The plane enthusiasts thread

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Jameshow

Veteran
And discounting everything but the wings :smile:

Which was my grandfather's job.... Fitter hs 125 then a320.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Although not actually an 'aircraft', I've always been impressed how the Bloodhound missile was able to accelerate from zero to Mach 1 in it's own length. Now THAT was quite something, even by today's standards - ! :okay:
I well remember the Airfix kit. Came with a Land Rover.
Was that the only British made missile?


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midlife

Guru
I made that as a kid :smile:. The computer department at Manchester Uni had some Bloodhound computer kit, Ferranti, including some iron core memory thing.
 
Although not actually an 'aircraft', I've always been impressed how the Bloodhound missile was able to accelerate from zero to Mach 1 in it's own length. Now THAT was quite something, even by today's standards - ! :okay:

Bloodhound accelerated at about 20g and someone ran the numbers. Mach 1 in 293m.

The 1960s US anti ballistic missile interceptor Sprint accelerated at 100 g, reaching a speed of Mach 10 (12,300 km/h; 7,610 mph) in 5 seconds. It was designed to destroy incoming Russian nuclear ICBMs using a small nuclear warhead!
 

midlife

Guru
Bloodhound accelerated at about 20g and someone ran the numbers. Mach 1 in 293m.

The 1960s US anti ballistic missile interceptor Sprint accelerated at 100 g, reaching a speed of Mach 10 (12,300 km/h; 7,610 mph) in 5 seconds. It was designed to destroy incoming Russian nuclear ICBMs using a small nuclear warhead!

I rechecked and one site reckoned that at 35 feet it was doing 720MPH which is around Mach 1 at seal level. I'll go back and have a look.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Although not actually an 'aircraft', I've always been impressed how the Bloodhound missile was able to accelerate from zero to Mach 1 in it's own length. Now THAT was quite something, even by today's standards - ! :okay:

As a kid, i can't remember if it was a base dad was stationed at, or one we happened to be passing, either way i can't remember where, but remember seeing Bloodhounds lined up, maybe 10 of them. Quite impressive as a kid.
 

figbat

Slippery scientist
I rechecked and one site reckoned that at 35 feet it was doing 720MPH which is around Mach 1 at seal level. I'll go back and have a look.

That's acceleration at around 490G. Seems high to me.

As a kid, i can't remember if it was a base dad was stationed at, or one we happened to be passing, either way i can't remember where, but remember seeing Bloodhounds lined up, maybe 10 of them. Quite impressive as a kid.

I lived in RAF Brüggen in the late 70s/early 80s and they were lined up there - used to see them regularly.

Ron Ayers is the aerodynamicist credited with working on the Bloodhound and then later on the Thrust SSC land speed record car. I have briefly met him.
 

figbat

Slippery scientist
I rechecked and one site reckoned that at 35 feet it was doing 720MPH which is around Mach 1 at seal level. I'll go back and have a look.

Wikipedia claims (quoting information from a static display model):

By the time the missile has just cleared the launcher it is doing 400 mph. By the time the missile is 25 feet from the launcher it has reached the speed of sound (around 720 mph). Three seconds after launch, as the four boost rockets fall away, it has reached Mach 2.5 which is roughly 1,800 mph.

Pretty spritely!
 

simongt

Guru
Location
Norwich
And quoting from 'Cold War, Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946 - 1989', 'On launch, four Gosling booster rocket motors propelled the missile from 0 - 760mph ( 0 - 1200km/h ) within its own length.'
Imagine putting them on a dragster - ! :laugh:
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
2x B52s just did a circuit round Peterborough. Looked up to see them banking northwards from the east then disappeared. Couple minutes later, they appeared again from the east, headed south west.

Seemed a slightly odd way to just head east to southwest ( ish) but heyho.

Never saw one in 64 years, seen them now on two occasions in two months.
 
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