YB,
Thanks for the info on the Starship. It is a plane that has always intriqued me. As for the -37, I was aware of there shortcomings....especially they thirst for fuel. Funny though that they are still being used for training in the AF after all these years. I could use one of the A-37's!!
That fast/normal "erection" switch is funny...especially where it says "after each use allow 5 minutes." yep, it was flown by youngsters! LMAO!!!
WW

WWhunter wrote:Funny though that they are still being used for training in the AF after all these years.

We are? I know we stil use the 38s, but we retired the 37s several years back.

flynengr wrote:

58Skylane wrote:

mtv wrote:Most of the Starships were leased not sold. Most of them now reside at Evergreen Air's maintenance and storage facility near Marana, AZ. I'm sure liability was a consideration. I understand a few did escape.

MTV

I just saw one Starship some place not too long ago. I'm thinking it was at the Pima Air Museum in Tuscan, AZ.

Last summer there was (probably still is) a Starship outside at the Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville, OR. Interesting bird.

Flynengr

I searched the tail # of the Starship in the video. I understand it's (and possible one other) still flying out of John Wayne (KSNA). How is that so? Experimental cert? I thought that plane was deemed unairworthy by the FAA? I guess I'll do a search on that too. Unless anyone here knows the scoop?

Yellowbelly,

Pinal Air Park is indeed Evergreen's heavy maintenance base, and it's a big maintenance facility. They also store a lot of aircraft there, such as the 747 that carries the space shuttles, when it's not in use, and they crew the plane. It's really not that "spooky" a place, actually. I've spent many happy weeks there at our law enforcement refresher training. The Saudis built several firing ranges there, and gave them to Evergreen after they were done training the royal guards. It's actually a fun place, but they aren't too interested in having strangers walk around. That said, there's been an active skydiving school operating out of there for a number of years, and there's an Air Guard unit operating there as well. I got tours of almost all the WWII airplanes that Evergreen now has at McMinville, as they were being rebuilt at Pinal. The fellow who ran their maintenance side there was very friendly and would take us for tours of the planes after work in the evenings.

Tadpole,

Actually, "Tweet Complete" the last official flights of the T-37 took place last fall, I believe. They were still in operation to some degree till then.

58Skylane,

Nope, the FAA never had a problem with the Starship, once it was flying. They drug out the certification process massively, because it was the first fully composite turbine aircraft, and FAA didn't have any experience with that material in primary structures. Beech basically paved the way for the whole industry by certifying that airplane. I suspect that the airworthiness certificate is still valid, so he doesn't have to operate it in the restricted or experimental category.

MTV

mtv wrote:58Skylane,

Nope, the FAA never had a problem with the Starship, once it was flying. They drug out the certification process massively, because it was the first fully composite turbine aircraft, and FAA didn't have any experience with that material in primary structures. Beech basically paved the way for the whole industry by certifying that airplane. I suspect that the airworthiness certificate is still valid, so he doesn't have to operate it in the restricted or experimental category.

MTV

I see. Thanks for the info!

52Romeo wrote:fern hopper,, ,,that beech sitting at Toledo, WA. (TDO) is for sale

Hope that plane goes to a good home. I always like seeing multiengine tail draggers. TDO has a couple of other interesting planes tied up on the field including a amphib twin otter.

Not exactly a "ramp mummy". Be a neat airport diner...
http://www.thebomber.com

fern_hopper wrote:

52Romeo wrote:fern hopper,, ,,that beech sitting at Toledo, WA. (TDO) is for sale

Hope that plane goes to a good home. I always like seeing multiengine tail draggers. TDO has a couple of other interesting planes tied up on the field including a amphib twin otter.

Not exactly a "ramp mummy". Be a neat airport diner...
http://www.thebomber.com

Speaking of TDO, here are a couple. Didn't see the Amphib.

Grumman Tiger or Cheetah, not A Piper 140.


Some type of experimental Jet. Sez so on the side:

What is that first one? It isn't a piper 140. It looks like a sliding canopy like a grumman???

You have to be wired differently to strap into an experimental jet

First one is a Grumman Tiger or Cheetah...

The second is not an experimental...I believe it is a British trainer...

Brian

Actually, the jet is French, a Fouga Magister. One of those is "waiting" near Tucson too.



Not much ground clearance when the struts deflate...


The other one looks like a Grumman Cheetah. One of their favorite accident scenarios was PIO and nosewheel collapse.

YB

58Skylane wrote:I searched the tail # of the Starship in the video. I understand it's (and possible one other) still flying out of John Wayne (KSNA). How is that so? Experimental cert? I thought that plane was deemed unairworthy by the FAA? I guess I'll do a search on that too. Unless anyone here knows the scoop?

There used to be one flying out of Aspen/Pitkin County, you could see it on the ramp in Google Maps, but I just checked, they updated the imagery and it is no longer there.

I thought the Starship was costing Beech too much in warranty repairs, with many years remaining, so they bought as many of them back as they could. On the other hand I was wrong once already this week.

Pictures I took at Caldwell, ID (KEUL) on Friday May 7th.









Maybe "Ramp Mummies".

The yellow/white Stinson was parked at caldwell with 2 flat tires in 1992 when I first started flying out of there, someone cleans out the birds nests every year or so but otherwise it just gets moved around when the airport needs to pave it's paking spot. The Aero comander landed for fuel in about April 2006, after they filled the tanks the left engine wouldn't start and it is still parked. When Eisenhower was president that plane was used as "Air Force One" for short trips and to places the Super-connie couldn't land. It now has different "N" numbers on each side of the plane. N524C started life as an air-force c-45 (twin Beech), it was flown into caldwell last december and I believe it has been flown since then.

Here is a rare Lockheed YO-3A "silenced" observation plane that has been parked and rotting at Skagit Regional Airport KVBS for about 15 years.

TomD wrote:Here is a rare Lockheed YO-3A "silenced" observation plane that has been parked and rotting at Skagit Regional Airport KVBS for about 15 years.

Longer than that!! I can remember it there in the 80's.......
JH

TomD wrote:Here is a rare Lockheed YO-3A "silenced" observation plane that has been parked and rotting at Skagit Regional Airport KVBS for about 15 years.

Can you put bush wheels on it?

Tim

N524C started life as an air-force c-45 (twin Beech)

That nosewheel conversion is horrible!

I wonder who owns the Stinson?

TomD wrote:Here is a rare Lockheed YO-3A "silenced" observation plane that has been parked and rotting at Skagit Regional Airport KVBS for about 15 years.

Very interesting aircraft according to WIKI.

The YO-3A operated silently at 1,000 feet, or lower, depending on terrestrial background noise. Some pilots were known to have gone unobserved over the enemy at 200 feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_YO-3

What is this? I like it!