The Longest Bombing Mission Ever

[Jason]

^married to this:

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The Germans couldn't seem to focus on one good plane, they wanted a "war winner in a box".

[Jason]

The 262 was a mean machine when it finally got up to speed.. if it didn't flame out.. or run out of ammo.

[Sean Hayden]

Ah, the de Havilland Sea Vixen*. Only the Royal Navy could manage to commission an aircraft that looks both beautiful and somewhat unsightly at the same time.

Yeah, it's almost confusing.

[klr]

It looks like it was inspired by that Luftwaffe monstrosity.

The Flitzer. That model is closer than the real thing ever got to being built.

The 262 was a mean machine when it finally got up to speed.. if it didn't flame out.. or run out of ammo.

Engine TBO: 4 hours. Engine TBR: 10 hours. Bleeding edge, to be sure. Wonderful plane though.

TBO/TBR = (Flight) Time Between Overhaul/Replacement

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The 262 was a mean machine when it finally got up to speed.. if it didn't flame out.. or run out of ammo.

100 mph faster than our best, meaning they effectively were doing 100 to our zero.

But Hitler ordered them used as schnellbombers before using them as fighters.

[Jason]

And don't forget the cute little ME163.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And don't forget the cute little ME163.

Hypergolic fuel is very much fun.

[klr]

And don't forget the cute little ME163.

Hypergolic fuel is very much fun.

Yup, the pilots and ground crew didn't think it very "cute" at all

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And don't forget the cute little ME163.

Hypergolic fuel is very much fun.

Yup, the pilots and ground crew didn't think it very "cute" at all

"Bert and Ernie" mixed up a batch.

[macdoc]

was cruising the Smitsonian and found the missing Navy bombers from the Bermuda Triangle



This is the model used for Close Encounters.



and on it are hidden little anomalies - we could not find them all. This is an empire star fighter

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I love that kind of thing. Did they have a list?

[Sean Hayden]

That's cool stuff macdoc.



...more derail



Whew, it's a bit spooky when he heads into a stall at that altitude.

[pErvinalia]

Regarding the QANTAS talk earlier, this just came out:
QANTAS falls 2 places in safety rankings.

Qantas only ranks 13th in the world in terms of airline safety according to a European group of airline safety enthusiasts, a far cry from the previously prized number one ranking immortalised by Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man.

Its trans-Tasman rival, Air New Zealand, ranked as the world's second-safest airline in the same rankings, behind only Finland's national carrier Finnair.

Qantas's chief rival in Australia, Virgin Australia, was ranked ninth.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-new ... 2cm44.html

[macdoc]

They did have a list but don't recall it.

Here is the list