A 57-year old woman from New Zealand was killed on Maho Beach late Wednesday afternoon (July 12), after being blown off her feet by a jet blast from an aircraft taking off.
Photo Essay: The Unexpected Pleasure of a Phabulous F-4 Phantom Sighting in Bastrop, Texas
When one travels this great country the unexpected can be expected to be found almost anywhere- around the corner or roadside. Many of the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion posts around the country display military hardware to be appreciated by anyone who is compelled to stop and take a gander. One such American Legion post is Post 533 in Bastrop, Texas. Located along Highway 21 just outside of town, adjacent to highway 150 and Bastrop State Park, Post 533 has an M115 8 inch howitzer sitting out in front. That monster could throw a 200 pound shell almost ten and a half miles. Impressive enough, but that wasn’t why I stopped.
Also outside the post is McDonnell Douglas F-4D-31-MC Phantom II 66-8768 (CN 2620). The jet’s paint is faded and it has seen better days, but it’s identified as a Phabulous Phantom easily enough. This particular F-4 was a gate guard at the former Bergstrom Air Force Base (AFB) near Austin in Texas, where it last served with the 704th Tactical Fighter Squadron Outlaws of the 924th Tactical Fighter Group (TFG). The jet actually belongs to the National Museum of the United States Air Force and is on loan to Post 533.
66-8768 was built at the McDonnell Douglas plant in St. Louis Missouri in 1966. The jet was first assigned to the 25th TFS Assam Dragons of the famed 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) Wolf Pack. From there the jet was flown by the 492nd TFS Blue Bolars of the 48th TFW Statue of Liberty Wing. Between 1976 and 1979 the 23rd TFS Fighting Hawks of the 52nd TFW had 66-8768 on charge. Then 66-8768 was flown by the 307th TFS Stingers of the 401st TFW. Up to this point after return from Vietnam the jet had been flown primarily in Europe. When the Outlaws began flying 66-8768 they rotated to Korea several times and attended Gunsmoke competitions at Nellis AFB in Nevada. The paint scheme last worn by the Phantom was applied for the 1987 version of Gunsmoke, where it was a huge hit at the meet.
When the Outlaws jets were switched from F-4Ds to slightly younger F-4E models in 1989, 66-8768 became a candidate for gate guard duty. Many of the 704th TFS F-4Ds were transferred to South Korea. Host to several Phantom-phlying fighter and reconnaissance squadrons at one point, the AFB portion of Bergstrom closed down in 1993 leaving the fourth busiest commercial airport in Texas to enjoy only hum-drum airliner flights. 66-8768 sat outside a gate at Bergstrom for roughly six years until 1996. It was then that she was partially disassembled and trucked about 31 miles to her present location. The jet shows no signs of vandalism due at least in part to the stout fence that completely surrounds it. She needs some fresh paint and a cover to protect her from the relentless Texas sun and heat wouldn’t hurt either. But she’s all Phantom and still beautiful in a difficult to define way.
Jimmy Stewart Joined the Mach 2 Club in a B-58 Hustler
When the General Dynamics / Air Force film “Champion of Champions” was produced in the early 1960s, the United States Air Force (USAF) was flying several manned bomber types. Brigadier General James M Stewart, USAF (ret) did the narration and makes several appearances in the film. In fact, he climbs out of the pilot’s seat of a Convair B-58 Hustler, appearing in the film’s opening scene. We’re told that Stewart joined the Mach 2 club when he flew a Hustler. Of course, Stewart was still in The Air Force Reserve when the film was made and there is plenty of documentation of his flights aboard Convair B-36 Peacemakers, Boeing B-47 Stratojets, and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers. He may actually have flown the B-58 before he retired from the Air Force in 1968. Either way, the film is entertaining in a what-if sort of way.
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B-58s entered service in 1960 and served for a tumultuous ten years before they were retired. The film makes mention of the B-58’s low-level flight performance, which is ironic because the B-58 was originally designed for high altitude penetration missions.
Of course, when in 1960 the capabilities of Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) became apparent, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was forced to change their mission parameters to low-level penetration sorties. The B-58 could not use its greatest asset (its speed) as effectively at low altitude. The change to low-level work spelled the end of the B-58 in SAC front-line service.
Roaring B-1 Bombers Light up the Guam Night As They Takeoff For South Korean Peninsula
B-1B Lancer bombers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Dyess AFB, Texas conducted a “sequenced bilateral mission” with South Korean F-15 and Japanese F-2 fighter jets this weekend, in response to “increasingly escalatory actions” by North Korea (most recently on July 3 when they launched an ICBM test).
The USAF called it, “part of the continuing demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies against the growing threat from North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.”
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The B-1s took off from Andersen AFB, Guam, for the 10 hour mission to practice attack capabilities and drop inert weapons in a precision strike training exercise at the Pilsung Range, near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
They also flew a bilateral mission with two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15’s over the East China Sea on July 6, marking the first time U.S. Pacific Command B-1s have flown combined training with JASDF fighters at night.
