The Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly was a United States ground attack aircraft, fitted with a forward-firing 75 mm cannon to attack heavily armored targets. The first prototype flew on 7 May 1944 but after testing it became obvious it would not be ready for the projected invasion of Japan, and furthermore it used engines required by the B-29 Superfortress — which had priority. It was thus canceled after two prototypes had been completed, and remains a fascinating might-have-been.

_________________
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my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

The Breda Ba.88 Lince (Italian: Lynx) was a ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. Although its streamlined external shape and retractable undercarriage made it look highly advanced for the time, its operational career was cut short when the production aircraft were loaded down with military equipment, resulting in a greatly reduced performance. It represented, perhaps, the most remarkable failure of any operational aircraft to see service in World War II.

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Grumman F14C Shipborne interceptor

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Ambrosini SAI 403 Fighter
SAI.403 Dardo was a considerably refined version of the SAI.207, designed during the delays in that type's development. The improvements induced the Ministero dell' Aeronautica in 1943 to cancel its order for 2,000 of the SAI.207 so as to order 3,000 of the SAI.403 instead (800 from Ambrosini, 1,000 from Caproni, and 1,200 from Savoia-Marchetti). Apart from the fighter's superlative performance, its all-wood construction was attractive at a time when Italy was facing a shortage of strategic materials. However, by the time of the Armistice, the first of these was yet to leave the factory.

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Convair C-99

In July 1950 the XC-99 flew its first cargo mission, "Operation Elephant". It transported 101,266 pounds of cargo, including engines and propellers for the B-36, from San Diego to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, a record it would later break when it lifted 104,000 lb (47,174 kg) from an airfield at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation. In August 1953, the XC-99 would make its longest flight, 12,000 mi (19,000 km), to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, by way of Bermuda and the Azores. It carried more than 60,000 lb (27,216 kg) each way. It attracted much attention everywhere it flew.

The US Air Force determined that it had no need for such a large, long-range transport at that time, and no more were ordered. The sole XC-99 served until 1957, including much use during the Korean War. It made twice weekly trips from Kelly AFB to the aircraft depot at McClellan AFB, California, transporting supplies and parts for the B-36 bomber while returning by way of other bases or depots making pick-ups and deliveries along the way. During its operational life the XC-99 logged over 7,400 hours total time.

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Blackburn B-48 Firecrest
Operational experience had found that Blackburn's Firebrand strike fighter to be far from suited to carrier operations. Particularly, the pilot sat behind the wing trailing edge, looking over a very long and wide nose, which gave a particularly poor view for landing. The Firecrest had a redesigned, inverted gull wing and moved the pilot forwards and raised his position so that he was now looking over the leading edge, and down the nose, rather than along it. Four Fowler flaps were fitted to give good low-speed handling for landing and the wing had retractable dive brakes on both surfaces. The wing folded in two places to allow storage in carrier hangars. In other respects, the Firecrest was a conventional monoplane design with a tailwheel undercarriage and particularly clean lines.

Despite a promising performance, the Firecrest project was abandoned in 1948 as existing types would fill its role satisfactorily until the new generation of turbine-powered aircraft entered service

_________________
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my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Blackburn Firebrand
Benché sia entrato in servizio nella Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy nel 1943, il Firebrand non intraprese alcuna azione bellica durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Restò comunque operativo sulle portaerei della Royal Navy fino al 1953.

_________________
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my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
Andrea

