Non-RV: Blue Angels Link-pix of pulling 'g's

Vern · #1 05-02-2006, 02:58 PM

The Blue Angels were in Atlanta this past weekend. A local reporter got an F-18 ride and the pix of his g (in)tolerance is very revealing.

Enjoy!

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/extra/blueangels

N941WR · #2 05-02-2006, 03:07 PM

From the start of the flick to 7,000 feet in one minute fourty seconds! I want one, just not the fuel bill.

gmcjetpilot · #3 05-02-2006, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N941WR

From the start of the flick to 7,000 feet in one minute fourty seconds! I want one, just not the fuel bill.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha tooooo funny, scene 2, he goes grey to black THREE TIMES! He acts tough in scene one, for the initial climb.

I keep seeing random journalist get the Blue Angle rides?

How come Steve Beatty, of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (who?) gets a ride. I understand they are promoting a local airshow and the Angles mission is to promote the Navy, which is goodness, but check out this tie-dyed wearing guy in scene 4. I guess I am just jealous, but aren't there other people they can take up to promote the Navy? Doug, Van?

Bill, I think the F18 can do better than 7,000 in 45 seconds. It is almost doing 250 kts straight up. In theory it could do it in 15 seconds! That is a little better than a RV.

George

rv8ch · #4 05-02-2006, 03:59 PM

Amazing climb performance. Looks like one of those old WWII V2 rocket launch videos.

N62XS · #5 05-02-2006, 05:11 PM

Don't know this guy, but when I was shooting, this rag was overrun with bleeding heart, tree hugging, McGovern loving whatumacallits that never had a positive thing to say about our armed services. They even criticize the Braves!

I got the same ride in 1987 at MCAS Beaufort. It was an honor to be selected and one of the memories I will carry with me to the grave. The Blue Angels are one of the most outstanding groups I have ever met. They serve as one of the best ambassadors of the Navy and our country. I just hate to see the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation put this up and have someone feel sorry for this guy.

Sorry for the rant. Doug will probably give me a strike one over it, but just gotta try. Furman Bisher and Lewis Grizzard were the last patriotic writers at this rag and they were sports and comedy. The paper used to cover the south like the dew, but now its more like an infestation of kudzu.

Sorry, really sorry!

[Inserted by Doug: Strike one <g>! Now stop talking like that!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!]

briand · #6 05-02-2006, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmcjetpilot

Bill, I think the F18 can do better than 7,000 in 45 seconds. It is almost doing 250 kts straight up. In theory it could do it in 15 seconds! That is a little better than a RV.

George

I think they can easily do 30000 in about 30 seconds if they want, and of course receive clearance. There was a F-18 1-seater (not a Blue Angel) @ KGRR a few years back, me and a few of my coworkers got to go meet the pilot and crawl all over the aircraft. He told us he would request an "unrestricted" take-off and the tower must have granted his request. He went vertical less than 50' above the runway, it had to be less than 30 seconds and he was at 30,000. Pretty cool.

gmcjetpilot · #7 05-03-2006, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briand

I think they can easily do 30000 in about 30 seconds if they want, and of course receive clearance. There was a F-18 1-seater (not a Blue Angel) @ KGRR a few years back, me and a few of my coworkers got to go meet the pilot and crawl all over the aircraft. He told us he would request an "unrestricted" take-off and the tower must have granted his request. He went vertical less than 50' above the runway, it had to be less than 30 seconds and he was at 30,000. Pretty cool.

Well to put it into perspective I was wondering what what the record was. I found this, not sure if the latest, correct me if I am wrong, but just for fun:

On 10 March 1987 and 23 March 1988 (Air International, Sep89, pg 156) the P-42 (A stripped down SU-27), flown by Sukhoi test pilots established 27 new world time-to-height/climb records which were formally held by the McAir "Streak Eagle" F-15 on 16 January 1975 flown by Majors Roger Smith and Willard MacFarlane. The new records included:

? 25.373 seconds to 3,000 meters (9,842 feet)
? 36.050 seconds to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet)
? 44.176 seconds to 9,000 meters (29,527 feet)
? 55.542 seconds to 12,000 meters (39,370 feet)
? 70.329 seconds to 15,000 meters (49,213 feet)

So you are correct 30 seconds is in the ball park to 30,000 feet. These '87 records (44.176 sec) may have been broken? The plane used in '87 was a specially modified for time-to-climb records.

To put some perspective on the Piston records, Bruce Bohannon has set some records in a RV-4! (Well RV-4/Custom/Rocket)

Bruce Bohannon Flyin' Tiger took the time to climb to
9,000 meters (29,527 feet) (16 minutes, 3 seconds),
12,000 meters (39,370 feet) (31 minutes 3 seconds).

So assuming similar performance from the "P-48", a light F-18 could get to 7,000 feet (ratio the 3,000 meter time above) in approx 18 seconds. I think I said 15 seconds, so I was close.

Looking at the record climbs above, for every 3,000 meters (9842 ft) got faster up to 40,000 feet. From 9k to 12k meters Avg climb was over 72,600 FPM. The average climb to 30,000 to 50,000 feet was over 41,500 FPM! The crazy thing, its accelerating to 30,000 feet! It kind of takes the PUFF out of shirt about my initial 3,000 feet per min climb, I thought was hot stuff.

Cool George

Kevin Horton · #8 05-03-2006, 05:39 AM

Those time to climb records were from brake release at the start of the take off roll, so they included the time to accelerate on the runway and the time to pull the nose up. The SU-27 was one of the prototypes that had all non-essential equipment removed, and they modded the engines to get more thrust. The thrust to weight ratio at with empty tanks was close to 2:1, if you can believe the info from Sukhoi

The brakes obviously wouldn't hold the aircraft at full burner, so they had a main battle tank as an anchor, with a cable connect to the aircraft to hold it in place before take-off, and an explosive device to cut the cable.

keen9a · #9 05-03-2006, 08:16 AM

Not to mention the fact that the F/A-18A is a dog compared to the F-15 that held the record previously (as dogs go, I'll still take one!). Even stripped down for the Blue Angles, Navy airplanes are really heavy compared to their Air Force counterparts. I'm thinking about 30 seconds is close.

Mike S · #10 05-03-2006, 08:38 AM

George's comment about accelerating in climb reminds me of a statement made by the announcer for the Blue Angles at a show in Reno a few years back.

The F-15 can accelerate to/through the speed of sound in a verticle climb.

Although they did not demonstrate that---Mach 1--- at the show, one of the planes did do a vert pull up, with the burners going full, incredable noise, smoke, and a really big plane getting really small in a really short time.

Mike