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F-16s Escort Dutch Olympians Home After The Games

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F-16s Escort Dutch Olympians Home After The Games

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This is one way to celebrate returning Olympians!

The Royal Netherlands Air Force sure know how to celebrate in style. Olympians returning on a specially painted orange Boeing 777-300ER KLM jet were met at the border upon their return by two special airborne guests. Two Dutch F-16s flew wingman for the massive Boeing jet within Netherlands airspace. The fighters provided escort all the way to short final before breaking off just before the 777 landed.  It was a very classy move by a proud and very skilled Air Force.

Once the 777 landed, the jet was greeted by a firefighter’s arc of water to celebrate the return of the olympians. The Netherlands won eight golds, seven silvers and four bronze medals at the Olympics in Rio. They finished with a total 19 medals, resulting in an 11th place finish.

The video was originally uploaded by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. You can see their original post here.

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You Can Rebuild a Taxiway in 6 Hours? No Way!

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You Can Rebuild a Taxiway in 6 Hours? No Way!

If you think building a taxiway is hard, just multiply the difficulty by two and you’re mentally getting closer to imagining how difficult it actually is. It is one of the most grueling, painstaking, and precise construction jobs ever.

First, the construction crew has to jackhammer the existing asphalt over an area about the size of two tennis courts. Then, they have to remove a 20-inch depth of old tarmac. And that’s just getting started.

Meanwhile, the crew manager knows that the first plane will touch down at 6 o’clock am. He also knows that he has to start laying the asphalt six hours in advance of the first plane’s arrival, so the runway will be hard enough for the plane to land on. So he uses a type of asphalt that cools and sets at twice the rate of your average highway asphalt.

The workers know they have only about eight hours to complete this gigantic job. The work must be done with great speed but not haste. About 375 tons of gravel has to be placed, to prevent water damage through the soil. Then the gravel has to be smoothed perfectly flat. Then the asphalt has to be poured. As the asphalt sets, the workers call in the heavy duty roller trucks to finish the job. Then the asphalt still needs one more hour to set.

This crew has finished in six hours a job that would take most road crews six months to complete. (I kid!)

That’s pretty impressive!

This post was originally posted by The Smithsonian Channel on YouTube.

Boom! How a F-16’s Sonic Boom Kept Special Forces Alive

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Boom! How a F-16’s Sonic Boom Kept Special Forces Alive

Quick thinking and creativity of a F-16 pilot saved allied lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ten days into Operation Iraqi Freedom, two F-16 aircraft cruised into the airspace. One was flown by Lt. Colonel Edward Lynch. They got a call to fly somewhere north of where they were, and got there as fast as they could. Ten minutes later, they witnessed about 50 British forces surrounded by about 500 Iraqi troops. The pilot asks for a strobe, as they were wearing night vision goggles, which require illumination. Unfortunately it was a moonless, starless night. So Lynch would not be able to drop a bomb. “I have no strobe,” said Lynch from the cockpit. “I can’t help you if I can’t see you.”

Lynch and his wing man realized that they had to think of something, as things on the ground were fast getting worse. Lynch developed a plan that relied on the power of the F-16’s engine. Like every supersonic jet, of the F-16 flies fast enough, it creates a supersonic boom. Lynch planned to use the supersonic boom as a weapon.

Lynch hoped the Iraqis would think the sound was a weapon, which would give the troops time to escape. During Lynch’s attempt, he dodged a surface to air missile through some effective maneuvering.

When Lynch finally had time to inquire about the success of his endeavor, he was told that the supersonic boom of his F-16 had worked. Boom!

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Pilot Is Shamed After PA Announcement To Passengers Was Actually Transmitted on JFK Tower

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Pilot Is Shamed After PA Announcement To Passengers Was Actually Transmitted on JFK Tower

Radio discipline isn’t guaranteed when you make a mistake this big.

It doesn’t even matter so much that nothing offensive was said. The pilot was trying to tell his passengers, “Welcome to New York!” when he accidentally broadcasted over tower frequency. Right after is welcome, another pilot chimes in,“Don’t let him get away with that!” It could have been so much worse, I guess. This was New York City, after all. The point is that the pilot left the intercom on. For that, he will be shamed like a middle schooler in a boys’ locker room who forgot his jock strap. His colleagues will hang him out to dry. He will soon die of embarrassment…ok,not really. We’re kidding.

