#avgeeksaero

In the late-1950s, surplus B-17 Flying Fortresses used in the air-sea rescue role found their way into the hands of civilian fire bomber operations that offered a quantum leap in performance carrying significant loads of fire retardant. Prior to the arrival of the B-17s (and PB4Y-2s), no other civilian fire bomber in use approached the retardant capacity of the converted four-engined bombers. By 1960, the first of about two dozen B-17s were converted with bomb bay retardant tanks. Stripped of non-essential equipment, the B-17 offered a significant increase in power in the typical-high altitude areas that most forest fires were found. Most of the conversions flew on contracts with the US Forest Service. The fire bomber B-17s were retired in the late Sixties as aircraft like the Douglas DC-6 were converted for the role. In addition, the radial engines of the B-17s were increasingly difficult to support with spare parts. One enterprising outfit got around this issue by re-engining their B-17 with four Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops that once belonged to Vickers Viscount. As the Dart engines were much lighter than the Wright Cyclone radials, the nacelles had to be extended far forward to maintain the center of gravity with the spinners being nearly in line with the nose. Only one B-17, N1304N, was converted in 1970. Some sources indicate that the aircraft had the nickname "Batmobile" and she was so overpowered, that with both outboard engines shut down and feathered and carrying a full retardant load, she was still faster than a stock B-17. When the pilots made their drop, they had to shut down and feather the outboard engines to keep from overspeeding the airframe. This unique B-17 Flying Fortress was unfortunately lost in the same year it was converted. While fighting a fire near Dubois, WY, the engines lost power due to excessive ingestion of heated air and smoke from the fire and the aircraft failed to pull out of a retardant drop. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #N1304N #RollsRoyce #Dart #turboprop #instagramaviation #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CV9awDrt4Rl/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” of the Commemorative Air Force starts its engines at Warbirds Over Dallas this past October. Note the ground crew ready with the fire extinguishers.⁣ ⁣ Note the slots on the wing just behind the engine nacelles- they’re the exhaust slots from the intercooler of the Flying Fortress’s turbosupercharger. ⁣ ⁣ The turbosupercharger is driven by exhaust gases from the radial engines- the turbine of the turbosupercharger compresses incoming air and delivers it to the engine, improving the engine’s power output at high altitude as it’s being fed compressed air as if it were operating at a lower altitude. ⁣ ⁣ However, one of the thermodynamic consequences of compressing the air is that it heats up and this can decrease the air density, offsetting the very compression you’re trying to accomplish. Intercoolers are used in turbosuperchargers reduce the air temperature and can also increase the pressure of compression by virtue of the flow restriction by the internal fins in the intercooler. ⁣ ⁣ If you look at the leading edges of the B-17’s wing, there are rectangular openings which are the intakes for incoming air that’s compressed by the turbosuperchargers and another intake that’s for the cooling air that flows through the intercooler. The exhaust air from the intercoolers is vented out through those slots on the top of the B-17’s wing.⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #WingsOverDallas2021⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #instagramaviation #igaviationcontest #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation ⁣#TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW94SSbsVkf/?utm_medium=tumblr

I'd already posted about the only Alaskan BAe-146 operator, AirPac, that routinely operated a 146-100 into Dutch Harbor back when its runway was still gravel. ⁣ ⁣ Routine rough field operations in the 146 was something envisioned from the get go in the 146 program but it was never fully realized except by niche operators. Like, only two. One was AirPac, the other was Australian operator Cobham (formerly National Jet Systems) that used its 146s to support the mining industry in Western Australia. ⁣ ⁣ The top part of this image is from BAe and is a striking photo of a 146-100 during rough field testing. It's likely (thanks to Brian's guidance when I asked him) G-OPSA which was LN2 and was leased to PSA for crew training. Three 146-100s flew with PSA and could be identified as the PSA cheatlines were straight across the nose whereas the 146-200s, the cheatlines curved under the nose. ⁣ ⁣ The lower half of this image and is from Cobham showing one of their 146-200s operating from a gravel strip at a remote mining site in Western Australia. On 4 November 2021, the final Cobham 146 flight touched down in Perth after a fly-in/fly-out charter flight to a mining site at Murrin Murrin for Minara Resources. Their mining operation at Murrin Murrin extracts nickel and cobalt. ⁣ ⁣ Beginning in 1990, Cobham operated a total of 33 BAe-146s in Western #Australia with some of the aircraft fitted out for rough field operations to support the Australian mining industry. At its height, Cobham had 16 146s operating in the region. ⁣ ⁣ Cobham has replaced the BAe-146 with the E190 and Q400 to serve the mining industry, but I'm not aware of any rough field capability for those aircraft unless the runways at the mining sites have been paved. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #instaplane ⁣ #BAESystems #BritishAerospace #BAe146 ⁣ ⁣ #Cobham #NationalJetSystems⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce9uOM1vvh3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

