Best products from r/aviation

What do you do when Spring won't come to Ohio? You jump in the 210 for a weekend getaway to the closest island you can find with good weather!

This is my first fun flight of 2018, a trip we squeezed into 2 days, which felt like a week!

I tried a new angle on my videos, this one being a bit more produced. Unfortunately, my GoPro cameras were mounted right next to each other and were rattling against each other the whole trip, which caused much of the footage to be very shaky. I was able to improve this in post production via Adobe Premiere's Warp Stablizer, so I managed to salvage the footage somewhat, even though it caused much of the footage to be more blurry than it should. I overcame this by making it more cinematic.

I've ordered two new Joby mounts that should reduce the vibrations, as well as a new GoPro Hero 4 Black that will enable me to shoot in 4k, and still be able to downscale and maintain good 1080p quality.

Anyway, back to the flight. Beautiful VFR weekend across the eastern half of the US. Not much to get excited about from a pilot's perspective. I routed us to Roanoke and then down the coast, instead of just direct to Ocracoke. This turned out to be the right decision for the passengers, as well as the video!

W95 was a great airport. If you haven't been here, you should go. The island is what Key West should be, without the hobo stuff. It's laid back, super quiet, everyone knows each other, and everyone is very helpful.

We rented a golf cart for Saturday, and then a Jeep Wrangler to go off-roading on Sunday. This worked out perfect. We stayed at the Net House, which was a beautiful house on the harbor.

I tried to start the video off with the excitement that we had to start the trip, followed by the wonderful time and conversation that my wife and I got to have with my awesome cousin and his wife, and finally finished up in a very peaceful and relaxing place. Hopefully the video portrays that faithfully.

Yes, my (pregnant) wife is on oxygen, the Sporty's SkyOx 15 cu ft. tank + 2 person regulator worked amazing! I actually used it on the way back at 10k and felt amazing after the flight. I'll probably start using it regularly. BTW, if I had to do this over with, I'd have just bought the SkyOx regulator and then bought a AirGas 20 cu ft. tank. Nobody will refill my ABO tank except for a few FBOs. They want $100+ for refilling my 15 cu. ft. tank, lol. The AirGas tank is $109, and refill is $19. Any welder's gas company will fill it too. Fortunately I've found an FBO at Portland, ME that we are planning on refilling for $45 on one of our upcoming trips.

The 210 ran wonderfully. I can't wait to share the rest of the upcoming trips this year.

I've also ordered a mount for the tail taildown, and a GoPro will be mounted there for all future flights. Any recommendations on external cameras is welcome, this is a bit scary for me at the moment!

Anyway, sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the ride down!

I'll try and offer some advice, since I'm in the same boat as you. I love planes and aviation, but I'm not at a point yet where I can afford the cost of flying (working on it. :) ).

Simming on a computer will never be the same as the real thing - the feel is missing. Even the most expensive yoke and pedal combination can't duplicate the feeling of g-forces and feedback you get from the control surfaces through your controls. That said, here are some tips if you want to get into flight simming:

Flight Simulator Software:
There are two main contenders here, Microsoft's Flight Simulator X, and X-Plane. They are both good, and both have their positives and negatives. FSX has a TON of addons that you can get, from scenery, to additional airplanes, to weather, etc. X-Plane has some too, but not nearly as much. If you think you might want to expand your flight simming later on to more realistic airplanes and scenery, I would get FSX. If you just want to plug something in and fly, either one will do fine. If you want to do more military type sims, I would look into the DCS series, they are making pretty good stuff right now.

Controllers:
Flight Stick vs Yoke - This would be the first thing I would look at peripherial-wise. Which you get depends on how realistic you want to be, and what types of planes you think you'll fly. If you are going to be doing military aircraft, or stuff like Airbus planes, get a stick. If you're going to be sticking pretty much anything else, get a yoke. I personally got a stick first, and got a yoke later.
Pedals - this would be #2 on my list of hardware to get. You really don't get the same experience of flying on a computer without them.
Other - The next thing I would get is this awesome device called TrackIR (http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir). It's optional, but highly recommended. It tracks your head movements and allows you to look around in the sim without using a hat switch or other movement device. It totally changed flight simming for me - flying VFR in the sim is actually pleasant with this device. I can't overstate how this device has changed flight simming for me.

Any other hardware (like radio stacks, indicator gauges, stuff like that) is purely optional, and in my opinion, should only really be used if you're doing something like building a home cockpit.

As far as getting better - practice, practice, practice. That's really the only thing for it. Put the settings on realistic flight and go for it. If you're looking for a good book to supplement the tutorials, I recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-Pilots-Training/dp/0764588222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302182828&sr=8-1 The guy that wrote it is a real pilot, and structures the book in such a way that you progress as much like a real pilot in training can in a sim. It's much better at laying this out than the tutorials are.

If you want any more advice, just PM me, I'm happy to help.

Now is the time to buy a decent set of hand tools, I wish I could go back to A&P school and get that sweet discount. It was 50% when I was in school and I bought a nice 42" roller cabinet and probably $3,500 in hand tools. I wish I had bought more, the problem was I obviously had no idea what I would actually need/want but a good basic set of combination wrenches up to 1", angle wrenches, 1/4 and 3/8" socket sets shallow and deep should be on the list. Also snap on makes a nice ratcheting screw driver, standard size and stubby size you should buy, you will get tons of use out of them and I rarely if ever use my standard screwdrivers. Other than that ask what the instructors or go and actually talk to someone working in the field somewhere and ask to see their boxes and ask them what tools they recommend. I'd recommend against the big pre-packaged sets since there is a bunch of shit in there that you would rarely use. Also craftsman does (or at least used to) have a "professional" line of hand tools that are very high quality and a good bit less expensive than the snap-on stuff, I've got a few of those ratchets and like them a lot. Make sure you buy high quality tools, this is something that you will be using every day, sure some cheap wrenches fit a nut like the expensive ones but the expensive ones are a little longer, polished and cast/machines to tighter tolerances. The extra $50-$100 spent is well worth not busting your knuckles when the wrench/socket slips off or your hands wear raw from using unpolished tools.

Also, buy one of these and thank me later. You'll use it almost every day.
https://www.amazon.com/Vim-Products-HBR5-ToolsHBR5-Ratchet/dp/B003TSMQWU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Buy Fighter Combat: Tactics and Manoeuvring. It is the PhD-level thesis on air-to-air combat. Eat it up. You will be heads and shoulders above your peers if you can demonstrate a solid understanding of the concepts in that book when it comes to recruitment time.

Also, keep in mind that being a fighter pilot isn't particularly glamourous. You get to fly the coolest jets in the world, but 99.9% of the time, when you're deployed, the flying is boring as shit. Naval aviators? Take off, bus to a tanker, get gas, fly in a racetrack for 3 hours, get gas, fly in a racetrack for 3 hours, fly back to the boat, land. Sleep for 8 hours. Do it again when you wake up. Every six days. For 3-4 months.

Watch Jetstream and Speed & Angels.

Get your private pilot's license, glider's license, or recreational -- whatever you can afford. The sooner you get yourself into a cockpit the better. At the very least, try and go up in a high performance prop that's capable of at least 6Gs and get the instructor to do a full aerobatic routine with +6/-4 load. Some people take Gs better than others; you'll want to know if you're susceptible to fainting or throwing up. (I knew someone at the top of his class at flight school, right up until they started doing G-loaded maneuvers, at which point he started hurling at around +3/-2. He ended up getting kicked out as he couldn't kick it.)

Get into fighter simulators like Falcon 4.0: Allied Force, or the new Falcon 4.0 release from Benchmark Sims. They'll give you a far better appreciation of what's actually involved being a fighter pilot than any book or movie. (Took me about two weeks of reading manuals and practicing before I was able to lock on to a bandit in Falcon 4 from BVR and shoot it down. Learning the concepts of fire control radar and subsequent operation of said radars will be very enlightening, and again, will put you ahead of your peers.)

