When the Defense Audiovisual Agency (DAVA) and the United States Air Force (USAF) produced the film “Ejection Decision- A Second Too Late” in 1981 the services had been through a war (Vietnam) and years of operational experience with ejection seats.
The film was made as a training film for aircrews to ingrain proper decision making about ejection seat use, and the timing thereof. It’s an eye-opening piece of work that features pilots and crews who had to “punch out” and in so doing joined the Martin-Baker Ejection Tie Club when their aircraft were no longer in controlled flight. Thanks to YouTuber PeriscopeFilm for uploading it.
Ejection seat testing utilizing a Douglas JD-1 Invader aircraft. Official US Navy Photograph
Ejection Seats Were a Game Changer
Ejection seat technology was pioneered by the Germans and the Swedes. The first operational aircraft with an ejection seat was the German Heinkel He 162A Spatz jet. Ejection seats first appeared in American aircraft when prototype jets began to appear during the mid-1940s. These initial ejection seats were manufactured by the Martin-Baker company. Convair’s F-102 Delta Dagger was the first aircraft to be equipped with a rocket-propelled ejection seat.
Ejection seat testing using a F-4B Phantom II cockpit. Official US Navy Photograph
Since that time the rocket-propelled ejection seat has become standard equipment on the majority of jet-propelled aircraft. In the film the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, General Dynamics F-111, McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15 Eagle, and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon jets are all featured as aircraft from which ejection in a timely manner was the correct decision.
Ejection seat testing utilizing a F-4S Phantom II aircraft. Official US Navy Photograph
This Remarkable Jet Trainer Has Withstood the Test of Time
When Lockheed developed the T-33A Shooting Star jet trainer from their P-80 fighter it was first referred to as the TP-80C. Lockheed stretched the P-80’s fuselage more than three feet in order to fit a second seat and the other equipment necessary to create a two-place version of the company’s first jet-powered fighter. First flown in 1948 by famed Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier, the “T-Bird” served with the United States Air Force (USAF) as an advanced trainer and later as a proficiency trainer, threat simulator, and target drone for nearly 50 years. Here’s a nice HD video of a T-33 warbird showing off uploaded by our friends at AirshowStuffVideos
In United States Air Force (USAF) service the “Ace Maker” was used primarily as an advanced trainer until it began to be replaced by the Cessna T-37 Tweet and the Northrop T-38 Talon. The last T-33A used in advanced training was replaced during February of 1967 at Craig Air Force Base (AFB) in Alabama. USAF T-33As trained thousands of the jet fighter pilots who fought in the skies over Vietnam during the 1960s and 1970s. Their memories of the T-Bird are fond indeed.
Official US Air Force Photograph
Service Awards and Versatility
Still able to earn their keep as drone controllers and target tugs, USAF T-33As kept right on serving after they were replaced as trainers. Assigned to Air Defense Command (ADC), Tactical Air Command (TAC), and National Guard squadrons then flying jets such as the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and Convair F-106 Delta Dart and later the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, the Ace Makers just wouldn’t go away. The last operational USAF T-Bird was an NT-33 variant used for flight control research and retired in April of 1997.
Official US Air Force Photograph
In the Navy
In United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) use the T-33 was first designated TO-2 (The P-80 was the TO-1/TV-1), then as TV-2, and finally as T-33B. The USN and USMC T-Bird trainers were common sights along the Gulf Coast near the Naval Air Stations (NASs) like NAS Kingsville and NAS Corpus Christi during the 1950s and early 1960s. The Navy also procured 150 of the T2V-1 (later designated T-1A) Seastar, a highly-modified version of the T-33 equipped and strengthened for use aboard aircraft carriers.
Official US Navy Photograph
Ever Wonder Where Those Rescue Arrows Came From?
Navy TV-2s were some of the first aircraft to wear the large RESCUE arrow markings to assist crash crews with extrication of crew members from wrecked aircraft, the life-saving markings having been pioneered by Navy Advanced Training Squadrons TWO ZERO ZERO (ATU-200) and ATU-202 at NAS Kingsville during the late 1950s. TV-2s served as Navy and Marine Corps Station proficiency training aircraft even after Naval Air Training Command (NATC) replaced them with Rockwell T-2 Buckeyes and Douglas TA-4J Skyhawks.
