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How The Boeing 747 Carried The Space Shuttle
The Boeing 747 is a great aircraft and has been a ‘piggyback’ aircraft for the NASA Space Shuttle. (simpleflying.com) और अधिक...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
One day when on a practice flight doing takeoffs and landings at TICO field, just across the river from KSC, I saw the SCA fly by with an orbiter on the back. I told the tower that I wanted to depart the traffic pattern heading upriver. Their reply was the frequency to contact NASA tower. When I contacted NASA tower they cleared me to fly just west of the runway at 500 feet, and that they would tell me when to turn. They timed the turn perfectly and I had the unique experience of watching the SCA land beside me as I paralleled the runway.
Years ago the Edwards AFB air show had one of these, don't know which one, on public display. Along with walking all around the outside, you got to go inside and see the massive struts angling through the cabin to support the mounting points. Impressive!
My mom worked QA for the shuttle program, as such she got us access to greet the return of the Columbia from her first flight. At the time they hadn't thought much about crowd control limits. When the mated pair turned to approach the mater-de-mater, the outboard engine was too close to the crowd & had to be shut down. We were so close the wing & engine you felt you could almost touch it.
My wife and I had the Shell and Beaver gas stations during the eighties in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. We saw the 747 with the shuttle piggybacked fly directly over our location at a relatively low altitude. What a sight and accomplishment! I remember it to this day. I can picture it perfectly as I write this. Thanks to all of the brave people who took great risks to advance the space program.
Another proof of the versatility of the 747, probably the best commercial aircraft of all times !!
As a 6th grader living in Mid West City, OK, in 1981. I got the thrill of chasing it’s shadow as it came in for a landing at Tinker AFB. My school was just short of the main runway there. It was carrying Columbia back after its first launch. It was thrilling to have seen the launch on TV and then be running across my track field in it’s shadow. It was so close, with a tall ladder you could almost touch the wheels. The pilot waved at me as I ran towards it. Still a vivid memory today. It’s funny, I was watching a video on the old AWACS and how loud they are. Those things flew over or house on final, day and night, and I always loved the sound. But, little boys in love with flight, probably didn’t feel the same as the adults did about the noise.