Russian Air Force 100th Anniversary Airshow at Zhukovsky-Ramenskoye (UUBW) on August 12, 2012. Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII) Tupolev Tu-16LL Badger "05 Blue" (cn 8204105). This wreck was used as a testbed for many years during the Soviet era. Manufactured at Kazan Aircraft Plant No. 22 in april 1958, 8204105 was one of nine engine testbed operated by LII at Zhukovsky. The Tu-16LL ("Letayuschchaya Laboratoriya" or Flying Laboratory) had the radar and all armament removed and carried the test engine in a special nacelle housed in the former bomb bay. The faded tactical number has got a greenish tint after many years of outside storage.

Pima Air and Space Museum

The Boeing 747 began as a concept for a U.S. Air Force contract competition to design a heavy lift cargo aircraft. That contest was eventually won by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing’s failure to win that contract led it to develop one of the most iconic aircraft ever. The first 747 made its maiden flight in February 1969 and the type made its first commercial flight less than a year later. Since then the humpbacked shape of the 747 has become familiar to millions of travelers around the world. The “Jumbo Jet” is the first twin isle airliner and in some configurations could carry more than 500 passengers. This immense size allowed a much lower operating cost per seat and helped bring long distance air travel into the price range of vastly more people. Boeing has built more than 1,560 since 1969. As of 2018, only about 20 remain to be delivered. The era of the 747 as a passenger plane is coming to an end as it is replaced by more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft, but it will continue to be in use as a cargo plane for many years to come.

It was built by Boeing Aircraft Company at Everett, Washington and delivered to Pan American World Airways on March 21, 1970. It is the twenty-fifth 747 built. Following Pan Am’s practice of naming its aircraft, this airplane flew with the name “Clipper Star of the Union” until 1982 when it was renamed “Clipper Ocean Spray.” It remained with Pan Am until the bankruptcy of the airline in 1991. In March 1992 it was purchased by General Electric for use as an engine test bed. Since then the plane has flown more than 3,000 hours carrying various test engines for GE as they develop the engines that power many of the planes that are replacing the 747 in airline service. General Electric donated the aircraft to the Pima Air & Space Museum in November 2018.

Wingspan: 195 ft 8 in.

Length: 231 ft 4 in.

Height: 63 ft 5 in.

Weight: 735,000 lbs (loaded)

Maximum Speed: 595 MPH

Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft

Range: 6,000 miles

Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney JD9D-3 turbofans with 43,000 pounds of thrust each

Crew: 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants, 374 to 490 passengers

Manufacturer: Boeing

Markings: General Electric Aviation, 2018

Designation: 747-121

Registration: N747GE

Serial Number: 19651

This view is of the F4H-1F testbed on the engine run-up ramp to the east of the GE hangar.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Reference shot.

Taken with my Nokia N86 8MP mobile.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

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 SAS "Signe Viking"

02-2005 Painted in SAS Braathens colours, AoC change to CNO was officially made 20-04-2006 for LN-RRY

01-07-2007 LN-RRY SAS Norge tfd "Signe Viking",

SAS Norge colour update was not before 12-2008 (!)

01-10-2009 LN-RRY Scandinavian Airlines - SAS tfd, "Signe Viking" config CY120

LN-RRY did not get updated to std SAS colours before 2013.

It is now in February 2018 one of the last 10 736s left in the fleet.

The Convair C-131 Samaritan was the military version of the Convair propliner series (CV-240 through 440), bought "off the shelf" by the USAF to partially replace its fleet of World War II-era C-47 Skytrains, both in the light transport and aeromedical/casualty evacuation role--hence the name "Samaritan." As the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar and Lockheed C-130 Hercules became the primary medium transports of the USAF, the C-131s were relegated relatively quickly to Air National Guard units, where they served as crew transports and "hack" aircraft. The first Samaritan entered service in 1950.

