First, from airliners.net, a very brief photographic essay illustrating the importance of end speed.
The rest of the collection is found here as a powerpoint presentation, for any such that enjoy aviation pics – right click, save as.
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Flying on one wing is not recommended by the tech manual, even if it is apparently possible.
(Link goes to a history channel WMV vid of a wounded IAF eagle coming back to land, with thanks to KS)
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This is a pretty cool farewell video assembled by a squadron out of Coldlake, Canada. It includes some lovely shots of FA-18s flying around, a few of things blowing up, some gun footage and what can only be described as flat-hatting. The lesson I take from the latter is that you can’t break your radar altitude training rules if you don’t turn your radar altimeter on.
(That comes to us from Steve, by the way, who managed to make me ret homesick – thanks)
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This is the kind of video (WMV 2.5 megs) I might have made of one of my own carrier landings. That is, I might have made it if I had flown in an airplane that had a second seat, tandem to my own. And a guy with nothing better to do while his life was being hazarded by my uncertain skills than film me doing it.
(Right click, save as, and a hat’s off to David for sending it along.)
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And finally, although I never thought I’d come to miss the Tomcat all that much, I have to admit, that as a flying billboard, it had no peer. Thanks to Bryan for reminding us about the truly important things in life: Beating Army.
I was wondering if you’d have to admit the superiority of the Tomcat in at least one thing
GO NAVY! BEAT ARMY!
Byron
As much as I love any flying machine that has ‘US Navy’ painted on the side of it, I must confess to having a weak spot for those CF-18s painted with the fake canopy. However, as a strictly amateur observer, I defer to pilots for their opinion as to the actual combat effectiveness of such subterfuge.
/BeachBum
I dug the flying through the valleys/canyons, eh.
Is it too late for me to be a Hornet pilot when I grow up?
Re: Tomcats. I have to ask after all this time, isn’t comparing the Hornet to the Tomcat
not unlike comparing the computer I own now with the one I had five years ago? The Tomcat was built to replace the Phantom, which was also once a technicalogical marvel in its own right.
Re: the one-winged F-15 landing.
I’ve heard of that one before, though never seen video or interviews about it. One question though: Who was the A-4 pilot and what became of him? Seems wrong somehow to say “and the other guy’s plane blew up” and mention nothing further about him.
Re: IAF A-4N
Published accounts indicate that a good chute was spotted by the other exercise participants at the accident site (with the commentary being that ejection was automatically initiated). One source, which identifies IAF A-4N #374 as having been lost in a midair collision with an F-15D on 5/1/83, also claims that the Skyhawk pilot survived.
Great videos, love them.
But the first one, I could download it but then Microsoft Power Point said it couldn’t play it. Anyone else have that problem? Suggestions?
The Big Question in Life…
Decisions, decisions…
My Blogfather Lex is Navy.
I live in a Navy town.
My Blogbrother and Valour-IT behind-the-scenes-cohort John of Argghhh! is Army
My BF is Army.
What to do, what to do?!
It comes down to self-interest……
Fuzzy, tie breaker is who has the coolest dress uniform…that makes it the Navy, hands down
I do believe the approach and landing video was done by an S-3B…only AC on the boat that has jets, and windshield wipers, unless I’m very mistaken. Could have been one of my son-in-laws birds from VS-32.
Agree wit ya Byron. Plus, it sounds like my household vacuum cleaner. A dead give-away. S-3
Nothing technical to say here, just…WOOT!!! Thank you Sir…
I guess this old Hoover dude is going to have to scope out the video…
Damn – has it been 20 years since my last trap?
I —– am —- not —– old.
I —– am —–not —– old.
I —– am —–not —– old.
Oh well, so much for the power of positive thinking…
Oh, and my husband says thanx as well – Christmas came early…
Hey Jeff,
Want to compare Tomcat to Hornet?
Try Ford Mustang to Digital Calculator
or
Try Roller Coaster to Remote control airplane
or
Try 6 apples to an orange (with seeds).
Lucky enough to fly both…
N
Hey Jpr,
It’s an old Aviator joke, you set it up with
“Is it too late for me to be a Hornet pilot when I grow up?”
the punchline is (of course)
“you can’t do both.”
Gotta have one of them 50 lb heads (like our gracious host) to fly that hornet.
N
What are all those people doing on the flight deck????
Bill, probably a dependents cruise. I came close to doing one on the Enterprise, till some idiot decided that the cruise should start in Lisbon. Most family of enlisted can’t afford to fly to Portugal…
Byron,
Lisbon to US would be a Tiger cruise.
Usually, a dependents cruise is a 1 day event. And you are correct, that is probably what is going on in the picture.
N
Yak – What boat? My last was about the same time. Also Hoover.