Blohm & Voss BV P.215





specification was issued by the Technische Luftrüstung (Technical Air Armaments Board) in late January 1944 for the definitive night fighter. Preliminary requirements were to be a top speed of 900 km/h (559 mph), an endurance of four hours, armament consisting of four cannon and internally mounted radar (FuG 240 or 244).
Dr. Richard Vogt, who designed the BV P.212, immediately began work on an aircraft to meet the specifications issued for the new night fighter. Vogt used the BV P.212 as the overall basis for the new BV P.215 night fighter. The fuselage was short, with an air intake in the nose leading directly to the two Heinkel He S 011 mounted in the rear fuselage. As with other Blohm & Voss Vogt designs, the fuselage structure was built up out of the intake tube, and all components attached to this structure (see the BV P.211.02). The wings featured a 30 degree sweepback and 6 degrees of dihedral; internally the support came from a wide wing box, constructed from welded steel. The outer wing tips angled down at 23 degrees, and assisted stability and control. Warm air diverted from the engine compartment was circulated through the wings for de-icing purposes. There were two small vertical fins and rudders located on the trailing edge of the wing, where the outer wing tips angled downwards. Total fuel capacity was 7800 liters (2061 gallons), stored mainly in wing tanks. An ingenious system to pre-heat the fuel was designed; a pump would circulate the fuel of the fuselage feeder tank through a spiral line around the engine compartment and into the wing tanks. The nose landing gear was taken from the Heinkel He 219 and retracted to the rear, and the two main wheels (angled forward by 16 degrees) also retracted forwards into the fuselage. The pressurized cockpit held a three man crew; a pilot, radar operator and navigator/radio man, and all three were provided with ejection seats. A wide variety of offensive armament could be carried in the aircraft's nose, and defensive armament consisted of a FHL 151 remote controlled, rear-facing turret armed with either one or two MG 151/20 20 mm cannon. A provision was made for possibly mounting two MK 108 30 mm cannon firing upwards, located behind the cockpit. Two SC 250 250 kg (551 lbs) or SC 500 (1102 lbs) could be carried in a belly recess. The BV P.215's constuction was mainly of metal througout, except for wooden control surfaces and the aircraft's nose. The nose was made of wood because of the installed electrical equipment. The installed electrical radio/radar equipment is listed below.
In the original Blohm & Voss proposal, it was pointed out that the P.215 was easily transportable. After removing the wings, the fuselage would be easily transportable with no need for specialized lifting equipment. On February 27, 1945, the specifications were upgraded for the future nightfighters, which none of the competitors' aircraft were able to achieve.Although the P.215 would have had good performance figures, it too did not reach the new specifications either. Nevertheless, it was chosen for further development on March 20, 1945. The end of the war ended any further development of this novel aircraft

_________________
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my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer
On June 20, 1941, the United States Navy placed an order with the Douglas Aircraft Company for two prototypes of a new two seat dive bomber to replace both the SBD Dauntless and the new SB2C Helldiver, designated XSB2D-1. The resulting aircraft, designed by a team lead by Ed Heinemann, was a large single-engined mid-winged monoplane. It had a laminar flow gull-wing, and unusually for a carrier based aircraft of the time, a Tricycle undercarriage. It was fitted with a bomb-bay and under-wing racks for up to 4,200 lb (1,900 kg), while defensive armament consisted of two wing mounted 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon and two remote controlled turrets, each with two .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns.[2]

The prototype first flew on April 8, 1943, demonstrating excellent performance, being much faster and carrying nearly double the bombload of the Helldiver, and orders for 358 SB2D-1s quickly followed. The US Navy changed its requirements, however, wanting single seat carrier based torpedo/dive bombers without defensive turrets, and Douglas re-worked the S2BD by removing the turrets and second crewman, while adding more fuel and armour, producing the BTD-1 Destroyer. The orders for S2BDs were converted to BTD-1s, with the first BTD flying on March 5 1944.

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Heinkel He 100 / 113

L'Heinkel He 100 era un aereo da caccia nominalmente in forza alla Luftwaffe nel corso della seconda guerra mondiale, in effetti dopo aver ottenuto una serie di record mondiali, l'aereo non venne prodotto in serie per ragioni ignote. Dei 19 esemplari di preserie, nessuno rimane a documentare l'aereo. Si suppone che il Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), nella sua opera di razionalizzazione dello sforzo bellico tedesco, abbia deciso di concentrare la produzione dei caccia destinandola a Messerschmitt AG e Focke-Wulf-Flugzeugbau GmbH, lasciando ad Heinkel gli aerei da trasporto. L'aereo in questione, così come un suo derivato fittizio, lo Heinkel He 113, venne usato per scopi propagandistici attraverso la diffusione di foto fatte ad arte per mostrare un inesistente impiego operativo

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Bombardiere Regia Aeronautica Piaggio P.108B - In volo 1942

L’origine del Piaggio P.108 è voluta da un concorso ministeriale per un "apparecchio veloce da bombardamento diurno e notturno, a grande raggio d’azione" indetto nel 1937. Parteciparono i C.R.D.A. e la Piaggio, quest'ultima con il progetto dell’ing. Casiraghi, direttore tecnico con importanti esperienze di lavoro negli Stati Uniti d’America, di un monoplano metallico ad ala bassa a sbalzo, bicomando, quadrimotore con carrello retrattile.

