Thursday, August 1, 2013

PBY Catalina Consolidated OA-10 Flying Boat



The OA-10 was the U.S. Army Air Forces' version of the PBY series flown extensively by the U.S. Navy during World War II. It was a twin-engine, parasol-mounted monoplane equipped with a flying boat hull, retractable tricycle landing gear and retractable wing-tip floats. The OA-10 operated primarily for air-sea rescue work ("DUMBO" missions) with the USAAF's Emergency Rescue Squadrons throughout WWII and for several years thereafter. During the war, OA-10 crews rescued hundreds of downed fliers.

The prototype Catalina first flew on March 28, 1935, and the production version was built in both seaplane and amphibian versions. The Consolidated Aircraft Corp., along with Canadian Vickers Ltd. and the Naval Aircraft Factory, produced nearly 2,500 Catalinas; of these, the USAAF received approximately 380.

The Brazilian Air Force was one of several Allied nations that received Catalinas during the war. It operated this Catalina in a variety of roles in the Amazon Basin until 1981. Flown to the museum in 1984, it was restored and painted as an OA-10A assigned to the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: Two .50-cal. machine guns in the waist, two .30-cal. machine guns (one in the bow and another in a rear tunnel), and 8,000 lbs. of bombs. Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92s of 1,200 hp each. Maximum speed: 184 mph. Cruising speed: 120 mph. Range: 2,325 miles. Ceiling: 22,400 ft. Span: 104 ft. Length: 63 ft. 10 in. Height: 20 ft. 1 in. Weight: 36,400 lbs. loaded.

PBY Catalina Consolidated OA-10  Flying Boat

DAYTON, Ohio -- Consolidated OA-10 Catalina at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

PBY Catalina Consolidated OA-10  Flying Boat

PBY Catalina landing at NAS Jacksonville during WWII.

These files are works of a Department of Defense employee, sailor or soldier, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the images are in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Monday, June 10, 2013

NASA's research aircraft



Description: A collection of NASA's research aircraft on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center in July 1997: X-31, F-15 ACTIVE, SR-71, F-106, F-16XL Ship #2, X-38, Radio Controlled Mothership and X-36. NASA Photo by: Tony Landis.

Keywords: X-36; Dryden Flight Research Center; Boeing Phantom Works; McDonnell Douglas; Ames Research Center; Williams International; Moffett Field; F112 engine; turbofan; Air Force Research Laboratory; AFRL; Reconfigurable Control for Tailless Fighter Aircraft; RESTORE; software; neural-net algorithm; X-31; F-15 ACTIVE; SR-71; F-106; F-16XL; X-38; X-36; Dryden Fleet Aircraft

Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > Dryden Fleet Aircraft > Photo # EC97-44165-149. Dryden 1997 Research Aircraft Fleet on Ramp - X-31, F-15 ACTIVE, SR-71, F-106, F-16XL Ship #2, X-38, Radio Controlled Mothership and X-36. Photo Number: EC97-44165-149. Photo Date: July 16, 1997.

This file is a work of an NASA employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

NASA requests to be acknowledged as the source of the material except in cases of advertising.

NASA's research aircraft

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Wright Brothers First flight Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Title: [First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina] Other Title: First flight, December 17, 1903. Date Created / Published: [1903 Dec. 17]

Photograph shows the first powered, controlled, sustained flight. Orville Wright at the controls of the machine, lying prone on the lower wing with hips in the cradle which operated the wing-warping mechanism. Wilbur Wright running alongside to balance the machine, has just released his hold on the forward upright of the right wing. The starting rail, the wing-rest, a coil box, and other items needed for flight preparation are visible behind the machine. (Orville Wright preset the camera and had John T. Daniels squeeze the rubber bulb, tripping the shutter.)

Rights Advisory: No known restriction on publication. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppprs-00626 (digital file from original) LC-W861-35 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-USZ62-6166A (b&w film copy neg.) This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppprs.00626.

Access Advisory: Restricted access. Please use digital image or other reference copy. Original photograph is too fragile to serve. Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA .

Wright Brothers First flight Kitty Hawk, North Carolina