Planes, Flying and Aviation

Anti-Aircraft Defenses of German U-Boats

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:48:06 +0000

In the early years of World War II, Germany’s U-Bootwaffes roamed, almost with impunity, the sea trade routes of the Western Allies, engaging and sinking their extremely vital ships at an alarming rate. It wasn’t until the Allies began to implement a sophisticated system of long rage, air patrols over the Atlantic that the tide of the submarine war finally began to turn in their favor.

Because most of Germany’s U-boat force was incapable of prolonged, submerged patrol times, they became easy targets for praying allied medium and heavy bombers covering the North Atlantic.

Engaging and hitting allied patrol airplanes became the sub’s main objective from late 1943 to the end of the war in May ‘45. In an attempt to achieve this task, each boat was fitted with a vast array of defensive weapon systems.

The submarine’s main anti-aircraft weapon was the 2CM Flak Gun. Two basic designs of this uninspired looking but tremendously effective flak system were employed. The first operating 2CM was the No. 30. The thirty was a single barrel weapon with a 360 degree traverse and capable of a two degree depression and 90 degree elevation. It fired a 0.32kg shell capable of reaching distances of up to 12,350 meters. What made this weapon so effective was it impressive cycle rate of 480 rounds per minute.

The second improved version of the 2CM was Flak 38. Similar to the 30 but capable of reaching a cycle rate of 960 rounds per minute, the 38 was arguably the best German, light attack weapon of World War II.

Another light weapon used by U-Boats to fend-off attackers was the 3.7CM M/42 Flak Gun. In the bottom half of the war, most German submarines were fitted with the 42nd platform. It fired a .73Kg shell up to a distance of 15,350m. Maximum firing cycle was 50 rounds per minute.

Those two weapon systems accounted for almost 85 percentage of all hit allied aircraft. Official numbers regarding hit aircraft varies from source to source, but the most reliable figure (coming from British-generated documents released in the mid 1950s) puts the amount at 247 from the spring of 1944 to April 1945.

Although it was not intended as a primary anit-aircraft weapon, the vaunted 8.8CM Schiffskanone Deck Gun was also used in that role, especially towards the end of the war. This remarkable 8.8 gun employed by the German navy was not directly related to the more famous, 8.8 Acht-Acht flack gun utilized by the army as an anti-tank weapon. The CM was purely a naval gun developed in the waning days of World War One.

The gun was mounted on a low box, forward of the conning tower. It could traverse through a field of 360 degrees. Its -4 degrees depressed parameter and 30 degree elevation capacity were two of the most impressive features of this remarkable weapon. The gun fired a 13.7kg high explosive shell at a 700m/sec muzzle velocity. It had a solid impact range of up to 12,350m.

Manned by a three man crew, the CM was a powerful, horizontal weapon that when used against sea-based platforms, it caused heavy damage. As the U-Boats began to sustain alarming losses to Allied preying bombers, German crews commenced utilizing their main armament on incoming enemy aircraft. Although their use on that type of environment wasn’t tested before the war, the gun performed well.

Data on the numbers of downed allied aircraft hit by the 8.8CM is not reliable. But unofficial accounts put the numbers in the low 50s. Much of that amount was accounted for between the autumn of 1944 and the spring of 1945.

Aside from those three defensive weapons, German submarines carried a limited amount of small caliber fire arms including 9mm and 7.62mm hand guns. Nine mm machine guns and some 7.92mm rapid fire rifles. No data on hit aircraft by these weapons are available.

Of course, no weapon can be effective if the enemy isn’t spotted. For long range detection, the U-boats employed the Funkmessorungsgerat (Fu) MO-29 Radar. The MO-29 was used primarily on Type IV boats as well as some Type VIIs. The 29 was simple to utilize thanks to its twin horizontal rows of eight dipoles on the upper front part of the conning tower.

On the top row laid the transmitters and in the lower one, the receivers. An improved version of the 29 was introduced in the summer of 1942. In that version, known as No. 30, the diploes were replaced by a retractable antenna which was housed in a slot in the tower. Although relative powerful for the time, this system barely was able to detect surface vessels because of the low position of it’s mounting in respect to the horizon.

A more complex system, FuMB1 or the ‘Metox’ was introduced in the fall of 1942. This system was utilized in conjunction with a raw, wooden cross antenna strung with copper wire know as the ‘Biscay Cross’. But as with the early Fus platforms, this unit wasn’t that reliable. In fact, a case could be made that their use was highly detrimental to the sub’s survival thanks to the Metox’s volatile emissions which were easily detectable by Allied radars.

By November 1943, the Germans had finally developed what would become the world’s first true, all around naval radar. Born out of desperation, FuMB7 combined Metox and Naxos emissions to give U-boat commanders a first rate, long range detection system. Further enhancements were performed (the FuMB24 and 25) to the base MB7 giving it an extended operational radius.