Photo From Author’s Collection
To Combat in a Trainer
T-33As were also developed for foreign allies under the Military Assistance Program (MAP). Variants were created such as the AT-33A (equipped with underwing pylons and hardpoints for carrying ordnance) and RT-33A (with nose-mounted cameras and one seat occupied by reconnaissance equipment). These joined the DT-33A (drone controllers), NT-33A (test aircraft), QT-33A (drones), and even more specialized variants used by the USAF. T-33s often retained two .50 caliber machine guns for gunnery training but could mount six .50s. Cuba actually used them in combat- the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias scored kills with them during the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Official US Air Force Photograph
Service in the Great White North
First designated as T-33AN, the Canadair CT-133 Silver Star differed primarily from the T-33 in the propulsion department. T-33As were powered by the Allison J33 turbojet engine. CT-133s utilized the Rolls-Royce Nene 10 turbojet engine. The Canuck CT-133s too were modified to enable particular capabilities. The CE-133 was and upgraded electronic warfare training aircraft variant. CX-133s served as ejection seat testbeds. The ET-133 was a dedicated aerial threat simulator variant, while the TE-133 simulated anti-ship threats.
Official US Air Force Photograph
Worldwide Popularity
There were 6.557 T-33s (all variants) built, including the 656 built under license by Canadair in Canada and 210 built by Kawasaki in Japan. Foreign operators of the T-33 (all variants) include Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Republic of China (Taiwan), Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia.
Photo From Author’s Collection
Popular Jet Warbirds
Today there are no longer any operational military T-33s. Canada retired the last of their CT-133s in 2005 and many were sold off in 2008. Bolivia retired their last examples in July of 2017. Boeing operates two smartly-painted and pristine examples of the mark as chase aircraft out of their facility at Renton near Seattle in Washington. T-33s are more popular as warbirds than ever before, with several of the recently retired and nicely updated and equipped CT-133s having been acquired by private owners. There are about 65 T-33s (all variants) flying in private hands today.
That’s how actor Gary Sinise, one of the biggest advocates of America’s servicemen and women, described his ride in an E/A-18G Growler earlier this year, which took him from MCAS Miramar to the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, somewhere off the coast of CA.
Sinise may be most famous for his Academy Award-nominated role as “Lt. Dan” in the landmark film Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks, but his work supporting those who serve the U.S. military (past and present) may be his ultimate legacy.
Sinise with some of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Credit: The Gary Sinise Foundation
Sinise isn’t just a vocal spokesperson and supporter of the military’s men and women, he does a lot to show his support and gratitude by giving back through various outreach programs too. He’s the spokesperson for many veterans organizations and serves on executive councils for the Medal of Honor Foundation, the USO and serves as an advisory board member for Hope for the Warriors.
He founded The Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, which (among other things) builds custom Smart Homes for severely wounded veterans, and also performs nearly 50 shows a year around the world in support of servicemen and women as part of the “Lt. Dan Band”, which he formed in 2003. The foundation also hosts day-long festivals at military medical bases, and serves meals to deploying troops.
Above, watch as Sinise flies an E/A-18G Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-129 to visit the USS Theodore Roosevelt in February 2017.
For his efforts over some 30 years, Sinise has received several awards including the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment; the Spirit of the USO Award; the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award; and the Spirit of Hope Award.
He’s also a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor awarded for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation. He’s also been named an Honorary Marine, an honorary Chief Petty Officer by the Navy and was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Award.
This week, Sinise released some photos and videos on his Facebook page about his experience onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, something he described as a “special opportunity” and “a trip I will never forget.”
More recently, Sinise and Lt. Dan Band performed two free concerts for airmen and their families who are based at Patrick Air Force Base and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, as a way of thanking them for their tireless efforts providing relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
Many of the rescue crews who flew weeklong relief efforts in Texas to rescue stranded victims trapped by flooding from Hurricane Harvey are also stationed at Patrick and Egin AFB as well.
920th Rescue Wing, based out of Patrick AFB, in action rescuing flood victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Credit: USAF
The Gary Sinise Foundation launched a 2017 Hurricane Relief Fund to help veteran and first responder communities affected by the horrific storms, many of whom are still in the Gulf region helping those whose lives were devastated by this season’s hurricanes.
Matter of fact, many service members lost everything, and still went out to rescue others, putting others first as they always have.
“We will be raising funds to help the veterans, active duty, firefighters, police, and EMTs who have experienced loss due to these storms,” says the Foundation’s Hurricane Relief page. “We will offer grants to assist with anything from basic necessities to home repairs as well as helping our first responders who need damaged equipment replaced.”