The Air Traffic Controller (ATC) in this clip is said to be Stephen Abraham aka “Kennedy Steve”, a former Wall Street exec who thrives on stressful situations. Air Traffic controllers are responsible for thousands of lives. They direct taxiing aircraft, and they decide which routes the planes will fly. An ATC may direct as many as 100 planes an hour.  There is usually little time for light banter, especially at an airport as busy as JFK.

On occasion though, some very amusing conversations take place between pilots and air traffic controllers. These include arguments, strange comments, profanities, and incongruous gestures of every type. One pilot ordered coffee and wings before making an emergency landing. Then there was the pilot on Southwest who spewed profanities over the intercom before being relieved of his job. One angry ATC actually told someone to shut up too.
Pilots learn in flight training to think before you speak. Maybe they should also learn to check their ‘wafer’ too.

The clip was originally uploaded to LiveATC.net and posted by Jumpstartstation on YouTube.

Chicago’s O’Hare Sucks, But This Arrival Video Is Actually Pretty Cool

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Chicago’s O’Hare Sucks, But This Arrival Video Is Actually Pretty Cool

You either tolerate O’Hare or you really hate it. But somehow everyone ends up flying through that field.

This time lapse video shows a flight coming into O’Hare International Airport, whose taxiways are littered with more planes than there are cars parked at malls after Thanksgiving.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport, commonly known as O’Hare, is a public airport owned and operated by the City of Chicago. O’Hare is the primary airport service for the Chicago area. It is located on the far northwest side of Chicago, with Midway Airport being Chicago’s secondary airport. O’Hare is a hub for United Airlines, American Airlines, and a focus city for most other major US Airlines.

In terms of the number of take offs and landings, O’Hare was the busiest airport in the world in 2014, finally beating out Atlanta International Airport, which had held the busiest airport title from 2005 to 2013. In fact, O’Hare lost the title back to Atlanta the following year. As of 2015, O’Hare is the fourth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic. O’Hare also has the most runways (9) of any international airport.
As of September 2014, O’Hare has direct service to 210 destinations (153 domestic and 57 international). Roughly 585 flights take off from O’Hare every day.

For ten years, O’Hare has been voted the “Best Airport in North America” by two separate sources, Business Traveler Magazine and Global Traveler Magazine. We really aren’t sure who votes in those reviews. We don’t know anyone who loves O’Hare. In contrast, Chicago’s airport system was voted 2nd worst in terms of cancelled flights and plane delays, with New York’s airports coming in first in that sad category. Roughly 20 percent of America’s flight cancellations and delays happen at O’Hare.

Teenager Flies For Zambian Airline

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Teenager Flies For Zambian Airline

Besa might be the youngest airline pilot in the world.

Besa Mumba, at the age of 19, is one of the world’s youngest commercial pilots flying for an airline.
Born in Lusaka in 1996, Besa breezed through her school years at all levels. She started her flight training late in high school. After receiving her 12th grade results in 2011, she applied and was accepted to the South African Flight Training Academy. Two years down the road in 2013, she attained her commercial pilot’s license.

“When I first flew alone,” says Besa (as reported by DailyMail), “that was just the best feeling ever.”

Besa has now landed her dream job. She is Zambia’s youngest ever commercial pilot. She flies various kinds of jets as a commercial pilot for the nation’s scheduled airline, Proflight Zambia. She has already flown domestic routes alongside the Captain of the Caravan aircraft.

In so doing, she gives hope to other women who wish to break the stereotype that pilots are men, in order to enter the overwhelmingly male dominated flight industry. “Where you have passion,” she says, “your work will speak for itself.” Her actions serve as encouragement for women to follow their dreams. Mumba certainly is active, ambitious, and driven to succeed. If you google “Besa Mumba pilot,” you will find numerous articles, images, and videos featuring her.

WATCH: This HD F-14 Tomcat Footage Made Me Miss Those Swing-Winged Beasts

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WATCH: This HD F-14 Tomcat Footage Made Me Miss Those Swing-Winged Beasts

These HD F-14 Clips Are So Good They’ll Make You Wax Nostalgic for the Fleet Defender

I don’t know about you, but I sure miss the F-14 Tomcat. It’s a shame that they only nation flying them today is Iran. With its many beautiful lines and curves, the F-14 Tomcat is arguably one of the most visually appealing aircrafts ever designed. This footage helps us avgeeks remember the good ‘ole days of Naval aviation.

