Ryan Aircraft Plane Portraits

A Ryan Aircraft Company brochure on its aircraft up to 1955. Includes thumbnail histories of Ryan's aircraft and missiles. Credit: William Rudolph collection

Click here to download (6.4 Megs)

Alternate download here

Salute to Skylab

A short article on the Skylab Project.

"From  lead sheet: The following article prepared by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Historian Mike Wright appeared in 1993 in Research and Technology, Annual Report of the Marshall Space Flight Center which was dedicated to the Skylab Space Station Program."

Click here to download (2.4 Megs)

Alternate download here

Skylab Drawings and Posters

A few more drawings and illustrations of the Skylab project.

Click here to view info

Other Skylab blog posts here

Skylab Illustrated Chronology From 1962-1973

A copy of the Skylab Illustrated Chronology from 1962-1973. Written by David S. Akens. Part of the Marshall Space Flight Center works. Report number MHR 9 A&PS-MS-H. Dated May 1, 1973.

Click here to download (6.3 Megs)

Alternate download here

Under the Sign–Part VII

More from the series, here are a few “Under the Sign” photos, including a visitor to the MDC ramp.

Click here to view photos

Click here to download all photos in one ZIP file (26 Megs)

Previous entries in this series are here

Contributions to This Site

One of my followers, Trevor, had an idea. It goes like this:
   
"I had an idea for the site in that there could be a list that people could contribute to as kind of a "wish list" for different aircraft documents as kind of a drive to get more contributions to the sight. Not sure how it would be implemented but here are a couple of ideas for it.

1. Only you would have control with the public only making requests so as to help prevent spam posts.

2. If implemented make it as a secondary post as part of each daily post."

People - Any thoughts on this subject as to how to do this or any other ways to bring contributions for me to share with you? Right now, contributions are done using email and file transfer sites.

Remember that my primary reason for creating this blog was to preserve aviation knowlege and items before they are lost!

Let me know thru my email or the comment section below.

Northrop/ McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II Walk Around

Northop/ McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II Walk Around Photos. (116 photos.) Some nice detail shots of a YF-23A  # 87-0800 at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.. Credit: Vladimir Yakubov

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (73.7 Megs)

Another great walk around tour by Howard Mason is here

Virtual tour here

Air Force Cruise Missile History

This is a solid history of the origin and development of the cruise missile and its tactical and strategic deployment. Witten by Dr. Kenneth P. Werrell. Dated September 1985.

Click here to download book (17 Megs)

Alternate download here

Douglas C-74 Globemaster Photos

A few photos of the Douglas C-74 Globemaster. (This is the first Globemaster aircraft) A plane ahead of it's time?

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (25 Megs)

C-74 YouTube video here

Douglas C-74 Globemaster Standard Aircraft Characteristics

Three Standard Aircraft Characteristics sheets, dated 23 May 1950 and two dated 6 November 1952 for the Douglas C-74 Globemaster aircraft.

From Wikipedia:

"The Douglas C-74 Globemaster was a United States heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The aircraft was developed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The long distances across the Atlantic and, especially, Pacific oceans to combat areas indicated a need for a transoceanic heavy-lift military transport aircraft. Douglas Aircraft Company responded in 1942 with a giant four-engined design. Development and production modifications issues with the aircraft caused the first flight to be delayed until 5 September 1945, and production was limited to 14 aircraft when the production contract was canceled following V-J Day.

Although not produced in large numbers, the C-74 did fill the need for a long-range strategic airlifter, in which the subsequent Douglas C-124 Globemaster II was used by the Air Force for many years."

Click here to view first SAC (1.5 Megs)

Click here to view second SAC (1.4 Megs)

Click here to view third SAC (11.8 Megs)

Additional info here

McDonnell Douglas DC/KC-10/MD-11 Summary

Tech data, variants, electronic summaries for the  McDonnell Douglas DC/KC-10/MD-11 aircraft.

Click here to download (<1 Meg)

Alternate download here

General Aircraft Structural Repair Manual

"Technical Order (TO) 1-1A-1(NAVAIR O1-1A-1) is one of a series of technical manuals prepared to assist personnel engaged in the general maintenance and repair of military aircraft. This manual covers general aircraft structural repair. This is a Joint-Service manual and some information may be directed at one branch of the service and not the other. Wherever the text of the manual refers to Air Force technical orders for supportive information, refer to the comparable Navy documents."

Title: TECHNICAL MANUAL
ENGINEERING HANDBOOK SERIES FOR AIRCRAFT REPAIR 

GENERAL MANUAL FOR STRUCTURAL REPAIR

Click here to download manual (2.2 Megs)

Alternate download here

More Grumman F9F-3 Panther with Emerson Turret Info

Tommy Thomason shared a few more insights on this subject of the F-9F-3 turret. Copies of the nose installation, Aero X17A instalation and a photo of the radar and guns. Credit: Tommy H. Thomason

Click here to view photos

Grumman F9F-3 Panther with Emerson Turret

Here are some factory photos of a unique aircaft!

