Random Picture Thread

That's not 650 knots at sea level.

A plane flying Mach 1.0 at sea level is flying about 1225 km/h (661 Knots, 761 mph), a plane flying Mach 1.0 at 30000 ft is flying 1091 km/h (589 knots, 678 mph) etc. Speeds below Mach 1 are called subsonic, between Mach 0.8-1.2 Transonic and above Mach 1.2 Supersonic.

http://www.fighter-planes.com/jetmach1.htm

There are old pilots, there are bold pilots, there are no old, bold pilots.

Pericles

 

He says it's in the Transonic region..............700 mph.

Link:
http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1a/

You have to scoll down to about the 30th picture and start reading the captions..................great stuff.

 

Bit high ain't he?

 

How fortituous, that plane featured on TV last night "Multi-millionares toys" It is privately owned & capable of mach2!!!! maintenance budget would make any boatie CRY!!! The only one in private hands & the first of two private pilots to be endorsed to fly the "coffin/widow maker"

That is one serious toy Thanks very much for the drool

 

Masalai,

The aircraft at the San Francisco air show were F/A18s, but I don't think they are called widowmakers. That was the reputation of the Luftwaffe F104 Starfighter. They are said to have lost one third of their aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-104_Starfighter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-104_Starfighter#Safety_record

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeritalia_F-104S

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CF-104

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_XF-104

One is supposed to have zoomed to around 86,000 feet, the edge of space?

Pericles

 

On that TV show from USA, I recall am ex-usaf bomber with blue paint but no usaf insignia or marks just a civilian type aircraft rego#, & the owner saying that the short wingspan made it somewhat nervous "shakey in turns" and if flown within its design parameters was not justified in being given that name, however a hundred of so crashed in training flights as a NATO aircraft.

The owner is a retired flight instructor who trains pilots still - I couldn't quite understand.... I was cooking dinner for mum.

I claim NO expertise - just reckon the supersonic effect close to the water looks spectacular....

 

There are a few folks with the wealth to support the huge O&M costs of a fighter jet, and there are a few showing up. Most are older ones from the 1950's and 60's. If the one you saw on TV, mas, was noted for its stubby wings, then it was likely the USAF F104. The tiny wings meant small control surfaces, so it was a lot like a hydroplane in that it went like hell, but there wasn't much of a recovery window if you got into trouble.

Definitely one serious toy.

 

The Starfighter was a fine craft. It was sold to the West Germans with the false pretense that it could fill a multi-mission role and not serve as a interceptor as originally intended. This doubled it's weight or at least it's payload weight which is why there were so many safety issues.

The civilian Starfighters are not allowed by the FAA to go supersonic in the USA.

 

Over 100,000 feet. The official record was 31,515 meters, in December, 1958

 

Phew, Thanks Guys, Much appreciated. I would still like more at mach?+ going low over water! I saw one with the "sonic cone" & HUGE rooster tail (make most surface drives look sick) What an image.....

 

As I said he's a bit high! By Royal Navy standards that is!! [standing by for incoming]

 

Should I hold my breath and cover my ears?

 

He wasn't making a low pass. US Navy Blue Angel standards call for all passes to be "high passes" in the interest of crowd safety.

 

Thanks for the thought Charlie, but "bugger the regulation passes", - Safie, - - Gimme, Gimme, Gimme - some LOW & fast passes at supersonic PLUS PPLLEEAASSEE?
(stuttering in excited anticipation) :::::::::: :::::::::: - points in advance

 

I didn't have a camera with me, but when I was serving in the US Army I was dug in on the side of a small rise overlooking a target area during an exercise, as we called in air support for a simulated low level bombing run. The planes were F4 Phantoms, about twice the mass of those F18 Hornets in the photos. On the last run the flight leader said they were going to come in "low and fast". Only time in my life I was looking down into the cockpit of a jet flying below me at 500 knots. Wheeeeeeeeoooooo!