Aside from the radar, maybe the most ingenious defensive measure used by German submarines was the Focke-Achgelis. The ‘Focke’ was basically a manned rotary glider with a triple blade rotor. It was as simple to operate as it was to assemble. Housed in a storage cylinder on the afterdeck, the Focke was quickly armed and launched. It remained connected to the U-boat by an umbilical cord. From its advantageous position high above the sub (10-12,000 feet), the pilot could spot any target approaching the boat. Unfortunately for the Focke, if the U-boat came under direct attack, there was no time to reel it in, thus the sub cut the cord and left the pilot to defend himself until all was cleared to surface back again.

More effective than the Focke-Achgelis was the Aphrodite. It was a basic devise consisting of a large (one meter diameter) hydrogen-filled balloon from which dangled small strips of metal foil. It was attached to the sub by way of an anchor weight. Its main purpose was to confuse allied aircraft utilizing radar navigational systems.

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How To Become An Airport Screener

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:43:28 +0000

If you have ever considered a job in security now is the time to become an airport screener. With airport security at an all-time high, screening staff opportunities are opening up every day. Luckily, the requirements to become a airport screener are fairly easy:

applicants must be at least 18 years of age
applicants must have a high school or equivalent diploma
although no prior experience or training is necessary, those with some sort of security training are in a better position to land a job
good communication skills a must – fluency in speaking and understanding English a must
the ability to handle people courteously no matter what the situation

In the event you do become a airport screener you will have to be ready to handle a variety of duties including:

checking carry-on luggage
the use of hand held metal detectors
recognizing suspicious passengers
the ability to work closely with authorized police personnel

In today’s world of beefed up security, it is easier than ever to land a job at an airport and become a airport screener. All you have to do is go online to fill out an application or head to your local airport to apply.

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Watch a Airplane Flight on Radar

Ace — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:41:46 +0000

Being able to watch a airplane flight on radar is a relatively new hobby that seems to becoming more and more popular these days, and why not – it can be very interesting to watch where the thousands of planes in the air are coming and going. But maybe there is a specific flight you want to keep an eye on. Where can you go to watch a airplane flight on radar? There are plenty of websites dedicated to tracking airplanes flying all over the world. Here are just a few to check out to satisfy your curiosity:

Airline Websites. If you want to watch a specific flight, simply log onto that airlines website and click on their real-time radar tracker. All you will need is the flight number and destination information.
www.flightstats.com: this nifty website lets users track a myriad of airplane flights from all over the world. You can either watch a airplane flight on radar for a specific plane, or simply watch an entire radar screen showing
www.faa.com. This sight offers a variety of ways to watch a airplane on radar throughout the United States.
www.flightlevel350.com: a site which offers the opportunity to track specific flight paths or an array of them.

When choosing a website to watch a airplane flight on radar, be sure that it includes the information you want as well as real-time radar tracking. Otherwise you may find yourself simply watching taped versions of flight paths and not planes that are in the air at the moment.

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What Can I Bring On An Airplane?

Ace — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:48:37 +0000

With security being tightened at the world’s airports due to increased terror threats worldwide, you have probably heard about all of the things that you can’t take on an airplane right now. That may leave you wondering, “What can I bring on an airplane?” Here are a few of the basics:

All prescription medications. Of course, you will need to store them in a clear plastic bag (along with the original packaging), and check them in at airport security upon arrival at the airport.
Over-the-counter medications: while you can bring non-prescription drugs on board most planes, they must be carried in clear containers and weight less than three ounces.
Any liquid or gel item that is purchased at the airport after passing security. While you may not carry and liquid or gel item onto a plane from home, you may purchase it in the airport since it has already been screened by security
Baby formula and breast milk: it does, however, need to in containers less than three ounces and must be checked at the security checkpoint prior to boarding.
Solid cosmetics and personal care items such as deodorant, Chap Stick and lipstick. No gels or aerosols though
Batteries: most batteries are allowed as long as they are already installed in some sort of electronic device. No spares allowed.

Of course the best way to answer the question, “what can I bring on an airplane” is to contact the airline the day you plan to fly to see if there have been any policy changes since you booked your flight.

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The Heart Of The Patriot Missile: The MPQ-53 Radar

Ace — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:05:13 +0000

Anyone who saw the First Gulf War in 1991 was glued to the television set looking at the majestic sight of the United States Army’s newest Theater Anti-Missile System, the now famous MIM-104 Patriot. Night after night, the vaunted weapon was launched in an attempt to intercept Iraq’s unsophisticated and terribly inaccurate Scud mid range missile. The image of America’s missile intercepting an incoming
object, captured the attention of almost everyone. As new and sensational as the Patriot looked in that conflict, the system was actually in its third decade of life.