Byron,
Best one liner I ever heard came out of a dependents day cruise on USS Midway in the early 60’s. The ships PAO was an over enthusiastic Ensign narrating events over the 1MC. One of our A1 skyraider prop boys was doing a deck launch. As the bird roared down the deck the 1MC blared,”And now folks, launching from the deck is the mighty A1 skyraider, this powerful plane can carry twice the bombload of the B-17’s of WW2 fame…”
Just as the A1 got airborne it blew one or more jugs and lost engine power. The pilot did a great job ditching off the port bow. As all aboard stared, the next line out of the 1MC was, “..Of course, not quite as far”….
Great picture, even if the commentary is over my head.
Congratulations on the Navy victory yesterday. I’m still walking on air after watching my Bruins beat SC.
Flatlander,
I was a Mauler with VS-22 from early ‘85 until early ‘87. Last trap was in August on a PMCF on the way back across the Pond.
Make that “VS-32″ – my first tour was with the Vidars of VS-22.
I guess that’s why Lex has the preview function…
Small world. I was in VS-30 from 1983-87, so I am sure we crossed paths at Cecil Field.
The carrier landing is indeed a War Hoover. The guy in the right seat might have been a tad trusting but the drivers I question are the ones producing videos in a single seat jet! Now that’s multi-tasking.
Nose, drop me a line. I never heard back from you after that M&M thing.
re- SuperHornet TANKER off the waist- I see the R.A.T. (Ram Air Turbine) on the SGT Fletcher is spinning- a good thing. First off to orbit for 50 minutes and pass gas. No weps. 70 million $$ a copy.
re- Case I natural wind landing (deck edge lights still on-dawn or dusk):
S-3B (also carries the Fletcher), Screwbird (VS-33), decommed last summer. Lex was at the ceremony I think.
Greenie Board from PLAT LSO- Long in the groove, settle at the ramp, lucky to get a 2… (I saw a small flash o’red methinks)
Nose? Make it formal.
re- Hornet vid: Can’t open the Cold Lake video. Do they still “bust up pianos” up thar at Cold Lake still? Lex? Any fighter canucks to confirm?
B2
B2-
(OK) LIG NEPIM SIC LOBAR 3 (TICK 2)
But my license plate does say “BLND LSO”
N
Nose,
Are you sure you’re not Santa Claus?
b2
Bob,
Big fair window. I just didn’t really worry about grades that much – my wing flew very well, so it was only an issue for a couple of guys.
Definite upgrades for the SHBs!
N
Good stuff Lex, thanks!
For the Hornet drivers — what is the “W” parameter displayed in the lower left of the HUD between alpha and G’s?
The “W” is the “waterline,” a representation of where the plane is pointing along it’s longitudinal axis. The velocity vector – looks like a circle with wings and a tail – is where the airplane is actually going. The difference between the two is mostly due to angle of attack, a measure of the angle between the relative wind and the mean chord line. Sideslip, yaw and crosswinds may also play a (usually) smaller role.
If you’ve ever seen the video of that late 80’s/early 90’s crash at the Miramar airshow, the FA-18’s nose is pointed (waterline) way up in the sky, even as his flight path (velocity vector) runs him into the turf. Same principle.
Maybe this is beyond the scope of the comments for plane pr0n, but, I don’t quite get it. I’m crystal clear about AOA and how/why the pointy end of the plane is not the velocity vector direction. But, I don’t see what W is actually measuring.
After watching the video again, there were alphas ranging near 0, up to the high 20’s, yet W only ranged from 0.33 up to 0.80 (non-coincidentally to the alphas). Seems like a ratio of sorts, but, its not obvious of what.
Thanks,
~john
Lex I think the confusion is with “W”
The numbers on the bottom left hand quadrant of the HUD are from top to bottom
Alpha ?鬱
Mach M
Current G G
Max G (No symbol used)
Time
Methinks it ain’t “W” they are talking about, but “M”
It’s the Mach, boys, and if I were a hater, I’d say something somewhat snarkey about it being a Hornet and that’s why you never see anything above 1.0.
But I won’t.
N
Lex I think the confusion is with “W”
The numbers on the bottom left hand quadrant of the HUD are from top to bottom
Alpha α
Mach M
Current G G
Max G (No symbol used)
Time
Methinks it ain’t “W” they are talking about, but “M”
It’s the Mach, boys, and if I were a hater, I’d say something somewhat snarkey about it being a Hornet and that’s why you never see anything above 1.0.
But I won’t.
N
Nose — indeed, that’s exactly the area I was referring to. I almost thought I needed my eyes checked for misreading a W for an M. After looking again, it’s aliasing in the video that distorts the vertical legs of the M fairly heavily — still looks like a W even after knowing it’s not! That’s my story …
Anyway, Mach number makes a whole lot more sense now … thanks for seeing past the confusion!
~john
http://www.flight-manuals-on-cd.com/F18.html