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Post by birdguy on Aug 14, 2009 23:29:45 GMT -5
Tough birds Don. And heavy birds.
During my year at Takhli I saw one come back with an unexploded SAM sticking out of the bottom of the fuselage. One with most of it's vertical fin missing. And one with a hole in the wing the crew chief was on a ladder and standing through.
When a pilot returned from his 100th (and last) mission he would give us an air show before he landed. One time one of them went super sonic about 100 feet above the runway and broke half the windows on the flightline. Then he'd land and the fire trucks would lead him back to the revetment with red lights flashing and sirens blaring. The pilot would climb down from the cockpit onto a red carpet and get a champagne shower. Then a group of pilots would carry him to the swimmng pool and throw him in. That night it was obligatory from him to go to the NCO and airman's clubs and buy a round for everyone.
But as I said they were heavy birds. They took every inch of runway getting off. Someone once said if they ever built a runway around the equator Republic would build an airplane that would need every inch of it.
Noel
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Aug 15, 2009 11:13:16 GMT -5
I believe that was the last successful aircraft from Republic, it appears. They were taken over by Fairchild-Hiller and next produced the A-10 Thunderbolt II as a Fairchild product. Not quite a P-47, but a tough aircraft, though.
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Post by birdguy on Aug 15, 2009 12:24:29 GMT -5
They took the F-105's M-61 gun and gave it to the A-10 so there is a bit of a genetic link there.
Noel
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Post by pilotgod on Aug 16, 2009 2:17:03 GMT -5
They took the F-105's M-61 gun and gave it to the A-10 so there is a bit of a genetic link there. Noel Actually, that was the original concept during the A-X program for an anti-tank close air support aircraft, but the USAF wanted a better gun then what was available. This led to the GAU-8 being built, then the two programs combined to mate the GAU-8 to the new airframe, by then called the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The M-61 is a 20mm Vulcan cannon firing at a rate of between 6,000 and 6,600 rounds per minute (100-110 bullets leaving every second)and having 6 barrels. A great gun yes, but just not quite the stopping power needed in a "tank killer". The GAU-8 which uses 7 barrels, fires the larger 30mm round, and slows the rate down to a mere 3,500 rounds per minute ( only about 58 rounds per second). The M-61 is what is now carried on fighter aircraft like the F-16, F-18 and such. The GAU-8 is considerably larger, about the length and weight of a Cadillac, so the plane had to be built around it. The A-10 is that plane. In fact, the nose wheel is offset of centerline on the 'Hog to allow for the gun.
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Post by birdguy on Aug 16, 2009 8:55:49 GMT -5
I should have known that. Thanks for the correciton.
Noel
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Post by pilotgod on Aug 17, 2009 5:38:19 GMT -5
No worries, and not to take anything away from the F-105, heck it was an aircraft banned from airshows for being too loud. Heh, there isn't such a thing as too loud.
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Post by okami on Aug 17, 2009 9:23:26 GMT -5
No worries, and not to take anything away from the F-105, heck it was an aircraft banned from airshows for being too loud. Heh, there isn't such a thing as too loud. Not to mention the Thunderbirds having an unfortunate episode on the type...
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Post by birdguy on Aug 17, 2009 13:15:56 GMT -5
Heh, there isn't such a thing as too loud.
I wouldn't go that far. All those years on the flightline before we even thought about hearing protection has taken it's toll. I can't watch a movie or TV program anymore unless it's close captioned.
Noel
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Post by jesse on Aug 17, 2009 13:32:27 GMT -5
Yes and you know from personal experience that I can't hear worth a hoot. Can't blame it on the Merlins because my time with them was too short. Guess I'll have to lay the blame on the R-4360s. Had near seven years with them.
Jesse
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Post by birdguy on Oct 1, 2009 13:36:54 GMT -5
It was also nice seeing the bay without that eyesore of a bridge.
Heh, heh, heh.
I guess the eye of the beholder and your generation has a lot to do with how you perceive things. A few years ago, when my daughter was working in San Diego, I visited her there. I thought it was quite a nice looking bridge.
But that statement about the eyesore reminds me of my father.
I think the Golden Gate Bridge is the most beatiful bridge in the world. I guess that's because I was born in San Francisco and grew up with it. I was only 3 years old when it opened, but my mom told me we walked on it on that day.
But my dad didn't like it. He had lived in San Francisco for years before the bridge was built. He thought is was an ugly 'eyesore' and complained about it everytime we drove across.
A lot of things seem ugly only because they are new and represent change.
Noel
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Post by pilotgod on Oct 1, 2009 13:58:51 GMT -5
No, the Golden Gate is beautiful because it has that grandiose architecture and definitely stands out as am impressive feat of design. While the Coronado is still an impressive bridge, the design is just boring. It's only "neat" factor is the height that it gets, which originally was intended to allow the carriers to go under it with no issues, but now all the carriers stay west of it along the quay wall at N. Island. It's weird, I love San Diego as a city, but the architecture there is um "different". Between the skyline that has buildings that look like they were modeled after tools and the oversized highway bridge they built on the bay, the skyline just looks off. I guess I'm one to talk though being from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I mean Dallas has a giant microphone in it's skyline and Ft. Worth is all box shaped buildings except for the gorgeous courthouse on the North end.
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Post by birdguy on Oct 2, 2009 16:48:26 GMT -5
I was bonr and raised in San Francisco (and in Marin County across the GG Bridge to the north). I had always admired the San Francisco Skyline until they built that god-awful TransAmerica pyramid. When I returned from Korea aboard a troopship as a young Marine the sight of that skyline (pre-TransAmerica) as we were docking at Treasure Island kinda choked me up. Coming home might have had a bit to do with it to.
Another skyline I like is Chicago, especially from out on the lake.
I lived in Denver for a number of years and that building whose top looks like the head of an electric razor is quite an eyesore too.
Noel
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