On a Facebook aviation group a map image from around 1981-82 of the area around the old Greater Southwest International Airport was posted. I overlaid it on a current Google Earth screen shot and labeled some salient features. ⁣ ⁣ I didn’t move to the DFW area until 1989, so it’s kinda cool that GSW/Amon Carter Field lasted into the 1980s (even though closed) years after DFW International Airport opened in 1973.⁣ ⁣ The east-west freeway is SH183 (Airport Freeway). There used to be a tunnel where it crossed under 17/35 of GSW/Amon Carter Field. Spur 459 on the upper right is International Parkway and the south entrance to DFW. The DFW Rental Car Center is visible in the upper right. ⁣ ⁣ Runway 17/35 is now Amon Carter Boulevard, but the very north end of 17/35 and it’s associated taxiway/hold pad you can still see when you fly into and out of DFW. If you're on the ramp going to SH360 south from SH183 westbound or coming south out of International Parkway, you can see it on your right as well. The old American Airlines HQ complex is on the west side of Amon Carter Boulevard.⁣ ⁣ For years the trees that lined the GSW access road were still visible well into the early 2000s until some commercial buildings were built in the area. Satellite images of when the SE corner of 183/360 was an empty field you can see traces of Runway 13/31. The new Skyview 8 HQ complex is south of the CR Smith Museum. Skyview 3/4 are north of the Museum and American Airlines Integrated Operations Center (IOC) is Skyview 2. (For those curious, Skyview 1 is the AA Reservations Center) ⁣ ⁣ The ZFW ARTCC is near the CR Smith Museum as well.⁣ ⁣ The rail line south of the airport perimeter is the commuter rail line now that connects downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas. Just to the west of where the threshold of 35 is Centerport Station for the Trinity Railway Express. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #DFW #DallasFortWorth #Texas #airport ⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CeqvjLbuhG1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

This is McDonnell Douglas artwork showing the MD-12X as it appeared in late 1991 during the design phase. While it looks much like the MD-11, it's clear that it's longer, the engines are larger and the note the wings are bigger with canoe-shaped flap actuator/track fairings instead of the characteristic external flap hinge fins used on the MD-11. ⁣ ⁣ On 25 October 1991, the McDonnell Douglas board of directors gave formal approval to start offering the MD-12X to prospective airline customers. ⁣ ⁣ Canted winglets based on those used on the MD-11 would appear on again, off again during this time period. Official renderings did not have them as it was felt the wingspan increase and larger wing would make them unnecessary by late 1991, but wind tunnel models from earlier in the year show winglets present. ⁣ ⁣ It was becoming rapidly apparent to McDonnell Douglas through 1991 that the MD-12X would not meet its range and payload targets using the same engines and wing as the MD-11. With a larger wing and engines came the opportunity for capacity increases- but further stretches of the fuselage would have left the MD-12X design longer than what would have been compatible than existing airport gate infrastructure which was sized around an aircraft the size of the 747-400. ⁣ ⁣ By the spring of 1992, the MD-12X would morph into a four engine double deck airliner marketed as the MD-12. ⁣ ⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD12 #MD12X #MD11 #Boeing⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/sentinelchicken/p/CYDaod6rT4O/?utm_medium=tumblr