Il prototipo fu ultimato negli stabilimento di Finale Ligure nel novembre 1939 ed il primo volo avvenne il 24 novembre 1939 ai comandi del pilota collaudatore Nicolò Lana. Subito fu evidente la bontà del progetto. Seguirono una serie di voli di prova nell’ultimo dei quali si ebbe un incidente con gravi danni all’apparecchio e con conseguente rallentamento delle prove di sviluppo.

Un secondo esemplare fu terminato negli stabilimenti di Pontedera nel settembre 1940 e la consegna del primo prototipo alla Regia Aeronautica per le prove avvenne nell’ottobre dello stesso anno. Continuarono quindi le prove da parte della ditta costruttrice e da parte della Regia Aeronautica, con gli apparecchi che, con il proseguo dei mesi, venivano raggiunti da altri due esemplari.

Il 1° giugno 1941 si costituiva sull’aeroporto di Pisa la 274a Squadriglia Bombardamento a Grande Raggio, alle dipendenze della 3a Squadra Aerea, al comando del cap. pilota Bruno Mussolini, figlio del Duce; era previsto l’armamento su P.108 B anche se, al momento della costituzione, nessun velivolo era operativo.

Nell’attesa della consegna dei velivoli i piloti ricevettero addestramento al volo senza visibilità (strumentale) ed i comandanti, t.col. Gori Castellani e cap. Mussolini, visitarono un similare reparto tedesco equipaggiato di quadrimotori Focke Wulf FW 200 Condor di stanza a Bordeaux e operante sull’Atlantico.

Il 19 luglio 1941 si ebbe la presa in carico del primo velivolo. Il 7 agosto però, durante un volo di allenamento, l’apparecchio si schiantava al suolo in atterraggio, causando la morte del cap. Mussolini, a cui, a memoria del sacrificio, fu intitolata la Squadriglia.

Il 12 agosto veniva preso in carico un altro P.108B che subito iniziava un’intensa attività per la necessaria pratica di volo di tutti i piloti. Contemporaneamente iniziarono a manifestarsi una serie di piccole avarie dovute alla affrettata messa in linea della macchina.

Nei mesi seguenti proseguì l’attività addestrativa in parallelo con le richieste di modifiche e migliorie alla ditta costruttrice, che la stessa estese a tutti gli apparecchi in costruzione o da lei transitanti per revisione.

Il 2 marzo 1942 tre esemplari sfilarono in formazione su Roma, in occasione dell’XIX Annuale della costituzione della Regia Aeronautica.

Si avvicinava sempre di più il momento in cui la Squadriglia sarebbe entrata in azione e tutti, dai piloti ai meccanici agli specialisti della Piaggio, intensificarono gli sforzi e l’impegno per risolvere gli inconvenienti che venivano a manifestarsi durante l’intensa attività di addestramento. Restarono, purtroppo, degli inconvenienti ai motori.

Il 9 giugno 1942 ebbe inizio l’attività operativa con una ricognizione offensiva sul Mediterraneo Centro-orientale, eseguita da due apparecchi.

Ancora alcune ricognizioni offensive poi, il 26 giugno, i velivoli vennero schierati sul campo sardo di Decimomannu per l’impiego a cui erano stati progettati: il bombardamento strategico a grande distanza.

E il 28 giugno arrivò l’ordine tanto atteso: il bombardamento di Gibilterra.

Il decollo avvenne verso le ore 21.00; un apparecchio, per noie ai motori, dovette interrompere la missione e rientrare; gli altri quattro effettuarono regolarmente il bombardamento (ottenendo limitati danni alle infrastrutture della base inglese) ma due apparecchi furono costretti a prendere terra in territorio spagnolo causa un consumo irregolare di carburante, e andarono quindi persi.

