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I would have to say the Smithsonian, along with WPAFB are in the top
2...
Dave
kenpowell@comcast.net wrote:
OK Lynn, share with me - what are the top 3 airplane museums in
the Continental US? No kidding, that might be a really fun vacation!
Ken Powell
--------------
Original message --------------
> In a message dated 12/20/2004 1:01:19 PM Central Standard Time,
> micallahan@worldnet.att.net writes:
>
> << Yeah, I was very suspect of the droop nose and the big
windshield
> myself. Not only that, why in the world would this "pilot" have
her name on
> the side of a prototype and why doesn't it have the usual twelve
foot tall
> letters of the model number (YF/A-37)? Forward swept elevons? I
don't think
> so. The clincher was the bottom pic with the guys in the
foreground manning
> a big movie camera. Mike C.
>
>
> >>
>
> Not so fast there boys. That is an Air Force camera team. It won't
be an "F"
> anything until after acceptance testing is completed. It will be a
YF
> something until then.
>
>
>
> The canopy is the new Buckey strand reinforced Pyrex glass
structure. The
> nose raises up to streamline at cruise (mach 3.8 without AB) it
droops for
> landing like the Concord. The forward swept horizontals and the
lack of
> verticals is
> part of the shock wave management system. The rudder works split
strakes at
> the wing tips to replicate rudder feel. There are rudder pedals so
you can
> overpower the computers for air shows and such. Normally the feet
are in
> stirrups
> in the front of the seat pack.
> The whole nose is the escape pod. Developed and tested to 40,000
feet by
> Rutan's Scaled Composites people. The escape pod is flyable and
has a range of
> 50
> statute miles. Powered by powdered nitril rubber and nitrous. It
has auto
> pilot and will auto track to the nearest friendly area before
deploying the
> chute.
>
> A picture of this thing got out, so they made up the movie story
to cover it.
> Now DOD has to front the movie to throw off the bad guys. It's
been flying
> between Tonopa and Groom Lake every night for a year.
>
> There is a guy on that mountain every night with a 16" reflector
telescope
> who says a C-5 leaves there at dusk and this thing lands blacked
out around
> midnight. His guess is that they either take it close by to launch
it, or they
> can
> launch it right out the back door of the C-5. Pretty cool stuff.
>
> The one on the carrier was the third airframe. The first was the
structures
> test frame so it got bent and vibrated through two lifetimes. It
will be
> repaired and shipped to the AF Museum In Dayton next year.
Although it can
> launch
> from a carrier it is not what the Navy wanted. So the Naval
version will have
> more wing area and a slightly lower cruise speed, and carry more
ordnance. Air
> frame three is all Air Force
>
> The first flight test airframe is back at Lockheed Burbank for
repairs after
> a fueling fire in October. This will be the follow on to the F-36,
the one
> that can hover. The F-36 replaces the F-22 that just formed its
first squadron.
> Some folks say this one can not only hover, but can leave
unimproved locations
> with full fuel and ordnance load,
> by using dropable assist rocket motors in tubes along side the
lift fans.
> Same fans as the F-36.
>
> During this carrier event they were just firing those rockets one
at a time
> and filming the effect on the airframe from the epoxy based
nonskid surface
> that is used on all carriers. Also they placed various support
equipment nearby
> to see what effect that would suffer.
>
> How do I know this?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I don't. I just made it up.
>
>
>
>
>
> If you felt real proud there for a minute,
>
> Keep right on feeling proud.
>
> This kind of stuff is in the works right now. The looser in the
flyoff that
> the F-22 won is now at the Air Force Museum and it has the rudders
laid down
> almost flat just like the movie plane. The YF-23 I believe. It is
just
> beautiful. Long and snake like. And it flew real well. Just a bit
too pricey.
>
> The F-36 really does hover, and is the replacement for the F-22.
>
> There is an F-22 at the Museum also. The one that crashed I
suspect. Worth
> the trip to Dayton. One of the top three airplane museums on
earth.
>
>
> This and much more, is coming soon to an air show near you. God
bless America.
>
>
> Lynn E. Hanover
Homepage: http://www.flyrotary.com/
Archive: http://lancaironline.net/lists/flyrotary/List.html
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