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Visiting RAF Mildenhall circa October 1999. "Big Crow" was the designation of two NKC-135 testbed aircraft (55-3132 and 63-8050) heavily modified for electronic warfare testing.
Scan of a Kodachrome slide from my collection; image not taken by me.
A highly autonomous self-driving shuttle has entered service at ESA’s technical heart. Its official inauguration took place on Tuesday, when it was assigned a suitably spacey name – ‘Orbiter’ – chosen through an employee competition.
The Agency’s ESTEC establishment in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is being used as a testbed for the automated shuttle, to assess its viability as a ‘last mile’ solution for public transport.
ESTEC was selected because it is a controlled private environment but with all common transport found on public roads – cars, bikes, pedestrians and roundabouts – the shuttle is able to operate in mixed traffic.
“We’re very pleased to be involved with testing this project,” said Franco Ongaro, Head of ESTEC and ESA’s Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, “as it makes practical use of technologies we have been developing here at ESTEC.”
The autonomous vehicle calculates its position using a fusion of satellite navigation, lidar ‘laser radar’, visible cameras and motion sensors. It is being used to transport employees and visitors around the ESTEC complex.
The fully-electric, zero-emission vehicle observes an on-site speed limit of 15km/h (although it has a top speed of 25 km/h). It can seat up to eight people, and is wheelchair accessible. For the first six months of service the vehicle will carry a steward to observe its operation along its programmed 10-minute-long roundtrip.
ESTEC’s Facilities Management team is working with vehicle owner Dutch Automated Mobility, bus company Arriva who operate the vehicle, provincial and municipal governments, vehicle provider Navya and other partners.
Deputy Floor Vermeulen of Province Zuid-Holland spoke at the official opening: “It is important for the province to know whether the technology of self-driving transport can make a real contribution to the objective of making Zuid-Holland the most accessible province in the Netherlands. And whether it fits in with our motto for the coming years: Better every day. "
Project partners and guests including the Mayor of Noordwijk Jon Hermans-Vloedbeld, came to ESTEC’s Erasmus Highbay, filled with notable human and robotic exploration hardware, to learn more about the project and ride the automated shuttle for themselves.
Credits: ESA_L. Cervantes
Previously registered VR-BKK & N808V.
Damaged beyond repair 14-Feb-14 at BOH.
Used as a testbed with Tudor Scan Tech at St-Imier, Switzerland.
@ Rolls-Royce North America 🇺🇸
Boeing 747-267B - msn 21966 / 446
• ENG : 4x RR RB211-524D4
• REG : N787RR
• CONF : Testbed
• RMK : Named "Spirit of Excellence"
@ History Aircraft :
• 07.APR.1980 : First flight / Everett ( KPAE )
• 24.APR.1980 : Delivered / Cathay Pacific / VR-HIA
• 17.OCT.1997 : Re-registered / B-HIA
• 12.JUL.1998 : Stored / Victorville ( KVCV )
• DEC.1999 : Sold / Air Atlanta Icelandic / TF-ATD
• DEC.1999 : Wet lease to / Saudi Arabian Airlines / AirAsia / until 2003
• 16.JUN.2005 : Sold / Rolls-Royce North America based KTUS / N787RR
Boeing 727-63 N32720 at Mojave (MHV/KMHV) September 12, 1988. Aircraft used as a testbed for General Electric Unducted Fan Engine, which was mounted in the #3 engine position, right side. The UDF is removed in this photo. Scanned from print photo.
Honeywell's testbed aircraft. This 757 is the oldest 757 still flying. It was the 5th one built, and was delivered to Eastern Airlines on 2/28/1983.
A Vought F-8A Crusader was selected by NASA as the testbed aircraft (designated TF-8A) to install an experimental Supercritical Wing in place of the conventional wing. The unique design of the Supercritical Wing reduces the effect of shock waves on the upper surface near Mach 1, which in turn reduces drag. The smooth fairing of the fiberglass glove with the wing is illustrated in this view.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: EC73-3468
Date: March 23, 1973
Dual-voltage, Network SouthEast liveried 319454 leaves Gatwick Airport on a Brighton to Bedford "Thameslink" service on 19th August 1995
319054 was part of the first batch of 60 units built a York between 1987 and 1988 and refurbished for Thameslink at Railcare Wolverton 10 years later. The unit was renumbered to 319454 at this time. The 319's worked the Bedford to Brighton services many years but by 2015 they were slowly being replaced by new Class 387's. The last six remaining Class 319's were withdrawn from service on 27 August 2017.