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The Tomcat was manufactured by Grumman Aerospace Corporation in 1970 for the Viet Nam war. The F-14 first flew in December of 1970. The aircraft was introduced to the U.S. Navy in 1974. The F-14 has also also participated in the war between Iran and Iraq. Production was discontinued in 1991, with a total of 712 units built, at a unit cost (as of 1998) of 38 million dollars per aircraft. The F-14 was retired by the United States Navy in 2006.

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About the F-14 Tomcat:

The F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic twin engine, two seater fighter aircraft. The cockpit has two tandem style seats. The flight controls themselves are a hybrid of analog and digital devices, making for a bulky avionics system. The aircraft also has a bubble canopy for 360 degree viewing. Plus, it has variable geometry wings that swing automatically during flight to change speed. The F-14 was designed to combat the highly maneuverable aircraft of the Soviet Air Force and Navy.

Remember That Time The B-52 Lost Most of its Tail and Didn’t Crash?

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Remember That Time The B-52 Lost Most of its Tail and Didn’t Crash?

Chalk this save up to the robust aircraft built by Boeing engineers.

On January 10th of 1964, pilot Chuck Fisher took off in a B-52 with a three-man Boeing crew. While flying over Colorado, he tried to climb the plane higher, hoping to find smoother air.

What he encountered was clear air turbulence, which caused the plane to lose its vertical stabilizer. Soon, another plane flew up to meet him, and visually report the damage to the controllers, where engineers began calculating the best way to safely land the plane.

It was decided that the damaged B-52 would fly to Blytheville Air Force Base in northeastern Arkansas. Then, Boeing specialists from the emergency control center took off in a KC-135 to meet Fisher. They accompanied him to Blytheville, offering support from the air.

Despite the extensive damage, six hours later, the pilot managed to safely land the plane. “I’m very proud of this crew and this airplane,” Fisher said. “Also, we had a lot of people helping us, and we’re very thankful for that.”

]About the B-52

The B-52, manufactured by Boeing, is a long range, subsonic, jet powered, strategic bomber. It can carry as much as 70,000 pounds of weaponry. The B-52 has been used by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the early 1950s. The aircraft took its maiden voyage in April of 1952. The B-52 is also known as the BUFF (Big Ugly Flying Fucker). Superior performance at top speeds, combined with low operating costs, have kept the B-52 model flying, despite the invention of newer, more advanced aircraft.

Jawdropping Video of This 747-200 Underbelly Almost Got Pilot Fired

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Jawdropping Video of This 747-200 Underbelly Almost Got Pilot Fired

It’s footage of the Classic Queen Of The Skies that will never be repeated.

When we first saw this video, we couldn’t believe it.  Someone successfully placed a camera on the front landing gear of a classic 747-200 and recorded the entire flight.  If you are an avgeek, this is solid gold (well except the cheesy porn music).  The landing gear is virtually a mechanical work of art and the landing…oh so sweet.

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You have to wonder, what’s the story behind this video?  While we have no way to verify the accuracy of the story, the post by Balleka below the video seems plausible:

“I was a training Captain with this company and also one of the aircraft Air -Test pilots so I had a fair amount of experience of actually operating the various alternate systems of the Classic and I suppose explains how I was able to convince the rest of the crew to go along with my plan.

I had let my enthusiasm get the better of me and despite having tried to mitigate against all the “what ifs” we could think of, had really gone outside the box and consequently I was on the red carpet in front of the DFO pleading idiocy (temporary insanity) and trying to save my job.

I immediately removed the video from Youtube, ( unfortunately quite a few others had already re-uploaded it) but decided to repost it about a year later after the company had succumbed to the world financial crisis, and further embarrassment could be avoided.”

Other great posts on Avgeekery:

He also posted video of how the footage was made.  You can see the video below:

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About the 747-200:

By the time production ended in 1991, almost 400 aircraft were built of the Boeing 200 series. These included 73 Boeing 200-Fs. F stands for freighter, by the way. Other types of Boeing 747-200 include the passenger version (747-200B), the convertible jet (747-200C), and the combination jet (747-200M). They even made a 747 tanker demonstrator! Only a few Boeing 747-200s remain in operation today. They include the VC-25, commonly known as Air Force One and the E-4.

