777X wing folding

[Ralph Jones]

FAA has granted approval for folding wingtips on the 777X, to comply with taxi and parking width constraints. https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/18/...tips-faa-777x/

[Reams Goodloe]

One of my state science fair judging partners this year was working on this project, and had delayed retirement to help wind it up. He said that the design details necessary - and the tests under ice accumulation conditions (e.g. ice freezes on the structure overnight when in the up condition)- were a bit involved. Sounded like some interesting and complex details in the always interesting structural design strength of materials calcs....

Reams

[Larry sreyoB]

Ah, the infamous Wing Intransit light...

[Dave Siciliano]

Luckily, there’s not a mind in transit light :-). Some might disable it! No one on this board, of course.

[Richard Duxbury]

Well, the only wing folding aircraft I've got some time in was the old USN S2F. Somehow I seem to remember that a USN F-8 took off with the wings folded -but that's not likely a true tale.

Regards,

Dux

[Terry Carraway]

Not an urban legend. Based on the below story, he was not the first person to take off in an F-8 with the wings folded.

https://www.flightjournal.com/f8-wings-folded/

This one has a picture of an F-8 in flight with the wings folded:

http://www.mofak.com/Night_Infamy.htm

Also seems to have been done, once, in an A-7:

I actually served with a pilot who not only took off with the wings folder in an A-7E Corsair, but successfully returned and landed the aircraft. I won’t give his name, but he was very well known in the A-7E community due to this feat, as supposedly he was the only pilot who had performed this feat.

[Bruce Gorrell]

It's been attempted in just about every Naval aircraft and succeeded in quite a few, including a Skyraider. I personally know of several A-7s, a couple of F-8s and at least 2 F-4s

[Ralph Jones]

It's been attempted in just about every Naval aircraft and succeeded in quite a few, including a Skyraider. I personally know of several A-7s, a couple of F-8s and at least 2 F-4s

That could make a really cool airshow team...

[Randy Sohn]

That could make a really cool airshow team...

Chuckle, well, ya'know, we always did say that some of the the Niiiiggggghhhhvvvveee guys were sure spectacular!!!!!

best, randy

[Tom Charlton]

It's been attempted in just about every Naval aircraft and succeeded in quite a few, including a Skyraider. I personally know of several A-7s, a couple of F-8s and at least 2 F-4s

Hi Bruce,
Just shows ta go ya . . . with enough power, anything will fly. Only thing is . . . you ain’t gonna believe the stall speed<ng>!

Regards,
Tom Charlton (who is hoping to not fly his Piper Cub with folded wings)

[Ralph Jones]

The ultimate achievement would be to do it with a TBF/TBM...

[Richard Duxbury]

Well, I'm sure that no USN pilot has ever flown that old Stuf (S2F) -also one of a few aircraft called a FLUF. with the wings folded over the cockpit. When we landed at a USAF base some of the line folks would take pictures of the folded wings. (Well, we were asked by the Corpus Christi NAS maintenance folks to try to avoid folding our wings at other non USN bases -we did not always follow instructions).

Regards. Dux, of for a brief visit to BP's this morning.

[Bruce Gorrell]

Well, I'm sure that no USN pilot has ever flown that old Stuf (S2F) -also one of a few aircraft called a FLUF. with the wings folded over the cockpit. When we landed at a USAF base some of the line folks would take pictures of the folded wings. (Well, we were asked by the Corpus Christi NAS maintenance folks to try to avoid folding our wings at other non USN bases -we did not always follow instructions).

Regards. Dux, of for a brief visit to BP's this morning.

The S2 (and C1 and E1) had a throttle limiter that wouldn't allow more than 30" of manifold pressure with the wings folded. That didn't stop a couple of people from trying it.