Retiring QF-4s performed supersonic pass during last flight at Holloman.
The last US Air Force QF-4s took to the skies on December 21, 2016. Those flights capped a full 58 years of F-4 Phantoms gracing the skies of the United States. Avgeeks from all over the country gathered to watch and photograph an active F-4 flying one more time.
Those gathered got a bonus. They didn’t just hear the roar of the mighty General Electric J79 engines. They also heard the mighty F-4 Phantom power past Mach 1 as the tell tale sonic booms were heard by everyone present. No damage was reported.
Here’s a great video of the happening posted by Skyes9.
The Shorts-Mayo Combination was an attempt to cross the Atlantic with a useful load.
A recent article on “Mother Ships” prompted recollection of a much earlier pairing of two aircraft—a Shorts Empire Class flying boat and a smaller Shorts four-engine float plane.
In the 1930s, the challenge was to design an airplane that could make the Atlantic Crossing carrying revenue generating passengers or mail. The Shorts Empire Class flying boats, with a crew of five, could carry up to 18 passengers and more than 4,000 pounds of cargo and mail, and it was a profitable aircraft on the European side of the Atlantic. To make the crossing from Great Britain to North America, however, passengers and cargo had to be replaced with fuel.
Aircraft engineers knew that an airplane could maintain flight at greater weights than it could take off with. Major Robert H. Mayo, Technical General Manager at Imperial Airways proposed the Shorts-Mayo Composite with a smaller float plane, that carried 1000 pounds of mail, mounted on top of a modified version Shorts Empire class flying boat. The larger flying boat would lift the float plane to its cruising altitude, they would separate, and Mercury would proceed to North America.
The pair of aircraft consisted of a Shorts S.21 Empire Class flying boat, the “Maia,” fitted with a structure that supported the smaller Shorts S.20 “Mercury” float plane on top. The bottom of the fuselage/hull of the redesigned flying boat had a flared bottom making it wider than the rest of the fuselage. This provided more planing surface under the hull, necessary for the greater takeoff weight. Other design changes included larger control surfaces, a larger wing with the engines mounted farther from the hull to make room for Mercury’s floats.
Mercury was a smaller aircraft, crewed by a single pilot and a navigator. During takeoff, Mercury’s flight controls were locked in a neutral position. Only the trim tabs were operational. Mercury was attached to Maia at three points. The attaching mechanism allowed some movement so that the pitch of the float plane could be adjusted in flight. Three lights in the cockpit indicated when Mercury was in fore-to-aft balance.
Upon reaching Mercury’s separation altitude, the pilots first released two of the three attachments. The third attachment released automatically at 3000 pounds of force. When released, Mercury automatically climbed up and away and Maia dropped, providing safe separation.
The first flight test was made in February 1938, completing a successful separation. Additional tests were conducted over the next several months. The first operational flight with passengers in Maia and mail in Mercury was flown in July 1938. After separation, Mercury continued west to North America—a flight that took more than 20 hours. Meanwhile, Maia turned east toward Europe with 10 passengers and luggage.
This, the only Shorts-Mayo Composite built, continued to operate into December 1938. During this time, the Mayo Composite also launched Mercury on flights to Alexandria, Egypt and South Africa. By the end of 1938 longer range flying boats had been developed with more powerful engines and higher payloads, making the combination unnecessary.
The fates of both aircraft were determined by World War two. Maia was destroyed 1941 in a German bombing raid at her mooring in Poole Harbour, while Mercury was used as a reconnaissance aircraft. It was soon replaced by newer aircraft, after which it returned to Shorts factory where it was broken up to recycle the aluminum needed for the war effort.
Seven million points is quite alot of soda to consume. That never phased John Leonard. He was determined to get a free Harrier jet.
The Harrier Jet first devolved in the 1960’s as a joint project between the United States and the United Kingdom. The Harrier was later redesigned and produced by McDonnell Douglas. It had its faults but it brought about a new era of aviation with the ability to be a vertical takeoff and landing fighter jet. A Rolls Royce engine, the ability to take off vertically, the ability to carry several thousand pounds, and advanced equipment meant the jet fit a niche role in each nation’s defense. The jet isn’t cheap though. At $30M a copy, Harriers are national assets, definitely not a prize giveaway for a soda company…wait, what? Check this story.
