Crop duster == weapons platform

When we were doing the show at Paine Field in the early 70's I talked with the A-10 pilot that was there and he told me that up to that time they had never been able to fire the gun full rate because the muzzle gases choked off the engines. Since then they have installed fences to divert the gases. What a potent airplane, though. It has to be a blast to fly. The nose down pitching moment must be fierce from that thick high lift wing because the horizontal tail has about 7 degrees of negative incidence. I spoke with a pilot who had to bail out of one when it had total engine failure in action and he said that it was uncontrollable. It's got to be one of my favorite airplanes...tub and all.

 

Bob- It was designed to take hits and live. Each engine powers its own independent hydraulic system, so both engines have to fail before you lose control. No modern US fighter except the F-16 can land without hydraulics. The F-16 has a hydrazine powered turbine to give 9 (?) or so minutes of flight control authority before it is silk time.

Some of the Boeing airliners have a limited mechanical back-up, I think you said, but none of them have ejection seats, so they need it.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I bet it makes one hell of a cool sound during a high speed pass.

 

The RAT for hydraulics and some cable back up for controls. Just like the Pietenpol Aircamper, it had systems back up too. You could actually steer it by putting your arm out on one side and it would turn,slowly but it would turn.