[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by Llarry

For many years -- 1950s-on -- there was a large interceptor force of the North American Air Defense Command with U.S. and Canadian fighters: F-86s, F-89s, F-94s, F-101s, F-102s, F-106s, F-4s, F-15s and F-16s off the top of my head. No Soviet bombers allowed! The remaining air defense aircraft today are just a few squadrons of aging F-15s in the Air National Guard.

Anyway, in the good (?) old days there was the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. The Voodoo was one of the early supersonic fighters and had some handling quirks that could catch the unwary pilot but was widely used by NORAD U.S. and RCAF squadrons.

Here's an F-101B Voodoo from back in the day.

Tangentially to the F-101, here's a bit of trivia that a lot of people don't know about.

Google SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment)-- and it cost more than the Manhattan Project.

This was a system in the '50's - 80's that provided semi-real-time radar coverage over the entire US and parts of Canada that essentially watched for the Soviet's coming over the horizon using nuclear-armed bombers. It was extremely high-tech for the day and provided the ability to give Ground to Air guidance to interceptors (including the F-101).

The buildings were MASSIVE-- they called them blockhouses and they were hardened against NuDet. I don't know if they would have survived a nuclear strike in the '60's, but I wouldn't bet against them.

The one at McChord AFB (near Tacoma) is still there. The concrete was so thick that they couldn't afford to destroy it..... so they turned part of it into the base library. The concrete where they (eventually) cut windows in is *really* thick (measured in feet, not inches). Since my father was the Base Commander there at one time, I got to wander around inside a bit when they were doing the conversion-- that building is HUGE, and is a part of history that's mostly forgotten.

R.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-A...nd_Environment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAGE_radar_stations

https://military-history.fandom.com/...nd_Environment

[vreihen16]

The SAGE DC-02 blockhouse at KSWF is still standing and unused. The inside is supposedly like a time capsule of the cold war, with furniture and stuff still in place.....




.

[Llarry]

Just in case the strategic bomber business did not pan out Boeing designed and built a dozen of these little puddle-jumpers in 1947. The YL-15 Scout two-seat observation plane. They were soon turned over from the Army to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for service in Alaska.

[Llarry]

A special Tomcat Thursday today. Before Tommy got two tails, he apparently had just one -- along with large ventral fins for stability.

Here are the photos of an early mockup -- 1967? Earlier?

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The YL-15 Scout two-seat observation plane.

What happened to the other half of that airplane?!?!?!?!?

[Llarry]

Here's a rare aircraft with an interesting story. The Vietnam War resulted in the loss of many RF-101C Voodoo (single-seat) photo recon aircraft. Despite the fact that the USAF was buying more modern RF-4Cs, they felt the shortage of RF-101s. In 1971-72 they converted 22 ex-RCAF F-101B interceptors to RF-101B photo recon aircraft and equipped a squadron of the Nevada Air National Guard with those airplanes for three years, after which RF-4Cs replaced the RF-101Bs.

[vreihen16]

Somebody apparently forgot to tell Ghostrider that the pattern was full.....

https://news.yahoo.com/faa-probing-c...025314858.html

FAA probing close call between Southwest flight, air traffic control tower

Kris Van Cleave
Updated Thu, April 4, 2024 at 3:56 AM EDT

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into a Southwest flight that veered off course while on approach to land at New York's LaGuardia Airport and may have buzzed the air traffic control tower with as little as 67 feet of clearance, CBS News has learned.

The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, when pilots of Southwest Flight 147 aborted their first approach because of bad weather. While on final approach of their second landing attempt, an air traffic controller is heard urgently telling the pilots of the Boeing 737 to "go around" and climb to 2,000 feet.

"Go around! Go around!" Fly runway heading, climb and maintain 2,000. Climb and maintain 2,000. 2,000," the air traffic controller said, according to a feed from liveatc.net.

The plane had apparently drifted to the east and was no longer lined up with the runway. Preliminary flight tracking data from Flightradar24 put the airliner at an altitude of 300 feet when it began to climb. The FAA said it's investigating to see if the off-course airliner flew over the 233-foot tall air traffic control tower.

