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Off-topic TalkWhere overpaid, underworked S2000 owners waste the worst part of their days before the drive home. This forum is for general chit chat and discussions not covered by the other off-topic forums.
No disputing the legacy of the B-52. They look so huge in the pictures, but they're really quite small in person. (No bigger than a commuter plane.)
If you want to talk UGLY aircraft... this one was lovingly namedthe "Warthog".
And if you're looking for ugly combined with reliability and service. The C-130 is the hands down winner. The longest production run of any military aircraft in history... incredibly low down time, and you can land the thing between the fences on your back lawn.
Now that's ugly!
If memory serves me correctly, part of the landing gear of the SR-71 was made from a single forged piece of titanium-- the largest piece of Ti ever forged in the world. Ironically, the US didn't have enough titanium, so it had to purchase it... from Russia!!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by drewchie
No disputing the legacy of the B-52. They look so huge in the pictures, but they're really quite small in person. (No bigger than a commuter plane.)
Originally posted by RED MX5
It's certainly no C5 (now that's a BIG airplane), but it's still a very large bird.
Funny you should say that. The one time I got to visit a B52 it was parked next to a C5 on the tarmac at Travis. I guess the wing span was pretty impressive, but I was expecting something massive. Everything looks small next to a Galaxy. (The 52's no bigger than a 135, is it?) I do remember the interior as being pretty cramped, but I guess its primary function was range and payload, not passenger comfort.
On the topic of the C5 Galaxy... we used to ship F-5s to Saudi Arabia aboard them. (probably still do) It was amazing. They'd take the wings off and put the fuselage and wings on a pallet. Then they'd stack them diagonally in the cargo bay and could deliver eight of them at once! The thing was a flying aircraft carrier!
As amazing as the Galaxy was, it was horribly over engineered. We spent more time fixing the systems that monitored the systems that monitored the systems that monitored the systems... you get the point.
I do withdraw, however, any potentially disparaging comment I may have made about the great B-52, the primary weapon in our Cold War nuclear triad.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by drewchie
Funny you should say that. The one time I got to visit a B52 it was parked next to a C5 on the tarmac at Travis. I guess the wing span was pretty impressive, but I was expecting something massive. Everything looks small next to a Galaxy. (The 52's no bigger than a 135, is it?) I do remember the interior as being pretty cramped, but I guess its primary function was range and payload, not passenger comfort.
On the topic of the C5 Galaxy... we used to ship F-5s to Saudi Arabia aboard them. (probably still do) It was amazing. They'd take the wings off and put the fuselage and wings on a pallet. Then they'd stack them diagonally in the cargo bay and could deliver eight of them at once!
this one was lovingly namedthe "Warthog".
