Cool Photo of USAF Thunderbird Ejection

[Ron 10]

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For some odd reason"??????? All aircraft set their altimeter to MSL.

When I was flying acro I was told to set it to Zero on the ground....

That way you know high high you are above the ground without having to subtract....

for all other types of aviation I believe you are correct for the reasons you gave.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[wingnut 0]

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flaps just go down.

actally the leading edge flaps on a f-16 go up too!!!!!

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Here's a question. Looks like his afterburner is on. After an ejection, does the power stay where the pilot left it, or does the aircraft shut down? I'm just picturing an F-16 flying away with no pilot

it stays on.... the ejection from an a-10 i witnessed had the guys from the end of runway inspection area run over and shut it's engines off when it nosed into the golf course.... there was an issue of an a-6 that took off from a carrier and the piots ejected cuz it was going to crash into the water on takeoff.. the reduced weight f the plane after the pilots and seats left let it clmb and not hit the water.. they had to launch another plane to shoot it down....

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[diablopilot 2]

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"For some odd reason"??????? All aircraft set their altimeter to MSL.

Pilots flying acrobatic routines often just set to local zero, so they instanly can know what thier altitude AGL is.

On cross country flights one of the pieces of information any tower or flight services will give you is the barometer setting to reurn your Alti to MSL.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[chuteless 1]

At a nmajor air shiow in Canada (often featuring the Blue Angels or the Thundferbirds) they keep their alt at MSL, mainly because they fly over such a wide area of altered landscape. They could take off at one base ado their performance over Lake Ontario waterfront, and then carry on to another base....often in another country.

Acro flying directly over the landing area, its understandable to set it at zero.

At one show, I wwas the first person toget to the body of a Blue Angel pilot...and his crash wasnt due to a false altimeter setting, he just turned over his aircraft and touched the water with a wingtip.




Bill Cole

[Duckwater 0]

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All aircraft set their altimeter to MSL. If they were to set it like jumpers, at zero in New York, he would have one heck of a landing in Denver which is 5000+ ft asl. Jumpers set it at zero on the field and jump on the same field.

All civilian airshow pilots set their altimiters to 'zero' at the current field elevation. Same thing as skydiving. Imagine having to subtract field elevation from MSL at pull time. This is what the Thunderbirds have to do at every maneuver and I still dont know a good reason for it.

If you are not going anywhere, MSL is pointless. This is rule #1 to get your low level competency card from ICAS. Also, thae maneuver the thunderbird did, a reverse half cuban, is a big no-no in the airshow world. It leaves no room for error, obviously. We are trained to adjust our maneuvers for higher density altitude but ALWAYS set the altimiter to zero.

Mike

[freeflir29 0]

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After an ejection, does the power stay where the pilot left it, or does the aircraft shut down? I'm just picturing an F-16 flying away with no pilot...

Good question.....The one time I actually witnessed an ejection it was an F-16 who had lost THE engine. So....I have no idea....

[jumper03 0]

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Here's a question. Looks like his afterburner is on. After an ejection, does the power stay where the pilot left it, or does the aircraft shut down? I'm just picturing an F-16 flying away with no pilot...
Dave

Is that the afterburner or perhaps the rockets on the ejection seat you are seeing?

Jump

Scars remind us that the past is real

[pilotdave 0]

Nope, sure looks like the afterburner's on to me.

Dave

[freeflir29 0]

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sure looks like the afterburner's on to me.

I'm sure it is.....that guy was trying to get all the power he could to stay away from the big whirling planet. It was far too late though. As you can tell by the vapor off the wings it is in a high speed stall. He put himself way too far in the corner.

[FunBobby 0]

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As you can tell by the vapor off the wings it is in a high speed stall. He put himself way too far in the corner.

Not necessarily - in fact, I doubt it. His flight path may have taken his jet into the dirt, but vapors on the wings don't necessarily mean he's in a stall - high AOA, max performance pull, yes. Jets over the carrier routinely flash vapors in the break, and they're not stalling.

Here, he didn't have the room to finish the Split S or the maneuvering authority to save the aircraft once he realized that. Stall? Nah.

FunBobby

[freeflir29 0]

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Jets over the carrier routinely flash vapors in the break, and they're not stalling.

True.....but I figured it was a safe assumption under the circumstances. On second thought though.....I'm not sure the computers will let you get into a high speed stall. Really don't know though. Only time I ever got to fly one was from the back seat of a Block 40 at 25,000 ft.

[Duckwater 0]

All the flames you see are from the rockets on the ejection seat. You can see a bit of the burner (bluish flame) at the bottom of the pic. And, the F-16 cant 'stall' in the traditional sense. The computer wont let it. Actually, the control stick doesn't even move, it just senses pressure. You apply maximum pressure and the computer will give you the highest angle of attack possible for the given airspeed.

