft were built before the company was closed during the Second World War. After the war the successor company Stampe et Renard built a further 65 aircraft between 1948 and 1955 as trainers for the Belgian Air Force. A licenced SV.4C version was built in France by SNCAN (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord) and in Algeria by Atelier Industriel de l'Aéronautique d'Alger, the two firms completing a combined total of 940 aircraft. The postwar SV.4Cs were widely used by French military units as a primary trainer. Many also served with aero clubs in France, numbers of which were later sold secondhand to the United Kingdom and other countries.


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## gekho (Mar 20, 2010)

The Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. Hundreds remain in service in air forces around the world in the early 21st Century, and the type has also been the basis for a number of other aircraft.

The F-5 started life as a privately funded light fighter program by Northrop in the 1950s. The first generation F-5A Freedom Fighter entered service in the 1960s. Over 800 were produced through 1972 for U.S. allies during the Cold War. The USAF had no need for a light fighter, but it did specify a requirement for a supersonic trainer and procured about 1,200 of a derivative airframe for this purpose, the T-38 Talon.

The improved second-generation F-5E Tiger II was also primarily used by American Cold War allies and, in limited quantities, served in US military aviation as a training and aggressor aircraft; Tiger II production amounted to 1,400 of all versions, with production ending in 1987. Many F-5s continuing in service into the 1990s and 2000s have undergone a wide variety of upgrade programs to keep pace with the changing combat environment. The F-5 was also developed into a dedicated reconnaissance version, the RF-5 Tigereye.

The F-5 serves as a starting point for a series of design studies which resulted in the twin-tailed Northrop YF-17 and the F/A-18 series of carrier-based fighters. The F-20 Tigershark was an advanced version of the F-5E that did not find a market. The F-5N/F variants remain in service with the United States Navy as an adversary trainer. In Sapin they are also used as advanced trainers.

Versions:

SF-5A: Single-seat fighter version of the F-5A. Built under licence in Spain by CASA.

SRF-5A: Single-seat reconnaissance version of the RF-5A. Built under license in Spain By CASA.

SF-5B: Two-seat training version of the F-5B. Built under license in Spain by CASA.


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## gekho (Mar 21, 2010)

Miles' previous experience with the Southern Martlet and Metal Martlet biplanes led to the desire to build a two-seat monoplane replacement for biplanes which had virtually cornered the market. The result was the M.2 Hawk, flown in March 1933 and the forerunner of a brilliant series of Miles monoplanes. Powered originally by the 71kW Cirrus IIIA engine, later M.2c aircraft offered the 89kW de Havilland Gipsy III. Other variants included the M.2a with an enclosed cabin, M.2b single-seat long-range version with an 89kW Hermes IV engine, and the three-seat M.2d. Hawk production totalled 55.

Further development of the basic type led to the Hawk Major series (64 built), beginning with the M.2F with the 97kW de Havilland Gipsy Major engine and encompassing a whole range of variants up to the M.2T. Single-seat racing models were known as the Hawk Speed Six; three were built with 149kW Gipsy Six engines, and another somewhat smaller racing variant was the M.5 Sparrowhawk, of which five were built. The prototype survived the war and in 1953 was modified considerably by the installation of two 150kg thrust Turbomeca Palas jet engines to become the M.77 Sparrowjet with a speed of 370km/h. The final pre-war development was the Hawk Trainer, of which 25 were built, and the basic design was later developed into the M.14 Magister.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

The Mi-2 was produced exclusively in Poland, in the WSK "PZL-Świdnik" factory in Świdnik. Production ended in 1985 after about 7,200 were made. The first production helicopter in the Soviet Union was the Mil Mi-1, modelled along the lines of the S-51 and Bristol Sycamore and flown by Mikhail Mil's bureau in September 1948. During the 1950s it became evident, and confirmed by American and French development, that helicopters could be greatly improved with turbine engines. S. P. Isotov developed the GTD-350 engine and Mil used two of these in the far superior Mi-2. After initial development at the Mil bureau (Soviet designation V-2) this was transferred to Poland in 1964, after the first Swidnik-built example had flown. WSK-Świdnik has since delivered many hundreds, possibly one-third of them to military customers, and developed plastic rotor blades and the wide-body Mi-2M seating 10 passengers instead of eight. Most typical role kits include four stretchers, as air ambulance, or aerospraying or cropdusting device.

In Poland, there were also developed several specialized military variants, first of all support or reconnaissance ones, with 23 mm autocannon, machine guns and/or two 57 mm rocket pods, four 9K11 Malyutka anti-tank missiles or Strela-2 AA missiles.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

Klemm L.25, later Klemm Kl 25 was a successful German light leisure and training monoplane aircraft, developed in 1928. More than 600 aircraft were built, and manufacturing licenses were sold to the United Kingdom and the United States. With low cantilever wing, fixed landing gear, and two open cockpits, the aircraft was developed by Hanns Klemm who used his previous design, the Klemm Kl 20, as a starting point. It first flew on a 20 hp (15 kW) Mercedes engine. About thirty different versions of the Kl 25 were made, and these were equipped with engines ranging from 32 to 70 kW (43 to 94 hp). The fuselage was covered with plywood.

