Hornetball's Build #3
#1
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Hornetball's Build #3
Well, not really. I've been swamped at work lately so haven't been doing a lot of car stuff. Fortunately, my work involves airplanes. I'm still burning up my carbon credits!
Last week went to Wichita to do some avionics work with Textron on their #1 Scorpion prototype. Some pixs:
The Scorpion:
My ride. This is a Beechcraft Baron parked and dripping oil in the Cessna flight test hangar. Had to laugh! Textron recently bought Beech from Raytheon, so the techs, test pilots and I had fun calling it a Cessna Baron.
This is what I do:
Wheeeeeee!!!!!
Kansas:
The Scorpion test pilots are old Navy Hornet types too. It was fun to talk about the old days and how great we were. LOL.
Last week went to Wichita to do some avionics work with Textron on their #1 Scorpion prototype. Some pixs:
The Scorpion:
My ride. This is a Beechcraft Baron parked and dripping oil in the Cessna flight test hangar. Had to laugh! Textron recently bought Beech from Raytheon, so the techs, test pilots and I had fun calling it a Cessna Baron.
This is what I do:
Wheeeeeee!!!!!
Kansas:
The Scorpion test pilots are old Navy Hornet types too. It was fun to talk about the old days and how great we were. LOL.
#3
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Then I flew to Pensacola to visit my folks and go to the Blue Angels homecoming airshow. Saw some cool stuff.
Matching Piper Twin Comanche and Austin Healey. Both beautiful:
Silver-haired chrome-dome.
A-4 Skyhawk. I LOVE this airplane. This is the Miata of Naval Aviation. Simple, small and quick. Flies like a dream. When used as an aggressor and flown by someone old and treacherous, it would regularly spank young hotshots in F-14s and F/A-18s (that part of the movie "TopGun" was accurate). Reminds me of well-driven Miatas beating up Mustangs, Vettes and Porsches on track.
This aircraft is painted up as a Rampager (VA-83). The Rampagers saw action in North Vietnam first flying these and then A-7s. I joined the Rampagers when they transitioned from A-7s to F/A-18s and went with them to the Red Sea for Gulf I. The squadron always deployed on either Forrestal or (usually) Saratoga during these decades. Both of these ships are now being dismantled in Brownsville, but VFA-83 lives on!
Matching Piper Twin Comanche and Austin Healey. Both beautiful:
Silver-haired chrome-dome.
A-4 Skyhawk. I LOVE this airplane. This is the Miata of Naval Aviation. Simple, small and quick. Flies like a dream. When used as an aggressor and flown by someone old and treacherous, it would regularly spank young hotshots in F-14s and F/A-18s (that part of the movie "TopGun" was accurate). Reminds me of well-driven Miatas beating up Mustangs, Vettes and Porsches on track.
This aircraft is painted up as a Rampager (VA-83). The Rampagers saw action in North Vietnam first flying these and then A-7s. I joined the Rampagers when they transitioned from A-7s to F/A-18s and went with them to the Red Sea for Gulf I. The squadron always deployed on either Forrestal or (usually) Saratoga during these decades. Both of these ships are now being dismantled in Brownsville, but VFA-83 lives on!
Last edited by hornetball; 11-10-2014 at 08:43 PM.
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The Scorpion is a big gamble by Textron. They're betting that a low-cost of operation jet that can do low-threat environment ISR and limited strike missions has a market in the current tight-budget environment. Could be a trainer too. This is prototype #1. I hope they sell some because then I'll sell equipment!
Home - Textron AirLand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textron_AirLand_Scorpion
Home - Textron AirLand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textron_AirLand_Scorpion
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It has hardpoints. Non-stealth (low-threat environment, which is most theaters these days).
Between the engines is a huge pod area. The idea is that the pods can be quickly swapped out to hold different electronic packages for different missions.
It's a really simple aircraft so should keep costs down. Textron built this thing in less than a year (we were scrambling) and got it to the Farnborough airshow. It made it there and the FA-35 didn't. Press had a field day with that.
Between the engines is a huge pod area. The idea is that the pods can be quickly swapped out to hold different electronic packages for different missions.
It's a really simple aircraft so should keep costs down. Textron built this thing in less than a year (we were scrambling) and got it to the Farnborough airshow. It made it there and the FA-35 didn't. Press had a field day with that.
#13
I say this as an electrical engineer with only a passing familiarity with aircraft design and only reading about air combat.
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I always found that the Tomcats had three issues:
1. Size. They're friggin' huge. You can see them forever.
2. 1 person too many. They used to say that having an extra set of eyes was a benefit. But remember, the guy in the backseat is sitting there because his eyes aren't that good. And splitting the responsibility meant that some pilots got lazy about looking.
3. Complex, unreliable systems. They were "leadnose" pretty often.
The jet itself was pretty nice. Fast. Good power. With the wings forward could turn well.
The standoff range wasn't a factor. Outside of WWIII, rules of engagement never let you use the capability.
All that said, what I was really trying to convey is that the A-4 is just plain fun to fly. Like a Miata. If the Navy were to dangle the metaphorical keys to an A-4 or an F/A-18 in front of me for a joyride this afternoon, I'd take the A-4.
1. Size. They're friggin' huge. You can see them forever.
2. 1 person too many. They used to say that having an extra set of eyes was a benefit. But remember, the guy in the backseat is sitting there because his eyes aren't that good. And splitting the responsibility meant that some pilots got lazy about looking.
3. Complex, unreliable systems. They were "leadnose" pretty often.
The jet itself was pretty nice. Fast. Good power. With the wings forward could turn well.
The standoff range wasn't a factor. Outside of WWIII, rules of engagement never let you use the capability.
All that said, what I was really trying to convey is that the A-4 is just plain fun to fly. Like a Miata. If the Navy were to dangle the metaphorical keys to an A-4 or an F/A-18 in front of me for a joyride this afternoon, I'd take the A-4.
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Tomkitties were always everyone's favorite jet to watch at night on the PLAT camera. Something exciting happened every night.
They were also a constant presence in my HUD tapes.
LOLOLOLOL!!!
They were also a constant presence in my HUD tapes.
LOLOLOLOL!!!
Last edited by hornetball; 11-14-2014 at 01:30 PM.
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