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Thunderbird F-16 flips at KDAY


rv10

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2 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Unless the powers that be are going to let them hang at show center doing pedal turns I highly doubt F-35s, the juice won't be worth the squeeze because the TX performance specifications are so high.

The T-X has a minimum sustained g requirement of 6.5g and objective of 7.5g  The requirement sets a high bar for maneuverability, requiring the T-X to sustain that load at a pressure altitude of 15,000ft for at least 140˚ of a full turn with minimal loss of energy and altitude.  Initiated at or above 15,000ft pressure altitude, at or below Mach 0.9, and at or above 80% fuel weight, the aircraft’s flight path angle during this maneuver can be no lower than 15˚ nose low while losing no more than 2,000ft of vertical altitude and 10% of the initial airspeed.

 

Bottomline, for a 10th the cost per airframe they can get almost the same show.

All very logical and well put.  But not how it's going to play out I'm afraid.

Management wants their dancing bear center stage, pronto.  At least that's the drumbeats I'm hearing.  We'll see.

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1 hour ago, Motofalcon said:

Disclaimer: 100% speculation, we'll see what the SIB/AIB says in 6.9 months...

There is no way a "wind gust" would flip a viper all the way onto its back during taxi unless it's a damn hurricane. Seriously, to lift the entire fuselage/engine up and over the wing?? Come on. Hell, a gust strong enough just to put it up on a single main and wingtip would be *hopefully* something the wx guys could forecast and would be well outside the normal limits and therefore a wx cnx. Now, a strong wind gust during landing, which pushed the mighty mighty off the runway and THEN it flipped - maybe.  Not probable, but possible.

But flipping on its back during taxi?  I don't buy it. 

And while I feel bad for him and hope he has no serious injuries, that crew chief has one of gnarliest fam ride stories around. 

Yeah something doesnt smell right about that story...

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58 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Well that sounds like a much more plausible cause.

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1 hour ago, Jaded said:

Anything is possible.  For now we need to give Speedy the benefit of the doubt and let the safety investigators do their thing.

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5 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

... knowledge...

Bottomline, for a 10th the cost per airframe they can get almost the same show.

Not to mention at probably 15% per flight hour cost and the logistical / security costs of parking a T-bird configured F-35s while out on the road.  T-X T-birds would likely have a much lower logistical footprint.

Bar napkin math but 8 pilots flying 750 hours a year (WAG) in T-bird F-35s @ $30k an hour comes to $180 million but in a T-X @ 5k an hour comes to 30 million, 150 million in savings, real money even for the AF.

Edited by Clark Griswold
public math
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Also the back seat of the T-X would allow for incentive rides that the F-35 couldn't offer. Hopefully it happens as soon as the T-X is online. It would sure be nice to have those Block 52s freed up for combat.

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8 hours ago, Motofalcon said:

Disclaimer: 100% speculation, we'll see what the SIB/AIB says in 6.9 months...

There is no way a "wind gust" would flip a viper all the way onto its back during taxi unless it's a damn hurricane. Seriously, to lift the entire fuselage/engine up and over the wing?? Come on. Hell, a gust strong enough just to put it up on a single main and wingtip would be *hopefully* something the wx guys could forecast and would be well outside the normal limits and therefore a wx cnx. Now, a strong wind gust during landing, which pushed the mighty mighty off the runway and THEN it flipped - maybe.  Not probable, but possible.

But flipping on its back during taxi?  I don't buy it. 

And while I feel bad for him and hope he has no serious injuries, that crew chief has one of gnarliest fam ride stories around. 

Hmmm

 

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47 minutes ago, BashiChuni said:

are you a wing exec?

Ok genius i meant that when the viper started taxiing the bone wasnt moving but on my small phone screen it appears that the bone starts moving as the video pans right

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23 hours ago, Motofalcon said:

Disclaimer: 100% speculation, we'll see what the SIB/AIB says in 6.9 months...

There is no way a "wind gust" would flip a viper all the way onto its back during taxi unless it's a damn hurricane. Seriously, to lift the entire fuselage/engine up and over the wing?? Come on. Hell, a gust strong enough just to put it up on a single main and wingtip would be *hopefully* something the wx guys could forecast and would be well outside the normal limits and therefore a wx cnx. Now, a strong wind gust during landing, which pushed the mighty mighty off the runway and THEN it flipped - maybe.  Not probable, but possible.

But flipping on its back during taxi?  I don't buy it. 

And while I feel bad for him and hope he has no serious injuries, that crew chief has one of gnarliest fam ride stories around. 

Microburst?

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23 hours ago, Motofalcon said:

Disclaimer: 100% speculation, we'll see what the SIB/AIB says in 6.9 months...

There is no way a "wind gust" would flip a viper all the way onto its back during taxi unless it's a damn hurricane. Seriously, to lift the entire fuselage/engine up and over the wing?? Come on. Hell, a gust strong enough just to put it up on a single main and wingtip would be *hopefully* something the wx guys could forecast and would be well outside the normal limits and therefore a wx cnx. Now, a strong wind gust during landing, which pushed the mighty mighty off the runway and THEN it flipped - maybe.  Not probable, but possible.

But flipping on its back during taxi?  I don't buy it. 

And while I feel bad for him and hope he has no serious injuries, that crew chief has one of gnarliest fam ride stories around. 

Maybe those things sticking out of both sides of the fuselage made it more prone to be affected by wind and other types of air currents.

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On 6/25/2017 at 10:34 AM, Buddy Spike said:

Microburst?

 

If I were a bettin man, I would guess hydroplaning mixed with winds.  There were some wicked downpours/storms rolling through the Dayton area that day.  Either way we'll know when the SIB/AIB are released.  Glad no-one was seriously hurt.    

I cant find it now, but there is a video floating around somewhere, showing the jet in two peices on a flatbed.  They cut it between the two cockpits.  

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