Depending on the model, the aircraft's weight was 620 to 720 kg (1,367 to 1,587 lb), and it had a 10.5 to 13 m (34 to 43 ft) wingspan. Take-off was achieved at only 50 km/h (31 mph) and the maximum speed was between 150 to 160 km/h (93 to 99 mph). In relation to similar aircraft of the time, assembly was very easy, and this made it a very popular aircraft. According to the sales brochures, only 25% of the engine's power was needed to keep the aircraft flying, compared to biplanes of the period, which required 50% engine power. About 600 were built in Germany between 1929 and 1936,[1] serving with various flight training organizations, on either wheels, skis, or floats. Fifteen were sold to Britain before the Second World War, being fitted with a variety of domestic engines, while twenty-eight more were built by British Klemm Aeroplane Company as the B.A. Swallow.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

The HS-34 was designed by the engineer D. Vicente Roa and built at the Guadalajara´s Hispano Suiza factory. It was a mixed construction airplane of steel tubes and wood, being desinged to participe in a contest of the "Aviacion Militar Española" (AME) in 1935 to acquired a basic trainning plane. The prototype was evaluated and five more examples were requested. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, the factory and the prototypes were moved to the Rabasa airfield, in Alicante, were it served as a liaison aircraft.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

Panoramic view of the museum


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## twoeagles (Mar 22, 2010)

Fantastic - I am loving this tour of what is clearly a very fine museum that I probably won't be able to see myself. Some extraordinary pre-WW2 light aircraft frequently overlooked because they are overshadowed by the more "glamorous" heavy metal. Thanks, Gekho! Very, very cool.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

This is the truth; the Cuatro Vientos Museum is moving to Getafe. The british architect Norman Foster will take care of the new museum design, which will also house the collection of the Infante de Orleans Foundation, with more than 34 airworthy historical airplanes. The museum is expected to open its doors in 2011


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker (triplane) was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became renowned as the aircraft in which Manfred von Richthofen gained his last 20 victories, and in which he was killed on 21 April 1918.

While no Dr.I airframes survive, large numbers of flying and static reproductions have been built. In 1932, Fokker built a replica Dr.I from the spare parts of various aircraft. The replica appeared in the 1939 movie D III 88. Bitz Flugzeugbau GmbH built two Dr.I replicas for use in Twentieth Century Fox’s 1966 movie The Blue Max.

Today, the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim, New Zealand, maintains four flyable aircraft, while the Great War Flying Museum in Brampton, Ontario operates two more. Two well-known examples are displayed at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York. Due to the expense and scarcity of authentic rotary engines, most airworthy reproductions are powered by a Warner Scarab or Continental R-670 radial engine. A few reproductions, however, feature vintage Le Rhône 9 engines. The example of the museum was specially made for the 1992 Expo, that took place in Sevilla.


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## gekho (Mar 22, 2010)

The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog was a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all metal fixed wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army since the U.S. Army Air Forces separated from the Army in 1947, becoming its own branch of service, the U.S. Air Force. The Bird Dog had a lengthy career in the U.S. military as well as in other countries.


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## gekho (Mar 23, 2010)

The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until 1952 when many of the surplus aircraft entered civil operation. Many other nations used the Tiger Moth both in military and civil applications and is still in use as a recreational aircraft. It is still occasionally used as a primary training aircraft, although now most Tiger Moths employed in training duties are used by pilots gaining experience for conventional landing gear license ratings.

During World War II, most Royal Air Force pilots trained in Tiger Moths, including Americans who flew with the Eagle Squadrons before the United States entered the war. In the United Kingdom, Tiger Moths performed a variety of roles in addition to that of primary trainer, including submarine patrol, air ambulance and even prisoner evacuation. The U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942 ordered 200 from de Havilland of Canada as the PT-24, but these were never delivered and were diverted to the Royal Canadian Air Force instead.


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## gekho (Mar 23, 2010)

The Airco DH.4 was a British two-seat biplane day-bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence "DH") for Airco, and was the first British two seat light day-bomber to have an effective defensive armament. It first flew in August 1916 and entered service with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in March 1917. The majority of DH.4s were actually built as general purpose two-seaters in the USA, for service with the American forces in France.

The DH.4 was tried with several engines, of which the best was the 380 hp (280 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle engine. Armament and ordnance for the aircraft consisted of one 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun for the pilot and one 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on a Scarff ring mounting for the observer. Two 230 lb (100 kg) bombs or four 112 lb (51 kg) bombs could be carried. The DH.4 entered service on 6 March 1917 with No. 55 Squadron in France.


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## gekho (Mar 23, 2010)

Although the DH 60T was aggressively marketed as a military trainer, response was rather lukewarm. In particular the RAF only purchased a handful of aircraft for testing and found that many aspects of the Moth did not suit their method of military flight training.

Moth trainers were however ordered by a number of foreign air forces including those of Argentina, Australia (as noted above), Austria, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the flying arm of the Danish Navy. Finland licence-built 22 Moth trainers, but equipped them with the old Cirrus engine. The bulk of military Moths however were civilian sportplanes impressed during the Second World War and used as trainers and liaison aircraft. These Moths ended up flying, amongst others, for Egypt, New Zealand, China (with several captured ex-Chinese aircraft flying for the Japanese), Ireland, Italy, Iraq, Belgian Congo, Dutch East Indies (later taken over by the Indonesian AF), South Africa, New Zealand, the US Navy and both the Nationalist and Republican side in the Spanish Civil War.