Back in the late 90s, Pepsi positioned itself as the ‘un-cola’. The cool, hip soda company tp counter the ‘lame’, stodgy, old-people Coca-Cola company. As part of their advertising campaign, Pepsi was touting a Harrier Jet in a commercial advertisement for their “Pepsi Points” program. It was shown that one could acquire the aircraft for 7 million points. That’s quite alot of soda to consume. Here’s the commercial:
Enter John Leonard and your daily dose of aircraft humor. After some quick thinking and a little math, Leonard had intended to get himself a real Harrier jet. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go as planned. Even after he got the points, Pepsi didn’t pay up. Leonard even took Pepsico to court. He lost the case. It certainly does make for a good story and a laugh today though. Take a look at the video and see how John Leonard attempted to acquire the aircraft. If only it could be that easy… and cheap.
“Go Get Him! Kill him!”Like a rallying cry in Gladiator, this IFF (Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals) instructor emphasizes the importance of the kill instinct for fighter pilots.
There is no doubt that our world has become much more politically correct over the past few years. There are admittedly some good things that have come of it. No one is a fan of blatant discrimination or sexism. But many will say that the PC culture has gone too far. Many lament the loss of fighter pilot culture as the squadron bar is renamed ‘the heritage room’. Posting a picture of a pretty girl on your desk could get you red dotted these days. Many in the Air Force forget that the goal is to be a lethal force–ready to make the enemy die for his country.
That’s why we love this video. It’s good, ole’ school fighter pilot instruction right there. You have an IP who is sceaming at his student to kill the other guy during a mock dog fight. The student probably isn’t sure if the IP is joking or serious. Odds are he’s stressed and anxious and having the time of his life too! You know that the instructor has made a lasting impression though. If he is ever in that situation in real combat, the ghost of the IP’s voice will surely be reverberating in his head as he lines up for the kill.
IFF is a required program for newly graduated pilots from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training. During the IFF program, pilots will learn about BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers) and build situational awareness for flying in a tactical environment (where the bad guy wants to kill you). They’ll fly it in an AT-38C. Passing this program is a requirement to continue onto a fighter training program in an actual fighter jet.
Today, we salute you Mr. Old-school IP. You make the Air Force a slightly more fun place.
Making sure the fuel supplies are more than adequate is crucial when flying the longest route in the world with no alternate landing site.
Say you’re driving on an Interstate, probably somewhere in the Western United States where there are long stretches of highway and nothing else.
You notice the fuel warning light come on and you wonder where and how far to the nearest gas station. As you worry about running out of fuel, one thing you know – you’re safe on the ground, even if the engine coughs to death after exhausting the final fumes.
Now transfer the low fuel scenario to an airplane flying from the West Coast to Hawaii. That’s the longest stretch – nearly 2,500 miles – for a plane with no alternate landing options. Nothing but the blue sky above and the bluer Pacific below.
Even with commercial airlines moving to twin-engine aircraft, flying extended distances such has the mainland to Hawaii remains safe. Aviation rules call for aircraft and flights to be ready for emergencies if one of the engines becomes disabled. Running out of fuel with nothing but water for 360 degrees is not acceptable.
In April this year, a United Airlines flight bound for Honolulu from San Francisco had to pull a U-turn two hours into the flight. Stronger than expected headwinds influenced the pilots to make an overly cautious – and smart – decision to not risk a disaster.
“When the headwinds are greater than what were expected, and are going to be sustained for four or five hours of flight, you’re simply not going to be able to land with your legal minimum of fuel,” ABC aviation expert John Nance said. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to run out, but it means you’re not going to be legal. That’s when you have to turn around.”
Safety rules require commercial flights to have enough fuel to reach the intended destination, hold for 30 minutes and then have another 45 minutes of fuel to land at alternate airport. (If you’ve been on a flight diverted from your original destination, you know the drill.)
In 1989, a Trans World Airlines jumbo jet developed a fuel leak on a flight to Hawaii. The leak was discovered when it was too late to turn back. Instead of landing in Honolulu, the plane made it safely to the closest airport – Hilo International Airport on the island of Hawaii. The plane reportedly had four minutes of fuel remaining when its wheels hit the tarmac.
Check out this historical account of the harrowing and heroic early days of attempts to fly from the West Coast to Hawaii.
The F101 “Voodoo” was a lean mean supersonic jetfighter machine with a nasty pitch-up problem.
Designed by McDonnell in the 1950’s , the F-101 was used by the United States Airforce and the Canadian Royal Air Force. The F-101 saw many unique roles in its 20+ year career. Originally designed to be a fighter-bomber, the aircraft quickly moved on into reconnaissance and continued to serve as a “utility infielder” of sorts with interception duties and a training role. Unfortunately, despite some of its advanced capabilities and its speed (for the time), there was a nasty little aerodynamic issue which caused the aircraft had a serious “pitch-up” problem that while improved, was never fully fixed.
Pitch-up: What is it?
The F-101 (f101) had a terrible pitch up problem.
Pitch-up is a type of aggravated stall that commonly occurs in aircraft of this wing type. An aircraft can stall at any time if the AOA is exceeded. In this case though, pitchup could occur and cause stability issues that actually would lead to a stall. The pitch-up was caused by downwash on the stabilizer during high AOA that causes both a pitch up from the downward force and a reduction in the effectiveness of the stabilizer itself. Essentially, the jet would become unstable.
The pitch-up tendency was actual double wammy against stable flight. If uncorrected, this issue could cause departure from controlled flight. Luckily, the Air Force was aware of these problems and created training videos concerning what needed to be done to correct the issue mid-flight. This video was put together to train pilots how to avoid the envelope where pitch-up was most likely to occur.
Time Leads to Better Understanding of F-101 Characteristics
Now it’s easy to look back on these early training videos and think how boring it must have been to watch them. But put yourself in the position of the crew for a moment. Here you were about to fly one of the most advanced fighters of the day and you were being told that if you exceed seemingly normal AOA’s, you could depart controlled flight and not be able to recover. It would make me pay attention. That’s for sure!
The F-101 flew with the RCAF and the US Air National Guard until 1982. Canada flew their jet until the F-18 replaced it in the late 1980s.
If You Fail at First, Try, Try Again. – F4U Corsair
The F4U Corsair was a beefy, powerful fighter that played a significant role in both WWII and the Korean War. The original intent for the aircraft was that it would be used by the United States Navy as a carrier aircraft. Unfortunately, that vision was never realized due to several different issues that plagued the aircraft. The issues were significant and affected a number of aspects of the aircraft. Issues with the landing gear, stability, drag, and precision control on approaches all plagued what was supposed to be an amazing carrier fighter. The aircraft performed so poorly that the Navy could not utilize it. The project was almost canceled but the Corsair received a new chance at life with the Marine Corps who decided to make use of them as ground deployed aircraft.
With one of the largest Pratt & Whitney engines available at the time and a rather large prop, the Corsair did prove to be a useful addition to the Marines. Over time, the issues with the Corsair were corrected. The Navy eventually adopted the aircraft, the Royal Navy, and the New Zealand Royal Air Force followed. The fighter evolved into an indispensable tool for both the Navy and the Marines. The aircraft ended the war with an impressive 11:1 kill ratio. Proof that early setbacks in life, war, and airplane design can be overcome.
This documentary-style video gives a unique look at those who flew the Corsair and the incredible versatility of this classic aircraft. There are still several actively flying F4U-1s around the United States.
In less than 36 months, the supersonic trainer jet has transformed from idea to production version of jet.
On December 20th, the Boeing T-X supersonic trainer took to the skies for the first time. The jet took off from St. Louis International Airport for a 45 minutes inaugural flight.
The twin tailed, single-engine jet is designed to replace the T-38 Talon for advanced fighter training as part of the SUPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training) program. The jet is designed to make it simpler for pilots to transition from training to 5th generation fighters.
Steve Schmidt was the test pilot for the first flight. In a Boeing press release, he said, “The cockpit is intuitive, spacious and adjustable, so everything is within easy reach.”
There is nothing quite like a dogfight between two great aircraft, and this video gives us just that. The F-8 Crusader and the F-4 Phantom, two absolute classics and greats, and a constant rivalry between pilots of each aircraft. This is an amazing back and forth video example when two kings of the sky meet.
The Vought created F-8 Crusader was used both within the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the 1950’s. Dubbed “The last of the gunfighters,” the crusader had the ability to travel at Mach 1.2 and a large Pratt & Whitney turbojet engine to run it all. Equipped with a 20 mm Cannon in later versions, there was also a decent fire power and the aircraft continued to operate over 40 years.
On the other hand, you have the F-4 Phantom was a late 1950’s creation and produced by McDonnell Douglas. The phantom was also used by the United States Navy and Marine Corps, but also by the United States Air Force. It could travel speeds greater than Mach 2. The fighter was finally retired from active USAF service on December 21, 2016.
Round one…fight!
When it comes down to it, both aircraft served their intended purposes well and were greats of their times. This certainly is an interesting video. We won’t spoil it for you. We’ll let you watch how it ends!
Troops don’t magically get food delivered to their bases. It was done by crew dogs like us!
