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GA
/ Vol. 5 / No. 2 / FEBRUARY 2013
INTRODUCING CESSNA'S JET-A FUELED TURBO SKYLANE JT-A.
Jet-A fuel in Cessna's all-new 182 Turbo Skylane JT-A truly makes a world of difference. Not just lower fuel
expense, but worldwide availability. Longer time between engine overhauls. And to top it off 30% to 40% lower
fuel burn than comparable AvGas engines. Add a single power lever, increased range and better performance
together with the enormous fuel advantage and you've got a single-engine turbo that leaves the rest behind.
Take a closer look at Cessna's Turbo Skylane JT-A at Cessna.com, or call +1.316.517.6056.
Cessna VMG
Skylane JT-A
Pub: Global Aviator: 4-color Size: Trim 240 mm x 330 mm Bleed 250 mm x 340 mm
1. The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird"
(above) was an advanced,
long-range, Mach 3+ strategic
reconnaissance aircraft developed
as a black project from the
Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance
aircraft in the 1960s by the
Lockheed Skunk Works. It served
with the US Air Force from 1964
to 1998. Of the 32 aircraft built,
12 were lost in accidents, though
none to enemy action. Also known
as the Habu, a reference to an
Okinawan species of pit viper,
it has held the world record for
the fastest air-breathing manned
aircraft since 1976. The record was
previously held by the YF-12.
2. The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an
airborne early warning and control
(AWACS) developed by Boeing
as the prime contractor. In the
mid-1960s, the USAF was seeking
an aircraft to replace its piston-
engined EC-121, which had seen
service for over a decade. The
first E-3 was delivered in March
1977, and during the next seven
years, a total of 34 aircraft were
manufactured.
4. The Sukhoi Su-15 (above)
(NATO reporting name 'Flagon')
was a twin-engined supersonic
interceptor developed by the
Soviet Union in the 1960s to
replace the Sukhoi Su-11, which
was becoming obsolete as the
United Kingdom and United
States introduced newer and
more capable strategic bombers.
Recognizing the limitations of
the earlier Su-9 and Su-11 in
intercepting the then-new Boeing
B-52 Stratofortress, particular
in terms of radar and aircraft
performance, the Sukhoi OKB
quickly began the development
of a heavily revised and more
capable aircraft.
5. Although many components
of the Su-15 were similar or
identical to the previous Su-9 and
Su-11 (NATO reporting name
"Fishpot"), including Sukhoi's
characteristic rear-fuselage
airbrakes, the Su-15 abandoned
the shock-cone nose intake for
side-mounted intakes feeding two
powerful turbojet engines, initially
the Tumansky R-11F2S-300.
6. The Lockheed U-2 (below) (CL-
282), nicknamed "Dragon Lady",
is a single-engine, very high-
altitude reconnaissance aircraft
operated by the United States Air
Force (USAF) and previously
flown by the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA). It provides day and
night, very high-altitude (70,000
feet) all-weather intelligence
gathering. The aircraft is also used
for electronic sensor research and
development, satellite calibration,
and satellite data validation.
7. Initially the CL-282 was designed
to take off from a dolly and land
on skids instead of conventional
landing gear. It was the brainchild
of aviation innovator, Kelly
Johnson who married long
glider-like wings to the fuselage
of another of his designs, the
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. The
design was rejected by the Air
Force, but caught the attention of
several civilians on the review
panel one of whom, Edwin Land,
proposed to CIA director Allen
Dulles that his agency should
fund and operate this aircraft.
After a meeting with President
Eisenhower, Lockheed received
a $22.5 million contract for the
first 20 aircraft. It was renamed
the U-2, with the "U" referring to
the deliberately vague designation
"utility". The CIA assigned the
cryptonym "Aquatone" to the
project, with the Air Force using
the name "Oilstone" for their
support to the CIA.
8. High-aspect-ratio wings
give the U-2 some glider-like
characteristics, with a lift-to-drag
ratio estimated in the high 20s.
To maintain their operational
ceiling of 70,000 feet the U-2A
and U-2C models (no longer in
service) must fly very near their
maximum speed. The aircraft's
stall speed at that altitude is only
10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h) below
its maximum speed. This narrow
window was referred to by the
pilots as the "coffin corner". For
90% of the time on a typical
mission the U-2 was flying within
only five knots above stall, which
might cause a decrease in altitude
likely to lead to detection, and
additionally might overstress the
lightly built airframe
9. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
below is a single-engine,
high-performance, supersonic
interceptor aircraft originally
developed for the United States
Air Force (USAF) by Lockheed.
10. USAF F-104Cs saw service during
the Vietnam War, and F-104A
aircraft were deployed by Pakistan
briefly during the Indo-Pakistani
wars. Republic of China Air Force
(Taiwan) F-104s also engaged
the People's Liberation Army Air
Force (China) over the disputed
island of Quemoy. The ultimate
production version of the basic
fighter model F-104 was the
F-104S all-weather interceptor
designed by Aeritalia for the
Italian Air Force, and equipped
with radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow
missiles. An advanced F-104 with
a high-mounted wing, known
as the CL-1200 Lancer, did not
proceed past the mock-up stage.
11. A set of modifications produced
the F-104G model, which won
a NATO competition for a new
fighter-bomber. Several two-
seat trainer versions were also
produced, the most numerous
being the TF-104G. A total of
2,578 Starfighters were eventually
produced, mostly by NATO
members. The F-104 served with
the air forces of over a dozen
nations. The operational service
of the Starfighter ended with
its retirement by the Italian Air
Force in May 2004, some 46 years
after its introduction in 1958 by
the USAF.
12. Clarence Leonard "Kelly"
Johnson (February 27, 1910
December 21, 1990) was an
American system engineer and
aeronautical innovator, known
for his contributions to many
noteworthy aircraft designs,
especially the Lockheed U-2 and
SR-71 Blackbird spy planes, but
also including the P-38 Lightning,
P-80 Shooting Star, and F-104
Starfighter among others.
13. Kelly Johnson was born in the
remote mining town of Ishpeming,
Michigan. His parents were
Swedish, from the city of Malmö,
county of Scania. Kelly was
ashamed of his family's poverty,
and vowed to return one day in
prominence. Johnson was 13 years
old when he won a prize for his
first aircraft design. He worked his
way through school and college,
and finally the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, where
he received a Master's Degree in
Aeronautical Engineering.
14. The British Aerospace Nimrod
AEW3 was a planned airborne
early warning (AEW) aircraft
intended as to provide airborne
radar cover for the air defence of
the United Kingdom by the Royal
Air Force (RAF). The project
was designed to use the existing
Nimrod airframe, in use with the
RAF as a maritime patrol aircraft,
combined with a brand new radar
system and avionics package
developed by Marconi Avionics.
15. The Nimrod AEW project
proved to be hugely complex
and expensive for the British
government, as a result of the
difficulties of producing brand
new radar and computer systems
and integrating them successfully
into the Nimrod airframe.
Despite close to a decade's
work, the project was eventually
cancelled, with the RAF instead
purchasing new build Boeing
E-3 Sentry aircraft to fulfil the
AEW requirement. ·
Compiled by Cesare de Villiers
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