Two Gipsy Moths were purchased by the Paraguayan government during the Chaco War. They were used as liaison aircraft. One was lost in a fatal accident at Ñu-Guazú Air Force Base and the other survived the war. It was transferred to the Paraguayan Aeroclub in 1936.


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## gekho (Mar 24, 2010)

The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946. More than 5,600 Bell 47 aircraft were produced, including aircraft produced under license by Agusta in Italy, Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan, and Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom. The Bell 47J Ranger is modified version with a fully enclosed cabin and fuselage.


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## gekho (Mar 24, 2010)

The Alouette II is a light helicopter originally manufactured by Sud Aviation and later Aérospatiale, both of France. The Alouette II was the first production helicopter to use a gas turbine instead of a conventional heavier piston engine. It was mostly used for military purposes in observation, photography, air-sea rescue, liaison and training but it has also carried anti-tank missiles and homing torpedoes. As a civilian helicopter it was used for casualty evacuation (with two external stretcher panniers), crop-spraying and as a flying crane (with a 500 kg external sling load).

The Aérospatiale Alouette III (French for Lark) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation and later manufactured by Aérospatiale of France. The Alouette III is the successor to the Alouette II, being larger and having more seating. Originally powered by a Turbomeca Artouste IIIB turboshaft engine, the Alouette III is recognised for its mountain rescue capabilities and adaptability.


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## gekho (Mar 24, 2010)

The P-3 Orion, originally designated P3V, is based on the same design philosophy as the Lockheed L-188 Electra. It is not the same aircraft structurally in that it has had 7 ft (2.1 m) of fuselage removed forward of the wings, as well as myriad internal, external, and airframe production technique enhancements. The prototype YP3V-1/YP-3A BuNo 148276 was in fact modified from the third Electra airframe c/n 1003. The P-3 Orion served as the replacement for the postwar era P-2 Neptune and P-5 Marlin. The Orion is powered by four Allison T56 turboprops which give it a speed comparable to fast propeller powered fighters, or even slow turbofan jets such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II or the S-3 Viking. Many other countries have seen the value of this platform design and have developed similar patrol aircraft based on this model, with the Soviets adapting their own counterpart to the Orion, the Ilyushin Il-38. The P-3 also competes with the British Hawker Siddeley Nimrod adaptation of the de Havilland Comet and the French Breguet Atlantique.


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## gekho (Mar 25, 2010)

The Farman series "400" was a revolution for its builder because it had a thin, cantilever-constructed, high wing, with round edges, which could be dismounted for better storage and transportation. The aeroplane had mixed construction. Fuselage made of steel tubes, wing had wood frame.

This version, the Farman F 402, had a Lorraine 5 Pb 5-cylinder radial engine of 110 hp (82 kW), but the plane in the picture had it changed for a 9-cylinder radial engine Salmson of 120 hp (89 kW). F 402 has an unusual peculiarity, which is that the control stick hangs from the ceiling of the cockpit, and the rudder control is a vertical steering wheel. The fuel tanks, which are placed inside the wings, have a capacity of 200 liters . The landing gear structure is constructed of iron bars, which allows this plane to land "hardly" in short space. The fuselage and the wings are made of wood and covered with plywood. This aircraft served, among other countries, in Spain, during the 1936-1939 civil war, on both sides.

One aircraft survives and is on display at the Spanish "Museo del Aire" painted like the republican one which was used in Zaragoza during the civil war as a transport, communication and ambulance aircraft.


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## gekho (Mar 25, 2010)

The Morane-Saulnier Alcyon (en: Kingfisher) is a two or three-seat basic training monoplane designed and built in France by Morane-Saulnier. Designed as a basic trainer for the French military the prototype MS.730 first flew on the 11 August 1949. The protoype was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear and powered by a 240hp (134kW) Mathis 8G.20 inverted V8 engine. The engine was replaced with a 240hp (179kW) Argus As 10 and the prototype flew again in November 1949 as the MS.731. Two further prototypes were built and flown in 1951 designated MS.732, they were each powered by a Potez 6D.30 engine and the original fixed landing gear of the prototype was replaced with retractable main wheels.

The production version followed designated the MS.733, with five pre-production aircraft and 200 production aircraft. The aircraft were delivered to the French Navy (40), the French Air Force (145) and the Cambodian Air Force (15). Seventy of the French Air Force aircraft were fitted with machine-guns for gunnery training and some of these were later converted for counter-insurgency operations (and re-designated MS.733A) for use in Algeria. After the war, some aircraft were sold to Morocco.

The Alcyon was a successful trainer, capable of basic aerobatic maneuvers. It was often used in replacement of pre-war vintage Stampe SV.4 biplanes. Several civilian flying schools, including Air France, used the Alcyon. For the time, it was well equipped with full IFR equipment: two VOR-ILS sets, one ADF set, two VHF radios, an attitude indicator and a directional gyroscope. For this reason, it was often used for navigation training as it was far cheaper to operate than the twin-engine designs commonly used for that task. Since retirement by the French military services, several Alcyons have been restored to flying condition by private owners and groups.


