Heavy Lift Aircraft - Pregnant fish and hooded whales!

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TheGreenGoblin
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Heavy Lift Aircraft - Pregnant fish and hooded whales!

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:00 pm

The loss of the Antonov An-225 to the barbarian Russians got me thinking about other heavy lift aircraft that represent extreme engineering, that were successful in the aerospace arena!

This video gives an extremely interesting insight into the Pregnant Guppy - Aero Spacelines Super Guppy...



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Your destination remains
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Re: Heavy Lift Aircraft - Pregnant fish and hooded whales!

#2 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:25 pm

Jack Conroy's dream...

JackConroy.JPG
JackConroy.JPG (35.21 KiB) Viewed 1951 times
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Re: Heavy Lift Aircraft - Pregnant fish and hooded whales!

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:34 pm

I really recommend the previous article as it gives an interesting, at times amusing, insight as to what kind of man John Michael( Jack) Conroy was. They don't make them like this any more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Conroy - American actor, aviator, and later businessman...
Jack Conroy died of cancer in 1979, but before he went, he wrote the script for his own funeral. The airport at Camarillo, California, closed for 20 minutes for a flyby of his creations. He had left instructions specifying the order of each airplane and the pilots who would fly them. Clete Roberts presided and observed Jack’s specific wishes for the food served and the kind and quantity of liquor. Though he isn’t around to see the latest Guppy versions, Jack Conroy would certainly take satisfaction in the fact that the spawn of his ideas still supports the space program and the competition among the giants of aerospace.
Though you remain
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Your destination remains
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Re: Heavy Lift Aircraft - Pregnant fish and hooded whales!

#4 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Apr 06, 2022 5:01 am

The "Pregnant Guppy" first flew on September 19, 1962, piloted by Jack Conroy and co-pilot Clay Lacy. Conroy was later to test fly the aircraft with Wernher Von Braun, who was no mean pilot himself.

Hershel Clay Lacy is a very interesting guy too and still very much alive.
Hershel Clay Lacy (born August 14, 1932) is the founder and former chief executive officer of Clay Lacy Aviation, established in 1968 as the first executive jet charter company in the Western United States.

His professional resume includes airline captain, military aviator, experimental test pilot, air race champion, world record-setter, aerial cinematographer, and business aviation entrepreneur. Lacy has flown more than 300 aircraft types, logged more than 50,000 flight hours and accumulated more hours flying turbine aircraft than any other pilot in history.
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
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Your destination remains
Elusive."

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