Since then they have spread there wings with 35 converted to Bi/Try mode Class 769's by incorporate a diesel engine for local lines away from the wires & third rail. They've not been a success with the 19 for GWR at Reading area services never being used apart for testing. All 19 units to be handed back to Porterbrook in April 2023
As for 319454 it's now with Porterbrook as the "Innovation Train" which is described as "a static train testbed to fast-track the development of new ideas and accelerate improvements to passenger services" It is based at the Long Marston Innovation Centre in Warwickshire.
35mm Slide Scan
© Neil Higson
Exported to Bermuda 1-Nov-89 as VR-BKK,
then reregistered VP-BKK 1-Jul-97.
Damaged beyond repair 14-Feb-14 at BOH.
Used as a testbed with Tudor Scan Tech at St-Imier, Switzerland.
ENG
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft itself began in 1940, although work on the engines had been under way since 1936. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. Nicknamed the "Meatbox", the Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter.
Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades. The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War. Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution in the Korean War. Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts. Specialised variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photographic aerial reconnaissance and as night fighters.
The Meteor was also used for research and development purposes and to break several aviation records. On 7 November 1945, the first official air speed record by a jet aircraft was set by a Meteor F.3 of 606 miles per hour (975 km/h). In 1946, this record was broken when a Meteor F.4 reached a speed of 616 mph (991 km/h). Other performance-related records were broken in categories including flight time endurance, rate of climb, and speed. On 20 September 1945, a heavily modified Meteor I, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent turbine engines driving propellers, became the first turboprop aircraft to fly. On 10 February 1954, a specially adapted Meteor F.8, the "Meteor Prone Pilot", which placed the pilot into a prone position to counteract inertial forces, took its first flight.
In the 1950s, the Meteor became increasingly obsolete as more nations introduced jet fighters, many of these newcomers having adopted a swept wing instead of the Meteor's conventional straight wing; in RAF service, the Meteor was replaced by newer types such as the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. As of 2013, two Meteors, WL419 and WA638, remain in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds. Two further aircraft in the UK remain airworthy, as does another in Australia.
NL
De Gloster Meteor was de eerste operationele Britse straaljager. Het prototype vloog in 1943. Het eerste in reeks gebouwde exemplaren werden op 27 juli 1944 bij het 616 Squadron van de Royal Air Force ingezet. De Meteor was tussen 1948 en 1959 in gebruik bij de Nederlandse Koninklijke Luchtmacht, en ook de Belgische luchtmacht beschikte tijdens de Koude Oorlog ook over dit toestel.
De Meteor was de Britse tijdgenoot en tegenhanger van de Duitse Messerschmitt Me-262, die in de zomer van 1944 door de Luftwaffe in gebruik was genomen. De eerste proefvluchten gebeurden al in 1943. Het was een zuivere onderscheppingsjager. Waar de Duitse Me-262 uitgerust was met twee co-axiale turbines, had de Meteor twee centrifugale turbines. De eerste Meteors werden geleverd aan 616 sqadron, dat op het vliegveld van Manston gestationeerd was. De toestellen werden ingezet tegen de onbemande V1 vliegende bommen. De Britten vermeden ze in te zetten boven Duitsland om te voorkomen dat een exemplaar in vijandelijke handen zou vallen. Om dezelfde reden was de Me-262 uitsluitend boven Duitsland actief.
De Meteor was uitgerust met twee Rolls Royce Derwent motoren. Wegens het hoge brandstofverbruik werden de toestellen alleen als onderscheppingsjagers gebruikt. De Derwent-motoren verbruikten per uur ongeveer 1800 liter kerosine.
De prestaties van de Meteor waren in 1944 uitzonderlijk. Het toestel haalde een maximumsnelheid van 960 km per uur, terwijl schroefvliegtuigen snelheden van hooguit 750 km per uur konden behalen. Het klom tot een hoogte van 10.000 meter in 7 minuten. De Meteor was ontworpen als onderscheppingsjager en werd ook uitsluitend in die rol aangewend.
Na de oorlog werden verschillende records gevestigd met het vliegtuig. Group Captain Wilson haalde op 7 november 1945 een uursnelheid van 975 km boven Herne Bay in Kent. In 1946 haalde Group Captain Donaldson in een Meteor F4 een snelheid van 991 km per uur. Testpiloot Roland Beaumont haalde in 1946 de absulute topsnelheid van 1.017 km per uur.
