NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
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NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
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Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#2Article is from 2013. Is anyone familiar enough with flight trackers to see if it is still in use? The tail number is N927NA.
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#3I got to see an English Electric Canberra flying at a Temora Air Museum flight day. Very impressive machine and it boggled my mind that it was originally introduced to service back in 1951.
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#4Article is from 2013. Is anyone familiar enough with flight trackers to see if it is still in use? The tail number is N927NA.
Looks like it flew yesterday https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n927na#988ff01
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#5Article is from 2013. Is anyone familiar enough with flight trackers to see if it is still in use? The tail number is N927NA.
> The tail number is N927NA.
As a European, the phrase 'tail number' was unfamiliar so I did a few searches.
It seems to have derived ( in the USA ) from original airline fleet-numbering practice, where the aircraft would have an arbitrary and unhelpful state- or even city-issued registration and a separate self-assigned fleet number painted on the tail, which was easier to handle for scheduling purposes.
Once national N-numbering for registrations was introduced this became less common because the FAA permitted reservation of blocks of sequential registrations, but some large airlines continue to use a parallel fleet numbering scheme. And the phrase 'tail number' stuck in parlance instead of 'registration'.
In Europe it is common to use to the last two or three letters of registrations repeated on the tail or nose-wheel doors as the fleet airframe identifier and 'tail number' is unknown.
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#6Such a cool looking plane. Great to see it has a new purpose in life.
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#7Article is from 2013. Is anyone familiar enough with flight trackers to see if it is still in use? The tail number is N927NA.
Looks like it flew yesterday https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n927na#988ff01
That's a strange flight pattern, any insight into it? Erratically gain altitude, make a long run and then a tight spiral back down before returning to land?
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Looks like it flew yesterday https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n927na#988ff01
That's a strange flight pattern, any insight into it? Erratically gain altitude, make a long run and then a tight spiral back down before returning to land?
There's a pretty strong weather system in that area, and that looks like a flight pattern to try to figure out what sort of risk the storm has in generating tornadoes. Head out in case there's another area that could use a little extra info, and then come back home.
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#9I got the restoration but I didn't get what this plane is actually to be used for. Why do they need this plane? How will it help open up the first tourist hotels on Mars? Seems going backwards to space exploration.
Re: NASA’s new WB-57F (high-altitude aircraft) flies for the first time in 41 years
#10I got the restoration but I didn't get what this plane is actually to be used for. Why do they need this plane? How will it help open up the first tourist hotels on Mars? Seems going backwards to space exploration.
NASA does much much more than just space exploration.