Author
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Topic: Flying the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft upside down
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spaceman1953 Member Posts: 953 From: South Bend, IN Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 06-04-2009 03:12 PM
So, I have this shuttle in California that I need toget back to Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and I've got it fastened onto the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Now I am flying really high and fast and all of a sudden I have the urge to fly my 747 upside down for a few minutes.Will my shuttle fall off? You all know everything, so I thought I would ask! |
Mr Meek Member Posts: 353 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 06-04-2009 03:41 PM
Your real question should be, "Will my SCA and shuttle disintegrate as I roll them over?"And for that, I do not know the answer. |
328KF Member Posts: 1234 From: Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 06-04-2009 04:43 PM
The real question is, "How much do you value your career as an SCA pilot?" |
ilbasso Member Posts: 1522 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 06-04-2009 07:07 PM
Dottie Norkus, a pilot and charter member of Women in Aviation International, says that it is possible to execute a barrel roll in a 747:"Yes, it is possible to roll a 747, though such an aerobatic maneuver isn't something one would do in a transport category aircraft. A 1G roll would not stress the airframe at all, nor would it cause it to break up. (Moderate turbulence would "stress" it more. Those jets are built to handle quite a load." She references "Tex" Johnston's aileron roll of the first 707 in 1955 as being similar to the expected performance of the 747. I wonder if you would have to have someone in the Shuttle, coordinating elevon movements at the same time as the 747 pilot. Has anyone tried simulating this in XPlane or one of the other flight sims? You would expect them to give a pretty faithful simulation of the flight characteristics. |
Lou Chinal Member Posts: 1306 From: Staten Island, NY Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 06-04-2009 09:25 PM
The shuttle control surfaces are locked during the flight back to KSC. If you do have the urge to fly upside down... have a V8 instead. |
Atlantis Member Posts: 111 From: Cullman, AL Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 06-04-2009 11:19 PM
I was succesful rolling the SCA stack in Orbiter. |
kr4mula Member Posts: 642 From: Cinci, OH Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 06-05-2009 10:59 AM
Are the mounts strong enough to hold the weight (plus any downward lift that might be generated) of the orbiter upside down? or would the orbiter fall off? |
ilbasso Member Posts: 1522 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 06-05-2009 11:06 AM
If you could do a barrel roll (constant 1G), the weight wouldn't be a problem. There would be some shear forces, though. |
spaceman1953 Member Posts: 953 From: South Bend, IN Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 06-09-2009 06:34 PM
Well, as I expected, you all did NOT let me down! Some GREAT "one-liners" here! Thanks! |