“Bilateral training fosters increased interoperability between Japan and U.S. aircraft,” said the USAF. “Participating in bilateral training enables the operational units to improve their combined capabilities and tactical skills, while also building bilateral confidence and strong working relationships.”
Check out some of the images from their weekend below.
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– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
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When VF-103 Flew Their Tomcats Home To Roost For The Last Time
When the Jolly Rogers of VF-103 departed for their 2004 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment as part of Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17) aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F Kennedy (CVA-67) on July 10th 2004 they were beginning their final cruise as Fighter Squadron One Zero Three (VF-103).
When they returned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana in Virginia the following December they turned in their Grumman F-14B Tomcats and began the transition to the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. The squadron was re-designated Strike Fighter Squadron One Zero Three (VFA-103), and as part of that process shifted to CVW-7.
It was the end of an era for the Fighting 103, who were actually the Sluggers for the majority of their existence. The previous Jolly Rogers of VF-84 were disestablished on October 1st 1995. In order to keep the rich tradition of the Jolly Rogers alive, VF-103 changed their name and squadron insignia to the skull and crossbones of the previous VF-84 and became the “new” Jolly Rogers.
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The 2004 deployment was also the final cruise of the Kennedy. Along with VF-103, CVW-17 consisted of the Boeing F/A-18C Hornets of VFA-34 Blue Blasters, VFA-83 Rampagers, and VFA-81 Sunliners. The Jolly Rogers were the only VF squadron aboard Kennedy for this deployment.
Electronic attack was the specialty of Grumman EA-6B Prowler-equipped VAQ-132 Scorpions. VAW-125 Tiger Tails provided airborne early warning and control with their Grumman E-2C Hawkeyes. Helos aboard for the deployment were the variants of the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk flown by HS-15 Red Lions.
When airborne gas was needed it was usually passed by Texaco VS-30 Diamond Cutters Lockheed S-3B Vikings. The 2004 Kennedy cruise was also the final deployment for the Diamond Cutters, who were dis-established in early 2005.
Would You Buy An A-4 Skyhawk After Watching This Promotional Video?
Here at Avgeekery.com we know how much our people enjoy Skyhawks. This gem of a film was produced by McDonnell Douglas in the early 1970s to familiarize potential customers with their model A-4 model light attack jet- specifically the A-4M Skyhawk II, although they show but don’t mention the Mike model until about halfway through the picture. The A-4E, A-4F, TA-4F, and TA-4J are also shown. A Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake A-4C sneaks in to videobomb the film late. And as the film points out, Skyhawks had been flying combat missions over Vietnam for several years before the film was produced. When the last A-4 rolled off the production line in 1979, 2,960 of them had been built (all variants). Many Skyhawk fans would agree that wasn’t enough of them!
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Skyhawks from VMA-311 Tomcats, VA-125 Rough Raiders, VA-127 Batmen, VA-164 Ghost Riders, VMT-103 Sky Chickens, VA-55 Warhorses, VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers, VT-22 Golden Eagles, and VA-56 Champions appear in the film. Some really nice quality air-to-air footage is included. Naturally the superior characteristics of the A-4M are listed, from the uprated Pratt & Whitney J52-P408 engine to the increased ammunition capacity for the internal twin 20 millimeter cannons, improved angle-rate bombing system, and larger cockpit enclosure.
There’s more, but the film does a better job listing the deltas between the Foxtrot and the Mike than I can. Enjoy this rare look at the A-4 Skyhawk!
Video posted on YouTube by Periscope Film.
UPDATED: USMC KC-130 Crashes in Mississippi
We will keep this story updated as we learn more facts.
UPDATE #4 7/11/17 8:40PM ET: The Marines issued an update on the crash. It is confirmed that 16 members of the military (15 Marines and 1 Navy Corpsman) were killed in the accident. Here is the statement:
The Marine aircraft that crashed Monday evening was a KC-130T from Marine Aerial Refueling and Transport Squadron (VMGR) 452, Marine Air Group-49, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve. The flight originated from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., as the squadron was supporting a requirement to transport personnel and equipment from there to Naval Air Field El Centro, Calif.
The crew and passengers consisted of 15 Marines and one Navy Corpsman. Equipment on board included various small arms ammunition and personal weapons. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is at the scene as a precaution in the interest of safety.
The identities of the personnel whose lives were lost in this tragic accident are still being withheld to allow time for their loved ones to be notified appropriately. While the details of the incident are being investigated, our focus remains on providing the necessary resources and support to the family and friends of these service members as they go through this extremely difficult time.
General Robert Neller, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, also issued a statement. His tweet is below.
Please keep the families of our 16 fallen service members in your thoughts and prayers.@MarForRes release: https://t.co/Kzd0JA0hMF pic.twitter.com/DDdc6vD4CU
— Robert B. Neller (@GenRobertNeller) July 11, 2017
UPDATE #3 7/10/17 10:40PM ET: WLOX (a TV station in Biloxi, MS) is reporting that 16 people were onboard the USMC KC-130 when it crashed in Leflore County, MS.
