Cat photos do indeed appear to be the gateway to aeroplane photos . . . last post showcased Jet; this fellow is Bennie (get it? Bennie and the Jets, only there’s just one Jet).

They look almost alike, but Bennie has a small white streak between the eyes.  The eyes!  The last photo was singled out for the eyes.  I have one not quite as neat, but still . . . the eyes have it.

Well, enough cats for this post; on to the planes.

Note: I just found out that all the links in the Smithsonian catalog changed. That means that links referencing the museum’s database will return a dead link error (error 404). I’m not going back through the posts to update the links. One, because it’s a lot of work, and two, because no one mentioned it. If you’re looking for the Smithsonian’s entry for a plane, just search under the name.

The Dash 80 was the prototype for both the Boeing 707, and the KC-135 Stratotanker.  The Seven Oh Seven is “generally credited with ushering in the Jet Age”.

Under the wing of the Dash 80 we see Nemesis, or more precisely, the Sharp DR 90 Nemesis.

According to Wikipedia, Between 1991 and 1999, the plane won 45 of the 48 race events in which it was entered, including nine consecutive Reno Gold National Championships.

This next beauty (mean-looking beauty) is the Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat “Conquest I” (N1111L).

On August 16, 1969, flying the highly-modified Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat “Conquest I” (N1111L), Darryl Greenamyer broke the 30-year old FAI Class C-1 Group I 3 km speed record with a speed of 483.041 mph.

Remember when I said some aircrafts lend themselves to a Black and White treatment?  This is one of them.

More precisely, the Laird-Turner RT-14 Meteor, also called the Turner TR-14, Ring Free Meteor, PESCO Special, Miss Champion, Turner Special and the Turner Meteor.

I wish I would have gotten a better side view shot of it.

Not sure why this was apart from the other WW I planes.  Perhaps because this plane became the backbone of the post-WW I civilian aviation.  Barnstorming?  This plane, the Curtis JN-4D “Jenny”.

The next plane, the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, is also one that shows well in Black and White, although the color photos are not bad.  

The stratoliner was the first plane offering a pressurized cabin, thus allowing flights at higher altitudes, and above most bad weather.

The name threw me for a brief moment . . .

The clipper Flying Cloud was a ship that set the world’s sailing record for the fastest passage between New York and San Francisco, 89 days 8 hours. She held this record for over 100 years, from 1854-1989.

Here’s another view of the Stratoliner.

. . . wait . . . B&W, please.

The Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation is a more impressive aircraft, at least looks-wise.

What?  Oh, you can’t get a feel for how the plane looked?  How’s this?

It’s worth reading the history of the plane, and of its predecessor the Lockheed Constellation. Its design was driven by Howard Hughes, and from the Wiki entry:

“The Constellation’s wing design was close to that of the P-38 Lightning, differing mostly in scale. The distinctive triple tail kept the aircraft’s height low enough to fit in existing hangars, while new features included hydraulically boosted controls and a thermal de-icing system used on wing and tail leading edges.  The aircraft had a top speed of over 375 mph (600 km/h), faster than that of a Japanese Zero fighter, a cruise speed of 340 mph (550 km/h), and a service ceiling of 24,000 ft (7,300 m).“

Anyone recognize this plane?

Danger is right . . .

The Concorde; on 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590, registration F-BTSC, crashed in Gonesse, France after departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew members on board the flight, and four people on the ground. It was the only fatal accident involving Concorde.

According to the official investigation conducted by the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurité de l’Aviation Civile (BEA), the crash was caused by a titanium strip that fell from a Continental Airlines DC-10 that had taken off minutes earlier. This metal fragment punctured a tyre on Concorde’s left main wheel bogie during takeoff. The tyre exploded, a piece of rubber hit the fuel tank, and while the fuel tank was not punctured, the impact caused a shock-wave which caused one of the fuel valves in the wing to burst open. This caused a major fuel leak from the tank, which then ignited due to sparking electrical landing gear wiring severed by another piece of the same tyre. The crew shut down engine number 2 in response to a fire warning, and with engine number 1 surging and producing little power, the aircraft was unable to gain height or speed. The aircraft entered a rapid pitch-up then a violent descent, rolling left and crashing tail-low into the Hôtelissimo Les Relais Bleus Hotel in Gonesse.

On 6 December 2010, Continental Airlines and John Taylor, one of their mechanics, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but on 30 November 2012 a French court overturned the conviction, saying mistakes by Continental and Taylor did not make them criminally responsible.

This highlights one of my main concerns with flying . . . human error combined with the fragility of aircrafts.  Still, it is a convenient way to travel, and arguably the risk is low.

Here’s a last look (panorama from multiple shots).

I might hesitate flying one of these things . . .

This is what the A340‘s  main landing gear looks like . . .

. . . that’s the nose of the Concorde next to it.  And the A380 is more massive yet.

Now, this plane seems as if it would be fun to fly . . . even the name screams “FUN”.

That’s the Rutan Quickie, and over 1,000 were built and sold as kit airplanes.

Another Rutan design hangs overhead, the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer.

Between February 8, 2006 – February 11, 2006, Steve Fossett flew the GlobalFlyer for the longest aircraft flight distance in history: 25,766 miles (41,467 km).  That’s a lot of miles, Bob.

Let’s take another look at the Clipper . . .

Sixty years leads to a lot of difference in technology.

Although, there is something to be said for the use of wood . . . 

That’s the Bellanca CF . . . it sat among all them previous big boys.  Perhaps it has aspirations of grandeur. 

Another plane parked in an odd place . . . Sitting behind the Clipper is “La Cucaracha”, The Crosley Flea. 

Here’s a better view (not really; just a tighter crop).

Remember Rutan’s Quickie?  Well, this is also a kit plane, only it did not do as well.  

We then come to the last plane in this series.  The Loening OA-1A.

It’s an interesting-looking plane, and it looks decent in B&W.

Eh; maybe not.

These last few photos are of something that caught my eye, but did not have the chance to examine closely.  I plan to do so next time I am there.

It’s a display case with all sorts of cameras (both still and movie) used, I presume, in aerial observation platforms (aeroplanes).  

That’s a lot of cameras, Bob. 

Anyway, that’s Part III of my attempt to document some of the planes I saw. By no means will I cover all of them, but I have enough for a few more posts.

As usual, the full-size photos are in their own SmugMug Gallery (HERE). Most are probably not worth looking at full resolution (grainy due to the poor light), but the X3 size option is pretty decent.

The next post will have mostly WW II stuff.

Oh, and if you read this far, please comment on the font style and size.  I changed the font to make it what I think is a bit more readable.  Good? Bad? Indifferent?  

If you carry the burden of an opinion, feel free to unload it in the comments below. 

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