Flightradar24's flight tracker map put the plane over the terminal building, not the runway. It appears the plane flew over the parking garage immediately adjacent to the air traffic control tower, based on Flightradar24's approximate track.

The same controller told the pilots a few minutes later their plane, "was not aligned with the runway at all. It was like east of final. He was not gonna land on the runway."

The airline said there were 147 passengers and six crew members on board the flight from Nashville.

Southwest told CBS News the airline is "reviewing the event as part of our Safety systems." The carrier said the plane encountered turbulence and low visibility while approaching LGA.

Southwest Flight 147 elected to briefly divert to Baltimore/Washington International Airport, where it landed safely. It then eventually landed safely in New York.

The inclement weather resulted in other go-arounds at LaGuardia, including JetBlue Flight 698, which was trying to land at about the same time. Those pilots reported encountering wind shear.

[Nighthawks]

I’m on a United flight to DEN in a MAX9. So far so good. Dinner up front was nice.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Somebody apparently forgot to tell Ghostrider that the pattern was full.....

https://news.yahoo.com/faa-probing-c...025314858.html

My first tower instructor told me a story where he was training someone and they were a bit of a know-it-all. He asked him if he had ever seen the underside of a DC9. The trainee said no, so Darrell sent an Eastern DC9 around just so the trainee could see the underside of a DC9. The tower was relatively close to the runway so the trainee got a pretty good view! This was in the glory days of ATC where we got away with a LOT! The stories I could tell....

[Llarry]

Thirty-plus years ago, the U.S. Air Force decided that Tactical Fighter Squadrons and Fighter Interceptor Squadrons would now just be called Fighter Squadrons.

Last month, though, the 18th Aggressor Squadron in Alaska, which flies F-16s, was redesignated as the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. They will probably lose their spiffy paint jobs.

I'm thinking this may presage the redesignation of a number (fewer than ten) of fighter squadrons that specialize in air defense as Fighter Interceptor Squadrons. Offhand, that would include current F-15C units in Oregon, California, Massachusetts and Florida, some of which will get F-15EXs.

What's old is new again.

EDIT: I've added a photo of one of the squadron's aircraft in the new plain livery.

[Llarry]

After some years of negotiations, one of the ex-USN Martin JRM Mars flying boat firefighting water bombers has found a new home. C-FLYL "Hawaii Mars" will be carefully prepared for a final flight to the British Columbia Aviation Museum -- probably late this year. The aircraft has not flown much in the last ten years or so; thorough checks need to be made of all systems.

The disposition of the other two surviving aircraft is not yet clear.

[Llarry]

And then there were none...this is the very last U.S. Coast Guard seaplane in service. A Grumman HU-16E Albatross that was retired from the Cape Cod station in 1983. (The last Navy HU-16E was retired in 1976.)

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

Tangentially to the F-101, here's a bit of trivia that a lot of people don't know about.

Google SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment)-- and it cost more than the Manhattan Project.

This was a system in the '50's - 80's that provided semi-real-time radar coverage over the entire US and parts of Canada that essentially watched for the Soviet's coming over the horizon using nuclear-armed bombers. It was extremely high-tech for the day and provided the ability to give Ground to Air guidance to interceptors (including the F-101).

The buildings were MASSIVE-- they called them blockhouses and they were hardened against NuDet. I don't know if they would have survived a nuclear strike in the '60's, but I wouldn't bet against them.

The one at McChord AFB (near Tacoma) is still there. The concrete was so thick that they couldn't afford to destroy it..... so they turned part of it into the base library. The concrete where they (eventually) cut windows in is *really* thick (measured in feet, not inches). Since my father was the Base Commander there at one time, I got to wander around inside a bit when they were doing the conversion-- that building is HUGE, and is a part of history that's mostly forgotten.

