Beriev's Airboat and Sukhoi's Latest 5th Generation Stealth Fighter

The Beriev Be-200 Altair is a multipurpose amphibious aircraft designed by the Beriev Aircraft Company and manufactured by Irkut. Marketed as being designed for fire fighting, search and rescue, maritime patrol, cargo, and passenger transportation, it has a capacity of 12 tonnes (12,000 litres, 3,170 US gallons) of water, or up to 72 passengers.

Video: Be-200 Altair Multipurpose Amphibian Aircraft by Beriev Aircraft Company, first flight 1998


The Sukhoi PAK FA ("Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation") is a twin-engine jet fighter being developed by Sukhoi for the Russian Air Force. The Sukhoi T-50 is the prototype for PAK FA. The PAK FA is one of only a handful of stealth jet programs worldwide.

The PAK FA, a fifth generation jet fighter, is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian inventory and serve as the basis of the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA being developed with India.The T-50 prototype performed its first flight 29 January 2010. There is also T-51 but it is less known.

Video: Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA Stealth Technology, first flight 2010

RESOURCES

/1/ Wikipedia

/2/ YouTube

/3/ UAC United Aircraft Corporation

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What plane?

This picture was in a magazine taken before 1927. The question was what is the plane with that strange over the wing motor installation?

Since it is a monoplane before 1927 and the guy (pilot) smoking on the right looks very much like Anthony Fokker it must be some prototype of the Fokker F VII. Here are some additional pictures and videos of the F VII model.

On the left Anthony Fokker sitting in a cockpit frame

Last flight of a Fokker F.VIIa

Fokker F.VII was also the first airplane to fly over the north pole.

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_E._Byrd#1926_North_Pole_flight.2C_and_controversy

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Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow

"The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft, designed and built by Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada) in Malton, Ontario, Canada, as the culmination of a design study that began in 1953. Considered to be both an advanced technical and aerodynamic achievement for the Canadian aviation industry, the CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding 50,000 ft (15,000 m), and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) primary interceptor in the 1960s and beyond." /1/

Here is a YouTube video about the AVRO Arrow concept.

RESOURCES

/1/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Canada_CF-105_Arrow

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English Electric Canberra

E. E. Canberra is a bomber and spy plane with an exceptionally long service history.

"Evidence of the importance of Kapustin Yar (V-2 test site in Soviet Union) was obtained by Western intelligence through debriefing of returning German scientists and spy flights. The first such flight reportedly took place in mid-1953 using a high flying Canberra aircraft of the RAF. Numerous circumstantial reports suggest this flight took place, using either a Canberra B2 or a PR3, but the UK Government has never admitted such a flight took place nor have any of the supposed participants provided direct evidence" /1/

Here is some information about the airplane.

REFERENCES

/1/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapustin_Yar

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A Robot that Flies Like a Bird (FESTO)

Finally it is reality - a machine that can fly like a bird! Very interesting development in the area of light structures and lithium polymer batteries.

See also:

FESTO
FESTO @ YouTube

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Yuneec E430 Electric Aircraft

Another fully electric aircraft. Here are some videos and links.

Yuneec Electric Aircraft at Camarillo, CA from Tom Nalevanko on Vimeo.

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Elektra One - New Battery Powered Airplane from Augsburg

Continuing my series of battery powered flying there is a new plane Elektra One which just made it's maiden flight in Augsburg Germany (15.4.2011). Here are some links and videos of it.

See also:

http://www.geigerengineering.de/avionik/elektroantriebssystem/
http://www.pc-aero.de/
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/03/pc-aero-elektra-one-electric-airplane-maiden-flight-video.php
http://cafefoundation.org/v2/gfc_main.php
http://cafefoundation.org/v2/gfc_2011_teams.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d24knbykgVo&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqEKSAmiv68&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJD27rmEJX0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRVVdYU1c0M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOAjpzfFYBQ&feature=related

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The Lipo Powered Airplane

In the near future (or today) it may be more efficient to put a small and simple electric motor and lipo (lithium polymer) batteries to an airplane than conventional fuel with a heavy internal combustion engine with reduction gears. Check the following video what can be done with a dedicated electric motor with lipo batteries.

Lipo battery powered paraglider.

