100 Years of Flight

[82Rigger]

...okay, I'll allow falling through the air to count, even though it's mono-directional.

However, during your descent you must have, at least once, flapped your arms rapidly up and down and squawked.

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[billr]

The shuttles are not considered "aircraft" in the strictest sense of the word. They are "orbiters" that are blasted into space by means of solid rocket boosters and an external fuel tank.

[revwardoc]

This is the beast I worked on, the Lockheed C-141A Starlifter. It was the first all jet engine transport and, I believe the B and C models are still in active service. I wish the photo was clearer so I could tell which wing this one's from. I wish I could've gotten some frequent flier miles while in the AF since I'd probably still be using them today. Whenever the base commander wanted to get in his hours in order to keep his flight status active, he would use this special 141 that we'd actually have to wax and polish! You think polishing your car is a pain in the butt? Try doing that to a plane bigger than a 707! Wax on, wax off! Over and over!

[39mto39g]

the x-15 is carried under a B-52 or B-29 it didn't take off, It doesn't even have wheels. The shuttle is blasted off because of its payload. In every sence of the word, the shuttle is an Air craft.
The X-15 was impressive in its day, but, it is neather fastest or highest flying aircraft.

Ron

[Dragon Lady]

Hey Rev,
You worked on the A models? Weren't some of them silver? That might explain the waxing.
I started out on the 141B at McChord and Travis. They are a fun little plane.
At Dover the C5 ramp was next to the 141 ramp and they looked like a group of Mamas and Babies out there.
You know they've been in the process of retiring the 141 and replacing her with C17s. That Gulf War took years off her airframe.

[billr]

Ron - The shuttles fall into a different category than the X-15. As of 4/22/01 the official speed records for some of the fastest flying machines are as listed below. (From aerospaceweb.org)

Guiness Book of World Records still shows the X-15 as the "Fastest Winged Aircraft".



Piston-Powered Aircraft Grumman F8F Bearcat 528.33 mph
(849.55 km/h) 21 August 1989

Turboprop-Powered Aircraft Tupolev Tu-114 545.07 mph
(876.47 km/h) 9 April 1960

Jet-Powered Flying Boat Beriev M-10 566.69 mph
(911.24 km/h) 7 August 1961

Jet-Powered Aircraft Lockheed SR-71A 2,193.16 mph
(3,326.60 km/h) Mach 3.3 28 July 1976

Rocket-Powered Aircraft North American X-15A-2 4,534 mph
(7,297 km/h) Mach 6.72 3 October 1967

Winged Vehicle Space Shuttle Columbia
on re-entry ~ 17,000 mph (27,340 km/h) Mach 25 14 April 1981

Manned Vehicle Apollo 10 capsule
on re-entry ~ 24,790 mph (39,885 km/h) Mach 36 26 May 1969

Interplanetary Vehicle Voyager I ~ 38,600 mph
(62,070 km/h) launched 5 September 1977

Manmade Object Helios 2 ~ 150,000 mph (241,350 km/h) 17 April 1976

[39mto39g]

All I can say is, There data seems to be incorrect.

Where does the SR-71 fit in. It doesn't use a jet or rocket engine, It flies in and out of space, Has its own fuel.
Is the F-14 a FIXED wing?
Harrier, can blast off, Even the C-130 uses rockets sometimes.

"THEY" can say that the shuttle is not an aircraft all they want to, If it quaks like a duck, has webb feet like a duck, flies like a duck, has a duck bill. IT'S a Duck.

Ron

[Seascamp]

It?s an illusion; all done with special effects, hidden springs, mirrors, trap doors and smoke. Nothing as big as a C5 could possibly fly, no way. Oracle Jones told me so after he slamed back half dozen shooters of mixed and fermented snake, gator and possum pee.

I went on a project once to Marietta, GA, where the C5 was being built. I was working on the PAP (Plant Air Package compressor system) and I have to say that the pneumatic fixtures used for assembly required more CFM of compressed air than I?d ever seen before or since in any assembly plant. I won?t even get to talking about the assembly area other than to say I gained a lot of empathy for the Lilliputians and other wee folk.

Scamp

[Dragon Lady]

Seas,
Wwwaaay back when...okay Mid 80s, I was one of 5 women in a squadron of 1,000 people, I was 5'4" and weighed a whopping 103 lbs. Calling a C5 big is like saying the Pacific Ocean is a puddle.
I about died laughing the first time I saw one come home painted in Cammie colors. "Hey look at that forest screaming down the runway!" It's not like you can hide these things anywhere!

Fat Freddy was my buddy for several years. Heck my ex still flies 'em for the AF, active duty. He started out as a crewchief. There's one pilot the crew chief cant BS. Ha.

[billr]

If you want to discuss the validity of the data, you will have to do so with the author of the information I posted.

Douglas T. Jackson
Aeronautical Engineer

Biography: Doug specializes in improving aircraft survivability, or the ability of a vehicle to withstand damage and continue flying safely. Doug is also involved in various rotorcraft programs as well as efforts to improve crash-worthiness. He travels the country frequently to participate in survivability tests of aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Professional Interests: Aerodynamics, flight dynamics, helicopters, tilt rotor technology, survivability, experimental testing.

Memberships:
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society

By the way, the SR 71 is right above the X-15 on the list - Jet Powered Aircraft

Also, the duck didn't even make the list -

Bird (level flight) Red-Breasted Merganser 80 mph (129 km/h)

Bird (dive) Peregrine Falcon 217 mph (349 km/h) in a 45? dive