There were a large number of Samaritan variants, including electronic warfare aircraft, search and rescue coordination aircraft (flown mostly by the US Coast Guard), testbeds, and trainers, the latter as the T-29 navigator trainer.

Because the C-131 was reliable and plenty of spare parts were available, it remained in service for forty years. It was withdrawn from active duty USAF units by 1978, but ANG units would keep their Samaritans around until 1990.

One of the most unusual aircraft ever built, the NC-131H TIFS (Total In-Flight Simulator) was converted from a USAF C-131B transport (53-7793) already in use as a radar testing aircraft. The nose was removed and a new one grafted on, with a full cockpit, controls, and testing equipment. The aircraft could be flown from either cockpit. Calspan at Buffalo, New York, handled the conversion, and though it was still flown by the USAF and carried on the books as a NC-131H, it carried a civilian registration on the tail.

The idea behind the TIFS was to test different flying characteristics of aircraft designs before the design went to the prototype phased. Large fins were added to the wings to better simulate crosswind landing characteristics, and turboprops for more speed and reliability. Though ungainly, it suffered little issues with aerodynamics. The TIFS would be part of the testing program for the B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, YF-23 Black Widow II, X-29, X-40, and C-5 Galaxy; in addition, it also was involved in studies for the Space Shuttle, Concorde, and the cancelled Boeing 2707 SST, as well as the Boeing 747 and 787 Dreamliner. In 2002, it was used to simulate the same rudder problem that caused the fatal crash of American Airlines Flight 578.

Because of its unique appearance, role, and its status as the last C-131 variant in the USAF, the TIFS was slated for preservation. When it was retired in 2008, it made its final flight to the National Museum of the USAF at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. and now is on display in the museum's Experimental Gallery.

Seeing the TIFS at the NMUSAF was a surprise: I had heard of the aircraft and seen pictures, but never thought I would actually see it. My friend who traveled with me remarked "What the hell is THAT?" The NC-131 retains the standard finish of USAF C-131s, with bare metal except the white upper fuselage, painted to reflect heat. It carries a Calspan logo on the nose and on the tail stripe, and a USAF Systems Command patch as well.

Airbus A380-841

MSN 001

F-WWOW '001 GD' [Prototype/Rolls-Royce Trent testbed]

Airbus S.A.S.

Copyright © 2014 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

Armoured Corps Memorial and Museum, Latrun, Israel

Reshade 0.18.1 Framework Extreme Eyecancer Mod Testbed 0.2B

Blackfire's mod + TOD + Reli2

Ini tweaks + POM enabled

Lite TOD, light shadows, nohud, dof %25-50, adjusted brightess, contrast and gamma + exposure. MSAA Disabled. SSAO enabled.

80º FoV,

Custom helmet mesh lens texture (reworked)

------

Framework Config

SweetFX

{ SMAA

Tonemap

Vibrance

Film Grain

Letterbox }

McFX

{ Fisheye CA }

GemFX

{ LensDirt

Ambient Light + ambient light controls for Bloom, Lens and vibrance + advanced eye adaptation }

& Improved performance again, render mode 8bit

The team fills the Morpheus lander's tanks with liquid oxygen.

Location: Johnson Space Center

Photographer: Kris Kehe

N787RR

Rolls-Royce North America

787 Test Engine Flight

Tucson International Airport, Tucson AZ, USA

May 16, 2013

Geared Turbo Fan First Flight, Pure Power Engines, Pure Power 1000G, 747 SP Flying Testbed.

The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production.

The "120" in its name referred to its 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed), which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch.[4]

It was available in two open versions, first as the roadster (designated OTS, for open two-seater, in America), then also as a drophead coupé (DHC) from 1953 – and also as a closed, or "fixed-head" coupé (FHC) from 1951. The DHC was a more deluxe open model, with wind-up windows, and wood-veneer dashboard and interior door caps, as on the FHC.

The roadster was successful in racing.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Der Jaguar XK 120 war ein zweisitziger Roadster, den Jaguar 1948 als Nachfolger des S.S.100 auf den Markt brachte.

Der Jaguar XK 120 OTS (Open Two Seater, so die etwas umständliche Bezeichnung für den Roadster) besaß einen Sechszylinder-Reihenmotor mit 3442 cm³ Hubraum und 160 bhp.

Ab 1951 gab es den Jaguar XK 120 FHC (Fixed Head Coupé), ein Coupé mit gleicher Motorisierung und 194 km/h Höchstgeschwindigkeit. Bis zur Einstellung 1954 wurden 2678 Stück gebaut.

1953 kam der Jaguar XK 120 DHC (Drop Head Coupé), ein Cabriolet mit gefüttertem Stoffdach und der gleichen Motorisierung, auch als SE, dazu. Es wurde allerdings nur ein Jahr lang angeboten und erreichte in diesem Zeitraum die Stückzahl von 1767 Exemplaren.

(Wikipedia)

Embraer E190-E2 Testbed #4

Profit Hunter livery(shark

The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production.

The "120" in its name referred to its 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed), which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch.[4]

It was available in two open versions, first as the roadster (designated OTS, for open two-seater, in America), then also as a drophead coupé (DHC) from 1953 – and also as a closed, or "fixed-head" coupé (FHC) from 1951. The DHC was a more deluxe open model, with wind-up windows, and wood-veneer dashboard and interior door caps, as on the FHC.

The roadster was successful in racing.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Der Jaguar XK 120 war ein zweisitziger Roadster, den Jaguar 1948 als Nachfolger des S.S.100 auf den Markt brachte.

Der Jaguar XK 120 OTS (Open Two Seater, so die etwas umständliche Bezeichnung für den Roadster) besaß einen Sechszylinder-Reihenmotor mit 3442 cm³ Hubraum und 160 bhp.

Ab 1951 gab es den Jaguar XK 120 FHC (Fixed Head Coupé), ein Coupé mit gleicher Motorisierung und 194 km/h Höchstgeschwindigkeit. Bis zur Einstellung 1954 wurden 2678 Stück gebaut.

1953 kam der Jaguar XK 120 DHC (Drop Head Coupé), ein Cabriolet mit gefüttertem Stoffdach und der gleichen Motorisierung, auch als SE, dazu. Es wurde allerdings nur ein Jahr lang angeboten und erreichte in diesem Zeitraum die Stückzahl von 1767 Exemplaren.

(Wikipedia)

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Reference shot.

Taken with my Nokia N86 8MP mobile.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Reference shot.

Taken with my Nokia N86 8MP mobile.

Arriva London Ltd.:

DW411 was retrofitted with a new driveline, as a testbed for what would become the Wrightbus StreetDeck. The original 6-cyl Cummins ISBe engine was replaced with the Mercedes-Benz (Daimler) OM934. The vehicle caught fire shortly after arrival to the London fleet in 2011, so instead of being written off, she was given a new lease of life, and a slightly different identity!

VDLbus DB300 (Daimler) /

Wrightbus Gemini 2DL (10.5m)

H41/24D - 2011

Rockwood Road, Stamford Hill

Saturday 1st August 2015

A chance picture was taken in Leicester when 2 Prototype/testbed coaches met in Leicester. On the left is the National Express Spec which was driven by myself and the coach spec owned by Applegates which was the prototype. Well couldn't resist getting them together.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Reference shot.

Taken with my Nokia N86 8MP mobile.

Once the fastest production car in the world, the Jaguar XK120 was Jaguar's first new product following the end of the war, being designed in those dark final days of the conflict and being developed over the next three years, making its début in 1948.

The XK120 was launched in open two-seater form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. The display car was the first prototype, chassis number 670001. It looked almost identical to the production cars except that the straight outer pillars of its windscreen would be curved on the production version. The roadster caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production.