De Meteor werd na de Tweede Wereldoorlog door Groot-Brittannië geëxporteerd. Hij werd behalve bij de Royal Air force ook het standaard-jachtvliegtuig van de Australische, de Belgische en de Nederlandse luchtmachten en kwam ook in gebruik bij de Israëlische luchtmacht.
De Nederlandse en de Belgische toestellen werden onder licentie in Nederland gebouwd door Fokker: 150 voor de KLu en 150 voor de BLu. Tussen 1948 en 1954 had de Belgische luchtmacht negen squadrons van 16 toestellen, aanvankelijk van de versie Meteor F4, daarna van de nieuwere versie F8. Er was ook een nachtjachtversie: de tweezits Meteor NF11 die met radar was uitgerust.
In Nederland gebeurden met de Meteor heel wat ongelukken en ging ongeveer 50% van de toestellen verloren door crashes. De KLu-vlieger Piet Schmidt Crans moest tot drie keer toe zijn toestel verlaten wegens mankementen: bij Volendam, boven Leeuwarden en nabij Soest. Daar stortte zijn Meteor in een brandvijver. Ongeveer 600 KLu-piloten hebben met de Gloster Meteor gevlogen, onder andere vanaf Vliegbasis Woensdrecht. Een bekende Nederlandse vlieger van de Meteor is Jan van Arkel, hij bracht een lange rij onderscheidingen mee uit zijn oorlogsjaren bij het Nederlandse 322ste RAF-quadron.
Van de Meteor had de Nederlandse luchtmacht circa 260 exemplaren in dienst. De eerste generatie had nog geen schietstoel, vanaf de versie Meteor F8 werd een Martin-Baker schietstoel ingebouwd. Bij Fokker aan de Papaverweg in Amsterdam-Noord en Aviolanda in Papendrecht werden in totaal 330 Meteors gebouwd, de eerste naoorlogse bouwopdracht voor de Nederlandse luchtvaartindustrie.
Na 1950 werd de Meteor qua technologie voorbijgestreefd door nieuw ontworpen toestellen. Zo was hij geen partij voor de nieuwe MiG-15's van de Sovjets of de North American F-86 Sabre van de Amerikanen die de geluidsmuur konden doorbreken. Pas met de komst van de Hawker Hunter in 1954 zouden de RAF en de BLu en de KLu over supersone vliegtuigen beschikken.
Er werden tussen 1942 en 1954 in totaal 3.947 Meteors gebouwd van verschillende versies. Het talrijkst waren die van de versie Meteor F8. Bij de RAF gingen 890 toestellen door ongelukken verloren, 450 piloten vonden daarbij de dood.
Skylon is a design for a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane by the British company Reaction Engines Limited (REL), using SABRE, a combined-cycle, air-breathing rocket propulsion system, potentially reusable for 200 flights. In paper studies, the cost per kilogram of payload carried to low Earth orbit in this way is hoped to be reduced from the current £1,108/kg (as of December 2015), including research and development, to around £650/kg, with costs expected to fall much more over time after initial expenditures have amortised. In 2004, the developer estimated the total lifetime cost of the programme to be about $12 billion.
The vehicle design is for a hydrogen-fuelled aircraft that would take off from a purpose-built runway, and accelerate to Mach 5.4 at 26 kilometres (16 mi) altitude using the atmosphere's oxygen before switching the engines to use the internal liquid oxygen (LOX) supply to take it into orbit. Once in orbit it would release its payload (of up to 15 tonnes). The vehicle will be unpiloted, but also be certified to carry passengers. All payloads could be carried in a standardised container compartment. The relatively light vehicle would then re-enter the atmosphere and land on a runway, being protected from the conditions of re-entry by a ceramic composite skin. When on the ground, it would undergo inspection and necessary maintenance. If the design goal is achieved, it should be ready to fly again within two days.
As of 2012, only a small portion of the funding required to develop and build Skylon had been secured. The research and development work on the SABRE engine design is proceeding under a small European Space Agency (ESA) grant. In January 2011, REL submitted a proposal to the British government to request additional funding for the project and in April REL announced that they had secured $350 million of further funding contingent on a test of the engine's precooler technology being successful. Testing of the key technologies was successfully completed in November 2012, allowing Skylon's design to advance to its final phase. On 16 July 2013 the British government pledged £60M to the project: this investment will provide support at a "crucial stage" to allow a full-scale prototype of the SABRE engine to be built.