Born during the height of the Cold War (1963) in an attempt by the US to overlap their complex HAWK air defense platform, the Army decided to develop the Air Defense System (AADS). More than thirty summers has passed since the first blue print for the MIM-104 was submitted for initial review. Baptized under fire in the gulf and in many other theaters, the Patriot has become America’s top defensive weapon. Multiple upgrades were performed since that summer. Changes that had improved dramatically the capability of the system.

One of the most significant modifications came in the spring of 2005 when the Patriot was fitted with the most advanced targeting array in the world, the now famous MPQ-53V. The 53V is a phased array radar and associated processor that controlled the missile’s trajectory from its launch. The radar is a multifunctional, electronically scanned array mounted on the M-860 trailer which is towed by an Engagement Control Center. For target identification, the 53V used the powerful Hazeltine (TPX-46-7) Target Identification Friend or Foe (IFF). A self-contained data link is used to communicate with the rest of the missile package.

The Patriot was designed to operate in all weather conditions without losing operational effectiveness. It can destroy aircraft and missiles at all altitudes. It can direct several missiles to engage multiple targets simultaneously even in the toughest electronic jamming environment. For this, the MPQ utilized a top tier lens array which operated an optical feed. Sum and difference patterns are individually optimized with a monopulse feed optimizing its efficiency. The aperture is round and utilized a 5000 ferrite phase shifter. A four bit, flux driven, non-reciprocal ferrite phase shifter and waveguide radiators are located at both temperatures. A separate, redundant array for missile guidance and IFF is also part of the overall platform profile.

The most recognizable feature of the radar is its face. A huge, phased array face dominates the upper part of the antenna unit. The ‘face’ performs as both, surveillance and tracking mechanism. Below the face lays an almost circular, 5000 element phase shifter which has two smaller units (each with 50 elements a piece). A row of 18 rectangular boxes divided the antenna almost in half, with access boxes. Two slightly larger planar arrays are for the command-guidance and for receiving its links directly for the missile.

Before an engagement is achieved, the radar array has to be aligned to cover as much of the expected direction of attack. During the engagement, the radio beam is steered electronically in azimuth and
elevation. The system was designed in such a mater than it can prioritize a single target from several locations.

The radar utilized a Track-via-Missile (TVM) System in order to suppress its overall cost. In semi-active systems, the radar illuminates the target and a seeker in the missile’s head tracks the reflecting energy. Then the missile computes the interception pattern based on its bearing to the engaging object. The TVM allows the missile to relay the same bearing data to the engagement control station via the radar. The platform’s powerful processors comb through the information with the absolute position of the target, the missile and the profile (velocity, altitude, bearings) of the engaging object and generates tracking commands to guide the warhead to the optimum interception point. In the terminal phase, the missile’s acquisition system acquires the target and relays the data to the phase array where the final intercepting calculations are performed.

The main advantage the TVM system has over its competitors is that the powerful ground based processors are used mostly for guidance thus allowing more data interpretation time. This processing technique makes it’s difficult for countermeasures to jam the Patriot’s targeting trajectory. Even when the Patriot’s targeting radar is receiving jamming strobes, its missile can still maintain missile-to-target bearing data from the TVM system. On top of this, the ground based processors have sufficient computing power to resolve troubling jamming issues such as blinking jamming, where two aircrafts in formation jam alternatively to frustrate home-on-jam modes.

Raytheon, the Patriot’s primary contractor (its has all the Defense Department contracts for the system that surpassed the $5 million mark) had produced a reported 128 MPQ-53V units for the US Army and an estimated 26 for Japan’s Self Defense Force (2007 totals). Price for each unit is around $ 2.5 million.

Technical Data

Weight 79,008lb
Length 56.08ft
Height 11.83ft
Width 29.42ft
Frequency 4-6 GHz
Range 68km
Detection Sector 120deg
Engagement Sector 90deg
Target Capacity 50 simulations
Missile Control Capacity 9 in final engagement

An article by Raul Colon: rcolonfrias@yahoo.com

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Arrival Times Flights Arriving Gatwick Airport

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:37:21 +0000

The busiest single-run airport in the world, keeping track of arrival times flights arriving Gatwick airport can seem difficult. But, thanks to a myriad of new information services, it has just gotten a whole lot easier to track arrival times of flights arriving at Gatwick Airport. Here are a few to check out:

The Gatwick Website. You can find out arrival times flights arriving Gatwick airport as well as other airport information on their website at www.gatwickairport.com.
Subscribe to their newsletter and get the latest information from Gatwick sent straight to your inbox.
Register for Flying Messenger, an electronic update that can be sent to whatever handheld devices you use.
Call for flight times. Although the most tedious of all of the options listed, calling the airport directly and speaking with a customer service representative can supply you with the information you seek.