Beginning in 1948, the first 242 cars wore wood-framed open 2-seater bodies with aluminium panels. Production switched to the 112lb heavier all-steel in early 1950. The "120" in the name referred to the aluminium car's 120 mph top speed, which made it the world's fastest production car at the time of its launch. Engine models ranged from a 160bhp DOHC Straight-6 Double SU H6 low end model, to the fastest version which was powered by a 210bhp DOHC Straight-6 Double SU H8, giving the car a top speed of 124mph, which in 1949 was a spectacular feat when compared to the Austins and Morris' of the time.

On 30 May 1949, on the empty Ostend-Jabbeke motorway in Belgium, a prototype XK120 timed by the officials of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium achieved an average of runs in opposing directions of 132.6 mph with the windscreen replaced by just one small aeroscreen and a catalogued alternative top gear ratio, and 135 mph with a passenger-side tonneau cover in place. In 1950 and 1951, at a banked oval track in France, XK120 roadsters averaged over 100 mph for 24 hours and over 130 mph for an hour, and in 1952 a fixed-head coupé took numerous world records for speed and distance when it averaged 100 mph for a week.

The Motor magazine road-tested an XK120 roadster in November 1949. This pre-production car, chassis number 670001, road-registered as HKV 455, was the first prototype built. It was also the 1948 London Motor Show display model, and had been driven by Prince Bira in the 1949 Silverstone Production Car Race. The magazine reported a top speed of 124.6 mph, acceleration from 0–60 mph in 10.0 seconds and fuel consumption of 19.8 miles per imperial gallon. The car as tested cost £1263 including taxes.

In 1949 the first production roadster, chassis number 670003, was delivered to famous actor Clark Gable.

The XK120 was ultimately available in two open versions, first as an open 2-seater described in the US market as the roadster, then also as a drophead coupé from 1953; and also as a closed, or fixed head coupé from 1951.

Production of the car ended in 1954 after 12,055 examples were constructed, being replaced by the Jaguar XK140. Today you'd be hard pressed to find XK120's on a regular basis, but if you attend car shows like me you'd be likely to find at least one show up.

Most notably though, the car returned to the centre stage of modern motoring through a spectacularly organised and choreographed race between the presenters of Top Gear on their Race to the North, a competition set in a hypothetical 1949 between the primary modes of transport at the time, with James May in the Jaguar XK120, Richard Hammond on a Vincent Blackshadow motorbike, and Jeremy Clarkson on the rebuilt Peppercorn A1 Pacific number 60163 'Tornado'.

Jaguar Cars Ltd., better known simply as Jaguar is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Coventry, England. It has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors Ltd. since March 2008 and is operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business.

Jaguar was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company by Sir William Lyons in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before switching to passenger cars. The name was changed to Jaguar after World War II due to the unfavourable connotations of the SS initials.

The Jaguar XK120 is a sports car which was manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. Jaguar's first post-war sports car, it succeeded the SS 100, which ceased production in 1940.

The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation, which persuaded William Lyons to put it into production.

The "120" in its name referred to its 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed), which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch.[3].

It was available in two convertible versions — first as the roadster (designated OTS, for open two-seater, in America), then also as a drophead coupé, or DHC, from 1953 — and as a closed, or "fixed-head" coupé (FHC) from 1951. The DHC was a more deluxe model, featuring a beautiful wood dashboard and wood features on the door interiors.

The roadster version was successful in racing.

The first 242 cars, all roadsters hand-built between late 1948 and early 1950, had aluminium bodies on ash frames. To meet demand it was necessary for the mass-production versions, beginning with the 1950 model year, to have pressed-steel bodies. They retained aluminium doors, bonnet, and boot lid.

With alloy cylinder head and twin side draft SU carburetors, the dual overhead-cam 3.4 L straight-6 XK engine was comparatively advanced for a mass-produced unit of the time. With standard 8:1 compression ratio it developed 160 bhp (119 kW). [2] A 7:1 low compression version was also available to cope with low quality fuel. This same basic design of the XK engine, later modified into 3.8L and 4.2L versions, survived into the late 1980s.