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## gekho (Mar 27, 2010)

The Stinson 108 was a popular general aviation aircraft produced by the Stinson division of the American airplane company Consolidated Vultee, from immediately after World War II to 1950. It was developed from the prewar Model 10A Voyager.[1] Stinson was bought by Piper Aircraft. All Stinson model 108, 108-1, 108-2, 108-3 and 108-4 aircraft were built by Stinson at Wayne, Michigan. When Stinson sold the type certificate to Piper in 1948, approximately 325 airplanes of the 5,260 model 108's built by Stinson were complete but unsold. These 325 model 108's went to Piper as part of the sale. Piper then sold that inventory as the Piper-Stinson over the next few years.


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## gekho (Mar 27, 2010)

The PA-23 was the first twin-engine design from Piper and was developed from a proposed "Twin Stinson" design inherited when Piper bought the Stinson Division of the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft corporation. The prototype PA-23 was a four-seater low-wing all-metal monoplane with a twin tail, powered by a two 125hp Lycoming O-290-D piston engines the prototype first flew 2 March 1952. The aircraft performed badly and it was redesigned with a single vertical stabilizer and an all-metal rear fuselage and more powerful 150hp Lycoming O-320-A engines. Two new prototype of re-designed aircraft now named Apache were built in 1953 and entered production in 1954; 1,231 were built. In 1958, the Apache 160 was produced by upgrading the engines to 160 hp (119 kW), and 816 were built before being superseded by the Apache 235, which went to 235 hp (175 kW) engines and swept tail surfaces (119 built).

In 1958 an upgraded version with with 250 hp (186 kW) Lycoming O-540 engines and adding a swept vertical tail was produced as the PA-23-250 and was name Aztec. These first models came in a five-seat configuration which became available in 1959. In 1961 a longer nosed variant the Aztec B entered production. The later models of the Aztec were equipped with IO-540 fuel-injected engines and six-seat capacity, and continued in production until 1982. There were also turbocharged versions of the later models, which were able to fly at higher altitudes. The US Navy acquired 20 Aztecs, designating them UO-1, which changed to U-11A when unified designations were adopted in 1962.

In 1974, Piper produced a single experimental PA-41P Pressurized Aztec concept. This concept was short-lived, however, as the aspects of the Aztec that made it so popular for its spacious interior and ability to haul large loads did not lend themselves well to supporting the sealed pressure vessel required for a pressurized aircraft. The project was scrapped, and the one pressurized Aztec produced, N9941P, was donated to Mississippi State University, where it was used for testing purposes. In 2000, N9941P was donated to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven, PA, on the condition that it never be flown again. It now sits there on display.


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## gekho (Mar 27, 2010)

The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun was a German single-engine sports and touring aircraft developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Works). The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction. The Bf 109 fighter used many of the same design features.Originally designated the M 37, the aircraft was designed as a four-seat sports/recreation aircraft for competition in the 4th Challenge de Tourisme Internationale (1934). The M 37 prototype flew first in spring 1934 powered by a 250 PS (247 hp, 184 kW) Hirth HM 8U inverted-V engine, which drove a three-blade propeller.

Although it was outclassed by lighter aircraft in the competition, the M 37's performance marked it as a popular choice for record flights. One of the first major changes made to the production variants was to adapt the fuselage for a four-seat configuration. The Bf 108A first flew in 1934, followed by the Bf 108B in 1935. The Bf 108B used the Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine. The nickname Taifun (German for "typhoon") was given to her own aircraft by Elly Beinhorn, a well known German pilot, and was generally adopted.

Soon after the first production aircraft began to roll off the assembly line in Augsburg, several Bf 108s had set endurance records. The Bf 108 was adopted into Luftwaffe service during World War II, where it was primarily used as a personnel transport and liaison aircraft. The plane involved in the Mechelen Incident was a Bf 108. Production of the Bf 108 was transferred to occupied France during World War II and production continued after the war as the Nord 1000 Pingouin.


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## gekho (Mar 28, 2010)

The story of the Aerotecnica helicopters goes back to the original research carried out in the early 1950s by Jean Cantinieau in France. Cantinieau, an engineer with Sud Ouest (SNCASO), designed his C.100 in cooperation with M. Decroze. It was an open frame single-seat machine with a triangulated tube structure surrounding the pilot and carrying the engine and rotor installation at its apex above the pilot's head. The engine was mounted just forward of the rotorhead so as to reduce the extent of mechanical linkages and the C.100 had a three-wheel undercarriage and high-set tubular tailboom structure carrying a small tail rotor. The C.100 made its first of a total of three flights on 10 Novembers-1951 at St. Cyr and performed reasonably well.

Cantinieau quickly moved on to a two-seater, the MC.101, which retained the general layout of the first machine but with a much cleaned-up structure and a 105hp Hirth engine. Two examples of the MC.101 were built by Matra (F-WGIX and F-WGIY), the first of which was flown by Gerard Henry at Buc on 11 November 1952. It was shortly after this that Cantinieau gained the interest of the Marquis del Merito, a Spanish industrialist, who had established Aerotecnica SA as an aerial photography and crop spraying business based at Cuatro Vientos near Madrid.

