Tag Archives: 737

Technology, U.S.

Hawaii: Poseidon Down!

Video

The recovered Poseidon is towed to the wash rack, 04DEC2023. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Hunter Jones.

The Boeing P-8A Poseidon is based on the 737NG passenger plane (86% commonality).

Finally ashore, 03DEC2023. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Julian Elliott-Drouin.

On 02 & 03DEC2023, the downed P-8A was pulled from the water, U.S. Marine Corps time-lapse video by Corporal Christian Tofteroo:

The multi-role aircraft was brought ashore using ‘roller’ airbags. USMC photo by Sergeant Julian Elliott-Drouin, 02DEC2023.

AP News, 02DEC2023: U.S. Navy says it will cost $1.5M to salvage jet plane.

On 01DEC2023, divers made their plans for the extraction of the P-8A Poseidon. USMC photo by Sergeant Julian Elliott-Drouin.

Malu ‘Ania, 29NOV2023: Military Code Names for Nuclear Incidents and Accidents: Dull Sword, Bent Spear, Broken Arrow, and NUCFLASH!  “The P-8A predecessor, the P-3 Orion, carried Nuclear Weapons, both nuclear depth charges and nuclear torpedoes.  Does the P-8A carry nukes as well?”

28NOV2023, USN Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One (MDSU-1) conduct underwater assessment of P-8A. USN video:

On 28NOV2023, loose parts in the broken tail had to be removed. USMC photo by Corporal Cody Purcell.

In this 27NOV2023 press conference video, U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Jeremy W. Beaven revealed that the Waterfront Operations Team was undergoing training for such an incident just three days prior, on 17NOV2023. Once the crew was safe, Colonel Beaven stresses that their main concern is the surrounding environment, so much so that they had a hazardous waste containment boom in place within 30-minutes after the incident:

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Kevin P. Lenox also gave statements that were intentionally designed to stress environmental protection, with a focus on the removal of the fuel from the multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

The Aviationist, 27NOV2023: All Female Crew.

FlightGlobal, 27NOV2023: U.S. Navy hopes to restore crashed Hawaii P-8 to flight status.

On 26NOV2023, additional floatation bags were inflated under the Poseidon. USMC photo by Corporal Chandler Stacy.

De-fueling of the Boeing aircraft. USMC photo by Corporal Chandler Stacy, 26NOV2023.

The nose & radar of the P-8A were quietly and quickly removed. USMC photo by Sergeant Brandon Aultman, 21NOV2023.

Photos show that sometime between the 20th and 21st of November (possible even before containment booms were deployed) the nose and radar had been removed, no explanation was given.

Containment boom being deployed around the P-8A, 20NOV2023. USMC photo by Lance Corporal Tania Guerrero.

On 20NOV2023, an expensive U.S. Navy (USN), Boeing built, P-8A Poseidon ran off the runway into Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawai’i.

U.S. Disaster, 2023: HAWAII FIRES, 4+ MONTHS ON, LITHIUM BATTERIES MADE THINGS WORSE?

Technology

NASA’s 737, test-bed for the civilian airliner industry!

Image

In a country where the capitalist corporate world is supposed to be independent of government interference, or even assistance, the U.S. airliner industry has been totally reliant upon taxpayer funded NASA for developing more efficient, and safer, technologies.

NASA’s Boeing 737-130 was the workhorse of such taxpayer funded testing and developments.  Serial Number SN-19437 (N515NA, tail #515) was born in 1968 (some sources say 1967), and reported for duty at NASA’s Langley Research Center in 1973.  Apparently 515 was the first prototype Boeing 737 built.

I must point out that between 1938 and 1978 the U.S. airline industry was under the total regulation of the federal government, being de-regulated beginning in 1978 with the hopes that capitalist competition would reign in growing costs of operation, but in reality has created the money-grubbing passenger unfriendly monstrosity of today.   Even with de-regulation the airliner industry still relies on taxpayer funded testing of new technologies.

515 took part in dozens of developments:  Microwave Landing Systems, velocity vector display development, CRT electronic cockpit displays, profile descent control law development, total energy control law development,  helmet mounted displays.  Also, satellite-based Global Positioning System for auto-landings, ground-air data-link in lieu of voice communication, traffic flow management ATC-compatible 4-D Flight Management System development, wind shear detection research.  Just to name a few.

In 1985, 515 joined several other NASA and FAA aircraft in the U.S. state of Maine, as well as in Canada, to study Runway Friction in bad weather.

In 1989, 515 got a new paint-job.

According to NASA, 515 was constantly modified, and even had two cockpits, the second cockpit being located where the airliner’s first class passengers would sit.

1990s NASA video showing 515 is use for wind-shear research.  The research was done because of the increasing number of crashes being caused by the weather phenomenon called wind-shear:

High lift wing testing, 1990s.

515 retired in  2003, and now resides at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle, Washington.

NASA: F-16XL LAMINAR FLOW, ONCE AGAIN NASA SAVING THE AIRLINER INDUSTRY!

NASA’S C-133 APOLLO DROP SHIP