UPDATE #2 7/10/17 10:36PM ET: Video of the crash site (provided by KXAN’s Facebook page)
UPDATE #1 7/10/17 9:07PM ET: The US Marine Corps have issued a short statement that the C-130 that crashed was a USMC KC-130. Here is the tweet:
A USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available. pic.twitter.com/QEFhooJZmC
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) July 11, 2017
A C-130 with nine onboard, crashed in Leflore County, MS this afternoon, near the county line with Sunflower on Moorehead and Itta Bena Roads.
The 75th Anniversary Of Heroic Doolittle Raiders Included A Few Special Guests
The Last Raider Proudly Celebrated His Squadron’s Heroics as Mid America Flight Museum Film Spotlights The Mission That Gave America Hope.
Earlier this year the 75th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raiders attack on the Japanese home islands on April 18th 1942 drew twenty currently operational North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers to the National Museum of the United States Air Force for photo opportunities and to visit with 101 year old Richard Cole, the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders. The Mid America Flight Museum produced a dandy of a video chronicling some of the flights to Dayton and photo opportunities en route and over the museum during the event. Radio calls are included and the visuals are nothing short of spectacular.
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The video begins with a briefing for a photo flight featuring two B-25s, God and Country and Betty’s Dream. Some great in-flight footage including point of view (POV) shots of the cockpit and from cameras attached to various parts of God and Country’s anatomy. Really good stuff! It gets better- a photo opportunity shot in flight over the Air Force Museum includes four B-25s- God and Country, Betty’s Dream, Barbie III, and Panchito. Interspersed throughout the video are great looking still shots too. A walk around the museum itself is also included, featuring perhaps the most famous B-17of them all, Memphis Belle, undergoing restoration. There’s a flight in a Cessna O-2 with several unusual camera perspectives as well. Enjoy this feast for the eyes!
History Flight (Wilmington DE) B-25H 43-4106 Barbie III
Mid America Flight Museum (Mount Pleasant TX) B-25J 44-30823 God and Country
Texas Flying Legends (Houston TX) B-25J 45-8835 Betty’s Dream
Delaware Aviation Museum (Georgetown DE) B-25J 44-30734 Panchito
BONUS VIDEO: Enjoy this unusual POV video shot aboard the Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing B-25J Miss Mitchell.
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Additional Footage Of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO Shows Tower View
The crash of Asiana Flight 214, a Boeing 777-28EER (HL7742) at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) took place on July 6th 2013. The flight originated at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea. On final approach to runway 28L the aircraft made contact with the water short of the runway. After that the aircraft made contact with the seawall at the end of the runway and shed its tail and landing gear. One engine and the landing gear were distributed along the path the plane took toward its final resting place. In the video the fuselage can be seen to spin 330 degrees counter-clockwise before coming to rest pointing toward the northwest. The footage was shared by the YouTube account What You Haven’t Seen.
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When the crash took place the flight crew was criticized for their slow reaction time in getting the passengers out of the jet. Survivors can be seen exiting from the ruptured fuselage near the tail before the escape slides are deployed on the port side of the fuselage. Once the slides are deployed passengers use them to exit the fuselage. A fire had broken out on the starboard side near the right engine, which prevented the use of the starboard side slides. Response from the emergency vehicles at SFO seems to take forever but the first responders reach the wreck about 2:25 after the crash first takes place. The fires seem to be out but roughly 15 minutes after the crash the airliner begins to burn fiercely.
Miraculously there were only three deaths from this crash. Two passengers died at the crash scene, and a third died in the hospital several days later. An additional 49 people were seriously injured out of 187 injured. One group of three flight attendants who were strapped in their takeoff and landing seats in the rear fuselage were injured when they were thrown onto runway 28L, still strapped in their seats, when the tail section broke off of the airliner near the end of the runway. This was the first crash involving fatalities of a Boeing 777 aircraft since entering service in 1995.
SFO was closed for five hours after the crash. Flights destined for San Francisco were diverted to Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle–Tacoma. Runways 1L/19R and 1R/19L (perpendicular runways to the axis of the crash) were reopened at 1530 PDT. The runway next to 28L, Runway 10L/28R, remained closed for more than 24 hours so it could be cleared of debris from the crash. Runway 28L was reopened a week later after repairs were completed. Asiana ended up changing the route’s flight number to 212 after the incident. Asiana still flies the route today.
B-1 Bombers Join Japan and South Korea in Show of Force Against North Korea
A pair of U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers participated in a bilateral mission with South Korean F-15 and Japanese F-2 fighter jets on July 7, near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, in response to “increasingly escalatory actions” by North Korea, most recently on July 3 when they launched an an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.
In a statement, the USAF says the mission was, “part of the continuing demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies against the growing threat from North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.”
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The bombers are assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for the 10 hour mission to practice attack capabilities and drop inert weapons in a precision strike training exercise at the Pilsung Range.
“North Korea’s actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland,” Gen. Terrence O’ Shaughnessy, the Pacific Air Forces commander, said.
“Let me be clear, if called upon we are trained, equipped and ready to unleash the full lethal capability of our allied air forces.”