If all goes to plan, the first ground-based engine tests could happen in 2019, and Skylon could be performing unmanned test flights by 2025. It could carry 15 tonnes of cargo to a 300 km equatorial orbit on each trip, and up to 11 tonnes to the International Space Station, almost 45% more than the capacity of the European Space Agency's ATV vehicle.
This is the first production vehicle and it is used as a testbed to prove the Sklyon concept.
I really enjoyed building this model. It went through multiple re-designs to get the curves and shaping just right. Those of you who play Kerbal Space Program will understand how an SSTO works but if you don't it is an aircraft with rocket engines of some time that is able to climb into orbit to launch satellites then return the entire aircraft to earth to save money.
Enjoy!
Tyler
Photo from the Florian Weiß collection, kindly provided by him for inclusion on this page.
München-Riem
ca. October 1980
OY-APZ
Boeing 720-051B
18384 / 237
Maersk Air
OY-APZ has just landed on runway 25 and is leaving the runway via the end. Lufthansa B747 and DC-10 in the background, and the Dove is very likely Riem resident D-IKUR.
Information from flickr - thanks to Paul:
c/n 18384/237. New to TWA as N795TW in 1961. To Northwest Orient as N733US in 1962 then to Maersk Air as OY-APZ in 1972. Leased to Trans European Airways as OO-TYA from 1979 to 1980 and returned as OY-APZ. To Conair of Scandinavia in 1981, then Allied-Signal as N720GT in 1987. To Honeywell as N720H in 2000. Retired in December 2007 as the last airworthy B720 in the USA, and scrapped at Phoenix in June 2008.
Information and many photos on this airframe’s later use as an engine testbed:
www.air-and-space.com/Boeing 720 engine testbed.htm
Registration details for this airframe:
www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/OY-APZ/490561
This airframe as N733US at JFK in July 1970 (also see here for a detailed history of the airframe:
www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6054317398
OY-APZ with Conair at SZG ca. early 1980s (hybrid Maersk/Conair colours):
www.flickr.com/photos/steelhead2010/17131926811
OY-APZ with Conair in September 1984:
www.flickr.com/photos/steelhead2010/18644875028
This airframe as N720GT with Allied-Signal Aerospace at PHX in April 1991 (still with Conair cheatline):
www.flickr.com/photos/pslg05896/32834925395
www.flickr.com/photos/pslg05896/32834925665
This airframe as N720H with Honeywell Aviation Services at PHX in October 2007:
imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/8/0/5/1591508.jpg
Scan from Kodachrome slide.
The General Electric 747 Testbed seen over Panamint. It's unfortunate that it's back lit as this is the lowest I've seen it in the area of Rainbow Canyon. It had been doing some low altitude work in the Saline area with the huge GE9X engine and was now spiralling up around the canyon. 14/03/2019.
Airbus acquired this BA6 146 / Avro RJ100 in view of preparing the future of flight. The E-Fan X is a complex hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator. In the test aircraft, one of the four jet engines will be replaced by a 2MW electric motor, which is roughly equivalent to that of 10 medium-sized cars. The electric propulsion unit is powered by a power-generation system and battery. When high power is required—at take-off, for example—the generator and battery supply energy together. The E-Fan X is the next step in Airbus’ electrification journey, and a giant leap towards achieving zero-emission flight over the next 20 years. This ambitious hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator is expected to achieve significant fuel savings when it embarks on its first flight in 2021.
12-7-2016 - Airbus Industrie, Airbus A350-941.
Flying overhead at Farnborough during its display at FIA 2016.
Info:
The aircraft was built in 2013 and is part of the Airbus test bed fleet of A350 aircraft.
C/n - 2
NASA's Boeing 737 is shown in front of the hangar at it's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia after its arrival in July 1973
Since it first entered the NASA inventory in 1974, NASA 515 was a testbed for research into a multitude of issues affecting aircraft safety, efficiency and capacity. Called an "airborne trailblazer,"it went beyond the typical research facility in that it demonstrates new concepts in real-world situations. As a result, this flying laboratory and its supporting facilities were responsible for rapid adoption of new aviation technology by U.S. industry.
