Tailhook Daily Briefing

Expect some Guest Author Posts for the next Coupla

Post by John Carmichael, Editor TDB

Be Advised:  Over the next couple of weeks I will be tending to a series of personal items... Getting Married will definitely increase your tasking orders! And rather than let yon gentle readers suffer without new refreshing content during my distractions... I have recruited the Guest Musings of Steeljaw Scribe, the author of our much appreciated Flight Deck Friday articles.

We welcome SJS to the "Chair" and look forward to his views.

"I stand relieved...to assume my duties in a coupla..." 

Enjoy...

-JC

Flightdeck Friday - Gasbags and Hookers

Nope, even though election season is around the corner, today's blog is not about a political convention. How about massive floating airship carriers deploying squadrons of fighters, recalling a scene from some fantastic grade-B thriller? Well, maybe. But back in the mid-1930's it wasn't all that far fetched. The Navy, in the midst of transformational experimentation with aircraft carriers, was well into the trials with lighter-than-air ships. Of these, the USS Akron and USS Macon were the most intriguing, being the largest of the Navy’s airships and equipped to carry a small compliment of fixed-wing aircraft.

 

Boeing Delivers First Production Growler to the Navy!

Photo Credit: Boeing Photo - Peter George

The US Navy took delivery of the first production EA-18G "Growler" from the Boeing Company Yesterday.  This Airframe is destined for Pax River for its "Run through the ringer."

From the Boeing Press Release: The U.S. armed forces' newest airborne electronic attack (AEA) aircraft combines the Super Hornet's proven airframe and mission systems with a next-generation airborne electronic attack suite. By using the Super Hornet airframe, the EA-18G program and the Navy can leverage the existing capabilities and known reliability and maintainability characteristics of the F/A-18E/F to provide an advanced AEA platform at a fraction of the cost and time of a completely new aircraft. Unlike the two aircraft already in flight test, the EA-18G Growler delivered today was entirely assembled and tested on the same production line as the existing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Captain Paul Overstreet, the Growler's Program manager had this to say about this new breed of Bug!

From Navy Times:

“a quantum leap in airborne electronic attack capability,”

Overstreet compared the delivery of the first Growler to the christening of a new class of ship. The Navy plans to buy 85 Growlers by 2013; the second plane will be delivered in December, and then production is scheduled to speed up. The planes are slated to first deploy with a carrier air wing in 2010.

The Blue Angels Full High Show

From this year's Saturday performance at NAS Oceana.  It is un-interrupted for the entire 42 minutes of the flight demonstration.  

This airshow footage comes to us from Airshowfansh.

Many of us have been to and seen many of Blue Angel performances (Some Tailhookers have actually flown in the Blues) but many who visit this site have not, this is a pretty good encapsulation of the Blue Angels 2007 Flight Demonstration.  Enjoy.

Gear Down... Hook Down... Damn, Nowhere to Land!

Yet... in North Carolina.  Not to say they still aren't trying.

From the Associated Press

NC offers six more sites to Navy for landing field

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Navy is considering six more potential sites in North Carolina for its jets to practice simulated carrier landings.

The Navy backed away from its preferred location in Washington and Beaufort counties after environmentalists and landowners protested. The military asked both Virginia and North Carolina officials to propose more sites.

Virginia offered 10 locations in five counties. North Carolina's additional sites were unveiled this morning at a meeting of a task force created by Gov. Mike Easley.

Two of the North Carolina sites are in Camden County and two more are in Gates County. Another is on the Jones and Onslow county border and the last straddles the Duplin-Pender line.

Rear Admiral David Anderson says he expects Navy Secretary Donald Winter to whittle the choices down to between three and five by Nov. 15.

Carrier Quals for VFA-106 on board Ike (CVN-69)

A good encompassing video of CQ onboard Ike.

Ahhh... No need for another "Revolt of the Admirals"

Announced today in Aviation Week:

Deputy Defense Secretary Kills USAF UAV Takeover

Sep 17, 2007

By Amy Butler/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England has halted the U.S. Air Force's controversial push to take over management of the Pentagon's growing Unmanned Air System (UAS) fleet.

USAF Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley made the proposal in a March 5 memo to take over management of all Pentagon UAS programs. It was met with ire from officials in the Army and Navy (DAILY, March 26).

Moseley had proposed to consolidate operational control of UASs flying over 3,500 feet (including Army and special operations tactical UAS) under the control of a regional Air Force officer. The Army, in particular, fought against this proposal, arguing that such a leadership shift is perilous to take on while operations continue in Iraq and Afghanistan and that their commanders must maintain operational control over their UAS to ensure freedom to maneuver in battle...

Also noted:

This decision also relieves the Navy of concerns that the Air Force could subsume oversight of its high-dollar UAS contracts - including the Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator recently awarded to Northrop Grumman and a soon-to-be-decided Broad Area Maritime Surveillance contract.

Thus ending the potential for the repeat of history in marking one's territory and petitioning for budgetary allocations in a burgeoning new aerial arena.

Flightdeck Friday: Flattop Oddities

Over the years, the acreage afforded by carriers from the Essex through Nimitz-classes have stirred some creative thinking as to what might be launched and/or recovered therein. Of course, everyone should remember the specially configured P2V-3C's that provided an iterim nuclear capability until the AJ Savage could come along. Along the way, though have been some other notables:

The C-130 COD:

The USS Forrestal (CV 59) conducted trials in October 1963 using a Marine Corps KC-130F. The motivation for these tests, ordered by the Chief of Naval Operations, was to determine the feasibility of using the existing C-130 aircraft as a long-range carrier onboard delivery (COD) transport. At the time, the Navy was using the C-1 Trader for COD duties, but the plane was limited to a rather small payload and a 300 mile (480 km) range. When operating far out at sea, carriers were unable to receive desperately needed supplies without steaming closer in to shore. It was hoped that the larger, long-range C-130 would be able to address that deficiency. Initial flight testing began on 30 October when the C-130 made its first landing on the Forrestal into a 40-knot wind. Helping to guide the C-130 along the deck was a special dashed centerline, visible in the above image. Even with this line, however, the aircraft's wingtip cleared the carrier's island by less than 15 ft (4.6 m).

Perhaps one of the most amazing accomplishments of the plane was described by Lockheed pilot Ted Limmer, who had qualified test pilot LT Flatley to fly the C-130. "The last landing I participated in, we touched down about 150 feet from the end, stopped in 270 feet more and launched from that position, using what was left of the deck. We still had a couple hundred feet left when we lifted off. Admiral Brown was flabbergasted."

All told, the flight tests included 29 touch-and-go landings, 21 unarrested full-stop landings, and 21 unassisted takeoffs at gross weights ranging from 85,000 lb (38,555 kg) to 121,000 lb (54,885 kg). At the lower weight, the aircraft managed to come to a complete stop in only 267 ft (81 m), which is little more than double the plane's wingspan. Even at maximum weight, the C-130 required only 745 ft (227 m) for takeoff and 460 ft (140 m) for landing. Landings were made shorter by reversing the propellers while the aircraft was still a few feet above the flight deck. (h/t aerospaceweb.org)

Mr. Daly... Can you keep it down! I'm Trying to Hear the Blue Angles!

Victory for the Blues!  Sort of... Of course this means they'll have to perform in San Francisco!

 

Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy photo by Journalist Seaman S. C. Irwin

From the San Francisco Chronicle: Dateline Sept. 12, 2007

Blue Angels Ban Fails Again

Another attempt by San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly to permanently ban the Blue Angels from flying over the city was blocked Tuesday night.

Daly previously introduced a non-binding resolution calling on the Port of San Francisco to end the annual air show, but a board legislative committee refused to send it on to the supervisors chambers for a vote..

His reasons for not wanting the Blues in San Francisco...

...Daly also has raised concern over the noise created by the roaring jets, stating that the jets "terrorize small children, seniors, pets, local wildlife" and war veterans who may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.

"TERRORIZES"!!!  The Noise created... Terrorizes!!!!!  Well hell!  How about for those of us for whom the SOUND of 12 GE F-404-400 in FULL BLOWER is one of the most comforting sounds in the world!  It is usually quite discomforting to the ENEMY! ... Hey wait!... Maybe I'm on to something here!

Jus' say'n!

A Phun Philm Phor Phantom Phans!

E-mailed to me from a Phan! A little stroll down memory lane for you Phantom Phliers. [link]

Some good clips from VF-74 on board USS Forrestal (CVA-59) and a number of others.

Above: VF-74 F-4J traps aboard USS America (CV-66)- Date Unknown.