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Hmmm..do you like low flying aircraft?....then here ya go!

Carlo

Carlo

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USAFSS-ColdWarrior said:
How about some "BELOW Ground Level" flying....
And, while this isn't exactly a particularly low level formation, it is just above observable obstructions....

Now just to show of some civilian low level performance...
How is this for a 747-400 on approach to Hong Kong in 1998......

Carry on.
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The first time I flew into the old airport at Hong Kong I could see women's faces hanging clothes on roof tops! The BA 747 was banking so much the wing tips seemed meters off the tops of some buildings. This was the 70's. Now they have a new airport I've yet to visit.
 
mutt_kahuna

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Another Ahab said:
That's a special formation there. Do you know what was the occasion?
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My understanding is that this was a practice flight for an airshow at nas china lake....I DID figure out a way to duplicate this shot...BUT the USA would have to restore an SR-71 to flight status then fly it to iran..as they're the ONLY one's with F-4's AND F-14's still flying!
 
mutt_kahuna

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low flyers

Here's another AMAZING shot...taken recently at an iranian airshow....shown flying together is the iaf's newest fighter:the mig-29...and the oldie's F4 and an F14....also check out the only B-747 refueling tanker Boeing still flying (iran bought 2,one crashed)!....(they did try to sell to USAF)..Cool to see F-14's still flying as they are one of my favorite a/c!
 

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Carlo

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mutt_kahuna said:
Here's another AMAZING shot...taken recently at an iranian airshow....shown flying together is the iaf's newest fighter:the mig-29...and the oldie's F4 and an F14....also check out the ONLY B-747 refueling tanker Boeing made!....(they did try to sell to USAF)..Cool to see F-14's still flying as they are one of my favorite a/c!
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That's a big gas station! How many liters?
 
marchplumber

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The F-4. Proof even a brick can fly with big enough engines. They were an amazing aircraft and did some incredible missions. Wasn't she one of the few that flew with all service branches, except Army?
 
M813rc

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Yep, Marines, Navy and Air Force all flew the F-4. Great plane, with a big production run (for a jet) and a long service life.
Several countries still operate them, I believe South Korea, Japan, Greece, Turkey, and Iran. Subject to verification, of course.

Cheers
 
steelypip

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M813rc said:
Yep, Marines, Navy and Air Force all flew the F-4. Great plane, with a big production run (for a jet) and a long service life.
Several countries still operate them, I believe South Korea, Japan, Greece, Turkey, and Iran. Subject to verification, of course.
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Ah the first of the great McNamara 'all purpose fighters,' the F-4. It only took five years, better engines, better missiles, the invention of Top Gun and Red Flag, and the addition of a pod-mounted machine gun to make an effective fighter out of what was actually a heavy attack airplane.

I think ultimately it was such a success because neither USAF nor USN could afford for it to be a failure - all the alternative development projects for interceptor, air superiority, and attack aircraft were cancelled by McNamara.

My favorite F-4 variant was the one the Israelis floated in the early 1980s when the US was getting unfriendly about selling them F-16s because it would make the Saudis sad. They had a boxful of F-4s and could easily pick up more on the used market. They could also pick up P&W F100 engines on the used market. An F100 fits pretty well in a hole sized for a GE J79. Nothing like 12,000 pounds more thrust to perk up an airplane's performance...
 
VPed

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steelypip said:
Ah the first of the great McNamara 'all purpose fighters,' the F-4. It only took five years, better engines, better missiles, the invention of Top Gun and Red Flag, and the addition of a pod-mounted machine gun to make an effective fighter out of what was actually a heavy attack airplane.

I think ultimately it was such a success because neither USAF nor USN could afford for it to be a failure - all the alternative development projects for interceptor, air superiority, and attack aircraft were cancelled by McNamara.

My favorite F-4 variant was the one the Israelis floated in the early 1980s when the US was getting unfriendly about selling them F-16s because it would make the Saudis sad. They had a boxful of F-4s and could easily pick up more on the used market. They could also pick up P&W F100 engines on the used market. An F100 fits pretty well in a hole sized for a GE J79. Nothing like 12,000 pounds more thrust to perk up an airplane's performance...
Click to expand...
Ah yes, the old hot rodding trick of swapping out engines with more power. When we would send a plane to Top Gun or Red Flag, our squadron would swap in the two most powerful engines out of all of the airframes we had at VMFAT-101. And we usually had 30 or so planes to choose from (largest squadron in the Corps). You could tell the power level by counting the number of rings that form while in full afterburner. (I spent a lot of time at the high-power rack.) Pilots said that it was a noticeable difference.

The other hot rodding trick is to loose weight. For that reason, I liked the RF-4 variant from VMFP-3. A small radar was used since you didn't need target acquisition, allowing for a smaller, more streamlined radome (nose), no armament so lighter due to that, and you could leave out the cameras. Those planes used to haul the mail, especially since it was easy to get out over the Pacific where sonic booms were no biggie.
 
Another Ahab

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Picture-perfect weather today for the "Arsenal of Democracy Flyover" today in DC.

The aircraft came in over the Potomac River at 1,000 feet, and all of it was absolutely stunning to witness.

I'm sure there are more than one or two quality videos under circulation of the event.

I only had a phone-camera (so the quality is not so hot), but here's the first wave of aircraft (Piper L-4 Grasshoppers, I believe; but please correct me if anybody knows better).

That's Roosevelt Island in the center of the picture, Rosslyn VA at the left and you can catch the Washington National Cathedral at the right-hand side of the shot (you're looking North, up-river):

Flyover I.jpg Flyover II.jpg
 
Another Ahab

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marchplumber said:
Nawww, having to repack the bearing every time goin through water is too much for me!!! LOL. Thank you Sir, for sharing! =)
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You're kidding right, marchplumber? I can't tell!

Because you know that the hull is propelled completely by airwash from the prop, right!? Nothing on that engine and its drive-train ever makes any contact with the water. That hull is only a bathtub with a mounted fan.

If you've never been in one you might not know. They just skim along the surface. You get it, right?
 
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