ABOVE: Video from Gary Sinise flying onboard a VAQ-129 Growler (horizontal picture next time please Gary, ha).
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– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
For the last several years work has been underway to develop NASA’s replacement launch vehicle for the agency’s retired space shuttle fleet, the Space Launch System (SLS for short). The mammoth rocket will be the most powerful and capable heavy-lift launch vehicle ever designed, and NASA F/A-18 Hornet research jets have played a critical role in testing and evaluating the rocket’s autonomous flight control system at Armstrong Flight Research Center in southern California, located at Edwards AFB.
“By flying a high-performance F/A-18 jet in a manner similar to our rocket, we’re able to simulate SLS’s flight conditions and improve our software,” said Tannen VanZwieten in a press release, SLS flight controls working group lead. “The innovative system that we are testing is advancing flight control technology by adding an adaptive element which is new for launch vehicles. We’re using this technology to expand the capabilities of the SLS a bit more than what is possible with a traditional design.”
Illustration of NASA’s SLS rocket, expected to make its maiden voyage in early 2019. Credit: NASA
The Launch Vehicle Adaptive Control (LVAC) experiment was conducted in five flights by the F/A-18 Hornet to test the Adaptive Augmenting Controller, which will allow SLS to respond to various conditions—such as winds and vehicle flexing—during the launch/ascent phase of the mission.
In those tests, the jet took to the skies over Edwards Air Force Base to simulate those launch conditions SLS might encounter as it thunders away from Earth. The flight tests are crucial in evaluating the SLS’s flight control system and help engineers to design a system capable of autonomous adjustments to unexpected conditions as SLS pushes toward space.
“We have 20 test cases, each simulating some abnormal conditions, like higher thrust than anticipated or the presence of wind gusts, to see if the algorithm responds as we designed it to do,” said Eric Gilligan, an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center helping to develop the “brain” for the SLS. “The tests might reveal something we hadn’t thought about in our algorithm, which we can go back and modify as necessary.”
“Our software that’s running on the F/A-18 doesn’t know that it’s flying an F/A-18. It thinks it’s flying SLS”
No previous NASA launch vehicle has had the capability to adjust autonomously during actual flight, and the SLS Adaptive Augmenting Controller’s ability to make real-time adjustments to the autopilot should make for enhanced performance and a safer flight.
SLS will launch astronauts on the agency’s Orion spacecraft.
The NASA F/A-18 simulated both normal and abnormal flight conditions which the SLS might encounter after liftoff, such as sloshing propellant, and “identified key aircraft vibrational characteristics,” according to NASA. Over 40 tests were conducted, flying trajectories similar to what SLS will perform, and the Adaptive Augmenting Controller system was evaluated in different scenarios for up to 70 seconds at a time, matching the rocket’s dynamics from liftoff to solid rocket booster separation.
Photo: NASA
“This is an example of how advanced rocket technology can be checked out in flight without having to be launched into space,” said John Carter, project manager for the flight tests at Dryden. “Doing this work on the F/A-18 test bed allows for low-cost, quick-schedule tests that can be repeated many times in order to gain confidence in the advanced controls technology, providing some unique testing advantages for this type of control system validation.”
The data collected during the flight tests of the Adaptive Augmenting Controller system were used to refine software for the SLS and plans for following F/A-18 flight tests in support of SLS. The autonomous flight control system, according to NASA, will be ready for the first test flight of the SLS, which is currently scheduled to launch an unmanned Orion spacecraft in 2019.
Launching from former shuttle launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, the SLS will send Orion to the moon and back to test the entire integrated system (launcher and spacecraft) as a whole, before NASA puts astronauts on top of the mammoth rocket for the next flight in the early 2020s.
Orion crew recovery practice in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Credit: NASA
“The rocket has a set of equations that describe its motion,” said Jeb Orr, an engineer at Marshall’s Spacecraft and Vehicle Systems Department helping to develop the complex step-by-step equations that make an F/A-18 Hornet fly like the SLS. “It’s all just a math operation. When applied to the model of the rocket, it helps us predict the intended performance.”
“We’re expanding the capabilities of SLS a little bit beyond what we’d normally be able to achieve through a traditional analysis process,” Orr said. “With an adaptive algorithm, we can be a little more responsive to anomalies in flight, like unpredictable winds, to ensure the vehicle stays on its trajectory. Our software that’s running on the F/A-18 doesn’t know that it’s flying an F/A-18. It thinks it’s flying SLS.”