In 1953, Cantinieau took his designs to Spain where the C.101 became the Aerotecnica AC.11. It soon became evident that the aircraft was underpowered in Madrid's hot and high conditions and a 150hp Lycoming was installed - in which form it became the Model AC.12. With Spanish Government funding, two AC.12 prototypes were built. These differed from the AC.11 in having a full all-metal monocoque fuselage with a large overhead 'spine' encompassing the boom and engine installation. The powerplant, which was upgraded to a 170hp O-320-B2A, was attached in front of the three-blade rotor head and the AC.12 had a fully enclosed two-seat cabin and small skid undercarriage.

Cantinieau had also been working on another project for a three-seat turbine-powered helicopter, the designs for which he had sold to SNCAN. The layout of this machine was very close to that of the AC.12. SNCAN built two prototypes of this helicopter as the Nord N.1750 "Norelfe" which was a rather futuristic all-metal machine with a large bubble canopy and a Turbomeca Artouste I turbine mounted above and behind the cockpit. The three-blade rotor was positioned directly over the engine and had a rotorhead enclosed in a large spherical fairing. The tail rotor was replaced by a ducted exhaust gas arrangement similar to that employed forty years later on the McDonnell Douglas NOTAR designs. This was controlled by the pilot through pedals.

The three-seat Noreife prototype, F-WGVZ, was flown on 28 December 1954 but SNCAN was occupied with other projects and sold both the aircraft and the rights to Aerotecnica who designated them AC.13A. After further testing in Spain, Aerotecnica moved to a larger five-seat version known as the AC.14. The prototype AC.14 used part of the structure of one of the AC.13s but had a lengthened cabin section with a rear seating area and a larger 400shp Turbomeca Artouste IIB turboshaft engine.

Having funded much of the Aerotecnica helicopter project, the Spanish Government placed orders for twelve examples of the piston engined AC.12 and ten of the AC.14. These were delivered to the Spanish Air Force, with the designations EC-XZ-2 and EC-XZ-4 respectively, where they served for a relatively short period before being retired. Aerotecnica also started construction of a prototype of the much larger AC.21 which was a 12/14 passenger machine with twin Turbomeca Turmo III turbines and a massive ducted-air tailboom. A turbine version of the AC.12 was planned and they also started working on the AC.15 development of the AC.14 with a 260hp Lycoming O-435-V engine. Unfortunately, in 1962 the Spanish Government withdrew further financial support and Aerotecnica went into liquidation.

Following the collapse of Aerotecnica, Jean Cantinieau returned to France where he joined Matra. There, he designed and completed a single example of the "Bamby". This single-seat machine closely resembled the Aerotecnica machines but embodied a triangular end to the tailboom which provided a better direction and control of exhaust gas. After brief testing in 1963 the "Bamby" suffered a power train failure and was abandoned.


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## gekho (Mar 28, 2010)

The Bell 204 and 205 are the civil versions of the ubiquitous UH-1 Iroquois single-engine military helicopters. They are type-certificated in the transport category and are used in a wide variety of applications, including crop dusting, cargo lifting, and one of its most common uses, aerial firefighting.

Bell designed its Model 204 in response to a 1955 United States Army requirement for a utility helicopter. The 204 was a giant step forward in helicopter design, being one of the first to be powered by a turboshaft. The turboshaft engine radically improved the practicality of the helicopter due to its light weight and high power to weight ratio, lower fuel consumption, and lower maintenance and operating costs. The use of a turboshaft in the 204 allowed it to carry a useful payload over respectable ranges and at reasonable speeds, which resulted in the 204 and subsequent 205 becoming the most successful western helicopter series in terms of numbers built.

The civil 204B was first delivered in 1961. The subsequent Model 205A-1 is equivalent to the UH-1H, which, compared to the 204, is longer, larger, and has better performance and a more powerful engine. Over 60 civil Model 204Bs had been delivered by 1967, while further examples were built by Agusta-Bell up until 1973. 12,000 Model 205s (including civil 205A-1s) were built by Bell and Agusta-Bell up to the early 1980s. Numerous ex military 204s and 205s converted for commercial use.


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## gekho (Mar 31, 2010)

The EADS CASA C-212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium transport aircraft designed and built in Spain for civil and military use. C-212s are also produced under licence in Indonesia by Indonesian Aerospace, formerly called IPTN but now known as IAe. The design was initially marketed under the name of Aviocar, but EADS-CASA no longer uses that name in referring to the C-212. A total of 478 C-212s of all variants had been delivered through the end of 2008 by EADS-CASA. EADS-CASA predicts that an additional 85 aircraft will be delivered in the 2007-2016 time period. EADS-CASA currently builds only the C-212-400, which received Spanish certification in 1998. The C-212-200 is currently built in Indonesia, and IAe is also preparing to begin assembly of -400 models, probably in 2008.