Vennero rielaborate tutte le tabelle dei consumi ma, il 3 luglio, in una missione su Gibilterra, si ebbe la perdita dell’unico apparecchio inviato.

Seguì un ciclo addestrativo e di affinamento di macchine e uomini.

Il 24 settembre 1942, con il reparto reintegrato nei ranghi di uomini e velivoli, venne ripetuta con due apparecchi un’azione su Gibilterra, con sgancio regolare e ritorno di entrambi i velivoli.

Gli insegnamenti tratti dalle prime operazione davano buoni frutti.

Seguirono altre due missioni di bombardamento su Gibilterra ma gli eventi precipitavano: il 28 ottobre iniziarono le missioni di ricognizione strategica sul Mediterraneo Occidentale in previsione dello sbarco alleato nel Nord Africa Francese (operazione Torch).

Dall’11 novembre 1942 iniziò un ciclo di missioni di bombardamento sui porti e sugli aeroporti dell’Algeria francese occupata dagli Anglo-americani per un totale di 7 missioni fino alla fine del 1942.

Le missioni degli inizi del 1943 ricalcarono quelle della fine anno precedente sull’Algeria francese; l’ultima missione fu un bombardamento su Orano condotta da 2 Piaggio P. 108B il 20 gennaio 1943, poi, per un necessario periodo di riposo per il personale e le macchine, il reparto venne ritirato a Siena, poi a Guidonia e indi a Foligno.

Con l’invasione della Sicilia iniziava l’ultima fase operativa del reparto con missioni di bombardamento sulle forze alleate d’invasione dell’isola. Furono effettuate 4 missioni, l’ultima delle quali il 22 luglio sulla rada di Augusta con due apparecchi.

In totale furono effettuate dai Piaggio P.108B 29 missioni di guerra con 11 apparecchi andati perduti (6 apparecchi non rientrarono, 5 si distrussero al suolo in atterraggi di emergenza) a cui si aggiungono 2 apparecchi persi in missioni di addestramento. Sempre evidente fu la combattività ed il valore degli equipaggi anche se spesso gli apparecchi limitarono tali sforzi. Il velivolo, benché esente da gravi difetti, venne inserito in linea operativa senza un adeguato periodo di collaudo, che avrebbe dovuto essere più lungo dei normali vista la particolarità dell’apparecchio nel panorama nazionale; si ebbe pertanto una serie di piccoli difetti ed avarie che vennero alla luce durante le operazioni belliche, con conseguente limitazione delle stesse. In particolare i problemi ai propulsori causarono rientri anticipati e perdite di apparecchi. Non si può però non rilevare che, da un parallelo con i similari velivoli avversari, il Piaggio P.108B aveva una superiorità tecnica indiscussa. L’industria aeronautica che il Piaggio P.108 B aveva alle spalle non era però quella americana per risorse e capacità produttive; ben altro sarebbe stato infatti il ruolo e l‘influenza sulle operazioni belliche che il quadrimotore avrebbe potuto fornire se presente in linea in altro numero.

Resta il primato di essere stato l’unico bombardiere strategico dell’Asse ad essere impiegato bellicamente e di avere ancora un particolare vivente: il motorino d’avviamento dei motori fu infatti utilizzato dalla Piaggio quale motore per la mitica Vespa.

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Piaggio-Douglas PD-808

Nel 1957 la Douglas iniziò lo studio di un nuovo velivolo executive imbarcato per la United States Navy e giunse ad un progetto preliminare chiamato D-808. La Marina però non era disposta a sostenere da sola il costo del progetto ma si dichiarò disponibile ad acquistare 200 esemplari nel caso in cui ne fosse stata prima realizzata una versione civile.

La Douglas, che non aveva grande esperienza nello sviluppo di questo tipo di velivoli, cercò di coinvolgere la Northrop che non accettò ma che indicò la Piaggio Aero Industries come partner aziendale ideale per questo progetto.

