Thread of my aviation threads:

With a bit of luck, you may also see this beautifully restored de Havilland Moth. This airframe got involved in Brazilian revolutionary shenanigans almost 100 years ago.

The leading airplane in this photo is the very Jungmeister on which Aresti developed the Aresti Catalog. If you are an aviation enthusiast visiting Madrid, I strongly recommend doing so on the first Sunday of the month and visiting the monthly airshow at Cuatro Vientos.

Despite low cloud cover, Ejército del Aire had a very, very nice Madrid flyover. It is sad to see Harriers slowly becoming history, but I feel really lucky to have seen some flying before they finally go.

The Westland Welkin was a high altitude fighter that entered production, but not service. The high altitude bomber threat disappeared and more mainstream types like the Spitfire and Mosquito grew to fill the niche, however…. 1/5

For years, I've been working towards building a website to house all of my opinions and research. Today, it goes live with the launch article: Jet Fighter Generations Aren't Real. This website comes with a major change in how I produce and share content, so please read. 🧵

Alors, on vous résume le RETEX d'un des PN concernés par le vol : "C'était INCROYABLE".

Blue Ghost’s shadow seen on the Moon’s surface! We’ll continue to share images and updates throughout our surface operations. #BGM1

One of the reasons for the rapid roll was the ease with which the pilot could apply the stick force. This was helped by an ingenious mechanism never seen before by the British. A counter weight rotated about a vertical axis and was geared to the aileron. Its motion under…. 5/7

One of the most instantly recognisable features of the spectacular, possibly Jules Verne-inspired HP Victor, was the exotic tailplane. This was ironic, because the Victor was the final result of a long series of tailless bomber concepts explored by the company. 1/10

How the Turbo-Ramjet engine works in one of France's finest follies, the Nord 1500 ‘Griffon II’. It was a prototype fighter capable of reaching Mach 2. Although it set European and world speed records, the Mirage III was preferred.

Work in progress

I will never not regret a bit, that I wasn't born in the mid-1930s US, just in time to hallucinate things like this.

I find it quite funny that the statement 'fighter aircraft usually have a wingspan of around 10 m' has remained continuously valid from WWI until now. I don't think there's anything deeper about it, but it is interesting.

So what DID we learn in Vietnam? First, slow planes were lost in far greater numbers than fast ones. A-1 Skyraiders were shot down at incredibly high rates when compared to even F-100s over Vietnam. (Ignore the F-105 in "overall"--most of its missions were over North Vietnam)

Predicted synoptic situation seems to be messed up over Europe rn, isobars are tightly packed... This will likely be a wild race with dramatic comebacks! I highly recommend checking the balloon tracker at https://t.co/mxjwt3jgKu, it is really thrilling. https://t.co/CxVlW6LYwk

The RIM-8J was the last of the Talos missiles, and by far the best. With a range of up to 130nmi and a 465 pound warhead, the last model of Unified Talos could claim to be amongst the most lethal surface-to-air missiles of the Cold War, thanks in part to its Fire control System🧵

Strange fighter from the Great War with no wire bracing:

As a post scriptum, if you wanted one more Curtiss thread, you can read about floating ailerons on Curtiss Tanager here.

Key sources cont. Discussion of Warren trusses in early aviation: https://t.co/UVmAYbWo9v General notes on wing truss design and calculation: Aeroplane Structural Design, Jones and Frier 1929

Key sources: Description of S-2 Wireless: https://t.co/Yba0c7oDDD Relevant Curtiss patent: https://t.co/AS0jRo4Lwq Discussion of S-2 Wireless bracing: https://t.co/mIAmNfjU9j Another discussion of S-2 Wireless bracing: https://t.co/qCxKKclN58