One of the missions my unit was regularly assigned to was to provide ration supply operations for United Air Forces Europe’s bases. Families and service members stationed overseas depend on the base commissary system to provide the traditional comfort food we rely on to celebrate our national holidays. Amazing as it may sound, canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, and frozen turkeys aren’t casually stocked in the local towns and villages near our overseas bases. They have to get there somehow! We were that somehow.
The Turkey Trot
The Turkey Trot was one of the most desirable missions in the 37th Airlift Squadron. The trip was usually 2-3 days, included interesting stops on the Mediterranean Sea and access to “the alley” a much-storied strip of Turkish shops near the base. The Turkey Trot was a practically a squadron institution. Crew members would bring their leather jackets to a vendor that would offer new liners, pocket designs and sew flags into their coats. Another offered hundreds of morale patches or even custom designed patches that could be picked up by the next crew coming through. Many of us had custom suits tailor-made and then eagerly awaited the next mission to bring them home. The variety of offerings made us feel like Aladdin flying into an Arabian bazaar.
We departed Ramstein with our load for Aviano Air Base in Italy. After refueling, we continued our trek over the Adriatic and landed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. We off loaded our cargo at lightning speed, coordinated our departure time for the next morning, and then rallied to go off base to shop.
The Fresh Meat Flights
Before our flight home, we hit up the commissary for some lunch. There was a notice was posted conspicuously in the freezer section:
THE LAST FRESH MEAT FLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS IS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE DECEMBER 8TH.
At that moment I realized the significance of the eight pallets of rations we had flown from Ramstein Germany to Incirlik Turkey. The documents authorizing the shipment indicated that we were flying a C-130J packed full of fresh fruits, vegetables & meat packaged in 600lb of dry-ice.
Our flight that day was the last ration supply mission before Christmas. And from the back of our C-130J we delivered the fruits, vegetables and the Christmas Turkey to Turkey through the ‘magic’ of airlift! It was one of those rare days when we got to see the direct impact of our airlift operation.
When I got home I shared my pictures with my kids and joked with them about it being a photo from inside Santa’s sleigh. Unfortunately, my kids became worried because they thought that all they were getting for Christmas was turkey. They remained on their best behavior for the rest of the holiday season. Ho Ho Ho!
The Original Air Force One Was, known as Sacred Cow has a special place in US Air Force history.
In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first sitting US president to fly in an airplane. The aircraft was a Navy-owned, but civilian operated Boeing Clipper 314, the Dixie Clipper. General “Hap” Arnold, then commander of the US Army Air Force (USAAF), preferred that the president be flown by an Army Air Force’ aircraft and crew. The USAAF contracted with the Douglas Aircraft Company to build a military transport specifically for the special needs of the president.
Douglas VC-54C built specifically for President F. D. Roosevelt. (2016, USAF Photo)
The “OG” Air Force One
The Douglas VC-54C “Skymaster” was the first purpose-built presidential aircraft. The aircraft was officially designated “The Flying White House.” However, because the aircraft was heavily protected by security on the ground, ramp personnel often referred to the aircraft as the “sacred cow.” Overhearing the attendants working on the ramp, the name “Sacred Cow” was bestowed on the aircraft by the press.
Modifications to the aircraft included a conference room with a large desk. One special feature is an elevator behind the passenger cabin to lift Roosevelt in his wheelchair into the airplane. The aircraft could accommodate 15 passengers. As a security measure, the original serial number (displayed on the aircraft) was changed prior the Roosevelt’s first flight.
Special elevator to lift President Roosevelt in his wheelchair into the aircraft (Photo: Jeff Richmond).
Roosevelt used the “Sacred Cow” only once—on his historic late-WWII trip to the Yalta Conference in the USSR to meet with British prime minister Winston Churchill and Soviet premier Joseph Stalin and in the USSR in February 1945. The trip to Yalta was Roosevelt’s only flight in the aircraft before he died two months later in April.
Post WWII meeting in Yalta, 1943. Left to right: Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Roosevelt, and Premier Joseph Stalin.
The Sacred Cow remained in presidential service during the early years of President Truman’s Administration. In 1947, the “Sacred Cow” became the “birthplace” of the United States Air Force when, aboard the aircraft, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 that established the Air Force as an independent service.
The sacred cow only flew for a few years
In 1947 military officials ordered a modified DC-6 (military VC-118) to replace the VC-54C “Sacred Cow.” Nicknamed “Independence” for Truman’s hometown in Missouri, this VC-118 had state-of-the-art communications equipment, a presidential stateroom in the aft fuselage, plus seating for 24 passengers.
