Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] OT Low Flying, was an OM weekend

Subject: Re: [OM] OT Low Flying, was an OM weekend
From: Chris Barker <imagopus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 06:25:42 +0100
Cue stories, thanks Gary :>)

1.  Vapour occurrence: During tactical weapons training at RAf Brawdy
I flew the Hawker Hunter (Marks: F6, F6A, FGA9, T7 and T8M).  The
final sortie of the course was, rather boldly, a solo, singleton one
(little student on his own with no one to watch/supervise) and it was
the tradition among the students to rejoin the circuit as fast as an
Avon turbojet could push it.  I came home at about 540knots (with the
power back, I could have gone faster) and I noticed movement outside
the canopy from the the corner of my eye.  It was a little wisp of
vapour condensed behind what must have been an imperfection in the
canopy.  I don't know what the rest of the aircraft looked like
because I did not look, but I imagine the wings would have been
misted-out.   540kts is about 120 below the Mach on a standard day
(ISA = 15deg C, 1013.25mb atmospheric pressure at sea level).
Although there would have been no sonic boom, the Hunter made a
lovely, loud groaning nose (the "blue note") at speeds above 500kts.

2.  Sonic boom close by: I was playing with a pair of Tomcats from
Mirmar out over the sea; I was in an F16C.  My brief, as the baddie,
was to approach the pair of "goodies" (the USN like being the goodies
btw) at M1.6.  This represented a Mig 27 I suppose.  I did as I was
asked and I "shot down" a pair of Tomcats as I always liked to do
(not counting long-range face shots of course, they were better at
that ;-)).  On the ground, the pilot of the Tomcat that had come
closest at 180deg on the merge asked what I had been doing.  "M1.6" I
answered, "as you requested".  He and his RIO had been completely
distracted by the sonic boom through his canopy as we passed within
about 200 yards (his choice, as the shooter/eyeball tactics dictated)
and had failed to follow through his side of the fight contract.  The
baddie won...

3.  ... which reminds me of the F18s from Beaufort...

No.  This an OM List :-)

Chris

p.s. "knots" = nautical miles per hour which is about 1.15 x mph. cb
At 20:56 -0500 16/9/02, Gary Edwards wrote:

of fully developed supersonic flow.  If that Tomcat had really been
supersonic, I assure you, at that proximity the sonic boom would have been
an event you would never forget. And, as Chris Barker can tell you,
exceeding Mach 1 low and with witnesses is a good way for that pilot to
newer have that opportunity again.

Gary Edwards

--
<|_:-)_|>

C M I Barker
Cambridgeshire, Great Britain.
?
+44 (0)7092 251126
mailto:imagopus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.threeshoes.co.uk
... a nascent photo library.

< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz