I’ve greatly enjoyed two video clips of low-level flight over the past couple of days. Watch them in full-screen mode for best results.
First, courtesy of Comrade Misfit, here’s some F-22‘s playing on the Mach Loop in England.
Next, a couple of C-17 transports pretend they’re fighters as they go through Rainbow Canyon in Nevada, used by the USAF and US Navy for low-level training. The pilots throw their big planes around as if they were a tenth of their actual size. I wonder whether any of them were former fighter or bomber pilots?
Boys and their toys indeed!
Peter
Ever wonder where the variable swept wing fighters went. It was the ne plus ultra of American design and vanished with the F14. I guess it was like airplane designers in the 20's who finally decided 2 wings were enough and retired biplanes. Not us of course. We paid for Brewster Bufaloes and we aimed to get our money's worth out of them.
That would be the Mach Loop in Wales, please….. 🙂
Some years ago I saw a F-22 doing exhibition maneuvers over Ft Lauderdale beach and I was amazed at the capabilities the little fighter has. Sometimes it behaved more like an helicopter than a plane.
I saw an F-22 doing exhibition maneuvers over the Ohio Rive just north of Louisville. The Ohio is wide there, but not that wide, and it was circling within the width of the river, not over the banks on either side. It was definitely a sight to see.
LOL, the C-17 guys and girls were having fun, but they really didn't get down in the weeds… And neither did the Thunderchicken at the end. The Marines did though…
Peter?
The "Starwars Caynon" clips were taken from Fr Crowley Point, east
of Panamint Springs, California. The real Rainbow Cyn is 300 miles
away over on the Arizona side of Nevada.
In 1934, he hauled a portable altar up to the top of Mt Whitney
(14,495'). Both it and Badwater (-280') were inside his huge
200 x 150 mile parish.
Not too far away from the Mach Loop is the Ogwen valley where, some 30 or so years ago, I was often rock climbing and had various planes from fighter to RAF Hercules transports below me.
The scary bit was the fighter pilot who wimped out and was only about our height. His jet wash was something you really did not need while looking for the next handhold
Defiant,
As I understand it with the advent of more advanced fly by wire systems the need for variable geometry airframes, which were an adaptation to ensure stable flight over a wider speed régime, went away. The more advanced avionics and control systems can compensate aerodynamics specialized for higher speeds.
And the maintenance chief is talking to the first sergeant about having the troopies clean up the vomit mess they left in his nice new aircraft!
The FA-18 does indeed have variable geometry wing, just not in sweep. The air data computer controls the leading and trailing edges to vary the camber of the wings to fit various flight regimes.
Which is what I meant but am not versed enough in the subject to properly express. Thanks Russ.