A little formation flying fun

spookythecat · **Posted:** Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:59 pm

This past Saturday after the Cascade Warbirds meeting which was held at the Museum Of Flight Restoration Shop at Paine Field I got a chance to go flying in my friend Bob's new plane, a Romanian IAR-823 armament trainer. It's still in a nice looking civilian scheme but that will change when time permits as well as having replica mini gun pods made up for it as well as a smoke system.

The IAR

Up in the air

Stay tuned for pics from my Tillamook/McMinnville trip the weekend before.

GARY HILTON · **Posted:** Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:13 pm

Great pics! Hope you have some recent pics of the PV-2 at Til.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:30 pm

The PV-2D is still glossy blue with white dots all over it

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:12 pm

Great pics man

Stoney · **Posted:** Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:28 pm

What are those 2 double deckers on the boeing flight line?

davidbray · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:59 am

Those are the "Dreamlifters" they are used to bring in 787 subsections for assembly.

spookythecat · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:40 am

Here's a better shot of them

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 2:38 am

Before someone asks, only the flight deck is pressurized since parts don't need to be fed or warmed (think An-124/An-225). Currently EVERGREEN is operating the DREAMLIFTERS because Boeing is prevented from opertaing their own aircraft, it would be viewed as competetion by every other operator. ATLAS is about to get the contract replacing EVERGREEN.
The big white tent in the middle of the ramp is being used (along with a bay @ ATS) to complete the wing to body modifications on the last two of the first 6 airframes. The dash 8 has flown off it's hours to prove basic design soundness and is now getting on with the certification flights.
That 823 is a pretty spiffy looking airplane! Whats the power?

Airplanejunkie · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 7:00 am

The Inspector wrote:

That 823 is a pretty spiffy looking airplane! Whats the power?

IO 540 @(I think) 290 HP. It's a cool airplane, lots of fun to fly and fairly decent transportation to boot.

BYW: It's very tempting to ask if anyone has actually completed any subassemblies to be transported in those Dreamlifters but that probably wouldn't be nice, so I won't..... :wink:

Ztex · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:09 am

Hey Al, let's see the shot you took at this point in your flight!

Photo by Nick dean
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/447933.html

Bluedharma · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:29 am

Great Pictures Al!

b29flteng · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 10:51 am

I'm amazed at the size of the assembly building.... I was there in 1993 to accept a new 767 and was awed when we drove up to that road intersection that "T's" into the front of the building. Each bay can hold 4-6 assembled 747/767/777/787s. WOW!

spookythecat · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:31 am

Ztex wrote:

Hey Al, let's see the shot you took at this point in your flight!

Photo by Nick dean
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/447933.html

I love that "stalker" photo.

Here's my shot.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:39 pm

Airplane Junkie,
Define 'completed'. Assemblies show up in the big white busses and move into the asembly bay, how completed they are when they get here is a matter of divine providence. Lets just say that 'Unka B' is learning some pretty hard lessons about outsourcing. The main building that b29flteng mentions can hold 75 regulation sized football fields on the cement main floor alone, with odds and ends left over for several tennis courts, 5.5 million square feet of floor.

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A little formation flying fun

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