R.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-A...nd_Environment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAGE_radar_stations

https://military-history.fandom.com/...nd_Environment

I was assigned to Hanscom for about a year and that's where SAGE started.

https://www.ll.mit.edu/about/history...defense-system

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Thirty-plus years ago, the U.S. Air Force decided that Tactical Fighter Squadrons and Fighter Interceptor Squadrons would now just be called Fighter Squadrons.

Last month, though, the 18th Aggressor Squadron in Alaska, which flies F-16s, was redesignated as the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. They will probably lose their spiffy paint jobs.

I'm thinking this may presage the redesignation of a number (fewer than ten) of fighter squadrons that specialize in air defense as Fighter Interceptor Squadrons. Offhand, that would include current F-15C units in Oregon, California, Massachusetts and Florida, some of which will get F-15EXs.

What's old is new again.

EDIT: I've added a photo of one of the squadron's aircraft in the new plain livery.

Still have not made up their mind on what airframe they are getting at 104th FW here in my town. Miss the A-10's you never even noticed them and the 15's while loud are not as loud as the 35 so they can keep that thing away. Hoping it's the 15EX.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

Still have not made up their mind on what airframe they are getting at 104th FW here in my town. Miss the A-10's you never even noticed them and the 15's while loud are not as loud as the 35 so they can keep that thing away. Hoping it's the 15EX.

They've reduced the size of the F-15EX buy to 104 (although Congress has been known to intervene in buys of Air National Guard aircraft ) so here's my off-the-top-of-the-head estimate:
Oregon 20
Fresno 20
Florida 20
Seymour-Johnson AFB schoolhouse 20
which leaves enough for one more squadron... Both Mass and Louisiana fly the F-15C now, but Wikipedia (not an unimpeachable source) says it's Louisiana. It appears that Massachusetts loses out on the F-15EX. Unless Congress does their thing.

There's also been some pipe-dreaming about putting two active F-15EX squadrons in Okinawa to replace F-15Cs. I believe one of two 18th Wing F-15C squadrons is already gone and the other is on life support. So far, the plan has seen temporary deployments from elsewhere. A case could be made that reducing forces in Okinawa in the current climate with China is not a good move.

[M-technik-3]

Okinawa has transient fighters like back in the day of Air Expeditionary Wings. DUMB. They are slated for F35A's but that will take some time.

104Th has C/D models that are ancient they are 77 and I think the newest airframe is an 80, edit I see four 85's.

[JJ 911SC]

Time "fly" when you are having fun... https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mint-marks...coin-1.6840342

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

Time "fly" when you are having fun...

And the return of "Sic itur ad astra" replacing "Per ardua ad astra."

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-...rce-badge.html

[Llarry]

The world's first variable-sweep design was a World War II-era Messerschmitt design that never flew. But it inspired a design that did fly and had the world's first variable-sweep wing: The Bell X-5, which first flew in 1951. As indicated by the X designation, it was strictly an experimental aircraft and only two were built. One was lost in an accident and the survivor is in the National Museum of the USAF.

[Llarry]

Tomcat Thursday! (Oh, wait... make that Wednesday.)

Although we sometimes forget that combat aircraft are associated with death and destruction, the insignia of VF-101's predecessor, Fighting Ten (VF-10) "Grim Reapers" left no doubt that bloodletting was part of the mission.

[Llarry]

Here's an important aircraft not often seen in this thread: A Ukrainian air force Su-27 Flanker. 2018 photo.

According to Flight Global's World Air Power 2024, there are 1,243 aircraft of the Su-27 family (including Su-30, Su-34, Su-35 and Chinese J-11) operational at present, making the Flanker the second most numerous fighter active -- second only to the F-16. I count a dozen operators including -- surprise! -- the USA. Two examples were obtained from Belarus some years ago and are/were active in the Nevada desert ranges.

[Llarry]

A day late posting this (but, hey, I was a day early for "Tomcat Thursday" so it all evens out, right?) but 65 years ago yesterday the Northrop T-38 Talon first took flight. This is a photo of the second prototype YT-38A.

The replacement T-7A is coming, but the T-38 has rendered honorable service for many decades -- no doubt training both fathers and sons or daughters.