Unusual Aircraft

[GregP]

Hi,

There are several pics out there of a B-17 with a big single turboprop in the nose, including one fake with no pistons on it. But, there was ALSO a 4-engine turboprop that flew and flew quite well, but hit a ridge while firefighting. It had four Rolls Royce Darts in it and could even take off on 2 engines when empty.

VERY powerful ... overpowered, in fact. Here is a pic, taking off on 2.

Here it is with all 4 running:

Bad loss ...

NOT a B-17 ... more of a 35D ...

 

[vikingBerserker]

....and I have loved dark haired, blue eyed women ever since.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Amen!

 

[rochie]

Amen, Amen !

 

[GregP]

What list of outlandish experimental aircraft would be complete without mentioning the Hafner Rotabuggy? A British-built "rotor kite" or autogyro, it was essentially a helicopter air frame built onto an ordinary Jeep. Designed to be dropped onto enemy territory during airborne operations, in tests the Rotabuggy managed to fly for several minutes at speeds of more than 60 mph (100 km/h) reaching an altitude of several hundred feet. Only one was manufactured in 1944. None were ordered.

 

[GregP]

Or what about the MiG-13?

First flight of this aircraft was made on March 3, 1945. The first two crashed, the same as with the MIG-11. The MIG-11 had the unusual disadvantage of being a "mixed-power" which used, or tried to use an engine "accelerator" which was a complex called the VRDK. This engine used a reaction engine compressor which fed compressed air via a water radiator to a mixing chamber under pressure with the mixture being ignited in a walled combustion chamber and then ejected providing thrust for 10 minutes and boosting speed. It is no wonder this complex aircraft met with a predictable crashes.

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[chuter]

First pic the B-17 is landing, flaps are down too far for takeoff (see second pic for max takeoff position). Great pics all around.

 

[GregP]

After I posted that, I thought it might be landing. But by then I already had a reply.

If you look up that aircraft, they used to fly with all four to the fire, and shut down either the 2 inner or 2 outer (every other trip) on the way back, and not lose much speed. Apparently it was quite fun to fly with the power on tap. It was built up in Wenatchee, Washington and unfortunately didn't last all that long due to an early fire season and smacking into a ridge while dropping on a fire.

 

[GregP]

Here's one you don't see very often, but there were a few.

Not exactly unusual, but a tad bit unusual on floats.

Here's an interesting idea from just after WWI.

I'd say someone was smoking the good stuff back then, too.

 

[GregP]

Not exactly WWII, but solidly-based in WWII technology. The SNCASO SO 8000.

Altogether pretty neat, with an Arsenal 12-cylinder engine.

 

[GregP]

Talk about strange!

Who ever heard of a tank with a glass windshield? Seems like they tried it!

Wonder if it was "tank shell proof?" Note rear view mirrors ... like the driver would care if a Volkswagen was right next to him ...

 

[GregP]

A somewhat uusual (to me) image of a Kyushu J7W1 Shinden.

I hadn't run across this one before.

 

[GregP]

Now this is downright scary to think about!

We restored a WWII pulsejet at the Planes of Fame and got it running. The sound is LOUD!

Two would likely be a bit much for the Lavochkin pilot, and he has nowhere to get away from it. No thanks!

Looks like an La-9 to me, If so, probably post-war.

 

[fubar57]

Nice shots Greg

 

[MiTasol]

Here's one you don't see very often, but there were a few.

Not exactly unusual, but a tad bit unusual on floats.

SOMEWHERE I have a partial Maintenance Tech Order for those floats - if I can find it I will upload it

From memory it had the standard C-47 main gears inside the floats and jacking for wheel change was quite a process

Mi

 

[buffnut453]

Talk about strange!

Who ever heard of a tank with a glass windshield? Seems like they tried it!

Wonder if it was "tank shell proof?" Note rear view mirrors ... like the driver would care if a Volkswagen was right next to him ...

That's a Leopard 2 Driver Training Tank. The observation cab ontop is for the instructor with space for 2 students as observers. The trainee driver would be in the standard position down in the hull. The observation cab is weighted to replicate the real turret while the "gun" is a dummy but useful for ensuring that the trainee driver thinks about the gun when traversing steep slopes (it's surprisingly easy to dig the barrel into the ground when descending into a gully).

 

[vikingBerserker]

Fantastic pics!

 

[Graeme]

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!