Engross yourself in the details. Get obsessive. Read and re-read Fighter Combat. Know the strengths and weaknesses of every fighter/attack jet currently flying in every air force. Know what a high yo-yo is. Know what your beams are, and how to notch them. Know about gimbal limits. Learn about jammers.

Eat up as much information as you can. Understand every concept being discussed in this thread about BVR tactics.. Learn as much as you can about the F-22, F-35, China's J-20 and Russia's PAK FA. The latter two are going to reach IOC around the time that you'll probably be strapping up in a J-35. Read all of the articles here and be able to make informed decisions about what you're reading and how that fits into your world view..

Watch this video of an F-16 pilot evading six SAMs over Iraq during Desert Storm and make sure that's something you want to do with your life.

Buy FSX and the VRS Superbug. Learn how to fly carrier patterns. It's one of the most challenging yet rewarding thing you can do on a simulator. (You'll want a HOTAS setup for the best effect.)

Read Vipers in the Storm for a very technically-oriented account of one F-16 pilot's Desert Storm deployment.

Read the official CV NATOPS publications (google it). Download and read the Air Force's F-16 Air Combat Command 16v5 manual. It's just as juicy as Fighter Combat.

Pick the aircraft you want to fly and know everything about it. Cut out pictures of it and put them on your wall. Know the emergency red book procedures off by heart. Buy the cockpit cut-outs that students use to learn all the switches and memorize them. When it comes to recruitment time and they ask for your three jet preferences, put that jet down three times, because there's no way you're going to fly anything else. Just, nope.

Know about the 10,000 hour rule (google it) and start chipping away. Immersing yourself in the world of fighter pilots now will pay off in years to come. When it comes time for your recruitment interview in 3-4 years time, you'll be so far ahead of your peers that you should be a shoe-in. Make it clear during your interview that being a fighter pilot is all you want to do. Have a list of every single aspect you've learnt (like red pages, BVR tactics, basically everything I've mentioned here), and get them to quiz you on the hardest ones (or ask if you can demonstrate what you know about the hardest ones).

And whatever you do, don't ever visit this site: http://www.becomefighterpilot.com/fighter-pilot-video.html. I purposely didn't make it a link. It is absolute horse shit. I know, because I bought it. A year ago. (And I'm 30 and have long since given up my chances of being a fighter pilot, which I regret on a daily basis.) It basically consists of: "get good grades, be a good person, do your homework".

No tl;dr for you! Print this shit out and do everything on it. Ping me in five years when you pull your first break turn at corner speed.

...

Know what a break turn is and why you would need to do one at corner speed.

Click Here and Here for a whole bunch of useful stuff from FAA.

Worthy of specific note-

Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH) and Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK, pronounced P-Hack). The PHAK and AFH will give you pretty much all the basics of how airplanes work, how airspace works, where you're allowed to fly, etc etc etc.

Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) basically tells you how you can legally fly an airplane, but without much of the shall-be-not-less-than style legalese. Officially the FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) is the real legal base which it stands on, but the AIM says the same thing and can be read by a human much more easily. In the AIM you will VERY often see references to "14 CFR xx.xxx", Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (aka US national law) covers the FAA. This can be just as easily written (and frequently is) as FAR xx.xxx. The first part is the 'part', which covers a particular type of regulation- for example FAR Part 61 covers the certification of pilots and instructors, Part 91 covers general operating and flight rules (part 61 helps you get your license, part 91 helps you lose it). Often a particular business will be referred to by the FAR Part which governs it, for example most airlines are FAR 121 Scheduled Air Carriers. Some flight schools are Part 61 flight schools (anyone with a CFI (certified flight instructor) certification can provide flight instruction under Part 61), while some flight schools are Part 141 which covers more structured training programs with an FAA-approved curriculum, regular FAA audits, etc.