NASA 515 was the first B-737 built. First used by Boeing to qualify the 737 for airline service, the prototype 737 was heavily modified by NASA. NASA concluded its use of the aircraft in 2003.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: 1973-L-06283
Date: August 8, 1973
LGW 01/08/1987
Airbus Industrie (testbed) 1974-78 F-WLGA/F-ODCY
Bavaria Germanair 1978-79 D-AMAP
Hapag-Lloyd 1979-86
Dan Air 1986-89 G-BMNB
Air Inter 1990-94 F-GIJT
GrandAir 1995-97 RP-C8881
Stored at TLS in 1997 and broken up in 1998
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a (slightly) better version 20-Jul-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 28-Dec-23.
A dark and grim day at Gatwick. Not exactly the best slide in the box but I've cleaned it up as much as I can. It looks as though it's in black & white, however the cheatline and tail is very dark blue.
G-ALZP was delivered to BEA British European Airways Corporation in Dec-51. After nine years with BEA it never saw passenger service again.
In Sep-60, it was sold to the Royal Jordanian Air Force serialled 109 but was never delivered and was sold to the King of Morocco in May-61 as CN-MAK.
In Nov-63 it was bought by the Decca Navigator Company Ltd as a flying testbed and became G-ALZP again. It was sold to a New Zealand airline, South Seas Airways in Nov-71 as ZK-DFC but was never delivered. It was stored and eventually broken up at West Malling in Kent, UK.
The Boeing Collection
From a collection of some 500 Boeing slides that I've had scanned from my archives. Hope they will provide some enjoyment and nostalgia from a bygone age.
One of the original fifteen BOAC Boeing 747-136s that British Airways inherited, G-AWNH (un-named in this shot) is seen here taxiing out for a 28L departure at London Heathrow, in the afternoon sunshine. According to my log book, the aircraft was operating flight BA5. Also in view are another BA 747, G-BGBC BA TriStar, a Pan Am and an Air India 747 - the usual collection of the time.
The British Overseas Aircraft Corporation, better known as BOAC, was an early purchaser of Boeing's new wide body 747 'Jumbo Jet'. Fifteen aircraft were delivered between April 1970 and December 1973. In April 1974, the whole fleet was transferred to the newly merged British Airways. The fleet was registered G-AWNA-P and most were given names. Of the fifteen, all but five flew their whole careers with BOAC and BA. G-AWNH was one of the fleet that remained with BOAC/BA all its flying life.
I became a bit of an aficionado of the British Airways 747 fleet of the time, and tried to record all the livery variations, which numbered a few.
G-AWNH was the 8th in the fleet of 15 Boeing 747 'Jumbos' that were originally ordered by BOAC. The aircraft was delivered in Nov 1971, and was assimilated into the newly formed British Airways two and a half years later in Apr 1974. Around 1980, British Airways experimented with an 'American' style abbreviated name of 'British' seen here. The experiment was quite short-lived.
G-AWNH later named 'City of Inverness' c/n 20270 Boeing 747-136 - delivered new to BOAC in Nov 1971, and assimilated into the newly formed British Airways fleet two and a half years later in Apr 1974. The aircraft flew its entire life with British Airways, only being withdrawn in June 1999 after 28 years of service! The aircraft was initially stripped at Cardiff and then flown to the Sandia National Labs at Albuquerque, New Mexico for use as an FAA/AANC testbed.
British Airways must have worked that aircraft hard, as apparently it was one of the first 747s to reach over 100,000 hours of service, and was rewarded with retirement in a government study on aircraft ageing. [see Adam Fritzler's photo in comments below] It was eventually broken up in 2014.
Taken with a Soviet made Zenith E camera and 300mm lens. From an original slide, scanned and unrestored.
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
11/2012 - Altoona, PA
NS 8688 C39-8E arrived in Altoona for storage in early 2009 and was used as a testbed unit for a time. As of 2015 it is still stored at Juniata.
Today a test bed flight with an arrival time of 11:56AM. Boeing BOE1 B737-8Max on final to runway 22L at Mather field, and departure for a go-a-round. The B737-8Max did four more approach and landings before departing back to Paine Field BFI at 1:04PM
Prototype British Rail/Leyland class 140 railbus number 140001 pictured at Dufftown on the Keith and Dufftown Railway on September 12th 2021. Introduced in 1981 as a testbed for the future railbus classes 141/142/143/144 it remained in service until 1986 and survived as a 'spares donor' at Leeds Neville Hill depot until preservation in 1995. The restoration is progressing slowly at the KADR but recent work has seen all four windscreens replaced (£100 each), replacement engine purchased (£1000) and restoration of the electrical systems.
