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[Jopax]

It was? Some sort of makeshift bomber.

Also today, for the most part, pilots usually bail and get themselves captured or something, unless something goes horribly wrong. Still, fair point tho, don't really need to replace them, even with age (tho I doubt that's much of a problem atm) since they don't really need to be as physically fit as proper pilots.

[Amperzand]

Yep. Plus, you can only bail out if the missile that took out your plane didn't tear you a new one as well.

[Jopax]

I'm guessing most folks bail before they get hit, if they realise the hit is inevitable.

[Avis-Mergulus]

It was? Some sort of makeshift bomber.

Night bomber, actually, and a pretty successful one at that. But it wasn't intended as such during construction.

[Amperzand]

Thoughts?

[Kot]

Also the An-2. That thing has no stall speed. Like, none. The procedure for engine cutout emergencies is literally just "Pull the stick toward yourself and coast down onto any available clearing as you normally would." It can fly slower than you can bike and still remain fully controllable. In favorable circumstances, you can coast into a headwind and fly backwards, still under full control.

Reminds me of the German WW2 Storch which has so short takeoff and landing space it apparently could land backwards with strong headwind.

[Avis-Mergulus]

Also the An-2. That thing has no stall speed. Like, none. The procedure for engine cutout emergencies is literally just "Pull the stick toward yourself and coast down onto any available clearing as you normally would." It can fly slower than you can bike and still remain fully controllable. In favorable circumstances, you can coast into a headwind and fly backwards, still under full control.

Reminds me of the German WW2 Storch which has so short takeoff and landing space it apparently could land backwards with strong headwind.

They are alike in that regard, but the An-2 is a biplane that is almost a third longer and four times heavier, with a useful load five times larger than that of the Storch (not sure if it can perform the aforementioned backward trick while fully loaded, though). So the Storch is a scout plane, while the An-2 is a full-fledged utility plane.

It's like this: seeing a car do police turns and shit is impressive... but seeing a truck do police turns and shit is doubly impressive.

[mainiac]

Thoughts?

To wage war on the environment with or to wage war on an enemy nation?

[Kot]

By the God-Emperor, WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!

[Avis-Mergulus]

By the God-Emperor, WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!

What? It's not in a hurry, so it's going at a normal human walking pace. Can't a plane relax once in a while?

[Sheb]

Why bother with helicopters when you can have a plane that do stationary flight?

[Strife26]

Thoughts?

To wage war on the environment with or to wage war on an enemy nation?

Solution in search of a problem.




How about that SR71? Just about the coolest aircraft ever built.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Interesting rule of thumb, coolness of American aircraft is inversely proportional to how much the USAF as an institution likes them.

See A10 and SR71 as opposed to boondogles like the F35 and XB-70.

[Itnetlolor]

WHO DOESN'T LOVE THE BEAUTY OF ONE OF THE LOUDEST HELICOPTERS TO EXIST?

[Amperzand]

Yeah, the whole thing's pretty pointless. Just struck me as worthwhile to point out.

I also have something of a vaguely similar bent I'd like to discuss at some point, but I busy rn.

[mainiac]

Interesting rule of thumb, coolness of American aircraft is inversely proportional to how much the USAF as an institution likes them.

Or to put it another way, coolness of American aircraft is directly proportional to how unnecessary they are.