It’s the second show of force from the U.S. against North Korea in the last few days. The night following the launch July 4, U.S. and South Korean airmen joined for a missile test exercise off the Korean Peninsula.
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– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
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Guardian Angel Airmen Save Sailors in Daring Sea Rescue
Combat search-and-rescue airmen with the U.S. Air Force Reserve 920th Rescue Wing live by the motto, “These Things We Do, That Others May Live“, and that proved true yet again in the last 24 hours, some 500 miles off the east coast of southern Florida.
On July 7, at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Seventh District in Miami, the 920th was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (located at Tyndall AFB) to assist in a long-range large-scale search and rescue of two German men (father and son) at sea, after their vessel reportedly caught fire.
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Operation Launched
A crew of 8 Airmen then launched from Patrick AFB, Florida in an HC-130P/N aircraft (affectionately referred to as “King” by the 920th) at approximately 2:30 p.m. EDT, transporting six “Guardian Angel” Airmen who specialize in all types of rescue.
Responsible for a variety of demanding missions and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, they are trained to perform some of the most highly-specialized operations in the Air Force. Elite Pararescuemen, better known as PJ’s, they are among the most highly trained emergency trauma specialists in the U.S. military.
Well trained for the mission
Graduates of the so-called “Superman School”, they are capable of performing life-saving missions anywhere in the world, at any time, whether for civilians at sea who are in distress, or in providing world-wide humanitarian and disaster-relief operations supporting rescue efforts in the aftermath of disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes.
“The specific capability with our Guardian Angel Airmen, combined with our air refueling and extended-range airlift makes us uniquely able to accomplish this mission where few others in the world can,” said Col. Kurt Matthews, 920th RQW Commander. “I’m very humbled and glad to be a part of this noble mission.”
A 920th RQW noncommissioned officer fluent in speaking German joined the team too.
The team arrived on scene two hours later and orbited overhead, while Ops (39th Rescue Squadron) back at Patrick AFB communicated with the ship “Nord Nightingale“.
“We had the life boat in the water and the freighter was about 2 miles away,” said Captain Dan Morgese, aircraft commander. Finally, five pararescuem plunged into the Ocean.
“Anytime you are putting someone out over the Atlantic, it’s concerning,” said Morgese. “We train for this, it all worked out just fine. If there was day to do it, it was today; the weather was perfect.”
A HH-60 Launched a small boat for the rescue
The Nightingale motored a small boat toward the victims, which allowed the PJs to hoist the 48-year-old and 66-year-old father-son duo onboard while several of the other Rescue Airmen zoomed over to pick up the parabundles of medical equipment that splashed down just after them.
A pair of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from Patrick AFB retrieved the PJs and transported the victims to Orlando, which required launch of an additional HC-130 from Patrick AFB to serve as fuel reserve for the helicopter’s return trip.
“Kudos to maintenance for getting us airborne,” said Morgese. “They are 93 models; our maintainers work hard.”
The pararescuemen treated and stabilized the patients, then transloaded them to the Nightingale to be picked up by the inbound helicopter.
All in a days work…
At approximately 8:20 p.m., the two Pave Hawk crews hoisted and recovered all seven from the ship and journeyed back to Central Florida where they landed on an Orlando High School football field at 1:30 a.m. and handed off the patients to the Orlando Fire Department to get the patients to their final destination, the Orlando regional medical center.
“When you actually get to do something you train for; it’s really satisfying,” said Morgese. “Excellent communication and planning among all involved, made the mission successful.”
Considering all this, it should come as no surprise to anyone that these airmen also serve as NASA’s astronaut guardian angels too, standing by for shuttle launches in case they were needed. And they will do so again on Florida’s “Space Coast” as soon as NASA, Boeing and SpaceX are ready to begin launching astronauts again.
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– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
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New French High Speed Train Route Celebrated With Fighter Jet Escort
Recently the French Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) – high speed train) inaugurated a new scheduled route running between Brittany and Pays de la Loire in western France, the train was “escorted” by French Air Force aircraft. One Dassault / Dornier Alpha Jet and one Dassault Rafale C flew over the train while it was running at 320 kilometers per hour (199 mile per hour or 173 knots). The TGV is France’s intercity high-speed rail service and has been in operation since 1981. The trains were originally designed to be powered by gas turbine engines but the 1973 oil crisis drove a change to electric power. Note that the Rafale is capable of flying at Mach 1.1 (1,390 kilometers per hour or 864 miles per hour / 750 knots) at the altitude at which it’s flying in the video. The train is seriously hauling for a train, but that jet is crawling along with their flaps deployed!
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The Dassault / Dornier Alpha Jet has been in service with the French Air Force since 1978. Used primarily as a trainer, Alpha Jets have also been adapted for light attack and reconnaissance work. The jet has been used by 14 nations and is still operational with 12 of them. Because of the different avionics and radars in use by the different countries operating them, Alpha Jets have distinctive nose configurations. The German versions are equipped with an elongated pointed nose, whereas the other Alpha Jets employ a shorter rounded off nose. The Patrouille de France, the French precision aerobatics demonstration team, flies Alpha Jets. Due to the Alpha Jet’s advancing age potential replacement aircraft such as the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master, Aero L-39 Albatros, Beechcraft T-6 Texan II and the Pilatus PC-21 are being evaluated.
