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Post by End Zone on Jun 5, 2022 5:14:29 GMT -7
taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-f-18-pilot-special-operator-killed-in-california/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat#/media/File:Jalil_Z.jpgThe Navy aviation community lost another young hero near the tiny town of Trona, CA on Friday afternoon, June 3. That F/A-18 Hornet sortie information remains sketchy pending notification of next of kin and results of a Safety Review Board (SRB) investigation. The Navy pilot (unnamed as of June 6th) was conducting low-level air combat training maneuvers at a Mojave Desert military training site called "Star Wars Canyon" when his/her aircraft crashed. The pilot did not survive the crash. Multiple USN and USAF fighter jet crashes have occurred at this training range in the last 5 years. Daytime hot winds blowing through the canyons make low-level flying extremely risky. The purpose of the training is to teach aircrews how to maneuver similar low-level routes in the Middle East and Gulf of Arabia regions. I also watched "Top Gun - Maverick" on June 3rd. Some Hornet flight imagery is real. Some imagery is computer generated imagery (CGI). The above Youtube imagery is 100% authentic and gives the viewer a real appreciation for how difficult and dangerous it is for fighter jet low-level fight at 500 knots and pulling 5-7g turns. Death is just inches away from wingtips. Back in the day when I wore a green suit as a back-seater, I did low-level training in both Tomcats and Intruders. Those Vietnam War era air combat platforms are long gone now, used strictly as museum pieces and parts. A slick Tomcat F-14A could theoretically hit Mach 2.34 in a steep dive. The best I ever did was a hair over Mach 1.2 in a brand new F-14 fetched from Northrup-Grumman factory. One early 1970s era test Tomcat was actually measured doing Mach 2.5 on a range test. I am surprised that aircraft's TF-30 turbofan engines did not disintegrate in flight! The fan blades did come apart sometimes. The pokey Intruder which I sat right seat and usually avoided topped out at about 560 knots or well under Mach. Anyway, those were fun times for me. I made many lifetime friends, some achieved 4-stars. Anyone recall the top Ace of all Tomcat pilots? It is not LT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (aka Tom Cruise). His name is Jalil Zandi, Iranian Air Force. He is credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War 1980-1988, making him the highest scoring F-14 pilot.
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Post by thomas cat on Jun 5, 2022 20:31:08 GMT -7
Several things here. First, I heard about the unfortunate death of the F/A-18 pilot. To get realistic military training, you have to come as close to the real thing as possible. That can be very dangerous. Because we are willing to do that is why we are the best in the world. I enjoyed the pictures of the F-14 Tomcat....I have said it before, but F-14 is one of my favorites and a dam sexy plane.... Maybe you can confirm this.....is this real or photo shopped... This was taken from this web page.... DC Designs Grumman F-14B Tomcat Repaint - VX-9 "Black Bunny" VANDY 1
I loved your low level flyby video of the F-18. There many similar videos out there. To stand on a mountain and look down on something moving so fast with walls all around, along with the sounds, has to be a thrill. Here is one of my favorite videos of the same thing but with many different aircraft... I don't think most people realize how difficult or dangerous this is. Flying is like driving on a road of ice. There is not enough friction to make any sudden moves. You got to get it right well before you get there.
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Post by End Zone on Jun 6, 2022 4:25:50 GMT -7
www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/14697/remembering-hugh-hefners-iconic-jet-black-dc-9-big-bunnyTC, thanks my friend! That is not a photoshop. That is a bona fide real F14 Tomcat with pilot and RIO crew and the infamous Navy-adopted Playboy bunny paint scheme from the 1960s and 1970s. The first "Vandy 1" was an iconic F4 Phantom made famous at the Vietnam War. The last was the F14 many years later. Read about "Vandy 1" history in the above link. Thanks for the Death Valley videos. Outstanding low-level videos of multiple platforms! The new Raptors are so cool. Three platforms not demonstrated are the newest unmanned drones and the older B52 and B1 bombers. All platforms fly on low-level land and sea courses today. In the last century, I witnessed several B52 demo flights at 50' above the western high desert dirt and Hawaiian area ocean wave tops. If you don't see these guys coming, a treetop flyover can cause a you to have a damned heart attack. Massive bomb loads can be dropped during low altitude runs but only using the Mk 82 Snake Eye. Otherwise, the aircraft could 'frag' itself. Lady Gaga just released a new video with a bunch of the "Top Gun - Maverick" shots. F/A-18s are made famous in the movie. Check it her video if you get time. About 4 minutes long.
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Post by thomas cat on Jun 15, 2022 21:22:37 GMT -7
I just thought I would add this. Not B-52 bombers but close. Fighter jets are one thing, but four MC-130's planes doing the same thing is pretty impressive.
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Post by End Zone on Jun 16, 2022 10:33:26 GMT -7
That's the Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II. US AFSOC headquartered at Hurlburt Field, FL, owns a few of these airframes for their teams. That last 130 in the 4-ship formation is #6205. I traced that airframe to an AF squadron formerly based out of Mildenhall, UK. The low level flying during daylight is really fun. Try that at night. Take an extra pair of pants. You will be changing your pants after the night flight.
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