Note that if you don't mind a GIANT dead tree book, the complete AIM and several relevant parts of the FAR are available as one book for only $10

However if you just want to learn how shit works, download or buy the PHAK and AFH. They are free of legalese, are fun to read, and have lots of color illustrations so you understand what's going on. Go here and scroll down to 'frequently bought together' to get the PHAK, AFH and FAR/AIM all together for just under $40.

Since we're on the subject of SR-71 reading material... I give these three my complete and total recommendation.

SR71 Blackbird- Stories, Tales, and Legends by Richard Graham

REALLY good read. Essays and interviews from all kinds of people involved in the program- pilots, RSO, mechanics, crew chiefs, engineers. 11/10 very fun read

Archangel to Senior Crown: Design and Development of the Blackbird by Peter Merlin

More about the technology, history, and politics behind the aircraft. Not as 'fun' as the first one, but very detailed. Also comes with 4gb of manuals for the SR71. Allow me to clarify that, the book comes with a DVD with shitloads of manuals and documents from Lockeed, USAF, NASA, etc. I'd give it a 9/10 based simply on it being a bit dry at times.

Lockeed SR71 Owners Manual by Haynes

Yes, the same company that makes the owners workshop manual for your car... Lots of pictures, detailed diagrams and schematics, very informative. Makes a great bathroom reader. Fun! 10/10

I don't know what the laws are like outside of Canada but up here you need to take ground school to get your PPL, you can't just challenege the exam AFAIK.

Copypasta'd from another post I wrote:

I'm almost done ground school in Ontario. We use From The Ground Up for everything. It's the aviation bible. There are other books that will go into more detail with certain elements like human factors and how altitude, air pressure and g-forces affect your body but From The Ground Up will cover it in enough detail to pass the exam. Let me go dig up my receipt and I'll get some more links for you.

EDIT: Links Added:

• All of the recommended study material from Transport Canada
  
• Human Factors For Aviation
  
• Aeroplane Flight training Manual
  
• And of course the AIM (Aeronautical Information Manual) and CARs (Canadian Aviation Regulations)
  
  EDIT2: You should know that getting your PPL (in Canada anyway) will cost around $10,000. I don't have that money either because I just finished university but I was able to find enough for ground school. I believe that you have 2 years to finish the flight part of the PPL training after writing the written exam and only 1 year to finish the written part after finishing the flight exam. However, you do not have to take the written exam once you are done ground school and your ground school never expires. Obviously, it is best if you can work on both parts of the PPL at the same time. I can't right now but in 2 weeks I'll be done ground school and won't have to worry about that again. Although, I'm hoping to join the air force and receive proper flight training with them so my plan doesn't work for everyone.

This isn't some hypothetical /r/aviation pissing contest, go and read the relevant passage from Dover's book. The reason they were leaning the mixture was to increase endurance. Emphasis is mine.

>"How’s it look, Swede?" Ford asked. "So far, so good. Cylinder head temps seem to be holding. But we’re flying full rich. We’re going to have to lean it out for best fuel range."
>
BANG! The sudden sound filled the cabin and the Clipper shook as though it were in the grip of a gigantic storm. BANG! Again.
>
"Backfiring on Numbers Two and Three!" Johnny Mack called out. "Those cowlings are shaking like Jell-o!"
>
"Back off the mixture, Swede!" Ford shouted. Rothe quickly moved the mixture controls toward the rich side of their range. Just as quickly the banging stopped. But the cylinder head temperatures remained just under redline.
>
Once again the mixture controls came back. Once again the manifold pressures increased and the cylinder head temperatures rested within a degree of the forbidden redline.
>
Then: BANG! BANG! The Clipper shook as though it were a rag doll in the hands of a very active child. Quickly, but with more control this time, Rothe eased the mixture controls back to just under the mark where the backfiring would start. "That’s about the best we can do," he called out. "We can stay below the backfire point, but I can’t guarantee the head temps. They’re just about out of normal range for long-range cruise."

