Questions tagged [aviation-history]
Questions about aviation history, starting from kites, balloons, airplanes, helicopters and rockets.
554
questions
3
votes
0
answers
83
views
What was the penultimate flight of the TCA plane that crashed near Vancouver in 1947?
In his 1975 book An Almanac of Words at Play, Willard R. Espy recounts the following:
En route from Montreal to Vancouver in 1947, we sat down in Calgary, where a wire from my boss changed my ...
- 211
7
votes
1
answer
378
views
Is it correct to say that the expected behaviour at a Fly-by/Fly-over waypoint derives from when there was no GPS, but rather just VOR/DMEs?
I was re-looking at Fly-by/Fly-over waypoints:
and discussing with a colleague the topic of how these came about.
Is it correct that this definitions were put in place so that a human pilot could fly ...
- 32.4k
2
votes
0
answers
170
views
Are there other examples of Brown-Stigler incident?
I have just finished reading A Higher Call and wondered if there are other cases where a pilot showed his mercy to the foe when they are in desperate situation. Looked through several B17 related-webs,...
- 133
1
vote
1
answer
553
views
Could "Lady Be Good" Incident Prevented by the Technology of its Time?
For those who don't know, Wiki page of the incident sums up. I don't have much knowledge about communication systems of WWII, but I know how radio communication work. This page has
The aircraft flew ...
- 133
21
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What plane was most likely used for this TWA transatlantic flight in 1954?
This is the manifest for my grandaunt (she is #9). She most likely took a train from Paris to Croatia to visit her mother. The family was not wealthy, so this was an extravagant expense for them.
Can ...
- 313
-5
votes
2
answers
609
views
How did novice pilots hit the Twin Towers?
I know people don't like discussing this, and I don't ask out of morbid curiousity. But conspiracy theories will naturally arise about such great and consequential events, and I don't think it's fair ...
- 3,524
0
votes
0
answers
140
views
What did Yeager think of Boyd?
According to tweets posted on August 19, 2016, on July 17, 2017 and on March 15, 2018, I am tempted to conclude that Chuck Yeager did not think too highly of John Boyd and his theories — e.g., OODA, ...
- 1,120
6
votes
2
answers
404
views
What was the first law requiring licensing or certification for pilots?
What was the first law passed by a government (e.g. not a private organization's policy) requiring some kind of licensing or certifications for civilian pilots?
- 6,564
24
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Were there any planes used in WWII that were able to shoot their own tail?
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, there's a scene where Indiana is piloting a plane and his father is acting as gunner. While shooting at incoming enemy planes, he accidentally shoots his own ...
- 803
-6
votes
2
answers
329
views
Has any aircraft in history ever pulled 7g for 15 or more seconds?
According to this post "no aircraft has ever pulled 7g for two seconds"
If the interpretation of the video is correct, has any aircraft in history ever pulled 7g for fifteen seconds?
- 1
3
votes
0
answers
349
views
Why did two of the development Concordes have red cabin doors?
The second British Concorde 101 G-AXDN at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow
(Photo by: Richard Vandervord source: www.airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Three of the six development ...
- 795
0
votes
3
answers
174
views
Historical Number of Aircraft in Service (by Airline)
I am looking for historical data on the number of commercial passenger aircraft in service, ideally with additional information on the associated airline.
My search so far has turned up one scientific ...
- 1,628
8
votes
1
answer
938
views
Are there any variable-diameter propellers?
Have there been any known tests or prototypes of variable-diameter propellers?
There's this paywalled paper from 2014 that seems to have made a virtual prototype model, have there been any physical ...
- 4,454
3
votes
1
answer
273
views
Why do acronyms aviation often have words in orders unusual?
"Airplane Single Engine Land" (rather than "Single Engine Land Airplane"
"Certified Flight Instructor Instrument" (rather than "Certified Instrument Flight ...
- 6,564
0
votes
2
answers
181
views
Private Plane security United States 1975
in 1975 Famous Teamster Boss Jimmy Hoffa disappeared after being picked up at a local restaurant.
One of the theories is that men from New Jersey boarded a plane, landed in Detroit, and assisted with ...
- 17
3
votes
1
answer
122
views
Energy Maneuverability Theory Applied to WW1 Fighters
I am trying to test the Fokker D.VII, Spad S.XIII, Sopwith Camel, Nieuport 28, and the Se5a using the model in this paper:
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA066034.pdf
It's called Combat Performance ...
0
votes
2
answers
150
views
Was the first US government-issued pilot license issued in 1927 or '28?