Here are two links to LiPo battery guides:

http://exoaviation.webs.com/pdf_files/Lipo%20Battery%20Guide.pdf

http://exoaviation.webs.com/pdf_files/Lipo%20Battery%20Charging%20&%20Safety.pdf

An electric paraglider motor in England (Notice the small size of the motor and batteries).



Sonex has already tested this idea.

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Airbus A400M Specifications

According to Airbus Military the A400M is filling an operational AT gap. It gives more tactical capability than C-130 or C-160 and more payload/range than C-17, C-5, An-124 or IL-76/78. In England they know that the main wing is mostly made of carbon fiber. That is where the Airbus wing factory is located.

Airbus A400M capabilities: 30 tons 4500 km, 20 tons 6400 km. Ilyushin Il-76 can transport 40 tons to 5000 km.

Specifications

The cockpit looks good.

Airbus A400M Wikipedia page.

Download A400M Pocket Guide (pdf).

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Airbus A400M Maiden Flight 11.12.2009

Airbus A400M Maiden Flight Video

Link to the Airbus A400M site:

http://www.airbusmilitary.com/Home.aspx

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Barracuda - Wooden Beauty

I can not help putting some pictures and links to this beauty.

Picture: Barracuda, designed by RAF pilot, Geoff Siers

And here is a link how to get it.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/kitspages/barracuda.php


Some more information.


http://www.pilotfriend.com/experimental/acft/36.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffair_Barracuda

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"Rocket Rutan"

What ever, there seems to be one advantage of a missing tail. You can't mess it with the rocket flare.



A bit more fuel and you would touch the space.

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Aerojet_Tests_Advanced_Hydrogen_Peroxide_Rocket_Engine_Injector.html

Well, that seems to be only some minor design detail... ;)

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Wingman - Over The Channel

Wingman did it again. Now he flew over the channel.

:

http://www.popsci.com/node/31063

:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOE0DZdvSpU&feature=related

:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0W9n912VOw&feature=related

:

:

Maybe here is the future :)

:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfht9TRBnhc&feature=related

Piuma - Fine Line UL Motor Glider

Piuma is a wooden frame UL airplane (motorized glider). It is said to be easy to build and to pilot, whose fly and comfort peculiarities were better than the "fabric and tube" ULM available in that moment on the market (1990). Costs only about 6000 € without the engine.

http://www.piumaproject.com/homeing.html

LO-120S - Ultralight Trainer

LO-120S is a german ultralight kit plane. More about it in the next link.

http://www.ltd-technik.de/html/lo120s.html

Caproni Ca 161 - Altitude Record Aircraft

CAPRONI Ca 161 bis was a world altitude record aircraft in piston powered propeller category.

As of 2007, this record still stands for piston-powered aircraft. On 8 May 1937, Lieutenant Colonel Mario Pezzi broke the world altitude record with a flight to 15,655 metres (51,362 ft). The following year, Pezzi broke the record again in the more powerful Ca.161bis, making a flight to 17,083 metres (56,032 ft) on 22 October 1938.


Specifications (Ca.161bis)

General characteristics
Crew: One pilot
Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 14.25 m (26 ft 9 in)
Height: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 35.5 m² (382 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,205 kg (2,657 lb)
Gross weight: 1,650 kg (3,638 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Piaggio P.XI R.C.100/2v, 560 kW (750 hp)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM4fCz6HjqM




























































Special pressurized suits were used during attempts, forefathers of modern space suits.

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Stearman-Hammond Y-1S - Trainer Airplane

Another interesting plane similar to Abrams Explorer is the Stearmann-Hammond Y-1S. The designs are almost identical and both were made just before the WW2. Y-1S is the smaller one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp3_vGRLewc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve2SOo-3hUA&feature=related

1937
150hp Menasco C-4S;
span: 40'0"
length: 26'11"
load: 768#
v: 130/121/39
range: 480

Project was dropped in 1938. Maybe both planes were too strange and uckly for the pilots of that time?

Abrams Explorer - High Altitude Mapping Airplane

Picture shows the Abrams Explorer airplane. Here is a link to YouTube story about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsaAeLaNr60

And here is the Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrams_P-1_Explorer

Year 1937 this plane must have been very special having nose gear, twin boom and pusher configuration. With small modifications this might be a nice "new design". The plane was also offered to Finnish Airforce 21.11.1938.

The plane is stored somewhere in USA waiting for restoration.

Abrams Explorer 2007

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