The Dassault Rafale began service with the French Air Force several years after the naval variant. The Rafale has been used since 2007 in combat by the French Air Force in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Mali, and Libya. More recently Armée de l’aire Rafales have been employed against Islamic State militants. Based at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the French Rafales at first used their avionics suites to identify targets for US airstrikes. Later the Rafales began flying strike missions of their own with successful results.
Rafales are operated exclusively by France today, but Eqypt, India, and Qatar have ordered them and Canada, Finland, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates are taking a look. Previous unsuccessful sales to Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland, Kuwait, South Korea, The United Kingdom (Royal Navy), Morocco, and Oman have been filled with Eurofighter Typhoons or Saab JAS 39 Gripens for the most part.
Blue Angels Announce Officers For 2018 Airshow Season
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels on Saturday announced the selection of new pilots and support personnel who will join the aerobatic flight squadron in time for the 2018 air show season.
The selection of new Blue Angels officers were made on Thursday, and on Friday, Boss Cmdr. Ryan Bernacchi made phone calls welcoming excited — yet calm — officers to America’s Pride, the Blue Angels.
“I am incredibly impressed by the quality, professionalism, and talent of the Sailors and Marines who apply for this team,” Cmdr. Bernacchi, commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels, said on Saturday. “We’re going to field a superb team next year, and I am excited to see them continue the legacy of representing the pride and professionalism of the Navy and Marine Corps.”
The joint Navy and Marines flight demonstration squadron first welcomed Navy Cmdr. Eric Doyle to succeed outgoing Cmdr. Bernacchi on April 4 as the Blues new Boss and Angel 1 for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
A native of League City, Texas, Doyle’s addition to the team was announced following a panel comprised of 10 admirals and former commanding officers. The two will work closely together beginning in September, and he will take the helm in November.
“This was a childhood dream come true,” said Cmdr. Doyle. “My motivation to become a pilot came from watching the Blue Angels.”
The Blues selected two new pilots this week to fly the sleek blue and yellow FA-18 Hornets, Marine Maj. Jeffrey Mullins of Memphis, Tennessee and Navy LT Andre Webb of Lawton, Oklahoma. Current pilots LT Lance Benson, who has served as Angel 4 for two seasons, and CDR Frank Weisser, who replaced fallen Blue Angel, Capt. Jeff Kuss, in August 2016, will return to the fleet in November.
Current pilots LT Damon Kroes, LT Nate Scott, LT Tyler Davies, and LT Brandon Hempler are poised to return with the team for 2018. LT. Davies will move up to lead solo pilot in Angel 5, while LT. Hempler will move from this year’s narrator to the role of opposing solo.
Marine Capt. Beau Mabery of Lompoc, California will soar next season in the cockpit of air show crowd favorite Fat Albert — the team’s C-130 transport aircraft. Capt. Mabery will conclude his assignment in September at Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 in Japan where he has worked with aerial refueling aboard a KC-130J.
Current Fat Albert pilot Maj. Mark Montgomery will move up as lead pilot in 2018, as he, Marine Maj. Kyle Maschner, and Capt. Mabery round out the three officer flight crew. Current lead pilot Maj. Mark Hamilton will depart this November following three seasons behind the yolk. The C-130T soars with a crew of eight including three pilots and five support personnel.
The Blue Angels have performed for over 504 million fans since their first public air show in May 1946. The 2018 season schedule will begin at El Centro NAS, California on March 10 and conclude 32 show sites later at their home base in Pensacola.
Several key support personal were also selected including Navy LT Garrett Hopkins and Navy LT David Gardner as maintenance officer and public affairs officer, respectively.
The current rotation of Angels pilots and team members are two or three years.
The newly selected pilots and team members will report in mid-September to the squadrons home at Pensacola Naval Air Station to begin training. In early January, the Blue Angels will depart Florida for their winter training home in southern California for six weeks of intense flight and tactical training prior to their first air show.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)
NASA is Bringing the Space Shuttle Engine Back to Launch the World’s Largest Rocket
The first reusable rocket engine in history, the RS-25, proved its worth during NASA’s 30-year space shuttle era, helping power the orbiters uphill from 0 – Mach 25 in just 8 minutes, with a 100% success rate over the course of the program (the losses of Challenger and Columbia were not related to the main engines).
Often referred to as the Ferrari of rocket engines, the liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen fueled RS-25 is one of the most tested large rocket engines ever made, with more than 3,000 starts and over one million seconds (nearly 280 hours) of total ground test and flight firing time over the course of 135 shuttle missions.
Now, with the shuttle fleet retired several years ago, and a new heavy-lift rocket to launch deep-space crews in development, the engines that proved their worth time and time again are being called upon to serve the United States one more time for NASA’s colossal Space Launch System (or SLS).
Just like shuttle, two tall solid rocket boosters will provide most of the thrust during launch and ascent to reach space (we will have a story on those later). But the main engines are just as critical, and Aerojet Rocketdyne (the manufacturer) currently has 16 flight engines in inventory; 14 are veterans of numerous shuttle missions and 2 are brand new, plus there are 2 development test engines as well.
But differences between the SLS and space shuttle require that the RS-25s now undergo several modifications to adapt to the new environment they will encounter with SLS, to meet the giant 320-foot-tall rocket’s enormous thrust requirements.
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Locked down on the A1 test stand at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., the RS-25s have been undergoing hot fire tests now since early 2015, providing engineers with critical data on the engine’s new state-of-the-art controller unit, or the “brain” of the engine, which allows communication between the vehicle and the engine itself, relaying commands to the engine and transmitting data back to the vehicle.
The new controller also provides closed-loop management of the engine by regulating the thrust and fuel mixture ratio while monitoring the engine’s health and status, thanks to updated hardware and software configured to operate with the new SLS avionics architecture.
Higher inlet pressure conditions, thanks to the engines upgrades, are also evaluated.
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“We’ve made modifications to the RS-25 to meet SLS specifications and will analyze and test a variety of conditions during the hot fire series,” said Steve Wofford, engines manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where the SLS Program is managed for the agency.
“The engines for SLS will encounter colder liquid oxygen temperatures than shuttle; greater inlet pressure due to the taller core stage liquid oxygen tank and higher vehicle acceleration; and more nozzle heating due to the four-engine configuration and their position in-plane with the SLS booster exhaust nozzles.”
For shuttle flights the engines pushed 491,000 pounds of thrust during launch—each—and shuttle required three to fly, but for SLS the power level must increase to 512,000 pounds of thrust per engine (more than 12 million horsepower). The SLS will require four to help launch the massive rocket and its payloads with a 70-metric-ton (77-ton) lift capacity that the initial SLS configuration promises (later variants will be even bigger and more powerful).
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The RS-25 can handle temperatures as low as minus 400 degrees (where the propellants enter the engine) and as high as 6,000 degrees as the exhaust exits the combustion chamber where the propellants are burned.
Some cool facts from Aerojet Rocketdyne on their RS-25s:
- The fuel turbine on the RS-25’s high-pressure fuel turbopump is so powerful that if it were spinning an electrical generator instead of a pump, it could power 11 locomotives; 1,315 Toyota Prius cars; 1,231,519 iPads; lighting for 430 Major League baseball stadiums; or 9,844 miles of residential street lights—all the street lights in Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York City.
- Pressure within the RS-25 is equivalent to the pressure a submarine experiences three miles beneath the ocean.
- The four RS-25 engines on the SLS launch vehicle gobble propellant at the rate of 1,500 gallons per second. That’s enough to drain an average family-sized swimming pool in 60 seconds.
- If the RS-25 were generating electricity instead of propelling rockets, it could provide twice the power needed to move all 10 existing Nimitz-class aircraft carriers at 30 knots.
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“There is nothing in the world that compares to this engine,” said Jim Paulsen, vice president, Program Execution, Advanced Space & Launch Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “It is great that we are able to adapt this advanced engine for what will be the world’s most powerful rocket to usher in a new space age.”
The engines currently in stock are already assigned their spots to fly the first four SLS missions, but unlike their former lives as reusable engines, these will be their final launches. The SLS is being made as an expendable launcher designed from heritage hardware and ideas; the RS-25 is now one-time use.
NASA awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $1.16 billion, nine-year contract to restart production of an expendable version of the RS-25 for SLS in late 2015.
Meanwhile, development of the rocket itself is well underway across the country. NASA is hoping to launch the first mission with an un-crewed Orion capsule to the moon and back on a shakedown flight in 2019, before launching the first crewed Orion mission sometime between 2021 and 2023.
Once the engines are finished testing individually, they will be integrated with an SLS first stage and mounted atop another test stand, to test fire the engines for a full-duration launch. Engineers need to make the engines THINK the rocket is really flying a launch ascent profile, in order to verify everything will operate as expected on launch day.
That test is expected to occur in 2018.
For now, here’s a little preview; some incredible video from NASA test firing the Saturn V first stage, whose five F-1 engines launched men to the moon on the Apollo missions:
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And just think, when the SLS stage test fires, it will do so for 500 seconds…
As the rocket evolves over the 2020s and 2030s, it will become the largest and most powerful rocket ever made, but the initial SLS missions will only have half the lifting power of the Apollo Saturn V moon rockets.
The elephant in the room is whether the SLS program will keep getting the funding and political support it needs to put people on Mars in the next 20 years.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is developing the Falcon Heavy rocket, and plans to launch two paying customers to circle the moon and back before 2020, with hopes of Mars missions by 2030.
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– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
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OMG! First-ever Video Of C-17 Crushing The Mach Loop
450,000 lbs of jet flying just a few hundred feet above the ground. It’s amazing!
There are times when we need to write a long article that provides color commentary and other times that you just need to watch a kick ass video. This is one of those times that you should just watch the video and enjoy it first. We’ll fill you in on the Mach Loop below.
What’s the Mach Loop?
The Mach Loop is probably the best place in the world to watch tactical flying by fighters and the occasional bomber and transport aircraft. This video of a C-17 is the first that we’ve seen. It is amazing. A heavy flying below the mountain peaks is amazing. Most C-17s fly low levels above 300 knots. This flight appears to be slower but no less impressive.
Over the years we’ve seen hundreds of videos and photos of aircraft flying through the Mach Loop. It is a unique vantage point for avgeeks and spotters because they are able to view the aircraft traveling through the valley from above. Combined with the lush, green scenery, it makes for some impressive photography and videos. Heavy aircraft in the Mach Loop are rare though.
The video was filmed by Paul Williams who has a number of Mach Loop videos. Enjoy.
Bonus: Here is the same C-17 from a different perspective.
Is There a Market for a Civilian C-130?
The unmistakable Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules has been a staple of western military forces as a cargo aircraft. A modern civilian version of the “J” model was first shown last spring, which caused some avgeeks and analysis to scratch their heads wondering “why?”. It appears that Lockheed Martin thinks that there is actually a market for the new LM-100J.
This isn’t the first time that the C-130 has seen civilian action. There was an earlier version, the L-100, that was produced until 1992, and these aircraft were used for things like crucial deliveries and disaster relief. Even Delta Air Lines operated a few for a period of time. The original L-100s are aging though and in need of replacement. Outside of the LM-100J, there are very few options for outsize cargo airlift. Many have been retired for structural issues and high operating expenses.
The new version, the LM-100J, can haul 35,000 pounds of cargo approximately 2,800 nautical miles, and features significant improvements over the original L-100. The very first delivery of the latest version is scheduled for early 2018.
So, is there a market?
Lockheed Martin certainly seems to think so (or at least enough of a market to sell about 100 of the aircraft) with general manager for Air Mobility & Maritime Missions George Shultz saying, “Our existing L-100 operators have repeatedly shared with us that the only replacement for a Herc is a Super Herc, and we are proud to meet this demand with the LM-100J. There is a significant global requirement for commercial freight operations to support operations in more austere areas. The LM-100J will not only meet these demands, but exceed them by delivering new and unmatched capabilities to the commercial marketplace by transporting cargo on any runway, anywhere, all the time.”
They anticipate the civilian version of the aircraft can be used for heavy cargo, firefighting, airdrops, disaster relief, search and rescue, mining support and more — even tourism, as it becomes more fashionable for those with enough cash to travel to the most remote places of the world (say, the South Pole?). It does bode well for Lockheed that they’re expanding the overall goal of the aircraft beyond cargo and humanitarian aid. We’re just skeptical that airlines and/or private operators will ever invest in the type. The LM-100 is unique but it is not cheap to operate, nor common to any other aircraft in the fleet.
Lockheed does have a few letters of intent in for the aircraft so far, including seven intended for ASL, the original launch customer.
The Army Figured Out How to Arm Scout Helicopters With the OH-58D
The Bell OH-58D Kiowa was operated by the United States Army up until the 1st Saber Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division retired their last operational Kiowa Warriors in January of 2017. This brought to a close nearly 47 years of military use of Bell’s 206 Jet Ranger series helicopters by the Army. The OH-58D has been replaced by the more expensive and more difficult to replace Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter in the armed reconnaissance and ground support roles and the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota in the light utility helicopter role. The retirement party for the OH-58D was as impressive as it was poignant.
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Bell built 2,200 OH-58 helicopters between 1966 and 1989. Foreign operators of the various OH-58 variants include Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Taiwan, Greece, Tunisia, and Turkey. Supplemented but never replaced by the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse in many roles, the early OH-58 variants were used primarily for the light utility and training roles. It wasn’t until the OH-58D was developed during the early 1980s that the name and the mission became Kiowa Warrior.
Equipped with universal weapons pylons that can carry various combinations of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, air-to-air Stinger (ATAS) missiles, 7-shot Hydra-70 rocket pods, or an M296 .50 caliber machine gun, the Kiowa Warrior also received an upgraded engine, improved navigation and communication avionics, even airbags in the cockpit to enhance survivability. The diminutive Kiowa Warrior with its mast-mounted sight combining television, thermal imaging, and laser designation systems always led the way from the front- just like a scout should.
India Buys the Last Unsold Boeing C-17
When you wanted more but settle for one.
India showed interest in purchasing additional C-17 aircraft to compliment their 10 strong fleet of Globemaster IIIs. Unfortunately, Boeing stopped producing the aircraft in 2015 so they had to settle for just one additional aircraft. The Indian Prime Minister met with President Trump in D.C. just recently to work toward the purchase, which the State Department has approved, at a cost of $366.2 million (which also includes 4 Turbofan F-117-PW-100 engines, a missile warning system, a countermeasures dispensing system and an identification friend or foe transponder).
So, why did Boeing shut down the line?
The Pentagon purchased the majority of the C-17 production from its first flight until US procurement ended in 2010. A total of 223 aircraft were delivered to the US Air Force. Foreign orders for the aircraft had sustained the line over the last few years, but those dwindled as well in recent years forcing Boeing to pull the plug on the program in 2015. Boeing produced the last few aircraft as ‘white tails’ meaning that they did not have a buyer when built. They eventually sold the remaining aircraft to foreign operators with India taking the last tail ever produced. A total of 279 aircraft were produced by McDonnell Douglas then Boeing over the lifetime of the program.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency issued a statement on the pending sale, saying, “The proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future strategic airlift requirements. India lies in a region prone to natural disasters and will use the additional capability for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. In addition, through this purchase, India will be able to provide more rapid strategic combat airlift capabilities for its armed forces.”
Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a joint press conference in June, with Trump noting “there’s nobody that makes military equipment like we make military equipment.” He also expressed appreciation for India’s interest and alluded to further trade with the country. In addition to the sale of the lone C-17, the US also approved is a sale of 22 General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones to the country, for $22 billion. Other aircraft potentially up for purchase by India include the Boeing P-8 and the Lockheed Martin C-130J.
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Editors note: The article title previously indicated that this was the last built C-17. That aircraft was already delivered to Qatar. The aircraft India bought was the last unsold C-17.
Profiles in Aviation: James Howard Was the Only American P-51 Fighter Pilot Awarded the Medal Of Honor over Europe
Howard’s Name Might Not Ring a Bell, But James Howard Was Unique Among ETO Aces
You’ve no doubt heard of many heroic American fighter pilots who flew Mustangs over Europe during World War II; men who flew Thunderbolts and Lightnings and even Spitfires too. Gabreski. Blakeslee. Godfrey. Eagleston. Schilling. Johnson. Mahurin. Olds. Anderson. Yeager…and scores of other well-known American fighter jocks who cut the Luftwaffe back to size and eventually marginalized and defeated it.
You may not recognize the name of the one and only American P-51 fighter pilot in the European Theater to be awarded the Medal of Honor. His name was James Howard. And he started out as a Naval Aviator!
Howard Wore Wings of Gold First
James Howell Howard was born on April 13th 1913, in Canton, China. His father, an American ophthalmologist, was there to teach eye surgery to Chinese doctors. In 1927 Howard’s family returned to St. Louis, Missouri, where James attended and graduated from John Burroughs School. Howard then attended Pomona College in California, graduating with a BS degree in 1937.
Believing at first that he would become a doctor like his father, James became enamored with the idea of becoming a Naval Aviator. He entered the United States Navy as a naval aviation cadet in early 1938 and graduated from flight training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola in 1939.
Shifting Services and Flying with the Flying Tigers
Young Ensign James Howard’s first squadron assignment was with Fighting Three (VF-3) Flying Chiefs flying Grumman F3F-2 biplane fighters from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii beginning in late 1939. With perhaps a hint of foresight, Howard resigned his commission in the Navy to join General Claire Chenault’s American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers) in June of 1941.
James Howard flew 56 missions over Burma in Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters, scoring a total of six confirmed kills, two of which were achieved during air-to-air combat. When the Flying Tigers were officially disbanded in July of 1942, the tall, quiet, and quietly aggressive Howard made his way back to the States and requested and received a commission as a captain in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
Flying Lightnings and Jugs Before Heading to the ETO
Within just a few weeks James Howard was flying Lockheed P-38 Lightnings at Muroc Army Airfield in California. Far from impressed with the complicated P-38, Howard was later assigned to fly Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in defense of the West Coast with the Fourth Air Force.
His first squadron command was of one of the Fourth Air Force Air Defense Command squadrons. But Europe was beckoning. Howard was next promoted to Major and given command of the 356th “Red Ass” Fighter Squadron (code AJ) of the 354th Fighter Group, which was eventually based at Boxted near Colchester in Essex, East Anglia, England.
Luftwaffe Fighters Were Lining Up to Punish the Bombers
On January 11th 1944, Major James Howard was flying escort for a formation of American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the 401st Bombardment Group (Heavy) flying from Deenethorpe in Northamptonshire on a bombing mission to attack the AGO Flugzeugwerke in Oschersleben, Germany, which at the time was building as many Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (Shrike) fighters as they could for the Luftwaffe.
Separated from the rest of his squadron after shooting down a Messerchmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer (Destroyer), Howard’s head was on a swivel as the B-17s turned back to base, but there were some 500 Luftwaffe fighters in the air that day and they favored attacking the bombers just after delivery of their bomb loads. It was then that he sighted a swarm of some 30 German fighters attacking a formation of B-17s across the bomber stream.
For the Rest of the James Howard Story Bang NEXT PAGE Below
Come Along as a Tanker Crew Fuels the Thunderbirds Cross-Country
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds travel the states throughout most of the year, conducting flybys of big events (such as Super Bowls and the Daytona 500) and performing at air shows nearly every week from spring – fall, showcasing the pride, precision and professionalism of airmen across the Air Force and demonstrating many of the capabilities of the F-16 for the general public.
But it takes a lot of work to get the team to each show site, week after week. Sometimes they can reach point B in one flight. However, there are times when the team needs to call on the help of refueling tanker crews for the longer routes, because landing the team, fueling all the jets, taking off again, 3 or 4 times in a day is not very efficient.