The top image says it was issued April 6, 1928, while the bottom one says April 6, 1927. Are these two different documents issued a year apart, or is there a discrepancy?
- 6,564
4
votes
1
answer
300
views
When did the United States stop issuing pilot "licenses" (and start issuing "certificates")?
The first document issued by the US federal government authorizing a person to fly an aircraft was issued on April 6, 1927 by the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce, and it is called a ...
- 6,564
4
votes
1
answer
283
views
Is it possible to use Morse code for communication?
Let's say your radio fails, but luckily you brought your keychain Morse code transmitter as a backup! Is there any way to use it?
ICAO defines Q-codes for aviation use. Q-codes were initially ...
- 1,549
1
vote
0
answers
263
views
What is the origin of the ‘six pack’ flight instrument arrangement?
I was wondering who came up with the modern ‘six pack’ flight instrument arrangement, when I realized that the old British blind instrument flying panel that was the standard across many airplane ...
- 11
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why has structural efficiency (OEW / MTOW) not improved despite increasing use of carbon fiber?
Where can I find information on the weight breakdown of civil aircraft? I am interested primarily in trying to understand why structural efficiency (OEW/MTOW) has not improved despite increasing use ...
- 1,628
12
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Were contrails different in the 80s?
My parents insist they remember contrails being significantly shorter around 1980s.
From my research it seems this might be the result of several factors such as climate change, advancements in ...
- 231
11
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Who was the first person to fly above 20,000 feet, and what aircraft was used?
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You ...
- 6,564
1
vote
2
answers
112
views
Is there an aerodynamic benefit of covering the underside of wings?
What is the nature and extent to the benefit of covering up the bottom of an airfoil?
It seems like all the early airplanes just had ribs and spars that were wrapped only on top, but then pretty soon ...
- 125
0
votes
1
answer
90
views
Aircraft progress: Evolution or design? [closed]
This video of a Curtiss Pusher is stunning. Had I been around when it was new, I would have stopped there!
Question: What processes led to the aircraft of today?
...
- 1,925
3
votes
1
answer
250
views
Were European single-engine fighters considered superior to U.S. designs at the start of WW2?
There was a wide consensus in U.S. military circles about 1940 that U.S. pursuit fighters were substantially less capable in terms of performance than their equivalent European counterparts. ...
- 944
2
votes
2
answers
234
views
Who was the third person to fly a powered airplane?
The first person to fly a powered airplane was Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. The second was Wilbur Wright on that same day.
The Wright Flyer was destroyed before anyone else flew it. The Wright ...
- 121
23
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How was altitude calculated before the invention of the altimeter?
I just read David McCollough's "The Wright Brothers," and was surprised to find several references to the exact altitude attained by various Wright airplanes. For example, on page 235:
The ...
- 333
4
votes
1
answer
203
views
What was the first programmable computer used in a flight-related role on an aircraft?
What was the first programmable digital computer, or device containing a programmable digital computer, used on an aircraft or spacecraft for a purpose related to flight? To use modern devices as an ...
- 6,564
3
votes
1
answer
137
views
Was there any attempt on making a turbofan for mach 1-2 with a "decelerator" air intake?
What made me ask this question is the SR-71 hybrid engines and the efficiency difference between certain engines.
Here is an article from wikipedia showing the efficiency of the engines accordingly to ...
- 187
0
votes
0
answers
114
views
What are the aerodynamic characteristics of the flying saucer?
It seems that Canadian VZ-9 Avrocar was aerodynamically unstable. Particularly at high altitudes, and so the project was cancelled. IIRC there was considerable interest in flying saucers in the 1950s ...
- 217
0
votes
1
answer
146
views
Are there any aircrafts that use the same "ballooning effect" of spiders to fly?
For those that aren't aware, the "ballooning" effect that spiders use to glide (not necessarily fly) explaining in a simple way, some small invertebrates throw a bunch of long strings (in ...
- 187
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does “balls to the wall” mean “full speed ahead” or “full speed ahead and nosedive”?
Full speed ahead: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/balls_to_the_wall
Full speed ahead and nosedive: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/02/why-we-say-balls-to-the-wall.html
- 61
0
votes
0
answers
213
views
What was the story of a serious incident with Galaxy C5 in about 1973
I am guessing it was a flight in support of the Yom Kippur War in October of 1973 that due a pitot tube failure that Galaxy C5 had to do an emergency landing on Azore with assitance from another plane ...
