5/18/15 2:01 PM

I saw one for the first time yesterday, doing a demo at an airshow. I can't say my opinions of the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of such weapons has changed, but son of a bitch it's a hell of a flying machine.

I grew up loving nothing better than watching fighter planes do their thing (my father was an Air Guard pilot in the 50s and 60s, fying the F-86 and F-101, among others). The maneuverability of the F-22, for a large fast plane, is just freaky. It did slow-speed moves that I have only seen done by small, lightweight dedicated aerobatic planes. Like a perfectly controlled tail-slide, going backwards straight down for thousands of feet.

And a nose-over maneuver from a vertical climb that I'd call a zero-translation outside loop -- i.e., from the climb attitude it pitched forward, but kept going up instead of forward, and continued the rotation until it was pointing straight down, whereupon it came to a stop and started going down. later, it did the same thing pitching backward.

There were the standard 7-G afterburning turns, of course -- very impressive. And a pitchup to high angle of attack that really slammed on the brakes -- not quite a full Pugachev's Cobra (didn't get to 90 degrees), but close, and it looked capable of it.

Anyway, it was impressive. It made up for the truly nightmarish traffic jam getting in to the place (somebody at Westover Air Reserve Base needs to bring in someone with some traffic engineering sense before they try this again, so they can get people in and out of parking with some efficiency).

The day ended with the Blue Angels. I have probably seen their full show at least a dozen times, and the Thunderbirds almost as many. This was the best I remember. A really well-paced show, with a lot if interesting stuff (lots of different formation breaks, and lots of different crossovers). Very nicely done. Perfect weather, too - warm, but not too hot, and some puffy clouds for nice backgrounds. A couple of the Angels moves had one or more planes popping into a cloud, with everyone wondering where it would emerge.

And I went with my two grown sons. We have many important memories of airshows since they were toddlers.

It was a good day. Would have been a great one except for that traffic . . .

5/18/15 2:07 PM

check out a russian sukhoi flanker/berkut. with canards and 2D thrust vectoring these can pull more crazy slow-and-low maneuvers than anything man-made. a sukhoi (i keep typing suckhoi...LOL) does a better airshow performance.

that said, if your goal is to shoot down other planes the F22 is definitely the better choice by a long ways!

sounds like a fun time...last time i went to an airshow was with my dad in 2007...the Gathering of the Mustangs...i got to stand right at the tail of a Lancaster bomber as it revved its engines for a magneto check before taxiing away from me...that was memorable, to be standing there and feeling those 4 merlins and the wind off the props.

5/18/15 2:28 PM

Those manuvers are fun to watch but the Raptor rarely needs or uses them. It shoots down bad guys from long distances using speed/LO and an avionics suite that is beyond comprehension.

Any Raptor pilot that resorts to the shenanigans you saw should be flying a desk. The plane is mind boggling but you nor I will ever see it really shine. That work is all close hold to say the least.

5/18/15 2:57 PM

Oh, yeah, I understand that. Erik. This was air show stuff. Fun to watch, though. I'm sure the avionics are something else.

And Walter, I'd love to see an Su-27 do its thing if I ever got the chance.

I like the warbirds, too. The F-22 finished off its demo with a "heritage flight" formation with a P-51. That was pretty.

5/18/15 3:08 PM

quote:

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The plane is mind boggling but you nor I will ever see it really shine. That work is all close hold to say the least.

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5/18/15 7:18 PM

T. Michael Moseley, Gen USAF retired lives here. Not the same dude though. The retired gen that lives here is a jerk.

5/18/15 7:58 PM

"somebody at Westover Air Reserve Base needs to bring in someone with some traffic engineering sense before they try this again, so they can get people in and out of parking with some efficiency"

you're dealing with the military logistics. logistics leadership has a finely tuned "use it or lose it" mentality. nobody involved in logistics planning can even spell efficiency.

unless someone high ranking or an elected official is inconvenienced, nothing will change!

5/18/15 9:12 PM

"F-22 / P-51"

That pic is sexy on two levels.. ;)

5/19/15 5:24 AM

I had no idea that the F22 was that big! I've been up close and personal with a P51 and they're not as tiny as that picture would suggest.

5/19/15 5:55 AM

the raptor is closer to the camera than the mustang, but there is definitely a size differential.

5/19/15 8:52 AM

quote:

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it's a little misleading
the raptor is closer to the camera than the mustang, but there is definitely a size differential.

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5/19/15 12:51 PM

:-)

definitely for a twin-engine air-superiority fighter, this is the sweet-spot for size given planet's gravity, atmosphere and current gas-turbine technology.

any bigger you lose maneuverability, any smaller you lose range/payload.