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– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
A Virgin Australia flight headed for Brisbane, Australia had to make an emergency landing Friday after hitting an eagle. The eagle was carrying a rabbit in its talons and collided with the plane’s landing gear, shorting after the passenger plane took off from Tullamarine.
The pilot of flight VA319 radioed the control tower with reports of engine problems. Virgin Australia said in a statement, “upon suspecting a bird strike, the pilot decided to return to Melbourne and the aircraft landed safely.” Melbourne Airport crews inspected the plane for damage and debris, temporarily shutting down the east-west runway. The Transport Safety Bureau is conducting an investigation. No one was hurt. All passengers safely deplaned after the emergency landing.
Bird is the Word: How Often Do Birds and Planes Collide?
While rabbit strikes are pretty rare, there have been other odd incidents including a US Air Force Gulfstream that hit a fish back in 2014. Bird strikes, though are more common than you might think. There were a whopping 16,069 bird strikes reported between 2006 and 2015 in Australia alone, according to the Transport Safety Bureau and in most cases, a high capacity domestic aircraft is involved. Significant damage to the aircraft only occurs in a fraction of cases, fortunately. Of the more than 16, 069 bird strikes, only 11 did real damage to the plane.
In one such instance, birds were actually sucked into the engine. AirAsia X Flight D7207 bound for Kuala Lumpur from the Gold Coast made an emergency landing in Brisbane this summer because the plane started uncontrollably shaking after taking off. Some passengers said they saw sparks coming from the engine mounts. Not surprisingly, upon landing, crews found two dead birds near where the plane had landed on the runway.
British Airline Pilots Association flight safety specialist Stephen Landells assures air passengers that bird strikes are usually not that dangerous and more often than not, damage is done to only one engine. Passenger aircraft can operate safely with just one engine so hitting a bird rarely leads to a crash. Landells points out that aircraft are “designed to withstand” these strikes and pilots undergo hours of training in preparation for eventualities such as bird strikes.
One of the most infamous examples of a near-crash was US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009. The pilot, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger safely landed the plane on the Hudson River in Manhattan, a feat called the “Miracle on the Hudson” since in this case, both engines were damaged after the plane collided with a flock of Canadian geese.
US Airways 1549 successfully ditched in the Hudson River. Photo by Greg L. (Wikipedia Commons)
Captain Sullenberger was credited with saving the lives of 155 passengers and the ordeal was made into a Hollywood movie. The renowned pilot retired from US Airways after a 30 year career in 2010 and took a position as an Aviation and Safety Expert with CBS News.
When the film “The Marine Corps and Close Air Support” was produced the United States and the United Nations were still embroiled in the Korean War. But the subject matter was well understood by the Marines. Having undertaken and then mastered close air support (CAS) during World War II in the Pacific, Marine aviation in Korea wasn’t that different from its zenith only five years before. Some of the aircraft were new, but many of the personnel were the same. This film, uploaded by YouTuber PeriscopeFilm, takes a look at the Marines delivering ordnance for CAS.
By the time the Korean War began the Marines were still flying later variants of Vought’s F-4U Corsair. As seen in the film, Leatherneck Corsairs played a large role in Marine CAS efforts in Korea. New to the Marine Corps arsenal for Korea were the Douglas AD Skyraider (also known as the Able Dog) and the Grumman F9F Panther jet-powered fighter-bomber. These three aircraft flew the majority of Marine CAS sorties. VMA-223 Bulldogs F9Fs are featured in the film. A couple of major-league baseball players served in Korea with the Marines. Both Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) Captain Gerald F. “Gerry” Coleman of the New York Yankees and USMCR Captain Theodore S. “Ted” Williams of the Boston Red Sox flew CAS missions in Korea. Coleman flew Corsairs with VMA-323 Death Rattlers and Williams piloted Panthers with VMF-311 Tomcats.
In 2011, NASA put America’s space shuttle fleet to rest. With the International Space Station completed, and two crews on two shuttles lost over the course of the 30-year program, the time had come to close the shuttle chapter and look ahead at the dawn of a new era.
Each of NASA’s three remaining orbiters Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour went to different museums across the nation, but a solid year of work was needed to prepare the fleet for their public displays.
The final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, mission STS-134. Photo” Mike Killian
Nearly a year after launching on her last mission, STS-134, Endeavour was on the brink of reaching a “point-of-no-return” in her retirement transition. Once a shuttle’s cooling systems are drained of all their fluids, they can never again be capable of powering on.