All XK120s had independent torsion bar front suspension, semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear, recirculating-ball steering, telescopically adjustable steering column, and all-round drum brakes that were prone to fade. Some cars were fitted with Alfin brake drums to help overcome this brake fade.

The roadster's lightweight canvas top and detachable sidescreens stowed out of sight behind the seats, and its barchetta-style doors had no external handles; instead there was an interior pull-cord which was accessible through a flap in the sidescreens when the weather equipment was in place. The windscreen could be removed for aeroscreens to be fitted.

The drophead coupé had a padded canvas top, which folded onto the rear deck behind the seats when not in use, and roll-up windows. The windscreen was fixed. Dashboards and door caps in both the FHC and DHC were wood-veneered, whereas the roadster's were leather-trimmed. All models had removable spats ("fender skirts" in America) covering the rear wheel arches, which enhanced the streamlined look. On cars fitted with optional centre-lock wire wheels (available from 1951), the spats were omitted as they gave insufficient clearance for the two-eared Rudge-Whitworth knockoff hubs.

In addition to wire wheels, upgrades on the Special Equipment, or SE, version (called the M version in the United States) included increased power, stiffer suspension and dual exhaust system.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

Pentacon Praktica Super TL1000

German 35mm SLR.

An ideal (film-based) testbed for my M42 screwmount lenses.

Dirt cheap and the lightmeter might not be working anymore but it has a robust metal vertical travel focal-plane shutter.

Andy Mott is measuring the optical limiting performance of a nonlinear material in a testbed used to simulate low F/# Army optics".

With the threat of battlefield frequency-agile lasers on the horizon, the soldier will need optical protection that can protect his eyes and sensors from threats across the entire operating bandwidth, not just at fixed, discrete frequencies. The Nonlinear Optics team mission is to research and develop nonlinear optical limiting materials and devices that passively filter out damaging laser radiation at any incoming wavelength from an optical system, including soldiers eyes. Nonlinear materials and devices are transparent to the optical system until a laser threat is present, then turn-on, blocking the threat laser, but still allowing the viewing system to function normally in the presence of the threat.

The XK120 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show as a testbed and show car for the new Jaguar XK engine. It caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production.

The "120" in its name referred to its 120 mph (193 km/h) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed), which made the XK120 the world's fastest standard production car at the time of its launch.[4]

It was available in two open versions, first as the roadster (designated OTS, for open two-seater, in America), then also as a drophead coupé (DHC) from 1953 – and also as a closed, or "fixed-head" coupé (FHC) from 1951. The DHC was a more deluxe open model, with wind-up windows, and wood-veneer dashboard and interior door caps, as on the FHC.

The roadster was successful in racing.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Der Jaguar XK 120 war ein zweisitziger Roadster, den Jaguar 1948 als Nachfolger des S.S.100 auf den Markt brachte.

Der Jaguar XK 120 OTS (Open Two Seater, so die etwas umständliche Bezeichnung für den Roadster) besaß einen Sechszylinder-Reihenmotor mit 3442 cm³ Hubraum und 160 bhp.

Ab 1951 gab es den Jaguar XK 120 FHC (Fixed Head Coupé), ein Coupé mit gleicher Motorisierung und 194 km/h Höchstgeschwindigkeit. Bis zur Einstellung 1954 wurden 2678 Stück gebaut.

1953 kam der Jaguar XK 120 DHC (Drop Head Coupé), ein Cabriolet mit gefüttertem Stoffdach und der gleichen Motorisierung, auch als SE, dazu. Es wurde allerdings nur ein Jahr lang angeboten und erreichte in diesem Zeitraum die Stückzahl von 1767 Exemplaren.

(Wikipedia)

The team fills the Morpheus lander's tanks with liquid oxygen.