Massive thanks to the volunteers at Dufftown Station for allowing us to get a closer look at the 140 and for switching its lights on for us.
The Blackbird family of aircraft cruised at speeds of more than Mach 3 and flew over 85,000 feet (25,500 m) in altitude. Conceived in the 1950s, Blackbirds remain the fastest and highest flying air-breathing production aircraft ever built.
In 1959, Lockheed’s chief engineer Kelly Johnson and his team submitted an unsolicited proposal to the U.S. Air Force for a Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft. The resulting vehicle, called the A-12 (the twelfth of a series of Lockheed designs), was ordered first by the Central Intelligence Agency. Most of these aircraft were single-seat configuration, but two were built as two-seaters for potential later use as drone-launchers. The A-12 pioneered the use of major titanium structures, composite materials, and low radar cross-section technology. It required advances in design methods, fabrication techniques, and fuels. The prototype first flew in April 1962.
The Blackbird, as it was unofficially called, looked and performed far ahead of its time. The CIA operated the A-12 on clandestine missions through 1968. The A-12 spawned the USAF YF-12A interceptor program, which was eventually canceled. The most famous Blackbird variant, the SR-71, was developed for the USAF and flew frontline reconnaissance missions until 1990. Three SR-71s continued their careers into the late 1990s as NASA research testbeds. Although several Blackbirds were lost in accidents, none were ever shot down.
Key to the performance of the Blackbird was the Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet and its advanced inlet design. Turbojet engines cannot function consuming air at supersonic speeds, so the inlet incorporates a spike assembly that translates fore and aft as a function of Mach number, to decelerate the incoming air to a suitable subsonic speed at the compressor face. The pressure recovery of this inlet air contributed almost two-thirds of the total net thrust at Mach 3 cruise conditions.
The Museum's aircraft is an M-21, the first of the rare two-seat variants of the early A-12. Built for a CIA program code-named "Tagboard," it carried an unpiloted D-21 drone for intelligence gathering. These drones were intended for launch from the M-21 "mothership" for flights over hostile territories. Design features of the M-21 include the second seat for the Launch Control Officer and the launch pylon on which the drone is mounted. Two M-21 airframes were manufactured; the second was lost in a D-21 launch accident in 1966.
The Museum's M-21 first flew in 1964 and is the sole surviving example of its type. It was acquired in 1991 and, with its mounted D-21 drone, is the centerpiece aircraft of the Great Gallery.
This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Description (1961) NASA pilot Neil Armstrong is seen here in the cockpit of the X-15 ship #1 (56-6670) after a research flight.
A U.S. Navy pilot in the Korean War who flew 78 combat missions in F9F-2 jet fighters and who was awarded the Air Medal and two Gold Stars, Armstrong graduated from Purdue University in 1955 with a bachelor degree in aeronautical engineering. That same year, he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio (today, the NASA Glenn Research Center).
In July 1955, Armstrong transferred to the High-Speed Flight Station (HSFS, as Dryden Flight Research Center was then called) as an aeronautical research engineer. Soon thereafter, he became a research pilot. For the first few years at the HSFS, Armstrong worked on a number of projects. He was a pilot on the Navy P2B-1S used to launch the D-558-2 and also flew the F-100A, F-100C, F-101, F-104A, and X-5.
His introduction to rocket flight came on August 15, 1957, with his first flight (of four, total) on the X-1B. He then became one of the first three NASA pilots to fly the X-15, the others being Joe Walker and Jack McKay. (Scott Crossfield, a former NACA pilot, flew the X-15 first but did so as a North American Aviation pilot.)
Project Description:
The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft. The original three aircraft were about 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. The modified #2 aircraft (X-15A-2 was longer.) They were a missile-shaped vehicles with unusual wedge-shaped vertical tails, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was rated at 57,000 lb of thrust, although there are indications that it actually achieved up to 60,000 lb. North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program.
The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide in-flight information and data on aerodynamics, structures, flight controls, and the physiological aspects of high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow-on program used the aircraft as testbeds to carry various scientific experiments beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis.
For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-15 used conventional aerodynamic controls such as rudder surfaces on the vertical stabilizers to control yaw and movable horizontal stabilizers to control pitch when moving in synchronization or roll when moved differentially.