But to complete these tasks, the orbiters had to be powered up. Discovery and Atlantis had already been powered down for their last times, the only one left was Enderavour, and when the time came NASA invited me onboard to document it in a way few could ever dream.
Before boarding the shuttle you entered a white room, a staging area with walls full of signatures from Presidents to astronauts to even Margaret Thatcher. NASA invited me to sign it as well. I graciously accepted, and prepared to board, wearing special slippers to prevent scuffing up the interior of the shuttle.
In the video above, come onboardthe flight deck of space shuttle Endeavour, powered up, with Rene Arriens – one of the many unsung heroes of the shuttle program. Rene spent 30 years working on the Shuttle program in various capacities; spacecraft operator, pad technician, and was even a member of the close-out crew who helped board the astronauts on the shuttle before their historic flights.
The white room leading onboard space shuttle Endeavour in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at KSC, 2012. Photo: Mike Killian
All three of NASA’s orbiters had to be powered up throughout their retirement transitions in order to allow technicians to open and close vents and other access points to remove various hazards and toxins such as hypergols, fuels, oxidizers, and ammonia (among others) from the orbiters before they could safely be put on display.
Technicians had to “de-service” various systems, sometimes even removing systems and hardware all together, in an effort to ensure that there be no chance of any leaks or out-gassing that could be hazardous to the public while the orbiters are on display.
Installing a replica engine for the shuttle’s new public displays, NASA kept the actual engines for future use. Photo: Mike Killian
The Orbital Maneuvering System or “OMS” pods were removed, as well the reusable RS-25 Space Shuttle Main Engines, or SSMEs, which have now been modified to launch NASA’s future heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
On display, the shuttles have replica engines instead.
Endeavour was built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, and flew her first flight, STS-49, on May 7, 1992. The last of NASA’s shuttles to be built, Endeavour would go on to fly 25 missions from 1992 – 2011, closing out her career with 4,671 orbits of the Earth, 296 days in space, and over 122 million miles travelled.
Last launch of the Endeavour, mission STS-134. Photo: Mike Killian
Designated as OV-105 by NASA, or Orbiter Vehicle 105, nearly half of all Endeavour’s missions were ISS construction flights. OV-105 was also the first to service the Hubble Telescope in 1993 and flew various scientific missions such as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which generated the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Earth up until 2009.
The displays, controls, and switches of mankind’s most sophisticated vehicle went dark, permanently, on May 11, 2012.
Endeavour made her final flight atop a NASA modified 747 shuttle carrier aircraft in the fall of 2012; a one-way trip from KSC to the California Science Center (CSC) in Los Angeles, with flybys of various landmarks and cities along the way to give millions of people one final chance to see a shuttle in flight.
Endeavour headed to her final resting place in CA. Photo: Mike Killian
The CSC was awarded Endeavour in April of 2011 after a nationwide competition was held by NASA to display their three retired orbiters. Shuttle Discovery was awarded to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and Atlantis was awarded to the KSC Visitor Complex in Florida.
Below, take a tour of shuttle Endeavour during her transition and retirement processing at KSC, led by Kevin Hoshstrasser – former Shuttle Program Manager for Boeing and (at the time) Site Director of Florida Space Shuttle Operations:
ROME, Ga. — The thrust of the Navy’s Blue Angels broke the silence of autumn across north Georgia on Thursday as the squadron of six jets arrived for this weekend’s sixth annual Wings Over North Georgia Airshow.
The squadron’s blue and gold jets pierced the late morning blue sky at 400 m.p.h. as they arrived above the Richard Russell Regional Airport. As if to say hello to airshow officials and media on the ground, the six F/A-18 Hornets went smoke-on as their popular delta formation soared over the airfield.
Following the overhead pass, each aircraft pealed off one after another to follow their Boss, Blue Angel 1 Captain Ryan Bernacchi, in to land one at a time. This will be the Blues Angels first performance at Wings Over North Georgia.
Lead by Capt. Bernacchi, Angels 2 thru 6 pilots include LT Damon Kroes, LCDR Nate Scott, LCDR Lance Bass, CDR Frank Weisser, and LT Tyler Davies, who make up the delta formation. The Blue Angels airshow narrator, LT Brandon Hempler, arrived on Wednesday, and it will be his job to explain the many flight formations on Saturday and Sunday.
