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The Aviators Thread

B
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DoctorEvil DoctorEvil
Welcome to the forum! I'm curious about how accurate that Breitling is. How many seconds does it gain or lose a month/year? The most accurate quartz watch I have is a G-Shock square G5600-UE that gains 3-5 seconds a month. Most accurate mechanical is an Aqua Terra with Caliber 8500 that gains 0.5-1.0 sec a day. And what did you fly back in the day? 😊
I pulled out my Breitling to check the accuracy. I set the time back in the fall when the time changed and I haven’t touched it since. As of a few minutes ago it’s 2 seconds fast. Not too shabby after 3.5 months.
 
Tony C.
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Speaking of Boeing, here is my latest vintage model, from back when they were producing fine airplanes. It's a Stratoliner, aka the prototype of what became known as the 707.

Boing707a.webp Boing707b.webp
 
SpeedyPhill
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@Tony C.
Superb model of an early Boeing 707, a jet liner designed 70 years ago and that remains in military versions available as KC-135, E3 Sentry, E8 J-STARS, etc...
I still remember the 720 which had other engines and last week we commemorated:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_548
A large jetliner in the day, but small compared to a Boeing 747
QANTAS.webp
.
My model of a Bell 47G helicopter, which was used by NASA for over a decade...
UntitledNASA.webp
 
Tony C.
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
A large jetliner in the day, but small compared to a Boeing 747
Quite a vivid illustration. Thanks!
 
DoctorEvil
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Duracuir1 Duracuir1
IMG_4812.webp


Source…
IMG_4761.webp
Love the pioneering spirit of those early aviators. They had no preconceived notions of what an aeroplane or helicopter is supposed to look like, so some of their designs can seem pretty wacky today.
 
TasMike
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SpeedyPhill SpeedyPhill
A large jetliner in the day, but small compared to a Boeing 747
QANTAS.webp
.
That 707 was the first of its type (707-138B), the first jet airliner flown by QANTAS and the first 707 supplied anywhere outside the US.

If I remember correctly after it finished service with QANTAS that aircraft was owned by Michael Jackson. A sister 707 was owned and flown by John Travolta after being retired from QANTAS.

It is now on display at the QANTAS Founder's Museum at Longreach airport in central Queensland - a significant city in the history of QANTAS and just down the road from Winton, QANTAS' birthplace.
 
SpeedyPhill
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Neil Armstrong and his life-long love & interest for rotary-wing aircraft...
.
BELL-MWU.webp
 
hen
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I had a less than pleasant cross Atlantic flight twice this month. It was an old Boeing 787 flown by Air France. First the 'joy' of flying an old Boeing, just waiting for it to fall out of the sky. Second they messed up our reservation, so no extra leg room for tall norwegians. Third seats were broken and screens did not work, just letting us hope the engines and avionics were maintained properly.

SAS and Airbus from now.
 
SpeedyPhill
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Working on something special... "" 75 years USAF Thunderbirds aerobatic squadron ""
Planning & preparation is half-of-the-work !
(Photo: MWU)
.
Thunderbirds75.webp
 
MRC
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Late morning today there was quite a rumbling noise overhead. not the C130s so frequently heard around here but this AN12 (reg UR-CKM) passing by at 24,000ft.

489586_1773584736.webp


The AN-12 is a new spot for me (what's an audible "spot" called?) , although this and her sisters are in or over the UK regularly. Today's flight was Basel to Reykjavik and was #1 followed on FR24 while over the UK.
 
DoctorEvil
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MRC MRC
Late morning today there was quite a rumbling noise overhead. not the C130s so frequently heard around here but this AN12 (reg UR-CKM) passing by at 24,000ft.

489586_1773584736.webp


The AN-12 is a new spot for me (what's an audible "spot" called?) , although this and her sisters are in or over the UK regularly. Today's flight was Basel to Reykjavik and was #1 followed on FR24 while over the UK.
Nice spot. Ukrainian registered aircraft on the way to Iceland? Wonder what it could be transporting.
 
JimInOz
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Vp Vance has left Pakistan, one one of these I guess, which one you guess.

Screenshot 2026-04-12 at 13.59.00.webp
 
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