You can tour the plane today
The “Sacred Cow” is on display and open for walk-throughs at the National Museum of the Air Force. It was recently transferred to the Presidential Collection in the new wing of the museum. Previously, the Presidential Collection had been crowded into a hangar at Wright-Patterson AFB.
President Roosevelt’s VC-54 presidential aircraft being transferred to the new wing of the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. (2016, USAF Photo)
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Crew: Seven (plus 15 passengers) Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney R-2000 engines of 1,450 hp each Maximum speed: 300 mph Range: 3,900 miles Ceiling: 22,300 feet Weight: 80,000 lbs. (loaded) Serial number: 42-107451 (displayed as 42-72252)
“The Flying White House,” a.k.a., the “Sacred Cow,” at Yalta, 1943.
A Boeing 727-200 Cargo aircraft operated by Aerosucre has crashed on departure to ElDorado Airport in Colombia. Reports say that the wreckage was found approximately 5 miles from the runway departure end at Puerto Carreno airport.
Eyewitness videos posted on Youtube by Sebastian Salazar H show the Boeing 727 rotating at the end of the runway but not lifting off the ground. The jet then clips the fence and crosses a dirt road before lumbering in the air in a desperate attempt to gain altitude.
In a second video, you’ll see the damaged 727-200 attempting to return to the field. At around 35 seconds in the video fuel or vapor appears to be trailing from the wings with the jet steeply banked. Tragically, the aircraft impacts the ground at around the :50 second point in the video.
Other video surfaces of the same Boeing 727 departing this field weeks earlier.
Puerto Carreno Airport (ICAO: SKPC) in Colombia is a relatively short field by modern standards. The runway is only 5,906 feet long. While that is long enough for a 727 to operate, it does require careful planning of both fuel, cargo loading, and accurate TOLD prior to departure. In October, a video was posted of the same cargo operator departing from the same runway. In the video, the lumbering 727 rotates at what appears to be the very end of the concrete runway. The 40 year old Boeing clears the fence by only about 10-15 feet at the departure end.
It was huge and very efficient. But it never was adopted beyond the USSR because of one little problem…
An Ekranoplan is perhaps one of the strangest looking and performing vehicles out there. Technically not an aircraft, yet resembling one, the Ekranoplan is known as a “ground effect vehicle” or a “wing-in-ground-effect” or “WIG.” It is designed to make use of ground effect and fly quickly and efficiently while extremely low to the ground or water. They can be incredibly large, yet very fuel efficient, and used regular land or water.
Although resembling an aircraft, perhaps a seaplane, and seemingly behaving like a hovercraft, it is neither. A ground effect vehicle relies entirely on staying in the floating like stage of flight. Most cannot even take off as the wing shape is intended only for these close to the ground flights. Several different wing designs have been considered and used when it comes to ground effect vehicles, including a type of delta wing concept and a tandem wing concept. In this video, the Ekranoplan is featured with its shorter than normal wing and unique design.
Mild success but the idea hasn’t taken off yet.
The Ekranoplan is Soviet designed and one of the most successful and largest ground effect vehicles out there. The most popular and used Soviet Ekranoplan is the A-90 Orlyonok. Used for quick transport the Olyonok served for several years within their military and proved to be a useful addition. While the production and use was canceled and with the fall of the Soviet Union, the project was taken over elsewhere but also dropped. Today, several companies and militaries are still interested in ground effect vehicles and it will certainly be interesting to see how things pan out for them. One challenge these vehicles face is rough seas. They can’t fly above the weather so they rely of traveling in calm waters and in areas above freezing. The idea is great but their usefulness is marginal.
Skilled pilots struggle to land at notoriously challenging airport.
It’s not uncommon to watch sketchy landings at Madeira airport by large airliners. We at Avgeekery have shared video of previous landings that looked more like controlled crashes than established final approaches.
The challenging runway isn’t because of its length. The runway is actually 9,100 feet long–a fairly respectable length for modern airport. The real challenge is the location of the runway. Nestled against rising terrain, swirling winds near the field are common. When you add a storm system like what occurred on December 17th and you get incredibly challenging conditions. So challenging in fact that airline pilots with thousands of hours are forced to go around, not once, not twice, but thrice. They eventually landed safely after the fourth attempt. No one was injured and no damage occurred. It is rumored though that they had to replace the copilot’s seat cushion. 🙂
The MiG-17 conducts flyover just 30 feet above the ground.
The MiG-17 was engineered and produced by Mikoyan-Gurevich to replace the MiG-15. The first MiG-17 prototype took flight in January of 1950 and later entered production in 1951. During the MiG-17 service, there were five iterations of the aircraft produced, including the MiG-17PF #620 flown in the video. Throughout the MiG-17’s 64-year history, the aircraft has seen service in over 20 different countries and remains in active service in three countries. MiG-17 was designed to withstand up to 8 G-Forces and can reach a max speed of 715 MPH. The aircraft is powered by a single jet engine (with afterburner) providing over 7,000 lbs. of thrust.
The MiG-17PF on display during Thunder Over Michigan 2016 is owned and operated by Fighter Jets Inc. and was piloted by Randy Ball. “Randy Ball’s MiG-17F spent almost four years in restoration, and is one of only a handful of vintage jets flying the North American air show circuit.” (Fighterjets.com)
Friendly competition heating up between pilot training bases over “drop-night” videos. The real winner in this competition is our nation with well-trained men and women.
Last week, we posted a video of Vance’s Class 17-03 Drop night video. The response was super positive and rightfully so. Even our commentary about the need for more of these videos was well received. The bottom line is that people love impressive videos on selfless pilots-in-training who are learning amazing things. On that note, we were recently contacted by Columbus AFB’s Class 17-03. They wanted to share their video too. The video itself is pretty amazing. Even more awesome is their story of building lifelong bonds of friendship through the training. Bonds that will be tested in combat situations.
Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) is one of the most difficult technical education programs in the military. It is an incredible endeavor to take a group of pedestrians and turn them into professional military aviators, one that is undertaken not only by Instructor Pilots and students, but also by maintainers, force support staff, police, family, and friends. In short, it takes a village.
During training, students participate in hundreds of hours of academics, simulator rides, and standup sessions, not to mention the flying. They must master aerobatic, instrument, and formation flight as they form the foundational skills on which they will build their careers. This, of course, is an incredible challenge and students must also navigate the ups and downs of successes and failures along the way.
Cooperate to graduate
This 54-week undertaking would be nearly impossible to face alone. It is the class structure that makes success possible. Students rely on classmates for studying, working out, mission preparation, and morale. Boosted Morale is the most beneficial aspect of the class structure because it is motivating and improves performance. To this end, Class 17-03 at Columbus AFB used this philosophy to their advantage.
SUPT culminates in a “Drop Night”, a celebration during which the students learn what aircraft they have been assigned to fly for their careers. Class 17-03 had one of the greatest “Drop Nights” in recent memory when almost every student received one of their top choices of aircraft including a CV-22, C-17, AC-130 Gunship, 2 U-28’s, 3 F-16s, 2 A-10’s, a F-15E and a F-35.
This all-American class (a rarity at SUPT as America strives to train partner-nation pilots as well) worked together both during and outside of training and became not just a team but also a group of lifelong friends. It was because of this cohesion that they were able to achieve what they did. Class 17-03 created a video to capture the essence of Pilot Training and the class unity they utilized to succeed.
The video was debuted during their “Drop Night” festivities and now its on the internet for everyone to enjoy.
Keep ’em coming…
At Avgeekery, we are proud to highlight these class-made videos. We’d be happy to share more as they are produced (send them our way via Facebook or avgeekeryblog@gmail.com). More importantly, we hope that those who produce these videos see the power of them. They do more than just excite avgeeks. They showcase the power of our nation and our collective hope for the future.
As the airshow season comes to an end, one of our Avgeekery fans has shared his photos from the traditional final airshow of the season.
Nellis AFB knows how to do a finale. This year’s airshow schedule was pretty impressive with great shows across the US and Europe. Nellis saved the best for last by hosting an outstanding static display, and an excellent demonstration schedule. The schedule consisted of the West Coast Ravens flying their RV aircraft (RV-4, RV-6A, RV-7, and RV-8), C-17 PACAF Demonstration team, Nellis Heritage Parade consisting of a T-6, P-40,P-51, P-63, B-25, PB4Y-2, Mig-15, F-86, T-33, and the QF-4E.
These photos were submitted by our loyal Avgeekery reader, Joseph Fischer. If you have a story or photos that you’d like to share, e-mail us at Avgeekeryblog@gmail.com
The A330-200, A350, A320NEO, and A380 take to the skies in impressive form.
Airbus is one of the largest producers of commercial aircraft to have ever existed. The French company has several aircraft in operation, billions of dollars in revenue, and many different technological advancements to its name in the aviation world. It is no surprise that the four aircraft in this video represent Airbus’s greatest hope for the next 20 years. The A320neo, A350-900, A380, and the A330-200 are a sight to be seen flying in formation so perfectly.
All four aircraft featured have impressive fuel efficiency and advanced technology. Airbus has bet its future on the A350 and the A320NEO. The A380 is impressive but has had a bumpy road. The A330NEO is coming soon. This video represents potentially one of the last formation flights of the A330 “classic”.
A formation flight of any aircraft is never simple. Four large airliners in tight formation is an impressive challenge. This video shows the behind the scenes coordination necessary to launch the impressive show.
A cadet wanted to know what it was like to go faster than the speed of sound. I took him up for a ride.
It was 2002 and I was stationed in Aviano AB, Italy with the 510th Fighter Squadron Buzzards. We flew Block 40 F-16s and occasionally flew young troops, maintenance airmen, or local base award winners on what was called an incentive flight. An incentive flight is a big deal for a non-flyer, as they get to ride in the back seat of the F-16 and experience all of its power and might.
The typical incentive flight is a single ship sortie, in the two-seat “D model, or Family Model” out to the airspace and once there, really anything goes (within the limits and rules of the USAF, airspace, and of course the aircraft). A typical incentive flight allows the back seat first-timer a chance to fly a little, do some loops or rolls, pull some Gs and if possible…to break the sound barrier!
I remember being assigned as incentive pilot one day and I met beforehand with my “rider.” This particular troop was one of our maintenance guys, just 19 or 20 years old and pretty fresh to the scene, as well as the USAF. He had won some big accolade and was rightfully awarded with an incentive flight for his terrific actions.
This kid and I talked beforehand. He was very excited, but a little nervous (as they all are). His one big request, no matter what happened and what we did, was that he wanted to break the sound barrier. He wanted to go over Mach 1.
“No problem” I told him. We had the airspace that was approved for those speeds and the jet configuration for the day would also permit us a “Mach run.”
U.S. Air Force in Europe
The Flight
I don’t recall much about the subsequent flight with this kid in “the trunk” of the F-16, however one part stands out. After we did some rolls and maneuvers, pulled a few Gs and so forth it was time for the Mach run. I told the kid we were setting up for the run and I could tell he was excited. He even asked if he should hold on tight or brace himself for the speed changes…I’ll never forget it.
I turned the jet to the north, somewhere around 15,000 feet and plugged in the “burner.” In the F-16 when you apply afterburner, it wakes you up. It literally feels as if someone has kicked you in the butt and the jet unleashes with a violent thrust that pushes you back in the seat. I called out the speeds as we accelerated. Heads, helmets, and guts getting pushed back in the seat with incredible force. “Point seven, point seven five…get ready.”
At this time the forces began to relax a little. We were still accelerating at a serious rate, but that rate begins to subside a little as you get faster and faster. It starts to feel like the acceleration of your average car getting on the highway. Nothing too incredible.
“Zero point eight… point eight five…” I called out so in case the kid in the back wasn’t sure where to read the speed on the displays, he could still know what our speed was.
“Point nine, point nine five…here we go, get ready!”
The F-16 slipped past the Mach effortlessly. There is no change in tone or pitch, no violent shockwave or concussion. Nothing really noteworthy actually. It’s quite anticlimactic, and the speeds become just numbers on the displays.
“There it is, Mach 1!” I said as I continued my count upward as we accelerated further. “One point one…one point two. What do you think back there” I asked?
What he said next I’ll never forget.
“That’s it?”
Yes my friend… that is it.
It’s pretty special to go over the Mach, not many folks on this earth can say they’ve done it. But in all reality, in a plane like the F-16 (or any fighter for that matter) where they are built for speed and performance, going the speed of sound is really nothing too noteworthy. It’s so easy.
In fact, sometimes during the course of aggressive training maneuvers and such, during typical operations we sometimes exceed the speed of sound unintentionally. It’s just so effortless.
But looking around outside, at typical altitudes, there really isn’t much sensation of speed. Sadly, Mach one is just a number on the dial.
Slowing Down
What is also quite impressive to me is slowing down the F-16 from above the Mach. The F-16 normally (depending on configuration, weight, and altitude) likes to fly around 400-500 knots at full “military” power. Going supersonic typically requires the afterburner and speeds are well over 700 knots. When you decide to terminate the run and reduce power from afterburner to military, and interesting phenomenon occurs. Well obviously…you slow down.