- 572
9
votes
1
answer
154
views
What were the atmospheric models in the 19th century and early 20th century like, compared to the present-day ISA?
Atmospheric pressure has been used to determine the altitude a pilot (or a mountain climber as well) is at since the beginning of the age of ballooning.
I find the following Wikipedia excerpt about ...
- 393
0
votes
1
answer
46
views
Was Hawthorne C. Gray the first pilot to use a positive pressure mask?
The balloonist Hawthorne C. Gray established human altitude records twice in 1927. His ascent in May 1927 went to 42,470 ft (12.94 km) which is an altitude the FAA requires the use of a pressure ...
- 393
3
votes
2
answers
247
views
Why were taxiways marked with numbers (as opposed to letters) back in the day?
I learned through the USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569 collision that many taxiways at KLAX were marked with numbers (e.g., Taxiway 45, Taxiway 33) instead of letters (e.g., Taxiway ...
- 1,657
3
votes
1
answer
236
views
Can someone identify this biplane from 1920-21 taken in Arkansas?
Can someone identify this biplane? It was taken in late 1920 or early 1921 when my grandfather was barnstorming in Arkansas. My grandmother and aunts are also in the photos. Additionally, can someone ...
- 41
7
votes
1
answer
375
views
What biplane of the Army Air Reserve is in this picture?
This is the second example of the biplanes they flew.
Can anyone identify this biplane flown by the 476th pursuit squadron "The Black Falcons" of the 322rd pursuit group of the Army Air ...
- 131
6
votes
1
answer
243
views
Can anyone identify this Biplane flown Army Air Reserve stationed at Clover Field, Santa Monica, California in mid the 1920's?
Can anyone identify this biplane flown by the 476th pursuit squadron "The Black Falcons" of the 322rd pursuit group of the Army Air Reserve stationed at Clover Field, Santa Monica, ...
- 131
21
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What is this crashed WW2 era aircraft?
There is a post D-Day Nazi propaganda film (with contemporary Allied narration) available on YouTube. It shows a destroyed aircraft at 11:50, presumably Allied.
It looks like a twin-engine aircraft, ...
- 11.8k
3
votes
1
answer
176
views
Who put a model of the Space Shuttle at the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation in Los Angeles Ca?
Background
This answer to Help identifying this landmark and road in "Los Angeles 1940s, Residential Area in color" in Travel SE identified the structure as the:
Portal of the Folded Wings ...
- 5,768
15
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Why did Boeing never replace the 757?
https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2005-04-28-Boeing-Closes-Chapter-in-Aviation-History-with-Final-757-Delivery
Boeing in late 2003 decided to end 757 production because the increased capabilities of the ...
- 689
11
votes
3
answers
450
views
By what measure was Gander International Airport the "largest" in the 1940s?
According to the Wikipedia article and the original source Gander International Airport
had four runways and was the largest airport in the world
by 1945.
Now, "large" can mean a lot of ...
- 1,047
13
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is this old seaplane floating on its wing?
I found this picture today in an old set of drawers that bought at an estate sale over 40 years ago.
1
vote
1
answer
131
views
In 1997, what would the likely Paris–Tokyo route be? Generally, where to gain information on historic routes?
Today you would likely via Dubai, or perhaps take one of the long flights say Zurich -> NRT.
If I'm not mistaken Dubai came to it's current position in early 2000s, so in the 90s it was not the ...
- 1,793
17
votes
1
answer
2k
views
When drop tanks (those with external lines) are released, how are the two connections (air and fuel) released?
ww2aircraft.net
Say in a P-51 (shown above), when drop tanks (those with external lines) are released, how are the two connections (air and fuel) released?
Do they shear off and fall with the tank?
...
user14897
2
votes
1
answer
219
views
In which accident a helicopter and plane collided after a landing gear failure?
Many years ago (35+ years), my father told me a story regarding a VIP that was on a small plane that had landing gear failure. It was decided that instead of attempting a landing, a helicopter would ...
- 588
4
votes
1
answer
526
views
Early turbojet RPM and thrust indicator
The flight operations handbook for the Douglas X-3 Stiletto (an experimental aircraft from the early 1950s) says that the instrument panel has instruments that indicate the thrust of the two ...
- 746
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Strange airspeed indicator in the Douglas X-3 Stiletto
The cockpit of the Douglas X-3 Stiletto has a rather weird looking airspeed indicator. (The leftmost instrument in the top row.) Two concentric circular scales, the outer one goes from 0 to 20, the ...
- 746