Location: Johnson Space Center

Photographer: Kris Kehe

The F-101 Voodoo was originally built as an escort fighter for USAF strategic bombers. Unfortunately for the Voodoo, the jet bombers coming on the line for the USAF--the B-47, B-52, and B-58--didn't require escorts. The F-101 was a good aircraft without a mission. The USAF began building the F-101A as a low-level strike fighter, because if there was one thing the Voodoo had, it was high speed at all altitudes. This led the USAF to consider: would the F-101 make a good tactical reconnaissance aircraft?

In response, McDonnell rebuilt two of the YF-101A prototypes as RF-101A testbeds. This replaced the fighter nose with a more "chisel" design that contained six cameras instead of radar and cannon. The RF-101A turned out to be a superb reconnaissance aircraft, and entered production on a limited basis. Further variants were developed from later Voodoo versions, namely the purpose-built RF-101C, which entered service in 1958.

The RF-101 gave the USAF its first supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, and largely replaced the RF-84F Thunderflash and RT-33A Shooting Star. Pilots liked its speed and responsiveness; it was capable of genuine aerobatics in the hands of a good pilot. RF-101s would first be used by the Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan), either flown by ROCAF or CIA pilots, over the Chinese mainland; the USAF's first combat usage would be the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The RF-101's dash speed was such that it was tough to intercept, though not impossible.

This was found to be true over Vietnam as well, where the RF-101 was the backbone of USAF tactical reconnaissance until the later years of the war. The Voodoo's speed at altitude made it impervious to flak, and even the MiG-21 could not keep up with it. However, the RF-101s often had to get down low to "get the pictures," and that meant that barrage flak could bring down Voodoos. SAMs were also a threat at higher altitudes. After losses began to mount, the RF-101s were camouflaged, which helped some, but also slightly lowered their top speed. 39 RF-101s were lost over Vietnam.

With the age of the aircraft beginning to tell, the Voodoo was gradually relegated to second-line units, replaced by the RF-4C Phantom II. Some soldiered on in Air National Guard units, but all the RF-101s were gone by 1979. A handful remain in museums.

This aircraft, 56-0166, was originally delivered to the USAF's 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, in 1957. While assigned to the 363rd, it was one of two RF-101Cs to participate in Operation Sun Run, the USAF's successful attempt to capture the New York-Los Angeles speed record. In 1962, 0166 flew combat missions over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Shortly thereafter, it was transferred to the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, based at Tan Son Nhut, South Vietnam, and flew missions around Southeast Asia.

Following its Vietnam service, 56-0166 was relegated to the 186th TRW (Mississippi ANG) until its retirement in 1979. Because of its unique service--Operation Sun Run, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam--0166 was flown to the National Museum of the USAF for display. It retained its USAF Southeast Asia camouflage, but was repainted with the AH tailcode of the 460th TRW.

Normally I complain about the lighting at the NMUSAF, but I think it actually makes this picture better: it adds an air of mystery to the RF-101. Note the bombs above my head and the rather large wing--that's the wing of the museum's B-52D!

Reshade 0.18.1 Framework Extreme Eyecancer Mod Testbed 0.2B

Blackfire's mod + TOD + Reli2

Ini tweaks + POM enabled

Lite TOD, light shadows, nohud, dof %25-50, adjusted brightess, contrast and gamma + exposure. MSAA Disabled. SSAO enabled.

80º FoV,

Custom helmet mesh lens texture (reworked)

------

Framework Config

SweetFX

{ SMAA

Tonemap

Vibrance

Film Grain

Letterbox }

McFX

{ Fisheye CA }

GemFX

{ LensDirt

Ambient Light + ambient light controls for Bloom, Lens and vibrance + advanced eye adaptation }

& Improved performance again, render mode 8bit

Prototype Sprinter 150002 was rebuilt in 1988 as a testbed for the forthcoming class 158s. Seen at Crewe, with a Derby service, Summer 1988

Airbus Industrie Airbus A340-311 F-WWAI TLS 21-09-10 - now used as a testbed for A350 components. Check out the window size!