For flight in the thin air outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a reaction control system. Hydrogen peroxide thrust rockets located on the nose of the aircraft provided pitch and yaw control. Those on the wings provided roll control.
Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at approximately 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. Depending on the mission, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 sec of flight. The remainder of the normal 10 to 11 min. flight was powerless and ended with a 200-mph glide landing.
Generally, one of two types of X-15 flight profiles was used; a high-altitude flight plan that called for the pilot to maintain a steep rate of climb, or a speed profile that called for the pilot to push over and maintain a level altitude.
The X-15 was flown over a period of nearly 10 years -- June 1959 to October 1968 -- and set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 ft in a program to investigate all aspects of manned hypersonic flight. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights, and were manufactured by North American Aviation.
X-15-1, serial number 56-6670, is now located at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. North American X-15A-2, serial number 56-6671, is at the United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. X-15-3, serial number 56-6672, crashed on 15 November 1967, resulting in the death of Maj. Michael J.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: ECN-89
Date: 1961
Following the success of the M-125 Porewit, the JNA went on to further experiment with low-profile casemate AFVs. The overarching ambition of the program that led to the M-205 was to produce a big-gunned combat vehicle capable of putting more rounds down range than the opposition. Initially this translated to trying to enhance autoloaders to be faster, lighter, and more reliable; however, a minority in the Zastava Arms firm decided that simply mounting two high-velocity guns to a single AFV was the way to go as material science wasn't advanced enough at the time to produce the required autoloader advancements. Hence, the M-205.
The design of the M-205 is fairly straightforward: two 105mm rifled guns (with slaved 7.62mm coaxials just above) housed independently in a moderately armored chassis with a steep frontal glacis capable of shrugging off numerous high-caliber rounds. Unfortunately, the high rate of fire and beefy front face came with costs elsewhere. The sides of the crew cabin are only rated to neglect 12.7mm rounds (the angled armor around the engine bay is able to resist 14.5mm rounds). Additionally, having two breeches in the cabin means the crew quarters--meant to house four crewmen--are fairly cramped compared to conventional MBTs. Furthermore, the guns mounted on the vehicle lack integrated bore evacuators, leading to an independent ventilation system needing to be built into the cabin, ergo eating more space and compromising the integrity of the armor around the vent itself. The upside, however, lies in the magazine being fairly secure and easy to reload. Located between the engine bay and the cabin, the magazine has doors that open for easy crate-based loading and in which case double as blowout panels in the event of catastrophic failure.
Aside from the twin-gun aspect of the M-205, another exceptional wonder of the vehicle rests in the vehicle's optics. Far more advanced and miniaturized than those of the West for the time--e.g. the early and mid-1980s--the independent electronic periscopes are exceptionally precise. The larger optics suite atop the vehicle is able to utilize data from the two separate periscopes and calculate how to best align their shots when firing on a single target. Thus, the rather small guns are able to penetrate the rough hides of most AFVs by tandem-firing. In the event of firing on two separate targets, the central suite will designate a sequence of engagements based upon distance and travel time, thereby maximizing camouflage by minimizing latency.
Unfortunately for Zastava, the M-205 never saw extensive service time. The complexity of the design overall and the optics in particular meant manufacturing was difficult, time-consuming, and generally costly. After the first four vehicles were produced for field testing, the Lada production line was essentially shut down and the testbed models mothballed. Zastava attempted to revive the vehicle by tossing around the idea of integrating a more advanced suspension system akin to the Strv 103's to further enhance the Lada's ability to target and engage vehicles from a fixed position, but this aspiration was quickly quashed as such an addition would only further the production issues. All in all the M-205 was too unique to be useful in an era where the JNA was trying to become slightly more conventional in nature.
September 2018 - [DUS/EDDL] Düsseldorf - International
cn 364, built and originally used as testbed F-WWIA in 1993.
With Onur Air since 1998.
"At least two Crossfield-class starships served as testbeds for experiments to end the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257, the USS Discovery and the USS Glenn. They were equipped with an experimental propulsion technology, the displacement-activated spore hub drive."
