On Sun, 21 Sep 2014 21:57:03 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"John B. Slocomb" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 21 Sep 2014 11:09:18 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


The Titanium for Vietnam fighter jets came from the USSR, through a
tortuous network that concealed its final destination. The Market
Basket article I referenced told how they used intermediaries to buy
up land to avoid revealing their intent and driving up the price.
Those are examples of old tricks to deceive market, CIA, KGB, NSA
et.al. analysts looking for patterns.


Out of curiosity, what Vietnam fighter jets was titanium used on?
I ask as I spent several years servicing the various fighter jets
that
were used in Vietnam and I don't remember any that used titanium.
The
first airplane that I saw in USAF use that used any quantity of
titanium was the SR-71, hardly a Vietnam fighter jet.
--
Cheers,

John B.

http://www.tomcattersassociation.org...h-titanium.htm

I can't tell titanium from stainless unless I can pick it up and feel
the weight.

-jsw

Interesting. And I did work on F-4's and one of the problem areas was
the stabulators. Although not the skin but the pivot.

The major difference in using titanium is that it is complicated to
weld and it work hardens very rapidly. In the early 1970's the USAF
certification test for titanium was still welded in an inert
atmosphere box. I had an extra day at my last certification test and
the Instructor asked if I wanted to try titanium and the biggest
problem was trying to work inside the box using the attached gloves.

The sheet metal guys used to curse the stuff as drilling rivet holes
was a bit of a struggle as the stuff was forever turning diamond hard
if you let the drill slip the tiniest bit.

We worked on the SR's a little when they were first transferred to
Beal and they didn't yet have their full compliment of workers and no
one was sorry when they got fully manned and we could go back to our
"regular" airplanes :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.