Dopo essersi assicurata l'interesse dell'Aeronautica Militare, l'azienda genovese firmò nell'aprile del 1961 un accordo che prevedeva la costruzione da parte sua degli esemplari destinati al mercato civile, mentre la Douglas si riservava il diritto di costruire nei suoi stabilimenti gli esemplari eventualmente ordinati dalla Marina americana ed opportunamente modificati per l'impiego sulle portaerei. L'azienda americana inoltre non avrebbe investito denaro ma avrebbe messo a disposizione il personale, i progetti e le conoscenze necessarie per lo sviluppo del velivolo.

Nel 1961 il progetto fu gradualmente trasferito dallo stabilimento di El Segundo in California a Finale Ligure (Savona) sotto la responsabilità dell'ingegner Alessandro Mazzoni.

I primi due prototipi furono costruiti a Finale Ligure e il primo volo ci fu il 29 agosto 1964 all'aeroporto di Genova-Sestri Ponente, a poco più di tre anni dall'avvio del progetto. La certificazione RAI/FAA fu rilasciata il 20 novembre 1966; inoltre il PD-808 fu il primo aereo italiano progettato e certificato con le severe norme FAR-25 per i velivoli da trasporto.

Nel 1967 la Douglas e la McDonnell si fusero dando vita a una delle più importanti industrie aerospaziali del mondo: la McDonnell Douglas. Uno dei primi atti della nuova società fu la cancellazione del programma del PD-808, ritenendo che non interessasse più la Marina americana.

Senza un partner così importante, la Piaggio non ritenne in grado di poter affrontare da sola la produzione, la vendita e il supporto sul mercato civile; l'Aeronautica Militare ne ordinò però 22 esemplari, risollevando così le sorti dell'azienda.

Venne utilizzato per un'ampia gamma di ruoli, come l'addestramento alla guerra elettronica (versione GE, con equipaggiamento ECM), radiomisure (RM) o trasporto VIP (TP).
Il PD-808 venne impiegato solamente in Italia, dall'Aeronautica Militare, ad iniziare dal 1966 e dalle I.A.M.Rinaldo Piaggio SpA con l'esemplare NC 504 I-PIAL. L'ultimo esemplare, un GE, volò il 17 maggio 2003, dopo aver raggiunto il limite di vita operativa

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Martin A-45 / XB-51



The resulting unorthodox design, first flying on 28 October 1949, was (unusually for a combat aircraft) fitted with three engines, General Electric J47s in this case: one at the extreme tail with an intake at the base of the tailfin, and two underneath the forward fuselage in pods.[2] The innovative wings, swept at 35° and with 6° anhedral, were equipped with variable incidence, leading-edge slots, full-width flaps and spoilers instead of ailerons. The combination of variable incidence adjustment and slotted flaps allowed for a shorter takeoff run.[3] Four 954 lb (4.24 kN) thrust Rocket-Assisted Take Off (RATO) bottles with a 14-second burn duration could be fitted to the rear fuselage to further improve takeoff performance. Spectacular launches were a feature of later test flights.[2]

The main landing gear consisted of dual sets of wheels in tandem in the fuselage, similar to the B-47 Stratojet, with outrigger wheels at the wingtips (originally proved on a modified B-26 Marauder named "Middle River Stump Jumper"[2]). The B-51 was a large but aerodynamically "clean" design which incorporated nearly all major systems internally.[3] The aircraft was fitted with a rotating bomb bay, a Martin trademark; bombs could also be carried externally up to a maximum load of 10,400 lb (4,700 kg), although the specified basic mission only required a 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) bombload. Eight 20 mm (.79 in) cannons mounted in the nose would have been installed in production aircraft.[3]

