How Ridiculously Cool Is The F-15 Eagle?

[zoony]

okay, I know this is huge- cool F16 pic though

[MattFancy]

The aircraft that proves that if you take the design philosophy of the Phantom, (take a rock, add every electronic gizmo in the inventory, and some specially-built new ones, and put the biggest engine in the world on it, it will fly, in a straight line), and amplify them, you'll get a bigger, newer, Phantom.

It's an excellent carrier-defense interceptor. Maybe the best aircraft that will ever be designed specifically for that role. Keep people away from the carrier at all costs.

It's just not a fighter.

my grandfather was actually in charge of purchasing them for the gov't when they first came around haha

[Larry]

well you lose 10 million credibility points for reading comprehension :nana:

I only give the F-4 credit for looking badass. Which it does

I gave the F-16 credit for being a much better plane, in the purest sense of the word. Which it is.

Oh, now, if you want to award points for ugly, I'll admit that the Phantom is way up there. IMO, even surpassing the famous ugly of the A-10.

IMO, the only things that can come close in terms of functional, "who cares what it looks like, I want weapons", appearance, you'll have to look at some helicopters.

[Larry]

Now, if you're holding a contest for cool . . . .

Under cruising conditions, the aircraft heats up so much that it's 19 inches longer than it is when it's on the ground.

Because of said thermal expansion, the aircraft, when cool, leaks jet fuel. A coworker who was stationed in Okinawa during Viet Nam, (where the Blackburds were based) said that the standard procedure for launching one was:

The aircraft is towed to the end of one runway.

The airbase is closed to air traffic.

A fuel truck then pumps in enough fuel for the aircraft to operate for 20 minutes or so. The aircraft leaks jet fuel onto the taxiway while this is happening.

The aircraft fires up, and immediately taxis onto the (closed) runway, and takes off, without awaiting clearance. At night (which is when they usually launched) you can see the afterburners igniting the jet fuel which the leaky aircraft is dropping on the runway during it's roll.

The aircraft climbs to altitude and flies around enough to get hot, and expand. (Which causes the fuel leakage to stop.)

The Blackbird then descends, and mid-air refuels for it's mission.

[zoony]

Oh, now, if you want to award points for ugly, I'll admit that the Phantom is way up there. IMO, even surpassing the famous ugly of the A-10.

IMO, the only things that can come close in terms of functional, "who cares what it looks like, I want weapons", appearance, you'll have to look at some helicopters.

You guys are on crack! The A-10 went so far past ugly on the ugly meter that it came full circle back around to unbridled awesomeness!

My two favorite planes of all time actually... the F4 and A10

[zoony]

I never liked the SR71. All that technology just to snap a few pictures :jerk: Color me unimpressed. Launch a satellite or two and it gets put out to pasture.

Besides, the U2 > SR71.

[DC_Skins]

Trumps all....

[mad4comp]

If you wanna talk about Coolness.....check this out...

The Su-47 Berkut...only a prototype, but still cool..

[Mad Mike]

The F15 rocked. Back in the day I worked for a sign company in Hampton, right next to Langley AFB. Every day was an air show. I used to love watching flights come back in a perfect echelon formation and seeing them break off crisply one by one to circle the field on final approach. Like watching a good drill team. We did a lot of work for the air force and I got to go on base and inside the First Fighter Wing's HQ.

As for the F4. As a kid I thought they were the coolest thing. But an F4 is to the F15, what a old Camaro is to a modern Ferrari. And loud?! OMG the F4 sounds like thunder with a deep bass roar and leaves a trail of smoke from it's engines. The F15 would flash by with a high pitched whine by comparison.

The F22 by comparison is more like a Bugatti or some other million dollar plus supercar compared to an "average" Ferrari. The performance is off the charts. F15s with afterburners cant even keep up to the cruising speed of the F22.

[Mad Mike]

If you wanna talk about Coolness.....check this out...

The Su-47 Berkut...only a prototype, but still cool..

Honestly, it's probably a POS. We've done prototypes with those wings for years and they never worked out. What is lost is too much to make up for what is gained. Then consider that the technology as a whole is probably comparable to ours 20 years ago. Pass.

Now for a fantasy. Give me a P51. That has got to be the ultimate prop driven ride for a pilot.

[mjah]

Now, if you're holding a contest for cool . . . .

The SR-71 is the most beautiful jet-powered aircraft ever, bar none.

And it's the only one that operated high enough and fast enough to have a one-word evasive rule when a surface-to-air missile came after it: "Accelerate."

Of course, you had to put it into a dive just to pass Mach 1. But then, buh-bye. Mach 3+ and 100,000+ feet, here we come.

SR-71's capabilities far outstripped the U2, and the SR-71 never suffered the indignity of getting shot down. Not to belittle the U2's accomplishments during the Cold War -- I mean, it's pretty incredible how much success they had with the U2 given that it wasn't even capable of supersonic speeds.

[Zguy28]

You guys are on crack! The A-10 went so far past ugly on the ugly meter that it came full circle back around to unbridled awesomeness!

My two favorite planes of all time actually... the F4 and A10

[Larry]

Now, if you want to nominate candidates for functional, versatile, durable, and things like that there, I'll nominate :

Carries a ton o' stuff. And can put it just about anywhere.