Reshade 0.15 Extreme Eyecancer Mod Testbed 0.1A

Blackfire's mod + TOD + Reli2

Ini tweaks + POM enabled

Lite TOD, light shadows, nohud, dof %25-50, adjusted brightess, contrast and gamma + exposure

80º FoV

SMAA (sweetfx+master effect) FXAA (custom settings)

Tonemap

Lensdirt

Vibrance

GPC Dof

Chromatic Aberration

Grain + noise

Letterbox

During the middle of the Vietnam War, the USAF faced a number of procurement problems. Losses to the F-105 Thunderchief community were mounting to the point that it was thought the aircraft might become “extinct,” while the F-111 Aardvark, which was to replace the F-105, was having numerous teething troubles. Another problem was that the Sandy escort units for rescue helicopters were forced to use Korean War-era ex-US Navy A-1 Skyraiders, which, while good aircraft, were not getting any younger. The USAF needed an aircraft that could replace the A-1 and supplement the F-105 until the F-111 finally reached maturity—and it needed the aircraft immediately, and at low cost. After reviewing a number of options, the USAF settled on the US Navy’s A-7A Corsair II. The Navy’s F-4B had been adapted to USAF standards, and it was felt that the A-7 could be as well. An A-7A was bailed back to LTV for conversion to the USAF-specific A-7D variant.

Though externally little different to the Navy A-7A, the A-7D was actually a significant upgrade. Since the reliability of the TF30 engine was a concern, the D model would use a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan; as the USAF did not use the 20mm cannon that the Navy preferred, these were deleted in favor of the more common M61 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon. The refuelling probe was deleted in favor of the USAF-plug style refuelling receptacle. The first A-7D flew in September 1968. So successful was the A-7D in testing that the Navy would adopt a modified version as the A-7E.

Though at first reluctant to fly yet another Navy retread, especially one that was considered remarkably ugly—pilots quickly nicknamed the A-7 the SLUF (Short Little Ugly Fellow)—it soon gained a reputation for easy flying and, like its Navy “brother,” pinpoint bombing accuracy. In wing strength by 1970, it was soon deployed to Vietnam for combat operations, mainly to replace not just the A-1 but also the aging F-100 Super Sabre. USAF pilots found that the A-7 was not well suited to tropical operations: hot-and-high conditions meant that the A-7D took ten miles to generate enough power to climb above 500 feet, while a poor brake system caused it to be a real danger in landing on slick runways.

During Operation Linebacker, the A-7s went to North Vietnam, but only sparingly and usually in as Sandy escorts, which the Corsair II excelled at. They were far more effective in South Vietnam. Alongside Navy A-7Es, USAF A-7Ds brought the curtain down on the Vietnam War by participating in the Mayaguez rescue operation in May 1975, and were among the very last USAF aircraft to leave Southeast Asia. They had complied the best loss ratio of any combat aircraft during the war, with only six A-7Ds lost in over 12,000 missions.

With the post-Vietnam retirement of the A-1, F-100, and F-105, the A-7D was left as one of the few USAF attack aircraft, but the USAF planned to end procurement by 1975; postwar budget cuts led to additional Corsair II production to take up the slack. The F-111 had become a long-range strike aircraft, but for anticipated operations in Central Europe, the USAF preferred the development of the A-10 Thunderbolt II over A-7s. As a result, the USAF divested itself of most of its A-7s to the Air National Guard—somewhat to the chagrin of active-duty units, as ANG units began winning the coveted Gunsmoke bombing trophy with their A-7s. A minor upgrade mounting the Pave Penny laser designator to A-7Ds began in 1979.

