Here's a quirky one for you NP:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_ ... derscreech
![Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/XF-84H.jpg/800px-XF-84H.jpg)
![Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Republic_XF-84H_USAF.jpg/800px-Republic_XF-84H_USAF.jpg)
Quote:
Unlike standard propellers that turn at subsonic speeds, the outer 24–30 inches (61–76 cm) of the blades on the XF-84H's propeller traveled faster than the speed of sound even at idle thrust, producing a continuous visible sonic boom that radiated laterally from the propellers for hundreds of yards. The shock wave was actually powerful enough to knock a man down; an unfortunate crew chief who was inside a nearby C-47 was severely incapacitated during a 30-minute ground run. Coupled with the already considerable noise from the subsonic aspect of the propeller and the T40's dual turbine sections, the aircraft was notorious for inducing severe nausea and headaches among ground crews. In one report, a Republic engineer suffered a seizure after close range exposure to the shock waves emanating from a powered-up XF-84H.
Quote:
Lin Hendrix, one of the Republic test pilots assigned to the program, flew the aircraft once and refused to ever fly it again, claiming "it never flew over 450 knots (830 km/h) indicated, since at that speed, it developed an unhappy practice of 'snaking', apparently losing longitudinal stability". Hendrix also told the formidable Republic project engineer, "You aren't big enough and there aren't enough of you to get me in that thing again".
Also, there used to be an airliner derived from the Bear:
![Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/De_Toepoelew_114_s_werelds_grooste_vliegtuig_op_Schiphol%2C_Bestanddeelnr_916-4888.jpg/1024px-De_Toepoelew_114_s_werelds_grooste_vliegtuig_op_Schiphol%2C_Bestanddeelnr_916-4888.jpg)
Quote:
The Tu-114 used the basic wing, empennage, landing gear, and powerplants of the Tu-95 bomber, mated to a totally new pressurized fuselage of much larger diameter. To cope with the increased weight, increased landing flap surface area was required, and the flap chord was increased compared to the bomber's flaps. The wing was mounted low on the fuselage, giving the Tu-114 a much higher stance on its landing gear than the bomber. As a result, a new nose landing gear strut was required, although the main landing gear remained unchanged.
Strictly speaking there isn't an AWACS/AEW&C version of the Bear, the Tu-126 is based on the Tu-114 airliner.
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Last edited by funeralxempire on 08 Feb 2024, 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.