WATCH: F-16 Hits Tree and Somehow Manages To Land Safely

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WATCH: F-16 Hits Tree and Somehow Manages To Land Safely

If You’ve Ever Wondered if the F-16 is a Robust, Survivable Platform, Here’s Proof That It Is.

The F-16 fighter pilot clipped the top of a ridge during a ridge crossing on a low level training mission.

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It is a tribute to the engine (probably a Pratt & Whitney) to continue running with tree parts stuck in it, and a tribute to the aircraft that it handled somewhat normally despite the damage, and made a safe landing. The pilot said, “I nearly killed myself, and I damaged an aircraft during a peace time mission. What an epitaph that would have been.” The accident was reportedly caused by the pilot misinterpreting the ground proximity warning system (GPWS).

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Image via US Air FOrce

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single engine, multipurpose fighter aircraft. Since production was approved in 1976, more than 4,500 of this type of aircraft have been built.

The Mighty B-25 Roaring to Life is Like A Symphony of Cylinders

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The Mighty B-25 Roaring to Life is Like A Symphony of Cylinders

Think of how many amazing warriors of the sky once heard the same sound.

The mighty B-25 Mitchell is one amazing aircraft.  It’s first claim to fame in World War II was the Doolittle Raid on Japan.  It was far from the last.  Over the next few years, the B-25 racked up successful raids in both theaters morphing into a gunship then back to a medium bomber.  The B-25 was a very effective bomber.  It could carry over 5,000 lbs of bombs with a standard range of 1,200 miles.  Over 10,000 B-25s were built between 1939 and 1945.

Today there are over 100 airworthy B-25s. This particular B-25 is known at the Yankee Warrior that belongs to the Yankee Air Museum in Michigan.

About the Yankee Air Museum:

The Yankee Air Museum was founded in 1981 as a non-profit organization to restore and maintain World War II era aircraft. The museum’s most iconic aircraft include the B-17 Yankee Lady and B-25D Yankee Warrior. In 2004, the museum suffered a catastrophic loss. All of the museum artifacts were destroyed as well as some of the planes in restoration. Only the three of the flyable aircraft (B-17, B-25 and C-47) survived. In 2009, the Yankee Air Museum purchased a building from the Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology (MIAT), and the museum re-opened to the public in October of 2010. In 2013, the Yankee Air Museum placed offers to purchase and restore a section of the Willow Run Bomber Plant (former GM Powertrain) as a permanent home for the museum. During World War II, this building housed production of B-24 aircraft and earned a place in aviation history.

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Air Force Dad Celebrates His Daughter’s First (And Fini) F-4 Flight With a Bucket Of Water

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Air Force Dad Celebrates His Daughter’s First (And Fini) F-4 Flight With a Bucket Of Water

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Cadet gets an F-4 flight! Dad celebrates her special day.

Let’s file this in our “How Awesome is this?” file. Cadet 2nd Class (a junior) Kaitlyn recently received an incentive ride in the mighty F-4 Phantom. The F-4 has become a ‘rare’ jet. Getting an incentive flight in an F-4 these days is probably one of the rarest treats for any Air Force member. Our bet is that she is probably the last cadet to ever get a ride in the F-4.

Kaitlyn’s dad, a former F-4 commander himself, was able to watch her flight. Upon her return, he snuck up from behind the jet and ‘christened’ her after her flight in a time-honored tradition.

The 96th Test Group at Hollomon Air Force Base is the only Air Force unit that still flies the F-4, now designated the QF-4, as training targets. They are rapidly ‘expending’ their targets and expect to retire the F-4 in favor of the QF-16 by years end.

What is this Air Force tradition all about?

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Dumping water on a pilot after a first flight or fini flight is one of the proud traditions in the Air Force.  This tradition typically bookends a pilot’s career from first flight to last flight.  In pilot training, student pilots usually paint a dunk tank in their class colors. One by one, Lieutenants are dunked in the tank by their classmates after their first solo. It can be 110 degrees in summer time of 15 degrees in the dead of winter.  It doesn’t matter.  You still are guaranteed to get wet.

After pilot training, pilots also tend to get a bucket of water dropped on them after their ‘dollar ride’ first flight in a new type of jet. Their fini-flight also unusably entails fire extinguishers filled with water and squirt guns along with hugs by exuberant family and friends.

 

 

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