F-4 Phantoms grew 14 inches??

BattleRabbit · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:14 pm

A co-worker of mine, who was an air force sheetmetal man during Vietnam, told me the other day that at full throttle at altitude F-4 Phantoms grew fourteen inches in length(according to the technical manuals he was provided).

I have a little trouble believing that but was wondering how exactly that could happen without causing some serious problems

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:30 pm

The SR-71/A-12 is the only a/c I recall with that idiosincrocy (sp).

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:33 pm

are you sure he was not talking about the pilots head size ? All that ego can really stretch out a helmet.

BHawthorne · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:33 pm

I sense a bad penis joke somewhere in this thread. :lol:

JDK · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:44 pm

Rubbish.

Concorde would stretch due to flight at prologued high Mach speeds, to the extent of a gap beside the flight engineer's console opening up enough to insert a hand (say 1 - 1.5 in) in flight that was closed when static on the ground. It was a bit of a party trick often shown in film and mentioned in publications on the type. Other types capable of prolonged high speed flight, such as the SR-71, as Jack said, will have similar 'stretch'. - However that will be equivalent to less than 1% lengthening.

But then, just so no-one gets a high-speed-pilot-ego thing going, so do bridges on hot days, hence the expansion gaps on any large bridge structure.

John Dupre · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:58 pm

And ships. I spent the weekend on the USS Joseph P. Kennedy III and just looking around found the expansion joint. It was covered by sheets of steel so that you wouldn't trip or fall into it when expanded.

verner · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:07 pm

That dang Einstein guy again!

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:14 pm

Every pressurized aircraft 'grows' in flight, some (like the 747 and, I'm sure the A-380) more than others. Thats why big airplane maintenance is scheduled around 'cycles' first and then hours operated. X number of cycles equals a 'C' check, 'D' check, etc. The metal stretches in flight under load from the pressure differential between 8 PSI inside and much lower barometric outside @ 38,000 ft. The metal relaxes and returns to almost it's original place on depressurization, and continues to stretch and grow every time you close the outflow valves and hit the air cycle machines. There are also the loads imposed by sitting, taxiing, flying, and landing which also add to the torture imposed on the airframe, a loaded 747 can weigh around a million pounds and all that weight is concentrated on the same surface area as 9 average 3X5 tables when it's on the ground and carried by the wings in flight. Keep in mind that 3 inches from your 72f ear and your wonderful coach meal ( 'LOOK! Cashew cat and reconstituted potatos again' ), it's going 700 MPH and it's 70 below zero.

The ALOHA 737-200 that blew the forward cabin off just over 20 years ago had operated on average, 14 flights (1 pressurization cycle each time) per day for about 89,000 hours over 19 years operating in a 100% salt air environment with less than lackadazical maintenance 'don't woory 'bout dat brudda, we fix nex' week meebe'.

That incident is what brought the whole 'aging aircraft' issue into sharp focus. I still don't know why you need to go to 25,000 ft on a 24 minute flight-how about 8500 in a turbo prop and it takes 4 minutes longer? That way the FA doesn't need to serve peanuts with a slingshot-You're on vacation, not the 'Great Race', no bonus points for finishing first!

Severe corrosion years ago (caused by poor aim, British, or was it Canadian, beer, and a bad design of the aft lav and surrounding structure) is what caused the tail to fatally fall off of at least one VICKERS VANGUARD and drove them from passenger use to box haulers. You don't want to know about the ones that haul race horses around the world!!! Want to see a Hanger Supervisor freak out? casually mention that there 'might' have been a mercury spill on a particular airplane-

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

BattleRabbit wrote:

A co-worker of mine, who was an air force sheetmetal man during Vietnam, told me the other day that at full throttle at altitude F-4 Phantoms grew fourteen inches in length(according to the technical manuals he was provided).

I have a little trouble believing that but was wondering how exactly that could happen without causing some serious problems

Extenze in the fuel tank.... :lol:

After four hours, see an aircraft mechanic.

Tulio

mustanglover · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:10 am

The Inspector wrote:

Want to see a Hanger Supervisor freak out? casually mention that there 'might' have been a mercury spill on a particular airplane-

I saw a perfectly good, and very nice, business jet be scrapped when a mechanic accidently broke a small thermometer in the cabin. Not sure why he had a mercury thermometer in the first place, but the airplane was disassembled from the outside and trashed. Avionics and interior (both new) were left as is and not re-cycled.

JDK · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:00 am

mustanglover wrote:

The Inspector wrote:

Want to see a Hanger Supervisor freak out? casually mention that there 'might' have been a mercury spill on a particular airplane-

I saw a perfectly good, and very nice, business jet be scrapped when a mechanic accidently broke a small thermometer in the cabin. Not sure why he had a mercury thermometer in the first place, but the airplane was disassembled from the outside and trashed. Avionics and interior (both new) were left as is and not re-cycled.

Well, I never knew that. A good article here: http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/articl ... g-aluminum

skybolt2003 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:26 am

wow-been around planes all these years and I never knew that.

mustanglover · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:37 pm

JDK wrote:

mustanglover wrote:

The Inspector wrote:

Want to see a Hanger Supervisor freak out? casually mention that there 'might' have been a mercury spill on a particular airplane-

I saw a perfectly good, and very nice, business jet be scrapped when a mechanic accidently broke a small thermometer in the cabin. Not sure why he had a mercury thermometer in the first place, but the airplane was disassembled from the outside and trashed. Avionics and interior (both new) were left as is and not re-cycled.

Well, I never knew that. A good article here: http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/articl ... g-aluminum

It wasn't the corrosion problem, but the hazard of the mercury itself.

Sometimes things are just over done a little.

If the mechanic would have just removed the carpet and not told anyone, everything would have been fine. They had the Airport Fire Department there in thier Bio-hazard suits and everything.

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:16 pm

BHawthorne wrote:

I sense a bad penis joke somewhere in this thread. :lol:

buy that man a beer........ the sr71 & f4 pilots are the same guy...... enzite bob (mr male enhancement) with the big smile on tv!!!! he can do anything!!

aseanaero · **Posted:** Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:20 am

I think the only thing that grew 14 inches was the mechanics nose when he told this story to you ...

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F-4 Phantoms grew 14 inches??

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