During the late 1960s, the Spanish Air Force was still operating the already outdated Junkers Ju 52 and Douglas C-47, unpressurized and non-turbocharged piston-powered three- or two-engined craft. CASA developed the C-212 as a more modern alternative using the lighter and more reliable turboprop engine, with the first prototype flying on March 26, 1971. In 1974, the Spanish Air Force decided to acquire the Aviocar to update its fleet. Airlines took note of the type's success with the military, so CASA developed a commercial version, the first examples of which were delivered in July 1975. In August 2006 a total of 30 CASA C-212 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service around the world. The C-212 has a high-mounted wing, a boxy fuselage, and a conventional tail. The tricycle undercarriage is non retractable. It has space for 21-28 passengers depending on configuration. Since the C-212 does not have a pressurized fuselage, it is limited to relatively low-flight-level airline usage (below 10,000 ft (3,000 m) MSL). It is thus ideal for short legs and regional airline service.


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## gekho (Mar 31, 2010)

The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected. Bell redesigned the airframe and successfully marketed the aircraft commercially as the five-place Bell 206A JetRanger. The new design was eventually selected by the Army as the OH-58 Kiowa. Bell also developed a seven-place LongRanger, which was later offered with a twin-engine option as the TwinRanger, while Tridair Helicopters offers a similar conversion of the LongRanger called the Gemini ST. The ICAO-assigned model designation B06 is used on flight plans for the JetRanger and LongRanger, and the designation B06T is used for the twin-engine TwinRangers.


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## gekho (Mar 31, 2010)

In 1948 the technical office of Iberavia was founded in Madrid. After the designs of a sailplane and the light plane I-11, Iberavio was absorbed by AISA and became its new projects’ office. One of the I-11 prototypes made its maiden flight on 16th July 1951. A series of problems gave way to a similar plane named I-11B. Its official name ‘Peque’ was not popular. It was known as ‘Vespa’ on account of being so practical and agreeable to handle as the scooter Vespa. The plane was entirely made of wood and it differed from the I-11 in many aspects: The bubble cockpit was somewhat lower to lessen drag, it was fitted with a conventional landing gear instead of tricycle and it was a little lighter.

On 1954 mass production was started and the plane was operated by flying clubs, private owners and the Air Force alike. One of the first units ended up in Lleida with the family Irigoyen. The young Francisco won with it the ‘Vuelta Aérea’ in 1957. More than 200 units were produced, although 40 were destroyed in a fire in the AISA factory in Cuatro Vientos (Madrid).


The I-115 is a military trainer designed in 1948 by Iberavia, a company later absorbed by Aeronautica Industrial, S.A (AISA). It was designed by a team of engineers leaded by Juan de Campo Aguilera for the Air Force, in order to replace their obsolete trainers Bücker Jungmann. On account of a lack of raw materials the aircraft was constructed mainly in wood, thus making it notoriously heavy. Moreover it was also underpowered fitted with the only available engines; the national produced ENMASA engines. As a result the I-115 had a disturbing tendency to quickly enter in a spin.

After two prototypes, it entered the production lines in 1956. About 200 units were produced in the AISA factory of Carabanchel, which is close to Cuatro Vientos. The E-9 (its Air Force name) never fulfilled the mission it was designed for; So that the E-9 flew for many years along the Bücker, the plane it was supposed to replace. It was mainly used for basic training in instrumental flight and as re-trainer of pilots. At least it fully replaced the HM1, which was also a Spanish airplane designed by Pedro Huarte Mendicoa. The HM1 ‘enjoyed’ even a worse fame than the Garrapata. Pilots joked saying that HM stood for ‘Hombre Muerto’, Dead Man in Spanish.

This airplane never received an official name. It is believed that it was nicknamed ‘Garrapata’ by the Air Force cadets because of the annoying tendency to stick to the ground during take-off, like a ‘garrapata’ (tick in Spanish). In 1976 they were retired and most of them were handed over to flying clubs. There is one unit still flying in the flying club of Menorca and the FIO owns an airworthy Garrapata as well. The flying club of Sabadell used to operate three of them, but they were retired after two accidents.


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## Gnomey (Mar 31, 2010)

Good pics!


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## gekho (Apr 1, 2010)

The Canadair CL-215 ("Scooper") was the first model in a series of firefighting flying boat amphibious aircraft built by Canadair and later Bombardier. The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft designed to operate well at low speed and in gust-loading circumstances, as are found over forest fires. It is also able to land and take off from short, unpaved airstrips.

Arising from an earlier 1960s research study at the company, the original concept was for a twin-engined floatplane transport, that was altered into a "firefighter" as a result of a request by forestry officials in the Quebec Service Aérien (Quebec Government Air Service) for a more effective way of delivering water to forest fires. The preliminary design, the CL-204 was a purpose-designed water bomber that evolved into an amphibian flying boat configuration, powered by two 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt Whitney R-2800 piston engines, shoulder-mounted. The definitive design known as the CL-215 received a program go-ahead in February 1966 with its maiden flight on 23 October 1967. The first delivery was to the French civil protection agency (Sécurité Civile) in June 1969. Production of CL-215s progressed through 5 series ending in 1990.


