"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/14/2015 at 13:35 Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history
7
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/14/2015 at 13:35 Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history | 7
| 3 |
This is todays Aviation History Speed Round , getting you caught up on milestones and important historical events in aviation from August 12 through August 14.
August 12, 1985 Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashes into Mount Osutaka after a catastrophic structural failure. One of the greatest stresses on a pressurized aircraft is the constant pressurization and depressurization of the cabin. As was first learned in the series of de Havilland Comet crashes in the 1950s, this cyclical pressurization can lead to metal fatigue and dangerous cracks, which, if unchecked, can lead to catastrophic failures of the aircraft structure. One critical component of pressurization is the rear pressure bulkhead, a circular, dome-shaped structure that closes off the tube of the passenger compartment from the rest of the tail structure. This bulkhead must be rigorously inspected and correctly repaired if it has been damaged, as was the case with JAL 123. Seven years before the tragic crash, the Boeing 747SR-46 (JA8119) had suffered a tailstrike during landing that damaged the aft pressure bulkhead. Technicians incorrectly riveted sections of the bulkhead together, making the part dangerously weak, even though it went through over 12,000 cycles before the crash. On August 12, 1985, just 12 minutes after takeoff from Tokyos Haneda Airport, the aft bulkhead ruptured, leading to a rapid depressurization of the aircraft and the loss of the vertical stabilizer. When the stabilizer broke free, it ruptured all four hydraulic lines, leaving the plane virtually uncrontrollable. Captain Masami Takahama, a veteran 747 pilot, along with his flight crew, managed to regain some measure control using engine throttle inputs. They managed to keep the plane in the air for 32 minutes, long enough for many of the passengers to write farewell notes to their families. When the plane eventually crashed in the mountains, 505 passengers and crew were killed, making it the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history. Four passengers survived, and it is surmised that more may have lived had the Japanese government acted more quickly to reach the crash site. JAL no longer uses the number 123 for any flight, and has changed the flight number on that particular route to 127. (Photo by Harcmac60 via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
August 13, 1932 The first flight of the Gee Bee Model R.
Aviation came into its own during the First World War, but immediately following that conflict, most people still saw airplanes solely as part of the military. Starting in 1920, the National Air Races were created by publisher Ralph Pulitzer, and those were followed by the Thompson Trophy races, sponsored by Thompson Products, the company that would eventually become TRW. When Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic in 1927, Americans became obsessed with all things flying, and the races really took off, becoming wildly popular in the 1930s. Not only did the races fuel interest in aviation, but they also caused accelerated innovation and development of aircraft designs. In the quest for the fastest aircraft possible, Granville Brothers Aircraft designed their Gee Bee Model Z, which was essentially a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr. supercharged radial engine with wings. The stubby design was fast, winning the Thompson Trophy in 1932, but it was also extremely difficult to fly, and a crash while attempting a world speed record killed the pilot, Lowell Bayles. Though the crash caused significant damage to the reputation of the Granville Brothers, they followed the Model Z with the Model R. The Model R was 2 feet longer, and featured a refined fuselage shape that was hoped would be more aerodynamic. The wings were lengthened slightly, the cockpit was placed even further back on the diminutive fuselage, and it was driven by a more powerful P&W R-1340 Wasp radial engine with 800 hp. The Model R continued to be a very difficult airplane to fly, even in the hands of experienced aviators. But the new design also allowed the pilot to fly around the racing pylons in a knife-edge turn without losing altitude, and in the hands of pilot Jimmy Doolittle, the Model R won the Thompson Trophy in 1932. Doolittle would retire from air racing after his win, but would go on to a career in the US Army Air Force where he commanded the audacious raid on Tokyo in April of 1942. None of the original aircraft exist today, but some replicas are still flown by brave pilots in the quest for speed.
(Above: Jimmy Doolittle pilots the Gee Bee Model R in the 1932 Thompson Trophy race. Photo via
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August 14, 1974 The first flight of the Panavia Tornado.
