Can you identify this plane?

[Ghery]

OK, first, no pictures. At choir practice tonight the tenor who sits next to me related the description of a plane he saw flying near here on Monday. Now, before you write off this guy as someone who doesn't know anything about airplanes, he's a retired AF Colonel who used to fly C-97s. And he knows what a C-130 looks like, too.

What he says he saw, and it made more than one pass over where he was, was something that looked like a C-130, with one minor difference. It had 6 turboprop engines. 3 on each wing.

Neither of us has any idea what it might have been. We're not all that far from McChord AFB, but they fly C-17s out of there, and we KNOW what one of those looks like.

Any ideas?

 

[Richard]

Russian

OTOH, if he's old enough to have flown -97s perhaps it's time for new glasses.



AN-12 Cub

 

[Pilawt]

I can't think of anything with six turboprops other than a B-36. A C-130 with underwing fuel tanks could look like it has an extra engine on each wing ...

Example photo

-- Pilawt

 

[Ghery]

I can't think of anything with six turboprops other than a B-36. A C-130 with underwing fuel tanks could look like it has an extra engine on each wing ...

Example photo

-- Pilawt

B-36 had multi-row radials, not turboprops. And George and I have both crawled through the XC-99, so we know that that looked like, too. But it hasn't flown in decades.

I was thinking about those underwing fuel tanks, but he was adament that he saw 6 engines. The only thing I can think of that has 6 engines flying today is that one of a kind Russian plane built to transport their shuttle knock-off - the Buran. And it is a jet (and BIG).

 

[Henning]

OK, first, no pictures. At choir practice tonight the tenor who sits next to me related the description of a plane he saw flying near here on Monday. Now, before you write off this guy as someone who doesn't know anything about airplanes, he's a retired AF Colonel who used to fly C-97s. And he knows what a C-130 looks like, too.

What he says he saw, and it made more than one pass over where he was, was something that looked like a C-130, with one minor difference. It had 6 turboprop engines. 3 on each wing.

Neither of us has any idea what it might have been. We're not all that far from McChord AFB, but they fly C-17s out of there, and we KNOW what one of those looks like.

Any ideas?

Soviet Bear bomber, six with contra rotators, used for ASW and long range missions, very good aircraft, although I would think an Airforce Col would be familiar.

Nope, it has four dang...

XB-52? I remember something about the prototype of the B-52 being a turbo prop.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

B-36 had multi-row radials, not turboprops. And George and I have both crawled through the XC-99, so we know that that looked like, too. But it hasn't flown in decades.

I was thinking about those underwing fuel tanks, but he was adament that he saw 6 engines. The only thing I can think of that has 6 engines flying today is that one of a kind Russian plane built to transport their shuttle knock-off - the Buran. And it is a jet (and BIG).

This is posted over at AOPA
http://www.airliners.net/photos/small/5/5/9/784955.jpg
An X-99

 

[Henning]

I can't think of anything with six turboprops other than a B-36. A C-130 with underwing fuel tanks could look like it has an extra engine on each wing ...

Example photo

-- Pilawt

The 36 had 4 row radials, 4360 I think, plus later versions also had 4 turbojets as well.

 

[Pilawt]

B-36 had multi-row radials, not turboprops.

[headslap] Of course, you're right. Don't know what I was thinking.

The only thing I can think of that has 6 engines flying today is that one of a kind Russian plane built to transport their shuttle knock-off - the Buran. And it is a jet (and BIG).

Here's the six-engine An-225. I can see comparing this to a C-5 (save for the twin tail), but not a C-130. Other than that, I'm stumped.

-- Pilawt

 

[jesse]

Here's the six-engine An-225. I can see comparing this to a C-5 (save for the twin tail), but not a C-130. Other than that, I'm stumped.

That.. is one ugly airplane.

Though I'd give anything to fly it

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

Probablynot flying today........B-36

 

[Richard]

Probablynot flying today........B-36

Can you imagine the fuel bill for that?

 

[Len Lanetti]

Sounds odd...for odd see Russian...

Tupolev

http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/ant-20.html

I think there are several other ANT-nn with 6 engines.

http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/tb-4.html

of course...sometimes French and odd go together...

http://www.latecoere.com/affiches/cartes.htm#

...there is also the German possibilities...

http://www.luftfahrtmuseum.com/htmi/itf/bv238.htm

http://www.constable.ca/me323.htm

 

[Keith Lane]

The 36 had 4 row radials, 4360 I think, plus later versions also had 4 turbojets as well.

Ahhhh 6 turnin' and 4 burnin'.
I have a friend whose father crew chiefed on those. The engines (pushers) tended to catch fire and fall off the wing.

 

[Skip Miller]

Ahhhh 6 turnin' and 4 burnin'.
I have a friend whose father crew chiefed on those. The engines (pushers) tended to catch fire and fall off the wing.

That's probably better than catching fire and NOT falling off the wing!

Sounds odd...for odd see Russian...

Odd? Russian? Did somebody say Ekranoplan, aka the Caspian Sea Monster?

-Skip

 

[Len Lanetti]

Odd? Russian? Did somebody say Ekranoplan, aka the Caspian Sea Monster?

IIRC...could only fly in ground, er, surface effect.

Len

 

[Skip Miller]

IIRC...could only fly in ground, er, surface effect.

That is correct. It is a so-called WIG aircraft (Wings In Ground effect). Google "WIG Aircraft".

-Skip

 

[nagpag]

I just saw a plane matching that description. I thought I saw 6 engines, but all I could find matching what I saw was the EC-130. But, I saw exhaust coming out of the 3rd pair of "engines."(?), so this confused me a lot.

 

[Skip Miller]

Holy Necropost, Batman!!!

 

[Tom-D]

The 36 had 4 row radials, 4360 I think, plus later versions also had 4 turbojets as well.

Nope, 3350 Wrights one facing forward and one facing aft in each nacelle.

 

[roncachamp]

Nope, 3350 Wrights one facing forward and one facing aft in each nacelle.

Nope, the B-36 had six Pratt & Whitney R-4360s, one in each nacelle. The B-36D and on also had 4 General Electric J47s, two each in two underwing pods.

 

[3393RP]

Here's the six-engine An-225. I can see comparing this to a C-5 (save for the twin tail), but not a C-130. Other than that, I'm stumped.

-- Pilawt

The An-225 Mriya was built to carry the USSR's Buran space shuttle. Around 1993 it was parked on the ramp at McCarran International for six months or so, pretty close to the fence on the north side of the airport where Terminal 3 was later built.

I stopped by to look at it and take some photos...this is one seriously big aircraft. It's not of much consequence but I'm glad I got to see it.

 

[X3 Skier]

Nope, the B-36 had six Pratt & Whitney R-4360s, one in each nacelle. The B-36D and on also had 4 General Electric J47s, two each in two underwing pods.

True and the aircrew had better have been good at shutting down the 4360's unless they want bad things to happen to them after the ground crew had to change a gazzillion spark plugs that got fouled.

Cheers