Stick and Rudder is an old classic that really explains well the basics of why airplanes fly and how to fly them. I also enjoyed Bob Buck's North Star over my Shoulder and Wind Sand Stars by Antoine De Saint-Exupery for some good armchair flying.

As others have mentioned, the FAA publications are indispensable. They are available for free from the FAA website, and cheap hardcopies are available on Amazon. Get yourself copies of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook. I think it's really worthwhile to get the hardcopy.

There are many useful websites related to general aviation. You can listen to air traffic control radio at liveatc.net, look up airport information at airnav.com, watch IFR flight paths on flightaware.com, and browse aeronautical charts in a google-maps-like interface at skyvector.com.

So this is going to be a bit macabre but I'll tell you about one on my list.

It is an established fact that most fatal aviation accidents occur between 100-350 hours of total flight time. It seems to be a interval where the confidence curve of the pilot and the competence curve of the pilot separate (delaminate if you will). To that end, a book has been written that discusses why and how this happens. In the interest of being a safer pilot, I think it'd be a good pic.

It may seem like a weird choice for a gift, but I find most pilots are pretty academic in their perspectives on the nature of the activity, so I think you'd find it appreciated.

The Killing Zone by Paul A Craig:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Killing-Zone-Second-Edition/dp/0071798404

It's reasonably realistic. When starting to fly, I was amazed at how easy it was. Of course, they are very different things, but a sim is very useful for learning equipment layout and instruments, as well as helping to understand navigation methods.

It's a great supplement to training, but you can't really learn to fly from a simulator. Spend 300 hours in a simulator though, and the first time you climb into a real plane, you'll be way ahead of the game.

They supported the vulcans in Operation Black buck, but still are gorgeous aircraft in their own right, those 60s lines will never be repeated.

Vulcan 607 is a great read on the whole operation.

...all the FAA handbooks are available for free.

I suggest you start with:

• Airplane Flying Handbook
  
  
• Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
  
  
• Aeronautical Information Manual
  
  
• if you really get into it and want to know more about how things work, and are not afraid to get technical, The Aerodynamics For Naval Aviators is awesome;
  
  
• and one of my favorite See How It Flies by John S. Denker;
  
  
• and get yourself a copy of Stick And Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche while you are at it!
  
  When you are done reading this, you'll know more than many pilots out there! :-)
  
  

Find an instructor that has instructed more than 4-5 primary students. The instructor should be planning on staying with the FBO for at least the next year so you can finish the certificate with them. I would also suggest an instructor that is around your own age. This will keep you both on the same page and help build trust. Your instructor has to trust you enough to let you learn and you have to trust your instructor not to do anything reckless.

That said you should study on your own, The airplane flying handbook is your bible of practical knowledge. Also buy a copy of the Pilot's Information Manual for your aircraft (Make sure it is for your exact model of aircraft).

The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge is another good resource produced by the FAA.

Private Pilot and Recreational Pilot FAA Knowledge Test 2010 gives you all the questions and answers for the ground school test. You can practice on the Sporty's Web Site for free which helps a lot.

The easiest way to save money is to study on your own, the more you study the less time your instructor has to spend with you on the ground. I wouldn't bother with flight simulators on your home computer, they are nice for learning how to scan instruments but at the beginning of your flight training they will only mess you up. That said if you decide to get an instrument rating flight sim is invaluable.

The reason I corrected you in the first place is the same reason you are so vehemently defending yourself: because you believe the chief engineer deserves their proper credit.

I got most of these facts from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003

I even had it opened while I referenced some of the facts I mentioned. I think you would really enjoy it and it would help you get some of your facts straight.

I did notice that, and it's appreciated. However reddit natively removes any comment that has a known link shortener in it. For readability and to avoid getting caught in the spam filter, I suggest formatting with the reddit hyperlink syntax in the future, like so:

[Tupolev Tu-154: The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner](http://www\.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu-154-Medium-Range-Airliner-Aerofax/dp/1857802411)

Which, when entered into a comment field and submitted, ends up looking like this:

Tupolev Tu-154: The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner

Thanks for the comment! I've approved it now.

