OT but is this photo real?

[Peashooter]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Ah, but an F-15 will fly with only one wing...

http://www.strangevehicles.com/content/item/110099.html>http://www.strangevehicles.com/content/item/110099.html

[MRussell]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Ah, but an F-15 will fly with only one wing...

http://www.strangevehicles.com/content/item/110099.html>http://www.strangevehicles.com/content/item/110099.html

Despite the write-up, that's still hard to believe. I wonder why the tail hook is not visible in the picture of the aircraft on short final? He said it was down. Also, does that AOA (with combination of full surfboard and the remaining flap being down) look appropriate for a 260KIAS touchdown? Great story, regardless.

[Simplymag]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

The pictured 'E' model was out of Keflavik and was a predawn launch whereby the preflight failed to notice the red pin sticking up from the wing indication a wing unlock. The wings folded at lift off which occurred at 250kts. It was an uncontrollable pitch-up until rudder roll was used to control pitch. After confessing his sins to the Command post he made a successful arrested landing after tearing out two barriers. I believe the pilot went into another line of work. The Navy was the first one to fly this configuration but I don't know if it was carrier launched.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

An F-4 doesn't fly. Now, the two J-79s on the other hand, they'll fly even when bolted to an F-4

Proof that if you put enough power to something... It WILL fly!

[FlyKidChris]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

From many years ago, I recall a story about an F8 Crusader taking off with the wings folded; I searched Google and found a link to a photo:

http://www.vmf235.com/f8_wingsfolded.jpg

The nearby paragraph states that it's been done 5 times including a Skyraider launch during the Korean war.

[John]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Ah, but an F-15 will fly with only one wing...

http://www.strangevehicles.com/content/item/110099.html>http://www.strangevehicles.com/content/item/110099.html

Maybe it was the ordnance load on the port wing which allowed this to
happen. Very hard to believe though.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Along with the written word, I saw the one-wing Eagle on a television program that had some actual footage of the aircraft in flight and post-landing. The footage certainly looked believable enough. I guess the fuselage produced enough lift at 250+ mph to provide sufficent control.

I must say though, the lowered flap on the good wing seems suspicious. You would think that lowering it would increase the tendency to roll to the right. if I hadn't seen the video myself then I would probably assume the pics were photoshopped only for that reason.

[MRussell]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Along with the written word, I saw the one-wing Eagle on a television program that had some actual footage of the aircraft in flight and post-landing. The footage certainly looked believable enough. I guess the fuselage produced enough lift at 250+ mph to provide sufficent control.

I must say though, the lowered flap on the good wing seems suspicious. You would think that lowering it would increase the tendency to roll to the right. if I hadn't seen the video myself then I would probably assume the pics were photoshopped only for that reason.

That is craziness... his estimated touchdown speed of 260KIAS is 299mph, which sounds like high enough speed for control authority, but I agree the flap down and surfboard up (along with the AOA and absence of the tailhook) make no sense to me, a non-fighter-pilot. I'd like to hear from the real F15 pilot on this...

On a slightly-related topic, does anyone have that HUD footage of the deadstick landing in the F16 from a few years back? It's one of my fav clips of all time.

[mailman77327]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

http://www.mofak.com/Night_Infamy.htm

found this link on the f-8
chris

[AirDOGGe]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

(after the wings-up landing and a severe chewing-out by the C.O.) The pilot was medivacked to CONUS with a fractured vertebrae and a tooth-shredded rectal orifice

Lol!

Thanx for that link Mailman. That was entertaining.

[W J Pearce]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Along with the written word, I saw the one-wing Eagle on a television program that had some actual footage of the aircraft in flight and post-landing. The footage certainly looked believable enough. I guess the fuselage produced enough lift at 250+ mph to provide sufficent control.

I must say though, the lowered flap on the good wing seems suspicious. You would think that lowering it would increase the tendency to roll to the right. if I hadn't seen the video myself then I would probably assume the pics were photoshopped only for that reason.

On the F-15, the photos on the left (of the plane landing) were computer enhanced for the History Channel program on the F-15. The photos on the right are of the real deal. So your suspicions are valid regarding no hook, flap and AoA.

If I remember correctly, Randy Hacker Haskins was in the same show.

[Unregistered]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Despite the write-up, that's still hard to believe. I wonder why the tail hook is not visible in the picture of the aircraft on short final? He said it was down. Also, does that AOA (with combination of full surfboard and the remaining flap being down) look appropriate for a 260KIAS touchdown? Great story, regardless.

Tailhook? Hmmnn...I didn't know the Navy flew F-15's? I can't believe no one else thinks that's odd. Maybe it's something I don't know about. Seems a little odd to have to embelish the story like it isn't incredible enough.


I know the F-4 one is possible. Talked to an F-4 driver Moday night and he had seen it so good enough for me. As for the -15, the flap would be a big no-no and cause unwanted roll in a bad enough situation already.

Red

[King]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

Off topic from this off topic discussion.

I guess about 15 years, or so, ago a Cessna 172 was performing slow flight manuevers, student and instructor, just west of San Antonio, TX when a T-38 blasted through them. The vertical of the T-38 removed everything forward of the firewall on the 172, including the nose gear. The T-38 flew on and the IP and student ejected and the plane became the proverbial lawndart in the scrub.

The C-172 proceeded to complete a "deastick" landing on loop 1604 with no additional damage to the airplane or occupants.

Here is the synopsis from the NTSB site:

A USAF T-38 & A CESSNA 172 COLLIDED AT 4200' MSL. DRG IMPACT, THE VERTICAL STABILIZER OF THE T-38 STRUCK THE RGT SIDE OF THE 172'S ENG. THE ENG SEPD & THE 172 PLTS LNDD ON A ROAD. THE T-38 DSCNDD OUT OF CTL, BUT THE T-38 PLTS EJECTED SAFELY. BFR IMPACT, THE STUDENT IN THE 172 (WITH A VISION RESTRICTING DEVICE) & HIS INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WERE PRACTICING AIR WORK MNVRS. THE TANDEM SEAT T-38A (WITH AN INSTRUCTOR PLT IN THE BACK SEAT & A RATED PLT IN THE FNT SEAT) WERE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ILS RWY 33 APCH TO KELLY AFB. THE T-38'S SPD WAS ABOUT 330 KTS; THE SPD LIMITATION OF 250 KTS HAD BEEN WAIVED FOR T-38 ACFT, DUE TO THE ACFT'S LACK OF CONTROLLABILITY AT THE LOWER SPD. THE 172 WAS EQUIPPED WITH A TRANSPONDER, BUT IT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH MODE C. THE T-38 WAS EQUIPPED WITH A MODE C TRANSPONDER. BOTH ACFT WERE IN RADIO CTC WITH THE SAN ANTONIO SOUTH DEP CTLR, BUT ABT 3 MIN BFR THE COLLISION, RADAR SVC WITH THE 172 HAD BEEN TRMTD.

[Randy Haskin]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

If I remember correctly, Randy Hacker Haskins was in the same show.

Yep, that's true. The name of the program was "Heavy Metal" and was originally shown on the History Channel in October 2003. It's been since replayed on both the History Channel and Discovery Channel.

The guy with the 1-wing F-15 from Israel was/is the real deal. He had several photographs with him when he was doing his interview.

[Randy Haskin]

Re: OT but is this photo real?

a Cessna 172 was performing slow flight manuevers, student and instructor, just west of San Antonio, TX when a T-38 blasted through them.

Alternately: A T-38 was flying on an IFR clearance, under positive control from ATC on vectors to an ILS, when a C-172 (which was not abiding by see-and-avoid rules) *blasted* through them.