I have no notion of the backdrop to this photo of a Rafael on the go – a touch and go, I suspect, rather than a cat shot. Raoul sent it along asking if the jet wasn’t close to a tail strike?
From my perspective (and this is mere conjecture) I’d say that the way fuselage aft of the main mounts is parallel to the deck – or rather, that the fuselage clearance is constant – he’s probably at optimum design fly-away angle of attack. What’s surprising is how very high that AOA appears to be. I’m guessing something like a 12-15 nose up pitch on the go. Which is pretty dern high, considering that optimal fly-away AOA is roughly comparable at deck level to approach AOA, and 12-15 nose up would be a pretty steep over-the-nose look on approach.
A function perhaps of the cranked delta wing and highly loaded wing? Even with the forward canards?
We wonders, precious. We certainly does.
They were doing cat shots off the Enterprise this week in the Med. Here is an example.
Lex and Bullnav,
I can confirm that was on the Big E. Lex, as you know, I have a friend who is on the E right now, and he passed along this story the other day.
Jim C
I saw this first over at instapinch.com back on the 24th. I thought maybe it was a photoshop, but an incredibly good one, until I saw the story on navy.mil referenced by bullnav. I just didn’t realize that there were foreign made aircraft capable of operating from U.S. carriers these days.
Great job to all who pulled together for that great operation!
“À nos camarades dans les forces armées françaises, à l’armée la marine, à l’Armée de l’Air, à la Légion étrangère et aux services de sécurité internes, je vous salue comme frères dans des bras dans la guerre globale contre la terreur. Avec mon épée remettez mon coeur, j’honore votre valor, élan et accomplis la professionnalisme. Lafayette, nous sommes toujours avec vous ! Des guerriers de camarade des ombres, vous savez …qui vous êtes…”
I think this roughly translates to: “Get Some! Yer the Good Guys! And Lafayette is still family.”
The anti-American attitudes of French civilians can be a royal pain at times, but French sheepdogs are the real deal.
Lex,
Are there any Rafael’s currently flying in Conus?
Just wondering if I have been seeing “things”.
Break.
CPT J; I was in Calais, at the Maritime club in May. I didn’t pay for a drink. Great hosts!
dc: Aye, that they are indeed.
The nose wheel compression really kicks the nose in the air on that plane!
This is a French Fighter…I am on the Big E…actually I am on liberty at this moment..history was made this week and we all gasped when he left the deck at that angle.
Lex-
Apparently it was a cat shot, at least according to the bits and pieces I dug up.
It seems there were two of them, arrived 23 July while the Enterprise sat off the French Med Coast.
The second visit apparently, another Rafale having done a touch and go on USS Eisenhower back in ’05.
They carry a buddy store too! Just like a SuperHornet! Nyuk-nyuk
b2
Excuse the dumb question from a retired black shoe chief, but if that was a cat launch wouldn’t we a just a wiff o’ steam, or would the wind dissipate it?
Lotsa vortex lift at large angles of attack with a delta planform, ‘specially with the foreplanes to avoid wrongful deflections of floppy things on the trailing edge of the main airfoil.
P.s. Look at a pic of a B-58 landing. Yikes! And they mostly all lived through it, who did that.
I’m actually a bit mystified myself. I assumed it was a touch and go because that’s a very steep attitude off a cat shot and there’s no steam. On the other hand, the launch bar – if that was a Hornet – would be about half way retracted. Like you’d expect on a cat shot.
Having flipped the coin, I’m guessing touch and go.
I think your answer lies here:
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/photolist.asp
-Select Rafale to find the photo