Experimental aircraft walkaround vol.8: Dewoitine D530

Subject: Dewoitine D530

Location:Musée d'lair et de l'espace, Le Bourget, Paris, 2015.
Comments: The Dewoitine D530 was a derivative of an earlier design by Émile Dewoitine back in 1928 called the D.27. The Dewoitine D.27 was a parasol monoplane fighter of witch 66 were operated by the Swiss Air Force beginning in 1931. The D530 incorporated a new Hipsano-Suiza engine and reinforced wings by request of the famous french Pilot Marcel Doret. The plane's first flight occurred in 21 april 1937 and Doret last flight on this aircraft was made in 1955 between Aimes and Reims in france, shortly before Doret's death. 

Aircraft walkaround vol.96: De Haviland DH89 Dragon Rapide

Subject: De Haviland DH89 Dragon Rapide

Location:Musée d'lair et de l'espace, Le Bourget, Paris, 2015.

Comments: Developed during the early 1930s, the Dragon Rapide was essentially a smaller, twin-engined version of the four-engined DH.86 Express, and shared a number of common features, such as its tapered wings, streamlined fairings and Gipsy Six engines. First named the "Dragon Six", the type was marketed as "Dragon Rapide" and later simply known as the "Rapide". Upon its introduction in summer 1934, it proved to be a popular aircraft with airlines and private civil operators alike, attaining considerable foreign sales in addition to its domestic use.The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a 1930s short-haul biplane airliner developed and produced by British aircraft company de Havilland. Capable of accommodating 6–8 passengers, it proved an economical and durable craft, despite its relatively primitive plywood construction.Upon the outbreak of the World War II, many of the civil Rapides were impressed into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy. Referred to in military service by the name de Havilland Dominie, the type was employed for radio and navigation training, passenger transport and communications missions; hundreds of additional Dominies were also constructed during the war. Other Rapides continued to be operated by British airlines throughout the war under the auspices of the Associated Airways Joint Committee (AAJC). Postwar, many military aircraft were returned to civilian service. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland introduced a Dragon Rapide replacement, the de Havilland Dove.

Engine walkaround vol.24 : Daimler-Benz DB602

Subject: Daimler-Benz DB602 

Location:Musée d'lair et de l'espace, Le Bourget, Paris, 2015.

Comments: The Daimler-Benz DB 602 was a German diesel cycle aero engine designed and built in the early 1930s. It was a liquid-cooled upright V16, and powered the two Hindenburg class airships. It has roughly the same displacement and weight of the Beardmore Tornado, which was used in the ill-fated R101, but has almost twice the power of the Tornado, showing Daimler-Benz's superior knowledge regarding diesel engine construction. Also, these engines, under designation MB 502, powered four Schnellboots of 1933 series S10...13 (three engines on each). Then, the engine was modified into V20 MB 501 of 2000 hp that had a variety of applications.

Aircraft Walkaround vol.95: North American F100 Super Sabre

Subject: North American F100 Super Sabre

Location: 

1) F-100D: 56-3440 – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Fairfax County, Virginia.

2) F-100F: 56-3837 – National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

3) F-100F: 56-3944 United States Air Force – Flugausstellung Leo Junior, Hermeskeil, Germany.

Comments: The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of supersonic speed in level flight. The F-100 was designed by North American Aviation as a higher performance follow-on to the F-86 Sabre air superiority fighter. The F-100D aimed to address the offensive shortcomings of the F-100C by being primarily a ground attack aircraft with secondary fighter capabilities. To this effect, the aircraft was fitted with autopilot, upgraded avionics, and, starting with the 184th production aircraft, AIM-9 Sidewinder capability. In 1959, 65 aircraft were modified to also fire the AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground missile. To further address the dangerous flight characteristics, the wing span was extended by 26 in (66 cm) and the vertical tail area was increased by 27%.The first F-100D (54–2121) flew on 24 January 1956, piloted by Daniel Darnell. It entered service on 29 September 1956 with the 405th Fighter Wing at Langley AFB. The aircraft suffered from reliability problems with the constant speed drive which provides constant-frequency current to the electrical systems. In fact, the drive was so unreliable that the USAF required it to have its own oil system to minimize damage in case of failure. Landing gear and brake parachute malfunctions claimed a number of aircraft, and the refueling probes had a tendency to break away during high speed maneuvers. Numerous post-production fixes created such a diversity of capabilities between individual aircraft that, by 1965, around 700 F-100Ds underwent High Wire modifications to standardize the weapon systems. High Wire modifications took 60 days per aircraft at a cost for the entire project of US $150 million. In 1966, the Combat Skyspot program fitted some F-100Ds with an X band radar transmitter to allow for ground-directed bombing in inclement weather or at night.The F-100F two-seat trainer entered service in 1958. It received many of the same weapons and airframe upgrades as the F-100D, including the new afterburners. By 1970, 74 F-100Fs were lost in major accidents.

F100D:

F100F: