Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: TheSoccerMom on December 28, 2007, 06:47:17 AM
Title: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: TheSoccerMom on December 28, 2007, 06:47:17 AM
I just saw an amazing article on the USAF Thunderbirds. A few items that seem pretty astounding, taken from the pilots' conversations:
--- They've performed for more than 300 million people since 1953.
--- The selection process takes 6 months, and requires 1000 hours in fighters to even apply.
--- The F-16 can pull 9 G's. Pilots stress lower-body strength to handle the G loads.
--- The team flies about 400 flight hours per year.
--- Pilots are limited to two years on the team.
--- The opposing solo passes can vary from 30 feet apart, to 75 feet apart, depending on the flight conditions, though they appear the same from the crowd.
--- Solo pilots are usually pulling 7 Gs behind the line, to get back in position for the next maneuver.
--- The highest G load for the #6 (right opposing solo) aircraft, is when she's "clearing the line with the diamond in close proximity to [my] airplane. But I'm going .94 M at 150 feet."
Here is a picture of Major Samantha Weeks with Major Nicole Malachowski, the first two women to join the Thunderbird team. Malachowski fell in love with the F-4 at an airshow, when she was 5; Weeks knew at age 6 she had to fly, and was set on attending the Air Force Academy at age 9.
When asked about being among "the first women fighter pilots", Major Malachowski pointed out that the WASP pilots of WWII flew fighter aircraft over 60 years ago.
I personally think it's people like these, who make this country as impressive as it truly is.
|:)\ |:)\ |:)\ |:)\ |:)\ |:)\ |:)\ |:)\
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: airtac on December 28, 2007, 02:32:58 PM
Yay Thunderbirds |:)\ |:)\ |:)\
Can't imagine that fast, that low, and that close---I'm always awed by their flying..................side note; I read somewhere they used to go supersonic at overseas shows, said the crowds reaction was pure amazement :o
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: TheSoccerMom on December 28, 2007, 04:06:11 PM
Yeah... I guess the thing that leapt out at me was the "150 feet"...... I like 150 feet just fine, but it's at 80 knots!!! ::loony:: Slowwwww-www-wwww Chicken..... HAAAAA!!!!!! ::rofl::
:D :D :D :D :D
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: Oddball on December 28, 2007, 05:12:57 PM
thunderbirds? pah bunch of amatuers named after a kids tv show lol prefer the red arrows myself |:)\ |:)\
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: Baradium on December 28, 2007, 09:42:29 PM
Did someone talk about high speed at low altitude?
The second one is just a really cool thunderbird pic... although I guess the pilot didn't think it was all that great at the time...
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: TheSoccerMom on December 28, 2007, 10:51:51 PM
It was good that the pilot recognized he was way closer to the ground than he had planned on that maneuver, and had just enough time to bail..... (above)....
He had the wrong altimeter setting in the window.... it could've been a real disaster. That was here in Idaho (east of Boise), and lots of people are still talking about THAT air show...... the crowd was scattering like chickens..... ::sweat::
::eek::
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: Baradium on December 29, 2007, 09:45:04 AM
I seem to remember that picture was taken somewhere around .3 seconds before impact.
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: undatc on December 29, 2007, 12:12:21 PM
You got my favorite airplane there Ryan. Nothing IMO compares to the Lancer. Simply an amazing bird that can do anything the pilots want. I remember a documentary about it a while ago and one of the pilots said something like, "its easy for us to forget that we're not sitting in a fighter with guns and air to air missiles."
One of my dreams, which I'm pretty sure will never come true, is to take a ride in one and have them do one of their low level runs with hands off. Mach 1+ 200' off the ground and no one touching the controls, no other plane (to my knowledge) can do that. |:)\ Plus its just so purdy!
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: Oddball on December 29, 2007, 05:21:54 PM
ok then what about the Avro Vulcan? that is one aircraft that cant be beaten ::sulk::
Title: Re: ".94 Mach at 150 Feet"
Post by: leiafee on January 02, 2008, 10:49:02 PM
thunderbirds? pah bunch of amatuers named after a kids tv show lol prefer the red arrows myself |:)\ |:)\
The Reds make me jump up and down and squeal like a five years every single time I see them display. :D
I watch them most years since we've an air/ground practice bombing range down the road at Pembrey Sands (the airfield I learned to fly at is actually inside the associated danger area), and we tend to get an airshow each year as a "thanks for not whinging too much about the racket!"
The display which really knocked me sideways this year though was the Eurofighter Typhoon. Came across at something like 80 knots at some outrageous angle of attack then hit the afterburners and straight to vertical.
