“He seemed angry,” said Pamela Kent, a Princeton resident who was traveling with her daughter Jessica. “He said, ‘We’re going to be flying through horrific storms, including tornadoes.’”

Adding to the apocalyptic atmosphere, the pilot also instructed passengers on the overbooked flight to “get to know your neighbors,” Kent said.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/...passengers-with-horrific-tornado-warning.html

 

I had never before heard of the Soviet version of the Concorde, the Tupolev Tu-144.

The rivals were once again squaring off. The Concorde completed its demonstration first, without a hitch, but the Tupolev put on a far more audacious show, with twists and turns that proved to be fatal: the aircraft broke up in midair and crashed into the village of Goussainville, killing six on board and eight on the ground. ... When it finally started flying passengers in 1977, the Tu-144 turned out to be cramped, prone to breaking and unbearably noisy: "A flight on the Tu-144 was not for those with sensitive hearing" Jonathan Glancey wrote in his book "Concorde." ... In its short life as a passenger plane -- only 55 return flights -- the Tu-144 suffered hundreds of failures, many of them inflight, ranging from depressurization to engine failure to blaring alarms that couldn't be switched off. All sorts of stories have surfaced over the years about the plane's woes, including reports that passengers had to communicate through written notes because of the deafening noise. Perhaps more tellingly, each flight from Moscow could only depart after the aircraft had been personally inspected by the plane's designer, Alexei Tupolev himself.

http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/tupolev-tu-144-concordski/index.html

 

put a big enough engine in it and a billet of pig iron could fly supersonic. just reference the aged F-14.

When Victor Belenko decided to leave hias motherland Russia and took along a MIG 25 and landed in Japan I was in Okinawa. The MIG 25 was a big fish for the CIA to catch. On the very first inspection of the aircraft in Japan they were curious about the nose material until someone held a magnet to it and it went clunk. The Russians were of that thought, put a big enough, powerful enough engine in it and it will fly. They proved it many times over. The Tomcat was one really big airplane which I watched through its entire career.

Something I always found impressive was a C130 taking off with JATO bottles. I have seen the Blue Angel's Fat Albert do it many times. Considering the age of the C 130 really pretty amazing. JATO being Jet Assisted TakeOff and when using rockets it is pretty cool. During several years of my NAVAIR years Naval Air Station Adak, AK was a frequent stop. Landing and taking off in a C 130 with skis. While I never did it with JATO a C 130 taking off on skis with JATO is pretty cool. Most adventure I had was going off and landing on aircraft carriers in a C2 Greyhound a catapult shot was a thrill as much as praying we catch the wire the first time around. Impressive was night flight operations shooting F 14 Tomcats in stage five after burner off the deck.

My wife often ask if I miss those days of my life and while I do it was really a younger man's game. I still have fond memories every year at The Cleveland Air Show. I also enjoy the former Confederate Air Force now the Commemorative Air Force war birds and anything military at the shows.

Ron.

 

They were still flying the Vigilante as a recon platform at NAS Key West in the 70's (RVAH-3). That was a huge plane to land on a carrier. It made the F-14 and F-4 look tiny.
Stripped down to just electronics it could give the F-14 a good run for the money. Most of the engine test-stands for the plane were in the remote area of the base where our receiver and control station was. The sight and sound of one at full power was a thing to behold.

NAS flightline.

 

Good video! Liked the carrier portion where the Enterprise still had that unmistakable round island structure. Also I think the A5 used the bridal catapults. The Nimitz (CVN 68) was the last carrier to have two on the bow, the Eisenhower (CVN 69) had one and during subsequent yard periods they were removed. Yeah, the A5 Vigilanti was like the F 14 Tomcat, one very large airplane and one that served really well. I am curious what the Blue Angels will move to with the FA 18 Hornet out of any new production. I literally spent two days at the NAVAIR Museum in Pensacola this past summer. It was on my bucket list and man, I enjoyed that place.

Ron

 

I am curious what the Blue Angels will move to with the FA 18 Hornet out of any new production.

If it wasn't for the expense, I'd love to see 'em fly F-22s.

 

If it wasn't for the expense, I'd love to see 'em fly F-22s.

That ended up a train wreck and really over budget. The poor Raptor had a short life in production. I guess there is an F 35 but haven't a clue. Somebody has to come up with a good plane soon.

Ron

 

That ended up a train wreck and really over budget. The poor Raptor had a short life in production. I guess there is an F 35 but haven't a clue. Somebody has to come up with a good plane soon.

Ron

I like the F-35. I love the F-22.

 

I like the F-35. I love the F-22.

Deep pockets.

Ron

 

The old F-14's were cursed with a crappy engine (TF30). The GE J79 was a brick 'S' house. The main engine test stand on the base was on the other side of the runway from us. At ramp-up to full military power with AB after a repair or rebuild the floor inside the radio shack would vibrate.

 

The J-79 powered the F4 and I think 8 of them a B52. The Jet Engine test cells were always remote on bases and on aircraft carriers on the fan tail just below the ramp. That was a spooky place during night flight ops landings.

Ron

 

This thread jogged an old memory of a bad movie. They shot the dog fight sequences for the movie "Final Countdown" at NAS Key West (it looked like Hawaii ) when I was there. Those F-14's could barely fly that slow but it was very cool watching them fly and film for the movie using a B-25 camera ship.

B-25 camera ship

https://www.floridamemory.com/solr-search/results/?q=(countdown OR tt:countdown^10)&query=countdown

 

This thread jogged an old memory of a bad movie. They shot the dog fight sequences for the movie "Final Countdown" at NAS Key West (it looked like Hawaii ) when I was there. Those F-14's could barely fly that slow but it was very cool watching them fly and film for the movie using a B-25 camera ship.

B-25 camera ship

https://www.floridamemory.com/solr-search/results/?q=(countdown OR tt:countdown^10)&query=countdown

I just watched that movie for the first time in 25 years last week. Good flick.

Yes, I was wondering if loitering over a Jap Zero was difficult.

 

I just watched that movie for the first time in 25 years last week. Good flick.

Yes, I was wondering if loitering over a Jap Zero was difficult.

It was good for the Navy because they went all out to help make the movie look good.

The fight sequences and rescue location filming took about two weeks at the base. Most of the time the F-14 guys were just flying very slow loops just above stall speed.

There was a F-14 with two Zero kill decals on the base.

The communications unit had a message station at the control tower so we could hangout near the flight line.

 

Hello,

Broken motor in mid air:

Bertus

 

Hello,

Broken motor in mid air:

Bertus

What's a normal turbine's rpm's? ... about 10,000? ... it's an amazing engineering job designing such a thing that can withstand a few broken blades without the entire engine disintegrating and coming appart in mid air

 

I saw final countdown in the 80s and rewatched it last night

 

I saw final countdown in the 80s and rewatched it last night

In the spirit of the movie:

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-five-maneuvers-that-were-prohibited-in-the-f-14-tom-1757179036

 

Just for fun. And yes, I'm glad I'm not a passenger:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...s-board-last-ever-flight-666-hel-friday-13th/