Whether you want to check on a friend’s arrival, or simply do not want to get stuck waiting at the airport through a long delay, it is important top keep track of arrival times flights arriving Gatwick airport. So, use the services listed above to keep abreast of the latest flight information the airport has to offer.

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Airplane Flight Paths

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:19:24 +0000

It doesn’t matter whether you want to track an incoming flight for personal reasons, or you simply like seeing where planes are coming and going from your area, most airlines now offer real-time airplane flight paths on their websites.

It can be very interesting to track airline flight paths throughout the nation via the internet. While you can watch an array of flights, if you want to track a specific airplanes journey you will the following information:

the name of the airline or its industry code
the flight number
the departure date and location
the arrival date and location

With just this little information you can easily log onto the airline’s own online tracker or one offered by a myriad of other industry websites to track just about any airplane flight paths throughout the world.

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Largest Airplane Ever

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:09:45 +0000

Can you believe that the largest airplane ever measured was more than 275 feet long and featured a wing span of 290 feet? Well, it did! The Russian An-225 Cossnak may be considered the largest airplane ever built, but there are other largest airplane ever facts out there to consider when learning about super-large-scale aircraft. Here are just a few:

the An-225 Cossnack had a miximum takeoff weight of 1,322,770 pounds!
The An-124 Condor is the second largest plane to be produced in the world (it too is Russian). It measures 226 feet 8.5 inches, and has a wingspan of 240 feet 5.75 inches.
The C-5 Galaxy (an American-made plane) ranks third with a length of only 247 feet 10 inches, a wingspan of 222 feet 8.5 inches. It carries a mere 837,000 pounds compared to its Russian counterparts.
The largest pusher plane in the world is the B-36 Peacemaker, made by Convair - USA. It is 162 feet 1 inch long and features a 230 foot wingspan
The HK-1 Spruce Goose (more commonly known as the H-4) I featured the largest wingspan in aviation history — 320 feet long, with a height of 80 feet, a length of 218 feet, 6 inches.

For aviation specialists, it can be difficult to choose the largest airplane ever built since so many things can be considered in the calculation: the body length; wingspan and of course lift-off capacity.

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Airport Arrivals Palma

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:58:49 +0000

If you are looking for a perfect European travel vacation spot, consider Palma, the capital of the Spanish Island Majorca. Extremely affordable and easy to get to, airport arrivals Palma style feature incoming planes from all over Europe; loads of transportation services and some of the best lodging available at any vacation spot.

Airport arrivals Palma style will immediately notice these great features about this sought-after destination including:

A quant old-town atmosphere rich in historic flare including cobbled streets, a Gothic cathedral, and authentic piazzas
Some of the most beautiful beaches found in Europe
An assortment of swanky bars and restaurants
Fantastic shopping
Unbelievable lodging options. Stay in an historic European island mansion complete with majestic architectural design or a sleek modern hotel, depending on your needs and style.
Astronomical art museums and offerings throughout the city

The one thing that new airport arrivals in Palma do not anticipate is falling in love with the city, say those who’ve been there. For most tourists, one visit is not enough and they find themselves drawn to the city again and again.

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When Is the Cheapest Time to Fly to Europe?

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:51:48 +0000

Everyone dreams of taking a European vacation at least once in their lifetime. But, few people have the money available to make that dream a reality. If, however, you have managed to save a bit to plan that dream trip, you will want to save all you can on airfare to ensure that you can see all the sights Europe has to offer. That may leave you wondering when is the cheapest time to fly to Europe?

Travel experts know that certain times of day and certain seasons of the year can both offer deep discounts on airfare, if you are willing to be flexible with your travel plans. Let us take a look at when is the cheapest time to fly to Europe to help you get the best deal:

Off Season: the absolute cheapest time to fly to Europe is during the off-season. That is usually after Christmas, but before Easter (mid January to mid April). While the weather may be a lot colder in Europe then, there are great deals to be had on both airfare and lodging.
Mid-Week: The absolute cheapest time to fly is on a Wednesday when many airlines run specials to help fill plane seats. If you can not fly on a Wednesday, try booking your flight on Tuesday or Saturday instead.
Inconvenient times of the day: the cheap flights usually take off right away in the morning (between 4-6 am); at lunchtime; or during the dinner hour. Few people want the hassle of getting through airport security and boarding during these hours, which makes flight seats cheaper.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to lesson the financial burden of a European vacation, but unless you are extremely flexible and can leave at a moment’s notice to fill an empty airline seat or are willing to plane hop throughout the trip, the three tips above are the best way to discover when is the cheapest time to fly to Europe. Happy Travels!

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