Work on a new fighter/attack aircraft began in the 1960s when various European nations started looking for an aircraft to replace older designs. Britain was hoping to replace the Avro Vulcan and the Blackburn Buccaneer, while West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Canada were looking for a replacement for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Designers began working on what was termed the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA), and they looked to take advantages of a swing wing design that would give excellent low-speed flight characteristics while maintaining the high-speed necessary for a Cold War deep penetration bomber to deliver conventional or nuclear ordnance. The goal was to produce one fighter that could perform the roles of tactical strike, reconnaissance, air defence, and maritime interdiction. As work progressed, various countries left the consortium due to political or practical reasons, leaving the remaining countries, Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands to form Panavia GmbH to produce the fighter, though the Dutch would eventually also leave the group. The resulting design featured wings that swept between 25 and 67 degrees with hardpoints that swivel with the wing sweep, a pair of afterburning turbofans designed by a new consortium called Turbo Union, and a tandem cockpit to reduce pilot workload. The flight of the first prototype took place in West Germany in 1974, and the Tornado entered service with the Luftwaffe in July 1979, eventually forming the backbone of the aerial attack and defense air forces of Britain, Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia. German Tornados took part in the Bosnian War (1992-1995) in the first combat operations by the Luftwaffe since WWII. British and Italian Tornados saw action over Kosovo, and the RAF flew many missions during the Iraq War, eventually being supplemented by Buccaneers which were used as target definition aircraft. A total of 992 aircraft of all variants were built by the time production ended in 1998, and continuing upgrades will ensure continued service for years to come.
(Photo:
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via
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Short Take Off
August 12, 1978 The first flight of the Pilatus PC-7 , an aircraft designed as a primary flight trainer by the Swiss company. The PC-7 has entered service with more than 20 air forces worldwide, and an armed version has also been developed for light ground attack and support missions. (Photo by M Radzi Desa via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
August 12, 1946 President Harry Truman signs a bill authorizing an appropriation of $50,000 to establish a National Air Museum in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C . The small museum would eventually become the National Air and Space Museum, the most visited museum in the world.
August 12, 1935 The first flight of the de Havilland Dragonfly. The Dragonfly resembled a smaller version of the 8-passenger !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and was intended as a luxury touring aircraft with room for four passengers and pilot. (Photo by Paul Nelhams via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
August 13, 1962 The first flight of the British Aerospace 125. Entering production as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125, the twin-engined corporate jet found many buyers overseas and also served as a jet trainer for the RAF as the Dominie T1 and with the USAF as the C-29. (Photo by Aktug Ates via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
August 13, 1939 The first flight of the Vickers Warwick.
Featuring the Barnes Wallis geodesic frame found on the Wellington and the Wellesley, the Warwick was intended to serve as a frontline bomber but instead served in the roles of transport, air-sea rescue and maritime patrol.
August 14, 1953 A Royal Australian Air Force Commonwealth Aircraft CA-26 Sabre becomes the first aircraft to break the sound barrier over Australia. No kangaroos were harmed in the making of this sonic boom.
If you enjoy these Aviation History posts, please let me know in the comments. And if you missed any of the past articles, you can find them all at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
Unless otherwise credited, all photos are, or are believed to be, Public Domain, ownership could not be determined, or were taken by the author.
Ash78, voting early and often
> ttyymmnn
08/14/2015 at 14:25 |
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Captain Masami Takahama, a veteran 747 pilot, along with his flight crew, managed to regain some measure control using engine throttle inputs. They managed to keep the plane in the air for 32 minutes, long enough for many of the passengers to write farewell notes to their families. When the plane eventually crashed in the mountains, 505 passengers and crew were killed, making it the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history.
Wow...I had never heard the story. Thats pretty amazing and heroic of the crew, sort of reminds me of the old Sioux City crash where the crew flew entirely via throttle.
And that was only 7-8 years after the Tenerife accident (deadliest overall air disaster in history). I forgot how many serious crashes there used to be...
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ttyymmnn
> Ash78, voting early and often
08/14/2015 at 14:37 |
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Exactly. In all the media-generated hysteria over aviation safety, people forget that air travel is safer than it has ever been. When looking for things to write about, there were so many crashes in the 50s-70s that its hard to keep up with them.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> ttyymmnn
08/17/2015 at 16:13 |
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The Wikipedia article makes for a fascinating read on this. It is amazing to think how what seems like a small detail can result in catastrophic failure. Here is the schematic of the bulkhead repair showing how it was actually done v. how it should have been done. It brings to mind the failure of the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse that was caused by incorrect installation of the walkways.
Bulkhead Repair by Phoenix7777 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -
Looking at that diagram in detail really brings home the similarities to the walkway collapse. If you look at the second picture you can see that the splice plate does almost nothing to strengthen the joint. They may as well have riveted the two bulkhead sections together directly without a splice plate between them.