With the A-10 in large numbers in theater, the USAF chose not to deploy ANG A-7s to the First Gulf War, though small numbers had seen action in Grenada and the 1989 invasion of Panama. At the end of Operation Desert Storm, when the Navy retired their last two squadrons of A-7Es, the USAF decided to do the same, and the A-7D rapidly disappeared from active units in favor of the F-16; the last left USAF service in 1993. A number were passed on to Greece, where it lasted until 2014. Of 1569 A-7s produced, just under half were USAF A-7Ds or two-seat A-7Ks, and today about 18 survive as museum aircraft.

A-7D 68-8222 seems to have spent its whole career with the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, operating as a testbed for A-7 flight systems. It flew at Edwards from 1968 to retirement in 1992, and was put into storage at AMARG afterwards. In 2000, the USAF decided to preserve the aircraft, and it was donated to the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, North Dakota--an interesting choice, since no A-7 unit was ever based in North Dakota.

All the same, it's good to see that 68-8222 didn't end up as beer cans, and definitely a change from the A-7 norm to see one in the overall white test scheme used by AFFTC aircraft. (At one point during its career, 68-8222 actually wore Navy-style gray over white camouflage.) The aircraft was recently repainted, and looks great against a pleasant North Dakota afternoon...which unfortunately wasn't going to last much longer for us!

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

[300 mm - SLIGHT CROP]

Copyright © 2012 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

Its size allowed the B-36 to act as a testbed for some very unorthodox ideas, such as carrying its own escort fighter in the bomb bay, or fitting an entire nuclear reactor in the thing (not to power the plane - just to see if it still worked!) Convair also built a single prototype of a cargo-carrying version, with the B-36's wings and powerplant but an all new fuselage - it could carry up to 400 troops years before anyone had heard the word "jumbo jet." Despite all this innovative thinking, the service career of the B-36 was not especially long, with all aircraft retired by 1959 - just five years after the last one rolled off the assembly line.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Reference shot.

Taken with my Nokia N86 8MP mobile.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

C-FETB - Boeing B-720-023B - Pratt & Whitney Canada Inc.

at Trenton Airbase (YTR) on display within the National Air Force Museum

c/n 18.024 - built in 1960 for American Airlines -

operated by MEA between 1971 and 1985 as OD-AFQ -

operated by Pratt & Whitney Canada as a flying engine testbed between 1986 and 2012

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

The team fills the Morpheus lander's tanks with liquid oxygen.

Location: Johnson Space Center

Photographer: Kris Kehe

The team fills the Morpheus lander's tanks with liquid oxygen.

Location: Johnson Space Center

Photographer: Kris Kehe

Geared Turbo Fan First Flight, Pure Power Engines, Pure Power 1000G, 747 SP Flying Testbed.

Airbus A380-861

MSN 004 [Engine Alliance testbed]

F-WWDD 'VNO'

Airbus S.A.S.

Copyright © 2010 A380spotter. All rights reserved.

Last Doxford engine to be built in Sunderland. Contract number 477. Shown here on test in 1980, it was fitted into the bulk carrier CANADIAN PIONEER

(from DEFA Newsletter No 16)

This ship is still in service, now named PIONEER (IMO 7925613)

Pushing back at Miami, FL on March 6, 2017. This aircraft worked as a testbed for Airbus when constructed back in 1997.

"S/N" is the aircraft's serial number. "L/N" is a Boeing code denoting what order the airframe came off the production line. "F/N" refers to an individual airline's fleet numbering system. Not all airlines use a fleet number; not all manufacturers use a line number.

Copyright

All my photographic and video images are copyrighted. All rights are reserved. Please do not use, copy or edit any of my photographs without my written permission. If you want to use my photo for commercial or private use, please contact me. Please do not re-upload my photos at any location on the internet without my written consent.

ISS034-E-038211 (1 Feb. 2013) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, Expedition 34 flight engineer, installs Ultra-Sonic Background Noise Tests (UBNT) sensors behind a rack in the Destiny laboratory, using the International Space Station (ISS) as Testbed for Analog Research (ISTAR) procedures. These sensors detect high frequency noise levels generated by ISS hardware and equipment operating within Destiny.