by Nick Anderson | Feb 5, 2024 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
The year is 1957 and the space race is underway. The major powers around the world, mainly the Soviet Union and the United States, are all striving to develop the technology that will allow them to reach outer space. The Soviet Union’s Academy of Sciences prime aim was to beat the Americans into Earth orbit and their top secret Sputnik project was about to reward all the efforts put in by a generation of scientists and engineers. Sputnik 1 was soon to be placed atop an R-7 rocket and launched into a low orbit to become the first artificial Earth Satellite. But what if they hadn’t been the first?
Sputnik was fired into a low earth orbit on the 4th of October 1957 atop an R-7 rocket
Some months before the Sputnik launch the US were conducting nuclear tests
The Pascal I underground test caused a huge blue flame to erupt from the desert
Very high speed cameras were used to film the tests
The Horizons spacecraft
People wonder what became of the manhole cover and if anything was written on it?
Images under a Creative Commons licence with thanks to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, the Federal Government of the United States, NNSA and NASA.
by Nick Anderson | Feb 1, 2024 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
Let me take you back to the dim distant past and Captain Jeff’s start with his legacy airline, ACME, I mean Delta, no ACME, Delta, Acta, Delme… oh whatever. His career started, not in the Captain’s seat but somewhere in the bowels of flight deck, sitting sideways with control panels in front of him instead of windows, that stretched to the ceiling! Jeff was an engineer on his favourite three holer, the Boeing 727. The loss rate for this iconic airliner was, unhappily, quite high. As of 2019 the aircraft had suffered 351 major incidents of which 119 resulted in a total loss. The loss of life resulting from these bare numbers has risen to over four thousand souls. One addition to those sad statistics came from Flight 600. This is the story.
The Boeing 727 Flight Deck
The 727 on its maiden flight
The famous S bend
With tail mounted engines the wings could be fitted with full span lift devices
The B727 was the first first airliner to have an APU
The 727 had rear mounted stairs that were used by the nefarious DB Cooper
Which resulted in the fitting of a Cooper Vane
The mechanics of a microburst
Our Captain Jeff
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Felix Goetting, Alex Beltyukov, Boeing, Tank67, Daderot, Juras14, Aero Icarus and NASA.
by Nick Anderson | Feb 1, 2024 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
Two of the Saratoga’s F14 Tomcats were tasked to defend the carrier against a simulated attack during Exercise Display Determination 87. The leader of this small formation included a senior pilot and skipper of a newly arrived Junior Grade Lieutenant Timothy Dorsey. Many years later, Dorsey would be nominated for promotion to a one-star Rear Admiral, an appointment that required Congressional approval. What stood in his way was an incident that occurred during that fateful day in 1987.
USS Saratoga
Timothy Dorsey
F14 Tomcats on deck
An F4 tanking
HUD film of the engagement
US Navy wings
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the US Navy, US Air Force and the US Gov.
by Nick Anderson | Feb 1, 2024 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
Part 2 of my interview with my mate Matt, steely eyed rocket man extraordinaire.
Goonhilly
Gyros and spacecraft in Telstar
The interior of Telstar
The magnitude of space junk around the world
The first live TV pictures transmitted via satellite
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to NASA, I Alison, Rama, NASA, US Gov, the BBC and Andrew Bulko
by Nick Anderson | Feb 1, 2024 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
At first glance he looks to be a rather scruffy and unkempt elderly chap but behind the heavy glasses there are two twinkling eyes that reveal more than you can imagine. Indeed, appearances can be deceiving as this retired RAF Technician could have well been a steely eyed missile man as he controlled military satellites around during the Cold War. Meet my mate Matt!
Sputnik
RAF Oakhanger
Inmarsat equipment on board a ship
Not every launch was a success
Telstar
Voyager
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Nigel Chadwick, NRAO/AUI, Saber1983, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Dale Griffin USGS, then Science Museum and NSAS.