But at those speeds it hits you like a brick wall. When you terminate the afterburner you are thrown forward against your straps, and held there for quite some time. It’s not like slowing your car from 60 mph to zero. It’s much harder, more aggressive, and you are held forward in the straps for over 20-30 seconds. It’s a very weird sensation to be decelerating for such a long time. You almost begin to think something is wrong with the aircraft as you decelerate over such a long time, and with such continuous force.
Post Flight
After the flight, I could see that the maintenance kid was pretty excited about the flight. He was jubilant and had a big smile on his face, and he didn’t even throw up either! I think he was a little let down by the Mach run, but in the end he enjoyed the experience.
As we climbed out of the jet he was greeted by some of his buddies from the squadron.
“We pulled 9 Gs and even broke the sound barrier” he said to them.
“How fast?” they asked.
“I think we got up to Mach 1.3” he reported, clearly with a glint in his eye, knowing that despite the ease at which we slipped past the sound barrier in our trusty steed, he just became part of an elite club of folks who can say they have gone the speed of sound.
I think, in the end, he was pretty excited after all.
We launched as a two-ship formation of C-130Js, taking off into the night well after the darkness had fallen. Maintaining an altitude of 500 feet above the desert terrain, we continuously updated our position to remain clear of Egyptian airspace and the Jordanian buffer region.
Our aircraft dusted off the sand dunes in the lower Sinai region as we slowed down, descended, and airdropped supplies to our Israeli partners on the ground. Then came our approach to the Dead Sea.
In 2013 we were invited to fly the mighty C-130J Hercules in Israel for an allied training mission with the Israeli Air Force. I was part of the 37th Airlift Squadron, Blue Tail Flies.
Our mission was to fly side-by-side with the Israelis to build our partnership capacity. Daily, we launched two C-130J formations flying low altitude tactical airdrop & airland missions during the day and at night using night vision goggles.
Landing below sea level
Located on the Western shores of the Dead Sea in Israel. Field elevation is -1,240 feet below sea level making it the lowest elevation airport on earth. The field name is Bar Yehuda (ICAO: LLMZ), the field plays host to charter/sightseeing flights & military operations.
The strip is paved asphalt on a direction of 01/19 and it is 3,937 feet long and just over 60 feet wide. To put this in perspective most large aircraft use runways 7,000 to 10,000 feet long at airports. The C-130J can land and stop in less than 3,000 feet using full reverse and max effort braking as required.
Getting there can be more than half the fun
My first sortie to the Dead Sea was at night. We flew our predetermined course from the West climbing with the rising terrain to the descent point 3,000 MSL approximately 4,200 feet above field elevation. Cresting the cliffs that surrounded the Sea we descended to 0000 MSL on the altimeter, slowed and configured the aircraft for landing.
We intercepted the final approach course of 190 and continued our descent making visual contact with the field approximately 3 miles out at an altitude of -300 on the clock and still 900 feet AGL. We continued to descent along the 3 degree glide path we computed during mission planning from -300, -700, -1000, about 20 seconds later we touched down within the zone at the first 500 feet of the runway, and the Captain brought the aircraft to a stop. We had operated the aircraft as planned but now that we were on the ground the aircraft systems presented a myriad of navigation errors.
Where’s the Nav???
The aircraft navigation computer was unresponsive to our inputs and would not allow us to see the pre-programmed route we loaded for our return to base. The computer acted like we had run the aircraft into the ground. We immediately got the checklist out and began troubleshooting.
The aircraft was unable to locate any GPS satellites, accept any updates to its navigation solution, and there were no NAVAIDs to tune. We realized we were going to have to make it back to base in the old school way. We pulled out the chart and made a plan to takeoff and fly following the road to the West back to base. We completed running our takeoff data performance numbers, configured the aircraft and commenced a maximum effort takeoff roll.
The aircraft climbed out and as we reached -300 MSL everything came back. The nav computer came back online and our GPS position confirmed the base was 20 miles to West. We pointed the aircraft toward the base and landed uneventfully. In the debrief we shared our actions with our leadership so crews flying in and out of Dead Sea below MSL could be prepared for what may happen to them. The 37th operated C-130s in out of the field for the following two-weeks.
We got our own ‘Warning’ in the manual
Most warnings in flight manuals are due to someone doing something wrong. We contributed to one for doing something right! After the aircraft manufacturer reviewed the reports coming out of the Dead Sea airland operations they realized the navigation computer was not fit for operating below 400 feet MSL.
The company immediately issued a change to the manual with a WARNING that the aircraft not be operated below an altitude of -400 MSL. I’m sure when they release the next version it will include updated navigation for flying to the Dead Sea and earth’s other extreme low elevation locations http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ten-lowest-places-on-earth.html.
