B17 Crash

[Ruffdaddy]

Are they made of effing wood?!

[mikec]

What a shame to lose the lady "Liberty Belle". That plane had a hell of a history...

[YALE]

Are they made of effing wood?!

Aluminum. It's flammable.

[mustang87]

Bummer, I once flew on that B-17 when it was at Addison about 5 years ago. My wife gave me a ticket for Fathers day. So sad, I remember the flight was delayed due to an oil leak in on one of the engines.

[Tannerm]

I had the opportunity to fly in a b17 lastyear. Absolutely amazing. I'll have to scrooge up some pics and share. I'll also have to look and see what the planes name was. It escapes me. Aluminum something.

[JohnTheAggie]

Aluminum Overcast?

[pHILSANITY07]

thats a piece of history that can't be replaced, that sucks

[Ruffdaddy]

Aluminum. It's flammable.

I know aluminum powder is...but sheet stock? And if it really is...does jet fuel burn that hot?

[YALE]

I know aluminum powder is...but sheet stock? And if it really is...does jet fuel burn that hot?

Aren't you an engineer? Nevermind. Yes. Sheet aluminum will burn if you get it hot enough, not just melt.

[Grimpala]

I know aluminum powder is...but sheet stock? And if it really is...does jet fuel burn that hot?

Wasn't burning jet fuel either. That's good ole av gas.

[Ruffdaddy]

Aren't you an engineer? Nevermind. Yes. Sheet aluminum will burn if you get it hot enough, not just melt.

Yes, but not one that specializes in "burning aluminum sheet". My design environments only include what one would see in environmental extremes...I'm not going to design a sight system to operate over 200F much less whatever the ignition temperature of aluminum is.

A quick looks shows that jet fuel burns in the open air at 600F, and I just don't see that being an ignition temperature for sheet. Maybe there's some chemistry going on when the fuel hits the metal that I'm not aware of, or it's actually an alloying element contributing to the metal fire like magnesium or something. Either way, can you point me in the direction of supporting evidence so I actually understand more of why that would happen?

[46Tbird]

B-17s are not made of wood, they are made of aluminum with control surfaces made of doped fabric. They don't burn jet fuel either, lol.

That aluminum did not burn; it is a huge puddle on the ground there. A fuel system fire would get nowhere near the temperatures required.

[Ruffdaddy]

B-17s are not made of wood, they are made of aluminum with control surfaces made of doped fabric. They don't burn jet fuel either, lol.

That aluminum did not burn; it is a huge puddle on the ground there. A fuel system fire would get nowhere near the temperatures required.

It was a joke about the wood, but I was shocked that it was able to have that much of an impact on the entire structure.

I have no clue what the differences are between Avgas and Jet Fuel btw...

[46Tbird]

Well it's not like wooden planes are unusual. In fact, the B-17 was one of the earliest mass produced all-metal bombers ever built.

[white trash wagon]

I have no clue what the differences are between Avgas and Jet Fuel btw...

Basically the same difference between gasoline and diesel.