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TomCatDriver — I Spy
Published: 2007-10-27 08:36:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 393; Favourites: 6; Downloads: 7
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Description
Lockheed"Skunk Works" SR-71 Blackbird Strategic Reconnisance aircraft,c.1960s. background for this pic is a slab of heavy-gauge aerospace-grade Titanium alloy,as used in the construction of the actual aircraft. this piece of metal is worth approx. $2500!Related content
Comments: 95
Yow, i have a replica like these years ago when i was still a kid.
To make it more stunning, take a look at what they say about this aircraft on NatGeo's "Warplanes":
"Mankind has just passed the speed of sound, and just 10 years later they're going to do it 3 times faster"
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Cold War=Big Budget= Best Technology......!
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Now, that's very very good arranged, and the airplane is one of them, which I mentioned on another comment, good looking ones, looks dangerous sort of
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very dangerous! {Spy Stuff,for further particulars,apply to the C.I.A.}
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$2500? How much money for all the titanium used for one Blackbird?
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a lot! even accounting for inflation between then and now,it did put a serious dent in somebody,s budget! but on the bright side,at least there were no worries about structural corrosion! titanium is almost impervious to most forms of corrosion that would just destroy other aircraft metals over time.
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The only problem was the Skunk Works had to get all new tools for working with titanium. Another good part about titanium: annealing.
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it was a mysterious substance at the time,lots to learn about how to use it properly. very tricky material to work with.
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Well, the Skunk Works figured it out!
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somebody had to......remember the wing-hinge box for the Tomcat? electron-beam welded in a sealed vacuum chamber,a new process developed by Grumman.
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Neat. So the F-111 and F-14 were different in their wing boxes? I know the Tomcat's wings were computer operated...but could be controlled manually of needed...Aardvark wings were all manual!
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Aardvark.....the Wonderplane that was supposed to do everything!{what a flop that thing was}but at least it gave Grumman lots more knowledge in VG technology than anybody else.{XF-10F Jaguar,early 50s,with VG wings,the only Grumman "Cat" that failed} that wing-box was a masterpiece of design,when the first
Tomcat prototype crashed,the wing-box was dug up later from 6 feet underground,virtually undamaged,and later used by Grumman as a test fixture!
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i have an XF-10F in my gallery titled-Grumman,s Dead Cat.
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Took me a while to find! You have so many deviations! Looks kind small...
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well,it was just a single-seater from a long time ago.....but still a significant step forward.
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You said in the description that they got a large amount of useful data...imagine what would have happened if they didn't have that data when they were working on the Tomcat!
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so actually,the Jaguar wasn,t a total loss after all,now was it? saved lots of time and money later on for both Grumman and the Navy by having prior knowledge of VG available when it was needed,along with additional knowledge gained from the F-111B program,thus resulting in the Tomcat!
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And the missiles used with the YF-12A evolved into the AIM-54, right?
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that they did. a Phoenix risen from the ashes!
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the Iranians tried to reverse-engineer all kinds of things after we and they "parted ways",and they were fairly successful with some projects.{with a bit of help from the Russians,too!}
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I heard that in Russia you can get just about anything for the right price...even a ride in a MiG...
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or a Mig itself!{for Private Ownership} or perhaps we can interest you in a Sukhoi,Comrade.....! as well as other places in Eastern Europe! or perhaps a Shenyang?
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How awesome would it be to OWN a Mig?
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about as awesome as paying for the fuel! JET-A is over $100 a barrel these days!
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Well, you wouldn't necessarily have to fly it...just have it sit in your back yard and look cool. Maybe take it to a few air shows...
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or perhaps an English Electric/BAC Lightning? {power by Rolls-Royce,of course!}
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You and your RR...or even a Titan Missile base...
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and those rubber things on the wheels are TYRES....OMG,i,m turning into One of Them......!
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You are! Thanks in part to ferrygirl...
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and others too.....! i think i may have been one of Churchill,s Few in a Past Life. and i would sell my soul to fly a Vickers VC-10! any RR jet engine just makes the sweetest song when the thrust levers are advanced to full takeoff power.......! yes,i suppose even aircraft engines can have a foreign accent,just like people!
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Never heard a RR engine...
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if you get a chance,take a flight on one of my Company,s 757,s,and take a seat near,or forward of the wing. some 57,s have P&W,s but most {ours,for sure!}use the Rolls-Royce RB-211 powerplant.
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Don't know when the next time I'll be on a commercial airliner will be...
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hope it,s one of ours....!{i need every dollar i can get!}
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Does CO Air fly out of Philadelphia International? You need every dollar you can get to support your "habit".
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of course we do! nonstop direct to CLE and HOU,for starters,and connections to many other places. have you ever flown with us before?
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I know I've flown with Southwest(long taxi line after a long wait for the plane to show up!), and I flown on another airline, I just don't remember which one...it was about 6 years ago. I'd have to ask my mom or dad.
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OK,Southwest and whoever-else-it was. we usually don,t like to make our PAX wait for anything like that! especially BusinessFirst! those folks are paying a Premium Price for a ticket,and we like to give them their money,s worth! {World,s Most Admired Airline!}
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Most admired? Never knew that! It was a pain waiting all that time for the plane and in the taxi line, and when we got there (Florida) they had us in a holding pattern too!
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it,s a Crowded Sky.....! we need another airport{EWR-size}for the NYC area,very congested!
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Would there be any place to put it?
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unfortunately,no. unless they can acqire perhaps a deactivitated military base? or even a closed mfg. facility,there are a few out on Long Island....unless a developer has already bought up the land. but i don,t think some of the wealthier residents would like that! {not in MY backyard!} so we,ll just have to make do with what we have for now.
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So even if they could find a proper place, the residents would not approve.
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lots of people just don,t like having an airport anywhere near them....but then again,they,re not all like us! {Good People,with Pure Hearts.....WHO LIKE AIRPLANES!} right now,there is still a BIG debate ongoing as to open up Teterboro{almost within walking distance from my house!} to scheduled commuter traffic,but a lot of factions just keep yelling it down.
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I don't mind being near an airport at all! My house is right near a private airport, and often times I see commercial airliners from Philly International...and I'm also about a 30-45 minute drive away from NAS JRB Willow Grove...don't mind the noisy A-10s over my house at all! The day before I moved into college, SIX of them flew over my house. And just yesterday I saw a C-17 twice. I love it! But I know not everyone feels the same...
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and to think that some idiots build residential communities near airports that were already there before,and then proceed to Bitch and Moan about the noise! ha,serves,em right! now,if only more people were like us......!
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If only...I'd have people to talk to IRL...
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