(Editor’s note: The Sunday Paper is another in a new series of DT features. Each Sunday we’ll feature something that’s just plain fun.)
The first Sunday Paper is forwarded to us by DT’s good friend Chris Michel, who is the chairman and founder of Military.com, and a former P-3 Naval Flight Officer. You’ll remember during WW Cold War the P-3 used to fly around for ten hours at 170 knots looking for subs — and sometimes finding them. But the twelve guys inside the Orion were also aware of equally cool things going on around the fleet.
So dig this, shipmates …
Air shows at sea are always a lot better than those on land because the air wing can drop live bombs and fly supersonic. Because the Tomcat was so big and (for the B and D versions with the GE F-110 motors) so powerful, it could easily “bust the number” and then some at sea level. As you can see from the disturbance on the water as the fighter passes between the ships, that puppy’s moving some air as it rages beyond the speed of sound.
The Super Hornet can’t do that. (I’m sorry; was that out loud?)
During one air show I narrated when I was CAG Ops aboard the USS George Washington, the demo Tomcat flew so fast, so low, and so close to the boat that it actually caused structural damage to some ducting just below the flight deck. The air wing bubbas thought it was hilarious, but the ship’s engineers did NOT.
(Gouge: CM)
– Ward
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Yet another new section I really like – keep it up!
Ward,
You are one lucky dude. Most of us would trade our lifetime of work slaved to a desk for one day in the back seat of a Tomcat..not to mention the carrier shot.Woof!
Thanks for your service and work on this blog..my favorite topic.
In one of the fly by videos, it appears the shockwave buffets the Tomcat pretty severely as it zips past the fligh deck, and the pitch angle changes fairly noticeably. Does this only happen at low altitude in the thick air?
House:
A visible shock wave is a function of the atmospherics at the time. I’ve seen them at altitude, it actually looks pretty cool from the inside as the wave translates back and forth across the canopy. It doesn’t buffet the airplane though. There’s really no noticable affect on the airplane as you break the sound barrier . . . not like the movies, anyway.
Better dont use videos that often in your site.
They load slowly and look awfully low-res..
A decent image and a link also does the trick and (may) look great.
Funny how the Super Hornet’s biggest deal in PowerPoint briefs is all of the crap about low cost, program management x, y, z. Contempt of engagement speed is never brought up ( It can’t do it. )