CDR Weisser and LT Davies — both natives of metro Atlanta — are the two solos, and will push the F/A-18 to near Mach 1 during their demonstrations this weekend. Each pilot will also give the airshow crowds several moments of heart-stopping exhilaration during their demo.
“I’m excited — this is the airshow I’ve been looking forward to all year,” Angel 5 pilot Commander Weisser told this aerospace journalist minutes following the teams arrival into Rome. “It will be nice to catch up with old friends and to let them see what we do; and to let our family come in and be apart of this show, and to share it with north Georgia. The minute we landed it feels like home.”
In one month, CDR Weisser will depart the Blues to return to fleet after serving the last 15 months in place of a fallen Blue Angels pilot, Capt. Jeff “Kooch” Kuss. A Blues pilot in 2008 to 2010, CDR Weisser reflected on what his second tour of service with the Blues has meant to him.
“I feel like this squadron is better than when I left it in 2010,” he began. “This tour for me has never been about me, it’s been about Kooch the whole time. I am here flying his jet, flying his show, and doing the best I can to honor him, so, it’s been a rewarding year for me to be here.”
As the pilots prepare to fly this weekend, it will be the sole job of the Blue Angels maintenance team to prepare the jets for flight each morning. One maintainer who stays involved with the F/A-18’s the entire day also grew up in north Atlanta.
“When we come out and we open this jets and get them ready to fly, our number one thing is to have a awesome aircraft ready for the pilot when he gets in,” said AM2 Demaude Prescott, who maintains the jet’s air frames and hydraulics. “We have a great relationship with our pilots. We talk to them and we know where they’re from. We shake hands every time we go up and every time they come back down. That — right there — is what gets me up every day.”
Performers also attending the Rome airshow will include the Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Car and Jet Truck team; Scott Yoak and his Quicksilver P-51D Mustang, Jim Tobul piloting his F4U Corsair aircraft, AeroShell Aerobatic Team, and seven-time aerobatic champion Rob Holland.
Remote parking lots will open at 7:30 a.m.on Saturday and Sunday, and the airshow’s main gates will open to guests at 9:00 a.m. on both show days.
Single tickets remain available online for the Wings Over North Georgia Airshow, and will be available at the gate this weekend. Airshow management confirms that the special ticket packages have sold out.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz was put squarely in the hot seat today, as analysts aggressively questioned him about management’s failure to get the company on a positive trajectory and deliver on results laid out in the 2016 Investor Day. At the time, Munoz painted a cautiously optimistic picture saying that in 2017 and 2018, United would slash capital expenditures by $1 billion and see an improvement in earnings of $4.8 billion by the year 2020. At the time, the Chief Executive enumerated plans to generate earnings growth by keeping a tighter reign on revenue and expanding different types of fare classes (called segmentation) to compete with discount carriers.
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz (Photo: United)
United Airlines has been trying to limit the activity of ultra-low-cost airlines like Spirit out of its major hubs. Over summer, analysts expressed concern that United could not absorb the impact of low fare matching with Spirit without severely eroding earnings and potentially sucking the whole industry into a fare war. More recently, the Street had been growing more optimistic about fare discounting. That is, until today.
United’s management fielded question after question from frustrated Wall Street analysts. Munoz and his team forecasted expanding capacity, an increase in unit cost and weaker Q4 unit revenue. Unit revenue is an important metric. It is the average revenue received per unit of available capacity; in layman’s terms, is used as a measure of how effectively management balances price and volume to generate revenue.
Unit costs are expected to increase in the fourth quarter between 2.5% to 3.5%, while capacity is expected to grow 3.5%. Pretax margin projections for Q4 are coming in below consensus at 3% to 5%. All of this is a major letdown for investors.
Yesterday, United put out a press release forecasting flat unit revenue projections for October and November and even a decline in December which typically sees an uptick because of holiday travel. UAL President Scott Kirby was quick to defend the December decline, saying that the slip is due to “vagaries of the calendar” since a lot of the holiday return traffic is pushed into January, Q1 2018. The grim projections prompted doubts about United’s ability to deliver bottom line results and resulted in the frenetic sell-off.
Amid the turmoil, Stifel analyst Joseph DeNardi posted a research note that stated, “Is This a Catalyst for Management Change?” In response, CEO Oscar Munoz urged investors to be patient and give the fairly new United management team a chance to recover losses. Munoz’ request apparently fell on deaf ears, as United shares tumbled 11% ending at 60.48 in afternoon trading while Spirit Airlines stocks also took a beating, retreating 3.8%. Other major carriers stayed relatively stable with Delta down 1%, Southwest Airlines 0.7% and American 1.6%.