"Putting a turret on the nose of the airplane so the cannon could be aimed in a different direction than the airplane was pointed was a noval idea. Radar-aimed turrets were being developed for bombers and this was a logical extension of that effort. In the late 1940s, the Navy contracted with Emerson for the AERO X17A system that replaced the nose on the Grumman Panther, F9F-3 BuNo 122562." (Paraphrased from Tommy H. Thomason's article.) Credit: William Rudolph collection

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (2.4 Megs)

Click here to view photos

Tommy H. Thomason's great article here

McDonnell Douglas KDC-10 Walk Around

Three hundred McDonnell Douglas KDC-10 walk around photos of the KDC-10. Location is unknown. Credit: Meindert de Vreeze

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (71.2 Megs)

McDonnell Douglas RF-4B Phantom Walk Around

One hundred twenty four McDonnell Douglas RF-4Bwalk around photos of the RF-4B on display at March Field Air show, March Air Reserve Base, California in 2015. Credit: Vladimir Yakubov

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (71-4 Megs)

McDonnell Aircraft F-101B Aerodynamic Summary of Flight Test Data

The McDonnell Aircraft F-101B Aerodynamic Summary of Flight Test Data. Report ASR-33, dated October 12 1962. Credit:Irfan S. Hokan

Click here to download (19.6 Megs)

Mojave Airport Open House 2013 Photos

Ninety eight photos of the 2013 Mojave Air & Space Port (MASP) Airport Open House. Put on by the Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation.

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (98.5 Megs)

North American B-45 on McAir Ramp #2

A second view of a North American B-45 Tornado aircraft on the McAir ramp in the mid 1950’s.

Click on above photo to view large version.

Front view of aircraft here

Aviation Officers Safety Guide

"The Aviation Safety Oflicer's Guide is designed primarily to assist the Squadron Aviation Safety Officer in implementing and prosecuting an
active aircraft accident prevention program." (From the forward.)

Click here to download guide (20.5 Megs)

Alternate download here

Note on My Image Holder postimg.org

Postimg.org has a registry problem and they have moved to postimg.cc.

All photos are still available; but, the "CC" must be subtituted for "ORG" in the corresponding URL address to get to the proper place. (Hold cursor over link to get URL address.)

Let me know if I need to fix any links beyound the dozen or so that I have already fixed.

McDonnell F4H-1F Phantom II # 145310 Photos

McDonnell F4H-1F Phantom II # 145310 was the 11th F4H-1F built and was used for weapons carriage testing and later as a bailed chase plane at the St. Louis plant. I took care of this aircraft along with #2, #9 and #18 as a young flight test engineer in 1963.

Click here to view photos

Click here to download all photos in one ZIP file (19.2 Megs)

McDonnell F4H-1F Phantom II # 145310 for Sale

A rare chance to own a piece of history! I have just learned that F4H-1 #145310 is for sale. This McDonnell F4H-1F Phantom II is the 11th pre-production example, and the third oldest surviving example of the breed. Credit: Warbird News

Note: My archives show 145307 and 145316 were "Sageburner' aircraft, not 145310 as listed in promo. Also, as a young flight test engineer in 1963, I was in charge of this aircraft and it never carried any "Sageburner" markings. (It might have been a back-up aircraft; but, was never used as such.)

Click here for PDF of sale article (0.5 Meg)

Original sale article is here

Additional info and photos here and here

F/RF-101A/C Plan, Shear and Section Views

Copy of the 1967 Loft Sheet 20-1 for F/RF-101A/C Plan, Shear and Section Views.

Click here to download loft sheet

Blue Angel 1989 F-18 Promotional Poster

The Blue Angel 1989 F-18 Promotional Poster signed by all the team.

Click here to download poster

WWII Color Magazine Photos

Some additional WWII color magazine scans.

Click here to view photos

Click here to download in one ZIP file (26.2 Megs)

Air News Color Covers

Several scans of WWII and late 40's Air News color cover photos. Great color photos of aircraft and aviation themes. Credit: William Rudolph collection

Click here to view covers

Click here to download covers in one ZIP file (50.1 Megs)

MCAS Miramar Air Show 2014 Photos

One hundred Thirty Nine photos of the San Diego MCAS Miramar Air Show on October 3-5 2014.

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (90.1 Megs)

Additional photos here, here and here

Northrop A-9A Walk Around Photos #2

Ninety eight more Northop A-9A walk around photos of the A-9A on display at March Field Air Museum, March Air Reserve Base, California. Credit: Vladimir Yakubov and John Heck

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (56.5 Megs)

Northrop A-9A Walk Around Photos #1

Forty nice walk around photos of the A-9A on display at March Field Air Museum, March Air Reserve Base, California. Credit: Cees Hendriks

Click here to download all photos in one ZIP file (17 Megs)

Coming Home–Reentry and Recovery from Space

NASA Special Publication-2011-593. Coming Home–Reentry and Recovery from Space. "This book relates in a chronological manner the way in which NASA has approached the challenge of reentering the atmosphere after a space mission and the technologies associated with safely dealing with the friction of this encounter and the methods used for landing safely on Earth." Part of the NASA Aeronautical Book Series. Written by Rodger D. Launius and Dennis R. Jenkins. Dated 2012.

Click here to download (7.3 Megs)

Alternate download here

Edwards Air Force Base Air Show 2009 Photos

Seventy photos from the October 17 2009 Flight Test Nation Edwards Air Force base (EAFB) air show and open house. Some interesting stuff!

Click here to download photos in one ZIP file (45.3 Megs)

Additional photos here, here and here