Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

[FastEagle]

During our last visit to Harrah's Cherokee Casino (NC) I found this little blue angel on display at a men's shop. Sorry, I didn't check the price as we were just window-shopping on the way back to our room.

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by FastEagle

During our last visit to Harrah's Cherokee Casino (NC) I found this little blue angel on display at a men's shop. Sorry, I didn't check the price as we were just window-shopping on the way back to our room.

Attachment 311563

Is that a Blue Angels watch behind it?

[FL420]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Is that a Blue Angels watch behind it?

Funny you should mention a Blue Angels watch. In the late 90s or early aughts I was perusing the Duty Free shop in the Aruba air terminal while our airplane was being refueled and reprovisioned for our return to the States.
The liquor prices weren't nearly as good as other places we went in the Caribbean so I took a look at some watches. I immediately spotted the most beautiful blue-faced watch I had ever seen. It was a Blue Angels model by Breitling.
Problem. The price was $3,450USD. Another problem. Although I had taught F-4J ground school to a couple of Blue Angels about 10 years earlier I could never have worn a Blue Angels watch having never been a member. At least not in public.[emoji3064]
[emoji40]

[zipmart]

Merry Christmas!!!

[FastEagle]

Because I had a long - 12 year - association with the A7 aircraft, I have a lot of A7 pictures. I seemed to always have had good friends in VA-86. Here is one of their birds lined-up on a waist cat waiting for the RA5 - already in burner - to shoot. The RA5 normally had the same J79 engines as the F4 Phantom II.

[FL420]

Originally Posted by FastEagle

Because I had a long - 12 year - association with the A7 aircraft, I have a lot of A7 pictures. I seemed to always have had good friends in VA-86. Here is one of their birds lined-up on a waist cat waiting for the RA5 - already in burner - to shoot. The RA5 normally had the same J79 engines as the F4 Phantom II.

Attachment 312958

That's one good lookin' airplane, ain't it?[emoji56]
[emoji40]

[garry1p]

This one used to be on the USS George Washington.

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by FL420

That's one good lookin' airplane, ain't it?[emoji56]
[emoji40]

Sure is!



Looks fast, even when it's just starting to move.

Take care,
Stu

[zipmart]

I joined VA-86 as a young ensign fresh out of the RAG, and learned so much from some mighty fine CPO's who took me under their wing and showed me how to be a good officer. It was a rewarding experience and I had a great tour with the "Winders". The pic was taken during CQ on the Ike when I was going through VA-174. I've always thought the Vigi was probably the best looking plane the Navy ever had, and like previously mentioned, looked fast - even when sitting on deck.

[777 Driver]

LT j.g. Lee Nordahl was a RAN who was lost in combat on 20DEC65 in a RA-5C over North VietNam (https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/n/n016.htm).

After my selection for post college graduation training to become a Naval Aviator, I worked for a couple of summers with LT j.g. Nordahl's father. Being a young and foolish youngster, I didn't fully appreciate the burden that his father must have borne while his son was listed as MIA. To this day, my heart aches for not appreciating the pain that his father bore for his son's condition. I never knew Lee. His father was a gentleman and a gentle man.

Never forget.

Take care,
Stu

[FastEagle]

We see a lot of “cool” aircraft pictures posted here but seldom something like these EA6 Prowlers that perform electric-warfare services for the US Navy & Marine Corps.

[corn18]

Originally Posted by FastEagle

We see a lot of “cool” aircraft pictures posted here but seldom something like these EA6 Prowlers that perform electric-warfare services for the US Navy & Marine Corps.

Attachment 313235 Attachment 313236

Attachment 313237

The Porsche 928 of aviation. They put the front end in the back.

[Psneeld]

From Wikipedia....


The Prowler was in service with the U.S. Armed Forces from 1971 until 2019. It has carried out numerous missions for jamming enemy radar systems, and in gathering radio intelligence on those and other enemy air defense systems. From the 1998 retirement of the United States Air Force EF-111 Raven electronic warfare aircraft, the EA-6B was the only dedicated electronic warfare plane available for missions by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Air Force until the fielding of the Navy's EA-18G Growler in 2009. Following its last deployment in late 2014, the EA-6B was withdrawn from U.S. Navy service in June 2015, followed by the USMC in March 2019.

[FL420]

I just came across this video of an E-2C Hawkeye narrowly avoiding splashing after the #4 arresting wire aboard the USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) broke after slowing the aircraft below flying speed.
https://youtu.be/R4DtDu2DNKE
https://youtu.be/jLtLiTATtLU
Eight sailors suffered various injuries when one of the cable halves whipped back and forth where the sailors were standing behind the safety line. Cable breaks are very rare but are very often fatal to flight deck crewmen and aircrewmen if they aren't riding on an ejection seat like the 5 crew members in a Hawkeye. Double leg amputations or even torsos being cut in half by the cable are a distinct possibility.
Seeing the video was, for me, deja vu(all over again.)[emoji6] I witnessed a very similar situation involving an E-2C while a squadron observer in PriFly. I forget which of the 3 boats I served on while on my 3 cruises to SEASIA but it's immaterial.
The E-2 made a good pass on a nice sunny day when he boltered. It doesn't happen very often but sometimes you can do everything right and the hook can bounce up and over the wires and you have to go around. The pilot tried to shove both throttles forward to go around but one of them was jammed and wouldn't move. Just like in the video above the aircraft disappeared off the end of the angled deck as it settled toward the water.
PriFly is higher than the camera level in the video so I could see just a little bit of the left wingtip and a little bit of the round radar antenna. Instead of seeing a big splash of water I expected I saw water spray being kicked up as the left engine propeller at full power churned up a rooster tail. After half an eternity or so the aircraft slowly appeared as it climbed out of the ground effect which had undoubtedly saved them.
They flew a big ol' pattern while they unclenched their seat cushions, checked out the aircraft and got visual confirmation their landing gear and tailhook were in good shape before trying it again. They flew a long straight in and caught a wire.
When the fixers tore into the throttle quadrant they found a flashlight a sandcrab at PAR at NAS North Island must have left behind during depot level maintenance. PAR stands for Progressive Aircraft Rework but airdales think it stands for Paint And Return. I have refused to fly several aircraft at PAR that were released to me as airworthy because my preflight inspections revealed they were not.
If the E-2C had crashed it probably would have made national and possibly international news headlines. The Rear Admiral who was our CARDIVCDR (Carrier Division Commander) was riding in the right seat bagging some flight time and familiarizing himself with the E-2C mission.
[emoji40]