Making its first flight in 1963, the Dassault Falcon 20 proved to be a popular business jet that would have a production run until 1988. On the heels of the Falcon 20’s success, in the late 1960s Dassault embarked on design studies for a family of variants developed from the Falcon 20. Two of these designs went into production- the smaller Falcon 10 and the trijet Falcon 50. ⁣ ⁣ Little known is the aircraft pictured here, the Falcon 30. ⁣ ⁣ The program was launched in 1967 with two variants- a business jet version and an airliner version seating 30 passengers. ⁣ ⁣ The Falcon 30, powered by Lycoming ALF502 engines, made its first flight on 11 May 1973 and debuted later that year at the Paris Air Show. At that point, the business jet version was shelved and the program was expanded to encompass two versions- the Falcon 30 for 30 passengers and the Falcon 40 with 40 passengers developed in cooperation with Aerospatiale. ⁣ ⁣ A single Falcon 30 prototype was built but the Falcon 40 never progressed beyond the mock up stage. ⁣ ⁣ The ALF502 was a geared turbofan design that was also used on the BAe-146. Compared to the Falcon 20, the Falcon 30 was larger with four-abreast seating and a prominent ventral fin. ⁣ ⁣ To remain economical, the Falcon 40 would have a different wing than the Falcon 30. A bigger fuselage and heavier engines with Falcon 20 wings would have made the Falcon 30 an interim type as the Falcon 40 with its newer wings and larger capacity would likely have been more attractive to prospective customers. ⁣ ⁣ Although orders were taken at the 1973 Paris Air Show for ten examples by Air Inter for what could readily be considered one of the progenitors of today’s regional jets, the program was terminated in 1975 in the wake of the oil crisis following the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Middle East. ⁣ ⁣ #Dassault #Falcon30 ⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CWv4_yWl7cx/?utm_medium=tumblr

In 1996, McDonnell Douglas did some design studies of an all-new widebody twin jet called the MD-20. While having some design derivation from the MD-11 trijet, the MD-20 had an all new fuselage cross section coupled with a modified MD-11 wing. It would have fit in the McDD product range gap between the 150-seat MD-90 and the 300-seat MD-11. Though it remained a preliminary design, it would have been in the 225-250 seat range. ⁣ ⁣ The wing was slightly longer in span than that of the MD-11 on account of having larger canted winglets. ⁣ ⁣ The fuselage would have had a more oval cross section than the circular cross section of the DC-10/MD-11. ⁣ ⁣ Only Delta Air Lines was briefed on the MD-20 as the airline was in search of a candidate aircraft to replace its Lockheed L-1011 Tristars, but no firm committments from McDonnell Douglas or Delta Air Lines came forth, leaving the MD-20 a low priority program. ⁣ ⁣ Instead, McDD focused its efforts on the development of the MD-95 (which became to the Boeing 717 after the merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas) and the MD-XX program which was for developments of the MD-11 for larger and longer ranged trijets. ⁣ ⁣ The MD-20 was the last in a long line of on-again, off-again work at McDonnell Douglas in pursuit of a widebody twin starting with derivatives of the DC-10 in the early 1970s. Stay tuned for more of those unbuilt design proposals! ⁣ ⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD20 #MD11 #DeltaAirlines #Boeing⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CXADvQ4MWDY/?utm_medium=tumblr

When the MD-12 program was first launched in 1990 as the MD-12X, it started out as an enhanced development of the MD-11. As the design was further refined through 1991, McDonnell Douglas had been focusing on a long-range trijet that was 35-39 feet longer than the MD-11 with a bigger wing and empennage. ⁣ ⁣ There were at least two iterations of main landing gear on the trijet version of the MD-12X, one with four wheel bogies with two under the fuselage and two under the wings not unlike the Boeing 747. Another iteration had six wheel main bogies under the wings and a four wheel centerline bogie- this version would have likely been used had the MD-12X proceeded as a trijet. ⁣ ⁣ Three engines were studies for the MD-12X trijet- the General Electric GE90 with a smaller fan than what is used on the Boeing 777, the Pratt & Whitney PW4484 derived from the PW4084 used on the 777, and finally the Rolls-Royce Trent 775, a slightly enlarged version of the Trent 700 used on the Airbus A330. ⁣ ⁣ The MD-12X trijet was designed for LAX-HKG, DFW-NRT, or SIN-CDG routes with approximately 377 passengers in a three class configuration. ⁣ ⁣ The first problem was that the MD-12X as a trijet would not have fit into the "box" at the gate that the Boeing 747-400 fits into. The second issue was the weight of the tail structure to accommodate the number 2 engine as big as the proposed engines. ⁣ ⁣ In 1992, McDonnell Douglas did a complete redesign of the MD-12 into an all new double deck four engine aircraft to address the growing issues with the trijet version of the design. "MD-12X" usually refers to the first design iteration as a trijet and "MD-12" refers to the double deck four engine second design iteration. ⁣ ⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD12 #MD12X #MD11 #Boeing⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/sentinelchicken/p/CX67NgClBqo/?utm_medium=tumblr