What airplane did you see flying today?(airplane spotting)

[Lynn Allen]

This count????

Maybe, well almost......

[RandolphB]

Saw the Collins Foundation B-25 take to the air today in Kissimmee. Happened to be at Stallion 51 when word came it was going up. It's the second flight since engine repairs, and she looked and sounded pretty good. Upon landing the ground crew began checking everything to make sure it was still alright.

I got some bad video with a cell phone, and a gizzilion photos with my wife's camera....but none of the computers I have access to recognizes them and I can't post them yet...!

After that I had the pleasure of watching the two Warbird Adventure AT-6's mount up and take off for the afternoon flight.

[RyanShort1]

From last night as I was leaving Boerne.


A real 1940 Tiger Moth that served in Britain during WWII!
More photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 6d725710a7

Ryan

[IndyJen]

I flew up to Mount Comfort (IN) yesterday to pick up a safety pilot (needed to do some instrument approaches to keep current). This guy is one of our PV-2 mechanics, and he lives nearby, so that was the best place to get together, right out there at the Harpoon ramp.

I didn't expect our ramp to be stuffed full of Collings Foundation birds, though! Yet there they were, with their B-17G (Nine Oh Nine), B-24J (Witchcraft), and P-51B.

I knew they were to be here this weekend, but I didn't know they'd be hopping rides already on thursday. We'd no sooner started our engine than the fans started turning on the B-17, too. The taxiways at MQJ are all torn up, and there's only one way in and out from the ramp, and they were nice enough to let us get past before they came out of the blocks.

The B-24 wasn't flying that I could see, but the P-51 was coming in as we were going out, and the B-17 flew at least two loads while we were out flying approaches.

It's going to be a good weekend, weather-wise. Whoever has bought rides are going to have a nice comfortable time.

This has been another episode of the Drat It Jenny, You Should Take Your Camera With You show. Because mine was sitting there at home, on the table next to the door, when it should have been with me, taking pictures of those finely-restored birds. Oh well.

[CAPFlyer]

Modern Metal, but saw one of the C-17 support aircraft for the POTUS come in and land at Dallas Love Field this morning around 9am.

[kalamazookid]

Michigan Warbirds T-6 was up this morning at the Air Zoo.

[Steve S]

Many B17's, B24, T6 B25-

ITS THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN- EVERYONE GET YOUR BUTS OVERHERE- should be a great weekend.

[The Inspector]

One of the Max Holste MH 1521 BROUSSARDS based here @ KPAE out doing R/H patterns for 16R

[Pogo]

Yesterday I watched the NASA RB-57 make a pass headed roughly north over home plate at high altitude, turn around, and head back out towards the Gulf. Made for an exceedingly interesting and almost artful contrail way the heck up there. Yes, I keep a pair of excellent binos in the truck. Wonder if anyone (Rick) can say what his altitude was? I'm guessing FL40. How'd I do???

[b29flteng]

RNZAF's Boeing 757 #NZ7571, it was here at AFW (Alliance Airport) for an engine change. It did it's post engine change test flight today. I think it's ironic to have a flightless bird as a national insignia on an airplane.

Can any "Kiwi" out there tell us what the airplane is used for?

[CAPFlyer]

Yesterday I watched the NASA RB-57 make a pass headed roughly north over home plate at high altitude, turn around, and head back out towards the Gulf. Made for an exceedingly interesting and almost artful contrail way the heck up there. Yes, I keep a pair of excellent binos in the truck. Wonder if anyone (Rick) can say what his altitude was? I'm guessing FL40. How'd I do???

The WB-57F flights are flown on civilian IFR flightplans, so you can see for yourself.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA928 (the one you saw)

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA926 (the "other" one)

Looks like from the track that they cruised around for most of the flight at FL490 (49,000 feet MSL).

[steve dickey]

Doing what? From the track its not uniform back and forth. Just wondering since I don't know.

[CAPFlyer]

May be training, could be a mission, depends. NASA has a website just for these two unique aircraft - http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/wb57/

It had been updated fairly regularly (and according to the webpage it has), but it seems they're not updating the mission pages anymore. I'll do some more digging and see if I can find anything. These planes have always been kinda a "fun interest" for me because (as a former pilot described to Houston Center one day), it's a "U-2 on Steroids".

[CAPFlyer]

Found it.

Looks like the flights are related to a Hurricane Research program called GRIP.

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/au ... a_Day.html

http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1903 ... nd_speeds/

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/aug/05/ ... -one-form/

[steve dickey]

Ok thanks.