The 2017 version of the West Coast Strike Fighter Ball video is presented in gorgeous hi-def video with a twist or two- exactly what you’d expect from the squadrons assigned to Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore south of Fresno in California. From day and night carrier ops to light-speed runs through The Jedi Transition and candid ready-room hijinks, this video carries on the traditions set by the previous version of the always-entertaining series. This year’s SFB was uploaded by YouTuber C-Rock. Enjoy!
Strike Fighter Wing Pacific (STRKFIGHTWINGPAC) consists of 20 squadrons flying the Boeing single-seat F/A-18E or twin-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. These squadrons are structured within five Carrier Air Wings (CVWs)- CVW-2, CVW-5, CVW-9, CVW-11, and CVW-17. CVW-5 is forward-deployed in Japan and operates from Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi or from the deck of the carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) based at Yokosuka in Japan. CVW-5 includes VFA-27 Royal Maces flying F/A-18Es, VFA-102 Diamondbacks flying F/A-18Fs, VFA-115 Eagles flying F/A-18Es, and VFA-195 Dambusters flying F/A-18Es.
Official US Navy Photograph
The other Hornet squadrons assigned to STRKFIGHTWINGPAC are VFA-2 Bounty Hunters flying the F/A-18F, VFA-14 Tophatters flying the F/A-18E, VFA-22 Fighting Redcocks flying the F/A-18F, VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet flying the F/A-18E, VFA-41 Black Aces flying the F/A-18F, VFA-86 Sidewinders flying the F/A-18E, VFA-97 Warhawks flying the F/A-18E, VFA-113 Stingers flying the F/A-18E, and VFA-122 Flying Eagles who are the West Coast replacement training squadron (or RAG) flying both F/A-18Es and F/A-18Fs.
Official US Navy Photograph
The other squadrons calling Lemoore home are VFA-137 Kestrels flying the F/A-18E and a single example of the F/A-18F, VFA-147 Argonauts flying the F/A-18E, VFA-151 Vigilantes flying the F/A-18E, VFA-154 Black Knights flying the F/A-18F, VFA-192 Golden Dragons flying the F/A-18E, VFA-146 Blue Diamonds flying the F/A-18E, and VFA-94 Mighty Shrikes flying the F/A-18F. STRKFIGHTWINGPAC will soon begin transitioning some Hornet squadrons to the new Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II.
On Oct 18, 1982, some aviation history was made in Central Florida when two Concordes, one from Air France, and the other from British Airways, made a dual simultaneous landing at Orlando International Airport (MCO).
It was the first time the famous droop-nosed supersonic passenger jets landed side by side on parallel runways.
But the simultaneous landing was no coincidence, it was a publicity stunt organized by Walt Disney World to hype the arrival of the sponsors of exhibits at Disney’s newly opened Epcot Center’s British and French pavilions.
Both Concordes approached MCO’s 12,000 foot long parallel runways from the south, and touched down 2 seconds apart, to the cheers of 35,000 spectators in attendance.
Such a stunt was attempted before in Washington D.C. in 1976, but heavy air traffic over Dulles International Airport ruined it; both planes landed over a minute apart.
No known video of the dual Concorde landing exists on the web. We won’t leave avgeeks looking for a Concorde video hanging though. We’ll leave you with this sweet 1991 video posted by Saúl Pérez Díaz showing how pilots flew the Concorde.
World War I Ace Eddie Rickenbacker Was Just One of the Many Saved by the Mighty OS2U.
Vought’s OS2U Kingfisher first took flight on March 1st 1938. This observation floatplane, conceived as a replacement for the Curtiss SOC Seagull biplane floatplane, operated from American Navy battleships, cruisers, and even a few destroyers via catapult and from shore bases around the world during World War II. In so doing the slow but steady Kingfisher earned the sobriquet “Eyes of the Fleet.” While the every single one of the 1,519 OS2Us Vought and the Naval Aircraft Factory built was so slow it had trouble getting out of its own way, some elements of its design and the methods used to build them were radically advanced and would be seen on tens of thousands of subsequent aircraft.
