A good friend flew F-16's. He loved them and hated them. He had 2 buddies who died flying them during training missions. He never saw combat in them. He flew in Alaska and claimed there were issues with the plane, but loved flying them just the same.
I've been working on these for 30 years! Blowing something up with a Maverick Setting down nice and soft
Keep sharing stories Hoodooman! Sadly My Dad lost his best friend from childhood from a hung bomb in WWII. Not sure the whole story, but it went off on landing. It was the same week he went home for his Mom, my Grandpas funeral. Love the Harrier too. Ok, maybe hard pressed to find one I don't love.
Yeah me too. As was mentioned, the Warty is a badass plane, pretty much just a flying gun: Just a little combat damage. Nothing stops a 'Hog...
Funny this topic came up. About a month ago, I got a bug to learn something new and I decided on dog fights. I watched about a dozen you tube video's, interesting stuff. The Dicta Boelcke is a list of fundamental aerial maneuvers of aerial combat formulated by the first great German flying ace of the First World War, Oswald Boelcke. 1. Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you 2. Always continue with an attack you have begun 3. Open fire only at close range, and then only when the opponent is squarely in your sights 4. You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses 5. In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind 6. If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his attack, but fly to meet it 7. When over the enemy's lines, always remember your own line of retreat 8. Tip for Squadrons: In principle, it is better to attack in groups of four or six. Avoid two aircraft attacking the same opponent
I so much appreciate the fact that there are people on ET that can appreciate a story like the one about the hung bomb. I have a surprising story about the Bell X-2 that I would like to tell. Got this sent to me yesterday. Experimental aircraft speeds to more than 3,000 mph in test flight By W.J. HENNIGAN | Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES ââ¬â A lightning-quick experimental aircraft made history when it sped more than 3,000 mph above the Pacific Ocean, in a test flight, reigniting decades-long efforts to develop a vehicle that could travel faster than a speeding bullet. The unmanned X-51A WaveRider, which resembles a shark-nosed missile, was launched midair Wednesday off the coast near Point Mugu. It sped westward for 240 seconds, reaching Mach 5.1, or more than five times the speed of sound, before plunging into the ocean as planned. The X-51A, built and tested in Southern California, was powered by an air-breathing engine that has virtually no moving parts. It flew for longer than any other aircraft of its kind and traveled more than 264 miles in little more than six minutes. A passenger aircraft traveling at that speed could easily fly from Los Angeles to New York in less than an hour. "It was a full mission success," Charlie Brink, X-51A program manager for the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, said in a statement. "I believe all we have learned from the X-51A WaveRider will serve as the bedrock for future hypersonics research and ultimately the practical application of hypersonic flight." Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/...aft-speeds-to.html#.UYbho6XD80N#storylink=cpy
Dad was a navigator in a hercules when he was in the Marines. Good stuff. But I think my favorite of all time is a toss up between the F4U Corsair and the P-51.
Yea, love the Corsair also. Hooked up an old VCR last night so I could pull out all my Discovery Wings that I recorded over the years. I thought about putting it in the office and decided that would mean no work.
My goal with trading is to buy a warplane. I keep piling away cash towards the goal. My Dad had a friend who told him they should buy scrap P-51's long before I was born, but he was extremely conservative and passed. UGGGGG! Boy I'd have a P-51 and a Corsair, but oh well I guess that is life.