I haven't read this edition, but the Jane's guide is pretty good from my childhood memories!

I always recommend this book by Joe Sutter, head of the 747 project to anyone interested in the history of jetliners. Amazing stuff they went through to get the 747 through to production.

Congrats!

I always recommend this book to new Private pilots. Understand your certification, your legal and personal limitations, and don't put yourself in a bad position. Stay away from "get-home-itis", aka pushing the limits of your abilities (primarily weather related) just because you need to get home.

Have fun!

Check out how fast the mothership and chase plane disappear in this on-board movie looking aft:

(edit: This was not the record setting flight)

I fell in love with this aircraft in the 50s when I was a kid. A great history of the program: Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15 (Specialty Press)

The book is a pretty good read, as well.

I got my kit for $85 from amazon (raspberry pi and antenna), and you could even get it cheaper if you wanted. Here's fr24's instructions, although you may need some more help like I did setting up the raspberry pi.

Hopeless Diamond. I highly recommend the book Skunks Works.

Good read and plenty of interesting facts about the design of the F-117 and other Skunkworks aircraft.

Might not be what you were thinking, but Stick and Rudder (itself perhaps historic) is a great overview of flight from the perspective of the past

You can also get those at a ton of other sites, and cheaper. Amazon has them too, as do many, many aviation sites (just like those remove before flight keychains.)

http://www.amazon.com/Trintec-Series-Aviation-Altimeter-Altitude/dp/B00H0P1L5G/ref=pd_cp_e_1

This one's a bit more expensive but also looks neat:

http://www.amazon.com/Boeing-Cockpit-Desk-Clock/dp/B00OPEJSOG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=11N2QN3YS8G3W4HYBFT0

They also make them in wall clock size for the ageing pilot :D

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MVYO4S/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687702&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0036V3X6S&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1TGZ5ZQGZ5QC7RW1J4QB

From what I've read over the years, they are your basic cheap alarm clock like you'd buy at most regular stores. They just add a fancier case and printing.

I read this like 20 years ago, and have the audiobook now. I've spent many a commute hour listening to Mr. Rich's memoirs. Here's a linky to Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003


Fun side note, my stepmom's father (step-grandpa?) was a machinist @ Skunk Works. I mentioned this book to her and she said, oh yeah dad gave Kelly Johnson rides home every so often when his car was in the shop. Uhhh, what Mari?

Enjoyable book about it:

747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060882425/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zPlSBbVYCGE5F

Highly recommend reading Ben Rich's autobiography about his time at Lockheed especially in conjunction with Kelly Johnson at Skunkworks.

U2, SR-71, Have Blue/F-117 all masterfully documented from an insider's perspective. Fascinating stuff.

Communications enthusiast here, browsing the sub. I know of people who have picked up almost every "world leader"'s aircraft, Air Force One and various other "big shots" included. If you're radiating ADS-B, anybody with a $20 "software defined radio" stick from Amazon and a free piece of software can locate you.

If you get a chance, you should read 747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation by Joe Sutter.

Ben Rich - Skunk Works...read it, if not most in this subreddit have already ;)

Downward pointing ones are unpowered glide flights.
The backwards one is (I think) a ferry flight for an exhibit.
Everyone should get this book!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1580071317

I loved it!

by the way, has anybody else read this book?

http://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003

it's a really good one. lots of cool information about the sr71, even though there's another plane on the cover

Jane's books are a good thing to start with:

Like http://www.amazon.com/Janes-Aircraft-Recognition-Edition-Guides/dp/0061346195#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1415834288638

I would recommend you check out Road to the 707 by Bill Cook, one of the designers of the 707. He details many of the major advances in early aviation that got us to the modern jetliner.

I don't have a copy in front of me, but some of the major ones are: moving the propeller to the front (instead of behind the pilot as the Wright Flyer had) and adding ailerons to help with turns (instead of wing warping and rudder deflection).

The book does a very thorough job, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

edit: completed a sentence.