Official US Navy Photograph
Slower Than Molasses in January
The Kingfisher was designed by Vought engineers, and together with the Naval Aircraft Factory methods were devised to build the floatplane using spot welding- a first for production aircraft. This resulted in a stronger and more rigid structure with lower drag. The Vought engineers also added high-lift devices such as spoilers, deflector plate flaps, and variable geometry ailerons which together increased the camber of the wings. The added lift produced was appreciated because Kingfishers were underpowered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial engine which produced only 450 horsepower. All those horses pulled the advanced (for its day) airframe around at somewhere between 70 and a brisk 100 miles per hour with a “top” speed of 164 miles per hour.
Official US Navy Photograph
Operating Floatplanes From Capital Ships
The OS2U’s wings were mid-mounted with a single large float under the fuselage and smaller stabilizing floats mounted outboard on each wing. When launched by catapult Kingfishers on floats were brought back aboard after landing on a relatively flat surface produced when the recovering ship made a wide sweeping turn. The OS2U would then taxi onto a “sea sled” towed just below the surface. A small hook on the bottom of the float would engage the sled. This procedure allowed the OS2U to be craned aboard the ship from close aboard. The Kingfisher was armed with a pilot-fired .30 caliber machine gun mounted and firing forward in the nose as well as a defensive ring mount for either a single or dual .30 caliber setup aft for the gunner/radio operator/observer. Capable also of carrying a pair of 100 pound bombs or two 325 pound depth charges, the warload of the Kingfisher was modest. However, this seemingly innocuous floatplane could call in all sorts of ordnance when its crew observed targets or spotted for naval gunfire.
Official US Navy Photograph
Service Entry and the International Floatplane
Kingfishers began flying with the United States Navy (USN) in 1940. Several were sitting on Battleship Row catapults on December 7th 1941. Many of the initial batches of OS2Us were utilized either for flight training (both wheeled and float-equipped) or for inshore antisubmarine patrols along the Florida coastline. Kingfishers built by the Naval Aircraft Factory equipped several of these squadrons. Beaching gear allowed float-equipped OS2Us to operate from ramps. Early in the war Kingfishers were employed only by the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, but Australia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Soviet Union, The United Kingdom’s Fleet Air Arm, and Uruguay also flew OS2Us. After the war ended the Netherlands operated Kingfishers as well.
Official US Navy Photograph
Rescuing Rickenbacker
When used as the scout planes they designed to be, Kingfishers flew long boring flights that were spiced with moments of sheer terror as they spotted for naval gunfire or flew rescue missions. Meat on the table for just about any marauding Japanese aircraft (including their float-equipped Nakajima-built A6M2-N Rufes– or Zeroes with floats), options available to Kingfisher crews were thin if forced to fight it out. But the exploits of the OS2U included two very high-profile rescues. The first was the rescue of World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker in November of 1942. Rickenbacker was aboard a Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress that ditched in the Pacific within sight of nowhere but a Kingfisher on patrol found him and facilitated his rescue.
Official US Navy Photograph
Improvise Adapt and Overcome
The other high-profile rescue involved one Kingfisher, on heroic Kingfisher crew flying from the battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55), the Balao-class submarine USS Tang (SS-306), and the Navy’s Operation Hailstone– the raids on the Japanese stronghold of Truk in April of 1944. Several Navy pilots had been shot down during their attacks on Truk but were in positions the lifeguard submarines, like the Tang, could not reach- Truk Lagoon. OS2U pilot Lieutenant John Burns and his crew landed in the lagoon and picked up one after another downed pilot- including another Kingfisher crew whose floatplane had capsized while attempting similar rescues. Of course Burns’ OS2U couldn’t take off with more than a single additional passenger. By the time the Kingfisher had ten soggy pilots and crew members inside and draped all over its wings it was barely afloat. But Burns taxied his nearly-swamped OS2U all the way to the Tang and rescue for all of them. Burns was decorated with the Navy Cross for his exploits that April day.
Lieutenant Burns’ OS2U in Truk Lagoon. Official US Navy Photograph
Serving Right Up Until the End
By the time the war advanced into late 1944 Curtiss’s own replacement for the SOC Seagull, the SC Seahawk, began to replace the Kingfishers in service. Other less-successful designs, notably the Curtiss SO3C Seamew, failed to adequately replace either the SOC or the OS2U. Kingfishers continued in service through the end of the war and were instrumental in the efforts to wrest the Japanese bastions so deeply entrenched in places like Saipan, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima. Several foreign nations operated their OS2Us well into the 1950s, Cuba was the last nation to retire operational Kingfishers in 1959. While no flyable Kingfishers exist today, several fine examples of these utilitarian aircraft can be viewed in museums.
