Aircraft Carriers III

Obi Wan Russell

Jedi Master
VIP Professional
2ITF F35B LIGHTNINGS ON HMS QE'S DECK
A picture Tweeted a short while ago showing the 2 ITF F35Bs now landed on HMS QE's deck on 25 Sep 18.
BF05 flown by Commander Nathan Gray RN FAA was the first to land on this historic occaision, with Squadron Leader Andy Edgal landing second in BF04.42668561_10155601112796481_3079290409323593728_n.jpg
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Great accomplishment for the Royal Navy!

Obi Wan..I've a question for you. Can a F-35B take off from the QE with a full load of fuel and fully loaded internal weapons bays? I searched on line and all I found was the max internal load is 5700lbs or 2585.5kg. And does the ski lift gives the aircraft extra lift. I'm pretty sure it does.Thanks!
 

Obi Wan Russell

Jedi Master
VIP Professional
Great accomplishment for the Royal Navy!

Obi Wan..I've a question for you. Can a F-35B take off from the QE with a full load of fuel and fully loaded internal weapons bays? I searched on line and all I found was the max internal load is 5700lbs or 2585.5kg. And does the ski lift gives the aircraft extra lift. I'm pretty sure it does.Thanks!
The ski jump does indeed allow vectored thrust aircraft to take off with full fuel and weapons load. It's non vectoring aircraft like the SU-33 and Mig-29K that pay penalties to get airborne.

When you leave the end of the ramp, you aren't at 'flying' speed yet. Usually you will be doing about 80 knots, and need another 50knots give or take to be fully wing-borne. It's like driving over a hump backed bridge at speed, you'll fly for a while before gravity wins the argument. Jet aircraft however continue to accelerate because of well, their jet engines, and they reach true flying speed (i.e. completely support by the lift generated by the wings) before they would otherwise drop back into the sea, and they do so at the top of their ballistic trajectory, around 200ft above sea level and several hundred feet ahead of the carrier. In contrast, catapult launched aircraft leave the deck at flying speed but barely 60ft above the sea, Catastrophic engine failure during launch leaves little time to decide to eject and punching out just before the plane hits the sea is in itself very dangerous. A ski Jump launched aircraft has a much longer window before it hits the sea and the pilot can leave the aircraft at a safer altitude, allowing the parachute more time to deploy. We've all seen the videos on YT and elsewhere when somebody has to punch out after a failed launch or a broken arrestor wire, the parachute is barely open before they hit the sea.

On the QECs, the deck is long enough that the run up to the ramp is adequate to reach ramp exit speed (around 80 knots) even when fully fuelled and armed, and they will operate without any onboard tanker support for the foreseeable future.
 
says? "SDF's Top Poster of the Month", LOL, now don't tell us you're NOT competitive, or maybe even a little combative? like Brett Kavanaugh??
it's off topic here so I'll say just this:

if I had been Judge Kavanaugh, I would've contacted the FBI and Maryland Police (which in this case can investigate backwards in time, not a legal term, but you know what I mean; I've heard about it while listening, live, to Prosecutor Mitchell's questions yesterday),

and if I had been Judge Kavanaugh, I would NOT have shouted and wept in front of TV cameras

(by the way I noticed Jeff had made a long post in Facebook about Ford and Kavanaugh tonight I mean yesterday night)
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Thanks Obi Wan..Now another question..can that same F-35B take off from the flat deck of a USN LHA/LHD with a full load? Thanks.

We've all seen the videos on YT and elsewhere when somebody has to punch out after a failed launch or a broken arrestor wire, the parachute is barely open before they hit the sea.

True. But I must state this does not happen very often...I'm not sure when the last time this did happen. When I was aboard Nimitz in '91 we had an A-6 Intruder crash into the sea at launch because of an engine failure...never in seven deployments experienced a "cold cat".
 
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