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## gekho (Apr 1, 2010)

The Do 27 was developed from the Do 25, an aircraft originally designed to a Spanish military requirement for a light utility aircraft. The Do 27 seated four to six and the original prototype first flew in Spain on 27 June 1955. Most production aircraft were built in Germany, the first taking flight on 17 October 1956. The remainder (50) were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronauticas (CASA) as the CASA-127. The German Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Heer (Army) ordered a total of 428 of the Do 27A and Do 27B (with dual controls).

A later version with the same basic specifications but equipped with wider track landing gear was known as the Do 27Q-5. The aircraft was offered as a twin-float seaplane, the Do 27S-1, and with a larger engine (254 kW/340 hp Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6) and a three-blade propeller as the Do 27H-2. In addition to the military operators in Germany and Spain, a few were manufactured for other military and civilian operators. The Do 27 was notable for being the first mass-produced aircraft in Germany after World War II. It was appreciated for its relatively wide, comfortable cabin and excellent short-field performance.


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## gekho (Apr 1, 2010)

The Do 28 was developed from the single-engine Do 27 at the end of the 1950s. The design shared the high-wing cantilever layout and the lift augmentation devices of the Do 27, together with the rear fuselage which seated six passengers. The most defining feature of the new design was the unusual incorporation of two Lycoming engines, as well as the two main landing gear shock struts of the faired main landing gear attached to short pylons on either side of the forward fuselage.

The internal space of the Do 28 was the same as the Do 27 and the company was given financial assistance from the German government to develop a larger STOL transport to carry up to 13 passengers. The type was designated the Do 28D and later named Skyservant. The Do 28D was a complete redesign and shared only the basic layout and wing construction of the earlier versions. The fuselage and engine nacelles were rectangular, unlike the rounded Do 28A/B. The aim was to develop a simple and rugged aircraft for use under arduous conditions, which could be easily maintained. With a crew of two pilots, the cabin accommodated up to 12 passengers; freight could be loaded easily through large double doors and with the seats removed the cabin gave 283 sq ft (26.3 m2) of unobstructed space. The first flight of a Do 28D took place on 23 February 1966.

A further variant of the Skyservant was the Do 28D-2/OU (Oil Unit). Two aircraft were fitted with radar and SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) to monitor oil pollution in the Baltic and North Seas. Painted in a white scheme, they were operated between 1984 and 1995 by MFG 5 of the Marineflieger, on behalf of the German Transport Ministry. These aircraft are easily recognised by the fuselage-mounted SLAR antenna and a radome under the cockpit. In 1991, both aircraft operated for several weeks in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War under the control of the United Nations. These two aircraft were replaced by the Do 228 at the end of 1995. These Skyservants are preserved in the museum at Nordholz.

Like the Do 27, the Dornier Do 28 possessed a high cruising speed, excellent low-speed handling characteristics, as well as very short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance. The Do 28 was readily accepted as a natural progression from its single-engine forebear. With many of the same STOL characteristics, most Do 28 production was destined for military customers, notably Germany, although a small number were in service for commercial operators as a rugged, low-cost utility transport. The design proved remarkably adaptable and was developed into a number of progressively improved variants, from the original D, through the D1 and D2 to the 128-2, introduced in 1980. Each variant introduced a number of detail changes that enhanced its already versatile performance capabilities.

In 1997, the Hungarian engineer Andreas Gál developed a conversion based on a D-variant, that was intended to meet the requirements of skydivers. Instead of the Lycoming piston engines, Gál had two Walter M601-D2 turboprops, modified three-blade propellers and a skydiving kit installed by Aerotech Slovakia on seven planes. Although CAA, Hungary's aviation authorities, instantly certified the conversion, the JAA-certification could not be applied for before 2007, due to certification restrictions on the engines. In 2008, there have been three planes flying in Europe, all of them Hungarian registered, mainly at dropzones in Soest, Germany and Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

A total of 121 Dornier Do 28D-2s were built between 1971 and 1974 at Oberpfaffenhofen for the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) where they replaced ageing Percival Pembrokes, they served until the introduction of the Dornier Do 228 in 1994, predominantly as a transportation and communications aircraft. 20 aircraft were transferred to the Marineflieger, 10 served from 1978 in the maritime reconnaissance role, additional underwing fuel tanks were fitted for extended endurance. The high noise levels and vibration in the cabin led to the type's replacement by the significantly quieter turboprop-powered Do 228. During the 20 years in German military service, only three aircraft were lost to accidents. The Do 28D was flown in 30 countries around the world and is still in service today. More than 150 aircraft were built. In the German Federal Armed Forces jargon, the Skyservant was called the "farmer's eagle" and was regarded as a reliable "workhorse". Turkey received two specially equipped SIGINT aircraft with the code name of 'Anadolou' as well as the normal transport version.


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## gekho (Apr 2, 2010)

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day. The C-47 differed from the civilian DC-3 in being fitted with a cargo door and strengthened floor. During World War II, the armed forces of many countries used the C-47 and modified DC-3s for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced in Long Beach and Santa Monica, California and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City plant produced 5,354 C-47s from March 1943 until August 1945.


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## gekho (Apr 2, 2010)

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of state and military staff. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as air-sea rescue, scientific and military research and missile tracking and recovery. During the Berlin Airlift it hauled coal and food supplies to West Berlin. After the Korean War it continued to be used for military and civilian uses by more than thirty countries.