More information about the MOC on Rebrickable: Crossfield Class
NASA's SR-71B, NASA 831, slices across the snowy southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California after being refueled by an Air Force Flight Test Center tanker during a recent flight. The Mach 3 aircraft were being flown by the Dryden Flight Research Center (now the Armstrong Flight Research Center), Edwards, California as testbeds for high-speed, high-altitude aeronautical research. Capable of flying more than 2200 mph and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet, they were excellent platforms for research and experiments in aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization. Derived from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12, the SR-71 first flew on December 22, 1964.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: EC95-42883-4
Date: December 1994
ESA’s light-studded Rover Autonomy Testbed seen during night testing in Tenerife, intended to simulate the low light environment of the lunar poles.
The testbed, operated by a team from GMV in Spain, plus ESA’s Heavy Duty Planetary Rover, overseen by ESA’s planetary robotics team, travelled to the Canary Islands for day and night testing in the volcanic, Moon-like environment of Teide National Park.
The two rovers carry navigation aids to work in both light and dark, including stereo cameras, lights, GPS, laser rangers and radar-like lidar. They can build digital 3D maps from these various sensors for both autonomous and teleoperated steering.
Read the associated article here.
Credit: Fernando Gandía/GMV
Aurora Flight Sciences by Boeing Saab 340B N341AG cn 340B-437 MRB - Testbed for NASA & GE Aviation for hybrid electric engine.
SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 serial XX765 was built in 1975 as the 62nd production Jaguar. It became a vital Active Control Technology (ACT) fly-by-wire testbed. Its flight data shaped the development of the British Aerospace EAP and the Eurofighter Typhoon. It is preserved at the RAF Museum Midlands in Cosford.
See more car pics on my facebook page!
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The C111 was a series of experimental automobiles produced by Mercedes-Benz in the 1960s and 1970s. The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines, Diesel engines, and turbochargers, and used the basic C111 platform as a testbed. Other experimental features included multi-link rear suspension, gullwing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air conditioning.
The C111-III was powered by a 230 horsepower (170 kW) @ 4,500rpm straight-5 OM617 turbodiesel which broke nine diesel and gas speed records. With more aerodynamic bodywork that gave it an air drag coefficient of .191, the C111 eventually reached 200 mph (322 km/h) at Nardò in 1978, and averaged 14.7mpg@ 316 km/h (195.4 mph) over a 12-hour cruise. A later 500 hp (372 kW) 4.8 L twin KKK-turbocharged V8 version set another record, with an average lap-speed of 403.78 km/h (250.958 mph). It was achieved by Dr. Hans Leibold in 1 minute, 56.67 seconds on May 5, 1979.
(Wikipedia)
Siemens testbed Vectron 193 971 on its way to Kontiomäki in Northern Finland for tests on a test track at Laajakangas on 19.4.2015. These photos were taken at Malmi near Helsinki.
New York-JFK, 29 October 1987. After its airline career this 737 was acquired by ELTA Electronics in Israel as a systems testbed, registered 4X-AOT.
Dennis Test Bed Bus
Daimlier CVG / Roe
London Transport route 27
August 1977
Copyright Steve Guess MMXV
Boeing 737-683
cn: 28297 / ln: 30
ff: 02-03-1998 N1786B
02-03-1998 N35135 rr Boeing testbed for C of A for the B737-600 series
21-01-1999 SE-DNS SAS "Signe Viking" config CY112
28-07-2001 LN-RRY rr SAS "Signe Viking"
02-2005 Painted in SAS Braathens colours as the first 736, and opf SAS Braathens from 01-04-2005 (allthough AoC change to CNO was officially made 20-04-2006 for LN-RRY ).
01-07-2007 LN-RRY SAS Norge tfd, "Signe Viking", op in SAS Braathens colours,
SAS Norge colour update was not before 12-2008 (!)
01-10-2009 Scandinavian Airlines - SAS tfd, "Signe Viking" config CY120
Again: LN-RRY did not get updated to std SAS colours before 2013 (!)
07-08-2019 wfu and std ENGM/OSL, after 20,5 years in SAS service
27-08-2019 Departed ENGM/OSL at 13:20 pm as SK9121 to St. Athan EGDX/DGX and broken up there in November 2019
Seen on pushback from gate 45 at the internatnioal pier at ENGM/OSL, this was my first view and photo of a B737-600
Scanned from original Fuji 200ISO slide, photograpend with my Ricoh KR-10 camera.
Imbrium Lunokhod Industries VS-TX-00x 'Kērangi' Frame.
Little more than a tablescrap, this is a testbed for an elbow/wrist design that Ive been playing with and a lower leg design that I hoped would work well.
It's far too large for Mobile Frame Zero play, but could work as a base for a larger display mech.