Aviation Gallery
This Page is dedicated to Aviation's "top-of-the-line" accomplishments
The
Space Shuttle is undoubtedly man's crowning aviation achievement. Not only
does it fly into space at speeds in excess of 14,000 miles per hour, but it
lands back on Earth to do it all over again!
Chuck Yeager considers the Shuttle to be a "true astronaut's" ship and the heir to his cutting edge X-plane test pilot work, during which he was the first to break the sound "barrier". He regarded the Mercury astronauts who fist went into space as mere passengers.
My friend Jeff (pictured) is a helicopter pilot for the Army and was buzzing around the Shuttle for security in his chopper after it landed in California in 2005. He said that their first announcement of its approach had the speed at over Mach 25 and 100,000 feet altitude on final approach halfway across the country. Just a few minutes later, he was on the runway and the Shuttle was at 25,000 feet doing over Mach 5 and he felt a double sonic boom that blew his hair back!
The Outrageous SR-71 Blackbird! The fastest and highest flying "conventional" airplane ever produced (that the military admits to). I collect Blackbird stories...they are the stuff of legend. The Blackbird fleet was mothballed in favor of satellites...which do the surveillance job more safely and cheaply - but hardly cooler! I'm gonna add my own Blackbird page soon, but in the mean time click on the pix here for some links.
The Beautiful Concorde...the pinnacle of civil aviation. At Mach 2 plus, she matched speed with style. Every seat was first class with gourmet chef and champagne on board. At full speed, the effects on the metal made her 11 inches longer than when on the ground! Unfortunately, she proved too expensive for the market, and a Paris crash in 2004 was her last hurrah before the entire fleet was grounded.
The amazing Airbus A380 She's a new model from the European industry leader "Airbus" - Boeings chief competition. The A380 is a double- decker airliner, with a jetsons-looking interior that features a lounge, a fitness area, a business center, and more. The idea is comfort, not more bodies on board. In the "comfort" configuration, she seats 500 people! Click here for more photos of her
Interactive 360 panorama of the Airbus 380 Cockpit
Click here for the Airbus A380 site