Mike

[rhino 0]

I've got a few hours in the f16 simulator.. It was tons of fun... I've also been in the A10 simulator, F4 phantom simulator "Wild Weasel" in Germany..

I'd love to have one of those things in my house.. So much fun to fly..

That guy screwed up big time.. Hook turn with an f16 gone bad.. I'm impressed with how quickly that ejection seat got him out though.. That's amazing..

Was it automatic or did he actually punch out?

Rhino

[freeflir29 0]

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Was it automatic or did he actually punch out?

You have to pull the handle. It's between your legs on most of the newer fighters.

[FunBobby 0]

My $.02 -

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All civilian airshow pilots set their altimiters to 'zero' at the current field elevation. Same thing as skydiving. Imagine having to subtract field elevation from MSL at pull time. This is what the Thunderbirds have to do at every maneuver and I still dont know a good reason for it.

For one thing, they, like all tacair pilots, have ready reference to AGL with their radar altimeters. For another thing, they fly in formation, and that formation periodically breaks and rejoins. They all must have a common reference – the same altimeter MSL setting – to help them get to the same point in the sky.

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If you are not going anywhere, MSL is pointless.

I completely disagree. If a pilot is talking to ATC - even if he isn't, for that matter, he must have the correct altimeter setting to make sure he’s at the right altitude in the sky. VFR and IFR aircraft near terminal areas are separated by a mere 500 feet.

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Also, thae maneuver the thunderbird did, a reverse half cuban, is a big no-no in the airshow world. It leaves no room for error, obviously. We are trained to adjust our maneuvers for higher density altitude but ALWAYS set the altimiter to zero.

Mike

Ummm, he was doing a Split S, which is perfectly legal. Very different from a “Reverse Half Cuban Eight” – what is that? (see attached) And if you did one, would you fly away inverted?

Bobby

Edited to add diagrams

[diablopilot 2]

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Ummm, he was doing a Split S, which is perfectly legal.

Whre did you find those diagrams, and if is considered a Split S if he entered the manuver and completed his roll while in a climb?

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Duckwater 0]

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Ummm, he was doing a Split S, which is perfectly legal. Very different from a “Reverse Half Cuban Eight” – what is that? (see attached) And if you did one, would you fly away inverted?

Ummmm...No, he was doing a Reverse Cuban Eight. He was on takeoff, pulled to a 45 degree upline or so, rolled inverted and pulled. The opposite of your Cuban Eight figure, therfore a Reverse Half Cuban. Had he been straight and level at 2000' or so and rooled and pulled, that would have been a Split S.

Watch the plane in this animated .gif. It is exactly what the F-16 did.

http://www.sanantoniorc.com/page/reverse%20cuban.htm

Mike
1500 Aerobatic Hours

[FunBobby 0]

Ummmmm......Ok.

Hadn't seen the video, trusted what I had read in the press.

Can't believe everything you read, but video doesn't lie.....

Bobby
Not as many aerobatic hours as Mike

[diablopilot 2]

That's what I thought.

So why is a Cuban 8 a no-no in civilian Acro?


Oh and we miss ya around here Mike. No one screams across the bar "Hey are your tits bigger?" like you.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[FunBobby 0]

I drew the diagrams.

And as our esteemed aerobatic pilot Mike points out, it was indeed a reverse half cuban eight.

FunBobby

[FunBobby 0]

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So why is a Cuban 8 a no-no in civilian Acro?

Or perhaps a reverse half cuban eight instead?

Excuse me while I step out on a limb again. I have a hard time believing that the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels would intentionally perform a prohibited maneuver in their routine, especially with the number of airshows they do, the visibility, exposure, and the intense scrutiny they get.

Bobby

[diablopilot 2]

Ah but if we make a comparison between civilian skydiving demos vs. military skydiving demos, and civilian acro vs. military acro, we may find that the restricted manuvers do not apply for militay pilots.

Just a guess.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Duckwater 0]

Nothing is "prohibited" except directing energy at the crowd. If you want to make a grease spot on the tarmac, nobody is stopping you. There is a huge difference in tthe safety of a low half cuban (relatively safe and easy to fix a screw up) and a reverse half cuban (no room for error).

Think of it as doing a hook turn and needing to dig out of it in brakes hard every time, sooner or later....

The audience does not know the difference in many airshow maneuvers, so why do the really dangerous ones? They like noise and smoke. Proof: Got to an airshow. The thing that gets EVERYONE on their feet is the Jet 18 wheeler.

[diablopilot 2]

Been going to them since I was a boy. I never get tired of it.

I assumed when you said "big no-no" you meant it was agains some FAA rules.

Thanks for the clarification.


Oh, and Mike? Frank doesn't like cats.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Viking 0]

I grabbed the last couple of frames from the video when its all black and took them into photoshop.........this is what i got.

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin