Guess the plane

[onetrack]

The Budd "Shotwelding" technique for the stainless steel was quite interesting. It was a modification of spot welding, which had been in use long before WW2 started.

SS loses its strength substantially, if heated to a range between 1100° and 1600°F - but it keeps its strength, if that temperature is only transient.

So Budd devised this "Shotwelding" system whereby the temperature of the spot weld was taken instantaneously through its 1100° to 1600°F range, directly to the 2700°F fusing temperature, which joined the two sections, without affecting their strength.

One keen aeronautical engineer predicted in 1941, that SS would end up being the primary construction material for aircraft in the future! But I don't think he took into account that SS would become more expensive, and aluminium would become much cheaper, and that new aluminium alloys would develop far greater capabilities at lower cost than SS ever could.

 

1941 "Time" welding article - http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,772840-3,00.html

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by onetrack

[cscotthendry]

It's been a real education being here at Pima to see all the different ways of solving problems in flying machines. All the planes here are special for one or more reasons and all are unique.

This one is one of the types of airplanes I worked on in the USAF. It is an EC-135. It is a Boeing 707 configured as an airborne command post with refuelling capabilities. When the cold war was going, there was one or more of these in the air 24/7/365. The aircraft is full from nose to tail with communications equipment and always flew with line officers from all four branches of the military. One of the interesting features was the VLF radio that could communicate with submarines. It had an antenna that was said to be 5 miles long. It had a big heavy drogue on the end of a long wire antenna that rolled up on a drum inside the aircraft. There was an axe near the drum to chop the wire if the drum mechanism failed as the airplane couldn't land with the antenna extended.

[Flightrite]

The ‘axe’ comment reminded me of the days towing targets for the Navy in an old PA31. The ‘axe’ was placed in a specially built frame suspended over the cable, should the cable winch fail or the target was shot up by the Navy gunners ( whom I might add never once hit the target😂😂) and couldn’t be safely reeled in then a large mash hammer chained to said frame was used to belt the crap out of the cable!😂

Footnote: with the target extended the old PA31 would descend at around 500fpm on one donk at combat power! Great times, many years ago now👍

[onetrack]

An axe for cable cutting shows a complete lack of knowledge of cables. Imagine what a miss during an axe swing, would do to an airframe!

Almost since steel cables were invented, you could acquire a simple cable cutter that is nothing more than a little guillotine, and they can be operated with a small hammer.

Hydraulic hand-operated cable cutters have been around since the 1950's - and today, you can even buy battery-drill operated cable cutters.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iERcpgO3e7U

 

[Flightrite]

That’s what the set up I used to be involved with was, not so much a free swinging axe but an axe head of sought captured in a guide frame, then being belted with a mash hammer, we used to simulate it and it actually worked quite well.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Flightrite

[Blueadventures]

[onetrack]

Skystar Vixen.

[Blueadventures]

24 minutes ago, onetrack said:

Skystar Vixen.

Not that.

[red750]

The design may have started out as a Denney Kitfox. Denney sold the rights to Skystar Aviation where it became the Skystar Kitfox. The series 5 taildragger was called the Safari, and the tricycle gear version was called the Vixen. With further development and an increase in gross weight, the Safari became the Outback, and the tricycle became the Voyager.

 

Looks very like this to me.

 

[Old Koreelah]

Looks like a product of Queensland: a Terrier 200.

[Blueadventures]

44 minutes ago, Old Koreelah said:

Looks like a product of Queensland: a Terrier 200.

Yes, the prototype.  Had the wings from a mates 'Tracker' on it for the first flights.

[sfGnome]

Regardless of what it is, why does there appear (in the original photo) to be a large chunk missing from the fuselage just forward of the tail feathers? 🤷‍♂️

[Blueadventures]

1 minute ago, sfGnome said:

Regardless of what it is, why does there appear (in the original photo) to be a large chunk missing from the fuselage just forward of the tail feathers? 🤷‍♂️

blotting out the name

Edited July 4, 2023 by Blueadventures

[Blueadventures]

21 hours ago, red750 said:

The design may have started out as a Denney Kitfox. Denney sold the rights to Skystar Aviation where it became the Skystar Kitfox. The series 5 taildragger was called the Safari, and the tricycle gear version was called the Vixen. With further development and an increase in gross weight, the Safari became the Outback, and the tricycle became the Voyager.

 

Looks very like this to me.

 

The story for this aircraft is that Brian Foxley Connerly designed his Fox 40 as a single seater then widened the mould for the above aircraft.  He sold the moulds and developed the Terrier and later sold out his share to the current owner of the company.Fox 40 images.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Blueadventures

[facthunter]

The later product is called a "Foxcon" Nev

[red750]

I found the details I posted above by Googling the name posted by onetrack, then looking at Images. When I found an image that looked very similar (door shape, rear window, etc.,) with the fox image on the cowling and it was listed as the Skystar Vixen, that seemed to make sense. However, many images uploaded to the internet have been mislabeled. The source of the image (in my post above) came from aeropedia.com.au. A look at the Wikipedia page on the Denney Kitfox showed the details I reported above, and the images on that page also seemed to confirm the Skyfox story. There was also a photo of a single seat variant called the Belite ultralight. All very confusing.

[Blueadventures]

4 hours ago, facthunter said:

The later product is called a "Foxcon" Nev

Correct, Brian is at the propellor and I get my information from Bill (middle in picture).  I took my photos as digital copies of his photo collection during a recent visit to Bills place at Childers.

[red750]

Here is a link to the aeropedia.com.au page.

[Student Pilot]

Any of the Avid/kitfox derivatives originally designed by Dean Wilson had steel tube frames and separate flaperons. 

[Cyrano]

On 24/03/2022 at 1:24 AM, onetrack said:

An axe for cable cutting shows a complete lack of knowledge of cables. Imagine what a miss during an axe swing, would do to an airframe!

Almost since steel cables were invented, you could acquire a simple cable cutter that is nothing more than a little guillotine, and they can be operated with a small hammer.

Hydraulic hand-operated cable cutters have been around since the 1950's - and today, you can even buy battery-drill operated cable cutters.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iERcpgO3e7U

 

Better option than hitting the airframe with planet earth at great speed...

[facthunter]

The earth only hit's planes in self defence.  Nev

[Blackhawk]

Chris Conroy also had the Terrier at one stage and was called the "Aerolite Terrier"  which was sold to Max Peters in Victoria who owned Amax Gyrocopters, I don't think Max produced any of the Terrier's and sold it (I think it was bought by Helmut Kley)

 

Foxcon maintains that they designed the Terrier from scratch which is total bs 

 

[IBob]

On 23/03/2022 at 5:58 PM, Flightrite said:

There sure has been some ugly A/C over the years!😂

Some of the folk who fly them don't look too good either.......)

[red750]

[onetrack]

The very first Douglas DST, and the first Douglas aircraft with sleeper berths. But it wasn't the first aircraft with sleeper berths, that claim to fame goes to the Curtiss Condor (in 1932).