Test & Calibration Markings

Mossie · March 16, 2009, 08:01:40 AM

Recently, I've been particularly interested in aircraft in test schemes. Raspberry Ripple, Edwards test schemes, French CEV, Australian ARDU are all great, but for this thread, I'm looking for schemes where the purpose is for calibration or measurement, rather than ID or high visibility.

In the UK (not surprisingly, this is where I know most!), the A&EE where particularly fond of these types of schemes in the 1960's. The ARDU 'Fanta Can' scheme is one of the better known of these types of schemes. Some to start the ball rolling:

Canberra with graduations along top of fuselage for ejection seat trials:

Javelin in a very striking scheme for weapons testing:

Sea Vixen in a split scheme for calibration purposes:

Mirage III of the Australian ARDU:

Simon

pyro-manic · March 16, 2009, 03:39:30 PM

Loving the Javelin!

Here's a Phantom being crashed into a section of nuclear power station wall:

Mossie · March 17, 2009, 02:48:13 AM

Nice one Alun, with a satisfying bang at the end!

Mossie · March 17, 2009, 03:07:45 AM

Apophenia posted this in the DHC-1 Chipmunk thread. It's a Portuguese Chippy with a Lycoming engine used for in-flight refueling training. I'm guessing that the markings on the side have something to do with this, they are very similar to those on the underside of tankers.

Logan Hartke · March 17, 2009, 03:46:42 AM

Quote from: Mossie on March 17, 2009, 03:07:45 AM
It's a Portuguese Chippy with a Lycoming engine used for in-flight refueling training.

Did I miss something? When I read IFR there, I took it to mean "instrument flight rules", not "in-flight refueling".

Logan Hartke

Mossie · March 17, 2009, 03:50:01 AM

I must have got that one completley wrong, the unusual markings on the side threw me! Thought it might be strange for a Chippy to be used in this role...

Still, the markings are interesting & seem to fit this thread.

Aircav · March 17, 2009, 05:44:08 AM

I remember seeing that Javalin flying about Andover when I was a kid, the Harvard was over quite a lot too, ha, the good old days.

I think that was my happiest time when we lived there.......................

These were taken at Teesside airport in the mid 90's

Mossie · March 17, 2009, 07:16:49 AM

Thanks Steve, like the CAA HS 748 especially.

NARSES2 · March 18, 2009, 01:58:43 AM

Quote from: Aircav on March 17, 2009, 05:44:08 AM
I remember seeing that Javalin flying about Andover when I was a kid,

Slung by a passing Roman cavalryman

Seriously - both the Javelin and Canberra look really good

Mossie · March 18, 2009, 04:39:55 AM

I typed the word 'Calibration' into Airliners.net & got about 250 pictures, nearly all civil operators. I've posted some of the more striking ones. See them all here: Calibration search on Airliners.net

Yak-40 of Serbia & Montenegro ATC

An-26 of Spetsavia

Fokker Fellowship of Flight Inspection Austalia

HS.748 of Deutsche Flugsicherung

Super King Air of Aerodata Flight Inspection. Popular bird, as you'll see below!

Beech Super King Air of Air Precision

Super King Air of Flight Calibration Services

Another Super King Air of Flight Calibration Services. Interesting colour (like my Grandma's avocado bathroom suite in the 80's!), can't imagine they'd go for this on aesthetic grounds! My guess is it's a special coating of some kind?

Super King Air, Pearl Aviation Australia

Just call me Ray · March 18, 2009, 12:52:56 PM

D-CFMD looks like it's still in factory primer before they apply a finishing coat.

Mossie · March 18, 2009, 02:20:49 PM

Yeah, you seem to be right. I thought about this at first & discounted it because of the black panels & the full range of titles, but I just checked out the serial on Airliners.net & it had it's pic taken in the same livery as D-CFMB just a few months later.

Mossie · March 19, 2009, 08:14:33 AM

Some military aircraft now, took a bit more digging out!

NB-52 used Control Configured Vehicle program.

Bucanneer of A&AEE. The scheme is yellow/Dark Green (looks black in the photo) with white portions on the underside & black radome.

F-104 NASA. It's sometimes difficult to determine if some schemes are used for measurment or high vis, this scheme has attributes of both.

F-16XL NASA, again, not sure if the black panel was to highlight something or just an unpainted portion.

Gripen second prototype, marked up for spin trials.

NKC-135 'Big Crow', used for ABL acquisition trials.

MiG-21 Czech Air Force, used for Ejection Seat trials

Mirage III ARDU, before it received the 'Fanta Can' scheme, quite striking itself.

Gloster Meteor 'T.7¹/₂' (Meteor T.7 with T.8 tail & modified canopy) of Martin Baker, used for Ejection Seat Trials. I'll maybe get around to a model of this one time!

GTX · March 20, 2009, 11:42:57 AM

Another ARDU bird - A8-132:

Note that it is long since back in grey:

Regards,

Greg

Mossie · March 20, 2009, 11:59:14 AM

Greg, that's fantastic mate! Love the hybrid scheme & the test GBU-15's. I posted this thread largely because I'm looking for inspiration for a sixties A&AEE scheme, as they were all so individual pretty much anything is a goer. It's also because I just like these kind of schemes, I guess it's something to do with having an R&D background.