A storm-chasing Warthog?

[nittany03]

http://blog.ametsoc.org/uncategorized/plane-has-combative-attitude-toward-storms/

Good news: Someone still gets to fly the A-10 if it gets retired.

Bad news: They have to fly it into a thunderstorm. They picked it because the armor will help with hailstrikes . . .

 

[707guy]

Going to have to load A LOT of gear into the area where that gun was - I'm sure there are some CG issues with removing that thing.

 

[Pags]

Article was written in 2011 and said first flight in 2012 with first operational flight in 2013. CIRPAS website doesn't offer any additional info; I wonder what became of the concept?

 

[jmcquate]

I remember a while back that NASA had an OV-10 in the Cleveland hanger that was for getting struck by lightning.

 

[xj220]

I love the A-10 and would love for a chance to fly one, but through a thunderstorm? Fuck that.

 

[707guy]

NASA Glenn has had some interesting aircraft based there over the years:

 

[jmcquate]

Nice coke bottle on that photo angle on the 102. Is that some sort of air breathing missile on the F-82?

 

[Hopeful Hoya]

Going to have to load A LOT of gear into the area where that gun was - I'm sure there are some CG issues with removing that thing.

IIRC when they remove the gun for servicing or whatever, they have to install a jack under the tail because the CG is so messed up with the gun removed that the aircraft would tip over without it.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Not sure how much armor would help with icing or turbulence or wind shear, but I'm not a meteorologist, so what do I know?

 

[Flash]

Nice coke bottle on that photo angle on the 102. Is that some sort of air breathing missile on the F-82?

That is actually an F-106B, TF-102A's had 'side-by-side' seating like an A-6 or F-111 and had two fairings on either side of the engine nozzle where the F-106 did not. Here is a TF-102A:

As for NASA's F-106B it was actually a lightning research aircraft, so not only did the plane fly into storms it was supposed to get hit by lightning. And it was hit, 714 times.

 

[nittany03]

That is actually an F-106B

Yes, the F-106 is an F-106 due to the intakes being mounted further up on the fuselage and smaller. But jmcquate is referring to the F-82, as in the siamese P-51s, which do have something funny-looking under the right wing in the photo. Reminds me of a Talos missile, but that was bigger and a Navy project.

 

[Flash]

Yes, the F-106 is an F-106 due to the intakes being mounted further up on the fuselage and smaller. But jmcquate is referring to the F-82, as in the siamese P-51s, which do have something funny-looking under the right wing in the photo. Reminds me of a Talos missile, but that was bigger and a Navy project.

He referred to the 106 as a 102 in addition to talking about the F-82. See below:

Nice coke bottle on that photo angle on the 102.

After doing some very light digging the F-82 pictured in this thread is called 'Betty Jo/e' and was used for a record non-stop flight from Hawaii to New York in 1947, then later by the NACA in ramjet research and she now resides in the USAF Museum in Dayton.

 

[707guy]

Yes, the F-106 is an F-106 due to the intakes being mounted further up on the fuselage and smaller.

That's how I always remembered which one was which when I was a kid reading every book in the library on aviation. Cool bunch of fighters those Century series birds...