Crew provision was for a pilot under a "fighter"-type bubble canopy and a SHORAN (short-range navigation and bombing system) operator/navigator in a compartment located lower than and to the rear of the cockpit (only a small observation window was provided).[3] Both crew members were provided with a pressurized, air-conditioned environment, equipped with upward-firing ejection seats.[3] The XB-51 was the first Martin aircraft equipped with ejection seats; the ejection seats were their own design
In 1950, the United States Air Force issued a new requirement based on early Korean war experience for a night intruder/bomber to replace the A-26 Invader. The XB-51 was entered, as well as the Avro Canada CF-100 and the English Electric Canberra. The Canberra and XB-51 emerged as the favorites. The XB-51 was a highly maneuverable aircraft at low level, and substantially faster than the Canberra (its "turn-of-speed" was faster than most fighter aircraft of the era[3]). However, its load limiting factor of only 3.67 g (36 m/s²) restricted tight turns, and the XB-51's endurance was substantially poorer than the Canberra's; this latter proved to be the deciding factor. Additionally, the tandem main gear plus outriggers of the XB-51 was thought unsuitable for the requirement to fly from emergency forward airfields.

The Canberra was selected for procurement and the XB-51 program ended. Martin did not end up the loser, however, for they were selected to build the 250 Canberras ordered under the designation B-57A. Furthermore, the rotating bomb bay was incorporated in the B-57. A proposed B-57 Super-Canberra also included XB-51 features, such as swept wing and tailplane. In the end it was never built, mainly because it was a new design and would have taken too long to put in production, although it promised much better speed and performance.





A screen image from Toward the UnknownFlight testing for research purposes continued after program cancellation. The second prototype, 46-686, which first flew in 1950, crashed on 9 May 1952 during low-level aerobatics. The first prototype, 46-685 continued to fly, including appearing in the film Toward the Unknown as the "Gilbert fighter",[5] then continuing its aerodynamic and weapons-handling tests until it crashed during takeoff on 25 March 1956

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

HFB-320 Hansa Jet
The prototype first flew on April 21, 1964 and was followed by a second prototype on October 19 of the same year. On May 12, 1965, the first prototype was lost in an accident caused by a design issue with the T-tail. Hamburger Flugzeugbau's chief test pilot perished in the crash. As a result of the accident, modifications were made to improve the aircraft's stall performance, including a stick pusher on production models. Assembly of the first ten production aircraft began in May 1965, with the first flying on February 2, 1966 and two others shortly thereafter. Certification was achieved in 1967, and General Air of Hamburg took first customer delivery in March 1968.

The Luftwaffe had ordered 13 HFB-320s in 1963. As part of the evaluation of the type, two production aircraft were delivered to the Est61 wing at Oberpfaffenhoffen in 1966. Production deliveries for use as VIP transports commenced in 1969.

Increased competition from newer executive jet models and a comparatively poor safety record led to dwindling orders, with production ceasing in 1973. The Aviation Safety Network lists a total of nine accidents (six fatal) for the type [1], an astounding 20 percent hull-loss rate, but only the crash of the prototype was directly attributable to the aircraft's design. Pilot error was blamed in a majority of the accidents

_________________
"Cos'era questo? Un atterraggio duro o ci hanno abbattuto?"

my duty:
The ability to pay close attention to details
The ability to work flexible, unsociable hours including nights and weekends
The ability to work well with my hands to solve practical issues
Patience and persistence
The ability to grasp new information and learn aviation issues quickly

Certo che il Piaggio 188 fu un'occasione mancata per l'asse.
Strategicamente, in numero sufficiente, avrebbe cambiato di molto le forze in campo.

Per il BAC 221 fu invece un vero peccato, a mio parere era disegnato forse meglio dei Lockheed contemporanei.

Ammazza che brutto XB-51

_________________
Stefano@
'One fled, one dead, one sleeping in a gold bed' OLD RIME





SEA SHEPHERD FOUNDATION

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Andrea

E' un comportamento tipico dei radiali quando vengono accelerati a freddo.

Venivano da una discesa al minimo idle e i cilindri si erano raffreddati, quando sono andati a riaccelerare l'olio non era abbastanza fluido e il motore ha grippato (è successo anche a un mio collega quanlche anno fa).

Non so allora, ma adesso la procedura con quei radiali richiede di scendere con un po' di manetta dentro (anche 1/3 su un bimotore) e i cowls tutti chiusi.
In modo da mantenere i cilindri in temperatura.

_________________
Stefano@
'One fled, one dead, one sleeping in a gold bed' OLD RIME





SEA SHEPHERD FOUNDATION