C-54s began service with the US Army Air Forces in 1942, carrying up to 26 passengers. (Later versions carried up to 50 passengers.) The U.S. Navy also acquired the type, under the designation R5D. The C-54 was one of the most commonly used long-range transports by the U.S. armed forces in World War II. 515 C-54s were manufactured in Santa Monica, California and 655 were manufactured in Chicago, Illinois. After World War II, the C-54 continued to serve as the primary airlifter of the new United States Air Force and with the United States Navy. 1949 stamp from West Berlin with a Douglas C-54 Skymaster over Tempelhof airport, Scott 9N57

In late 1945, several hundred C-54s were surplus to U.S. military requirements and these were converted for civil airline operation, many by Douglas Aircraft at its aircraft plants. The aircraft were sold to airlines around the world. By January 1946, Pan American Airways was operating their Skymasters on transatlantic scheduled services to Europe and beyond. Trans-Pacific schedules from San Francisco to Auckland began on 6 June 1946. On July 23, 1954, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster civilian airliner, registration VR-HEU, operated by Cathay Pacific Airways, en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong, was shot down by Chinese Communist La-7 fighters off the coast of Hainan Island, killing 10.

President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which created the U.S. Air Force, on board "Sacred Cow", the Presidential C-54 which is preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. More than 300 C-54s and R5Ds formed the backbone of the US contribution to the Berlin Airlift in 1948. They also served as the main airlift during the Korean War. After the Korean War, the C-54 was replaced by the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, but continued to be used by the U.S. Air Force until 1972. The C-54 was the personal aircraft of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, and Winston Churchill (along with an Avro York). The C-54 was also used by the Royal Air Force, the Armée de l'Air, and the armed forces of at least twelve other nations.

Four former C-54Ds given to Spain by the USAF in 1959 were later supplemented by another 13 second-hand aircraft which included C-54, C-54A, C-54B, C-54E, C-54G and 5D-3s.


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## gekho (Apr 2, 2010)

The Huarte Mendicoa HM-1 trainers were designed by the engineer Pedro Huarte-Mendicoa Larraga, a military man and teacher at the mechanic school. During 1936 he cooperated actively with the rebels, but the nationalist uprising surprised him at Madrid, being captured. In 1938 he managed himself to scape, joinning the nationalist forces and working as a test pilot and chief of mechanics.

When the new "Ejercito del Aire" was born at the end of the war, he joined the Aeronautical Engineers Corps with the grade of Commander. His first desing, the HM-1, fly for the very first time in april 1942. Six more prototypes designed by him got into production, being the main designer of trainning aircrafts of the Spanish Air Force.


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## ppopsie (Apr 2, 2010)

An amazing collection of flying machines and nice pics. Thanks.


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## Gnomey (Apr 2, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Apr 3, 2010)

In 1955, Hughes Tool Company's Aircraft Division carried out a market survey which showed that there was a demand for a low-cost, lightweight two-seat helicopter. The division began building the Model 269 in September 1955. It was initially designed as a fully-glazed cockpit with seating for two pilots, or a pilot and passenger, It also had an open-framework fuselage and a three-blade articulated rotor. The prototype flew on 2 October 1956, but it wasn't until 1960 that the decision was made to develop the helicopter for production. The original truss-work tailboom was replaced with a tubular tailboom and the cockpit was restructured and refined prior to being put into production, and Hughes successfully captured a large portion of the civilian helicopter market with an aircraft that would prove itself popular in agriculture, police work and other duties.

The Hughes 269 was created with a fully articulated, counter-clockwise rotating, three-bladed main rotor, and a two-bladed tail rotor that would remain as distinctive characteristics of all its variants. It also has shock absorber-dampened, skid-type landing gear. The flight controls are directly linked to the control surfaces of the helicopter so there are no hydraulic systems in the 269. There are generally two sets of controls, although this was optional on the civil 269A. For three-seat aircraft, the middle collective control stick is removable and a seat cushion can be put in its place for the third passenger.


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## gekho (Apr 3, 2010)

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium.[4] This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem", rather than developing more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than any before. Their U.S. patent 821,393 claims the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulates a flying machine's surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers. The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.


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## gekho (Apr 3, 2010)

Zlin Trener is a family of aircraft that was based on a basic training aircraft, the Z-26. The original Z-26 was designed in late 1940s and produced in 1946 by the Czechoslovakian company, Moravan to meet a requirement for a basic trainer to replace the Bücker Jungmann and Bestmann. It was a low-winged monoplane of mixed construction, with wooden wings and a welded metal tube fuselage, powered by a single four-cylinder piston engine, the Walter Minor 4-III. It first flew in early 1947, proving superior to the competing Praga 112, and was declared the winner, entering production in 1948.


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## gekho (Aug 29, 2010)

This weekend I went to the Civil Aviation Museum in Malaga to see a couple of a very interesting aircrafts that this museum houses at its installations. Unfortunately this museum is very small and there is nothing remarkable with the exception of a DC-3, a Beechcraft 18, a Casa C-201 Alcotan and a couple of cabins, like the one where I am posing (a DC-4 I think). In any case this museum is very small to have its own thread, so I have posted all the pictures here. I hope you enjoy them.


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