Link to a Lockhead video showing a C-130 landing on a carrier (without a tail hook) and taking off again (without a catapult or JATO).

Flies into hurricanes. Just to see what they're like, on the inside.

[Zguy28]

Now, if you want to nominate candidates for functional, versatile, durable, and things like that there, I'll nominate :

Carries a ton o' stuff. And can put it just about anywhere.

Link to a Lockhead video showing a C-130 landing on a carrier (without a tail hook) and taking off again (without a catapult or JATO).

Flies into hurricanes. Just to see what they're like, on the inside.

Not to mention the Spectre version.

[deejaydana]

The SR-71 is the most beautiful jet-powered aircraft ever, bar none.

And it's the only one that operated high enough and fast enough to have a one-word evasive rule when a surface-to-air missile came after it: "Accelerate."

Of course, you had to put it into a dive just to pass Mach 1. But then, buh-bye. Mach 3+ and 100,000+ feet, here we come.

SR-71's capabilities far outstripped the U2, and the SR-71 never suffered the indignity of getting shot down. Not to belittle the U2's accomplishments during the Cold War -- I mean, it's pretty incredible how much success they had with the U2 given that it wasn't even capable of supersonic speeds.

As far as looks, and even given that it was built (I believe) in the 1960's, I still think the SR-71 is one of the meanest looking jets ever. Did you ever notice on photos taken from above how it leaks fuel across the body of the plane? Was that a design flaw or did it not matter? Was it something they just couldn't reverse engineer to fix? I always wondered what the deal was there...

[mjah]

Link to a Lockhead video showing a C-130 landing on a carrier (without a tail hook) and taking off again (without a catapult or JATO).

Now THAT'S ridiculous (-ly awesome).

I stared at that video a couple of times to verify that in fact, there is no catapult during those launches. Incredible.

I didn't listen to the audio. I assume that carrier was steaming as fast as possible into the wind for those captures/launches. (Into the wind is standard, but typically at a moderate clip.)

Thing is, the C-130 stopped with plenty of room to spare -- and took off with a bit to spare too. Incredible.

[zoony]

I used to ride C-130s from Yakota to Hong Kong or Korea as a kid, 'space A'

You always hoped and prayed that you would get a C-141. It meant the difference of several hours. The C-130s are...sooo...slooowwww....

(but I'll admit, that gunship is just awesome)

[Midnight Judges]

okay, I know this is huge- cool F16 pic though

That is an awesome pic. But those paintjobs are teh ghey.

[zoony]

That is an awesome pic. But those paintjobs are teh ghey.

yah they kind of are.

They need to be hi-gloss black with polished chrome exhaust :cool:

[JohnLockesGhost]

The aircraft that proves that if you take the design philosophy of the Phantom, (take a rock, add every electronic gizmo in the inventory, and some specially-built new ones, and put the biggest engine in the world on it, it will fly, in a straight line), and amplify them, you'll get a bigger, newer, Phantom.

It's an excellent carrier-defense interceptor. Maybe the best aircraft that will ever be designed specifically for that role. Keep people away from the carrier at all costs.

It's just not a fighter.

Yeah, the entire plane was built around the Phoenix missile. Besides flying far away from the carrier, locking onto six targets and firing six missiles that independently find their targets, it doesn't do a heck of a lot well.

[JohnLockesGhost]

Besides, the U2 > SR71.

Both designed by the legendary Kelly Johnson.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the P-38:

There's just something about that twin boom design.

[JohnLockesGhost]

As far as looks, and even given that it was built (I believe) in the 1960's, I still think the SR-71 is one of the meanest looking jets ever. Did you ever notice on photos taken from above how it leaks fuel across the body of the plane? Was that a design flaw or did it not matter? Was it something they just couldn't reverse engineer to fix? I always wondered what the deal was there...

It leaks on the runway as designed. Once it climbs and speeds up the body heats and expands and seals the gaps. It would then refuel and perfrom its mission.

[zoony]

Both designed by the legendary Kelly Johnson.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the P-38:

There's just something about that twin boom design.

I'm with you there. My favorite aircraft of WWII. (in terms of looks)

Actually, I think it was pretty efficient at owning the skies, too.

[Zguy28]

Both designed by the legendary Kelly Johnson.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the P-38:

There's just something about that twin boom design.

Definitely a nice plane that had a good reputation, except in a dive. It tends to become unstable in a high speed dive and can literally come apart.

I always thought it was cool that it had counter-rotating propellers.

Also, I was always partial to the Corsair myself. Maybe because I grew up watching too much Black Sheep Squadron?

Its a pain taking off and taxiing though. You can't see over the nose.

[JohnLockesGhost]

I'm with you there. My favorite aircraft of WWII. (in terms of looks)

Actually, I think it was pretty efficient at owning the skies, too.

Well, because the guns were mounted directly in front of the pilot, it didn't need any kind of firing spread, just point the nose to the enemy plane and shoot him down. I'm pretty sure they could also mount a larger caliber gun on it because the guns weren't mounted on the wings, meaning oftentimes they could just outrange the enemy.