With Amazon Prime, it's free with Kindle Unlimited.

> Also, aircraft with swept wings tend to be much less dihedral, or even anhedral, because the wing sweep conveys some dihedral effect on its own.

I can't think of a single Western jet airliner that didn't/doesn't have dihedral.

(I realize that you didn't limit your statement to transport aircraft. But why wouldn't the same aerodynamic principles and engineering practices apply to them as to other swept-wing jet aircraft?)

> For example, the Tu-154, the workhorse Soviet airliner between 1970 and the early 2000's, was one of the fastest subsonic airliners produced, with a high degree of wing sweep, owing at least partly to its military origins.

The Tu-154 wasn't based on any military predecessor. It was a "clean sheet of paper" design. This is probably the most authoritative history of the airplane that's out there:

http://www.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu-154-Medium-Range-Airliner-Aerofax/dp/1857802411

> The same can be seen in the preceeding Il-18 and Tu-104 aircraft, both developed directly from military versions.

The Tu-104 was developed from the Tu-16 "Badger" bomber. But the Il-18 wasn't developed from a military aircraft; it, too, was an original design.

My personal go-to is the Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide. It's not 100% up-to-date, but it still has a picture of most aircraft you'd expect to see, and some that you will appreciate being able to identify down the road!

the F-117 was basically designed with a slide-ruler, pen and paper with very little computer power behind it. Most of it is a series of 2d renderings put together. They literally had engineers designing and building them on the floor right next to the mechanics and welders and shit. The Skunk Works were an impressive bunch.

http://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003

Go read it, its amazing.

Also, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson has some insight into it with his book, too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0874744911

Very classy plane. I believe its on the cover of my FTGU (from the ground up)

Three books I really like:

• The road to the 707
  
  
• Joe Sutter's 747 book
  
  
• Boeing 777

https://www.amazon.com/Vulcan-607-Remarkable-British-Attack/dp/0552152293

​

Read this book - it's an incredible true story

Highly recommend the book Skunk Works - it covers the story of this plane and others Skunk Works

Get Ben Rich’s book about Lockheed’s Skunk Works Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316743003/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XzLDAb7GJBNX2 also Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439148813/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xALDAb3C5Q08N has excellent stories and Brian Shul has some excellent stories and photographs in his books but I don’t think they are in print any longer.

Maybe something like this

yep, that is exactly correct: https://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003

Here is the desktop version of your link

I assume you downloaded these;

Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

Airplane Flying Handbook

Aeronautical Information Manual

Another book that helped me out is Stick and Rudder.

jane's guides, and time / spotting

Stick And Rudder - Google Books

Stick And Rudder - Amazon

There’s a really interesting book out there about Operation Black Buck , the RAF Vulcan Bomber - Victor Tanker missions during the Falklands War.

Shithead McCuntface Jesus Diaz again without crediting the source where these pics came from.

For those of you who want to know more about those pics, see a lot more such pics and read some more:

1. Kelly: More Than My Share of It All
   
2. Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed

> I can't think of a single Western jet airliner that didn't/doesn't have dihedral.

All I said is that as wing sweep increases, you tend to see less and less dihedral, sometimes going into anhedral, because the wing sweep introduces dihedral effect on it's own. Even in western airliners, aircraft with more swept wings have less dihedral. Take the 727 or HS Trident for example, comparable sweep to the Tu-134/Tu-154 and almost no dihedral at all.

And of course, almost every western high-wing aircraft has anhedral. The Bae 146 is one example, as someone said, and moving into cargo aircraft you have the C-17 and C-5, among others.

> The Tu-154 wasn't based on any military predecessor. It was a "clean sheet of paper" design. This is probably the most authoritative history of the airplane that's out there:
http://www.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu-154-Medium-Range-Airliner-Aerofax/dp/1857802411[1]

Thanks for the link- I'll check it out. For the Tu-154, I didn't mean that it came for a bomber, but I could have sworn that it originated from a military specification for a government transport and then state airline use. Might be wrong though.