Milestone PLANK Owner First F-35C Arrest NIMITZ 03 Nov 2014

[sprstdlyscottsmn]

for a few years I had been using artwork of the "Sea" on final to the boat as my desktop background. Happy to change it to "Sea" inches off the deck of it's first trap (a 3-wire no less!) A great day for Naval Aviation.

[XanderCrews]

This awesome news! Looks like the tailhook redesign is working as advertised (aboard a carrier that is )

I wonder if the F35C's new hook has been hooking ELPie's and Sweetie pie's brains as well.....wait a minute....those guys have no brains!

Yeah, the F-35 Critics are going to be eating a lot crow over the next couple of years.

I'll bet they will cry about it being perfect weather, no swells and slower than usual speed of the boat, because, you know with testing they immediately go to the most challenging conditions right off the bat.

They can cry all they want, they made such a ruckus about the hook not working they forgot to bash it for other reasons like how it handles behind the boat, or adverse weather, and rough seas. So as soon as the hook caught, well case closed. Its been funny watching Doug and Sols reactions to this as they sputter, trying to find anything to make this seem trivial when of course had it gone the other way...

The other nice thing is that the Hook was a bit of a lightning rod. Its easy to explain and get people angry about how the "Tailhook doesn't even work wehh!" than it is to explain how technical minutia still isn't working. The hook is fixed, it has been for a while but now everyone can see it in its proposed environment. so long story short, the molehill made into a mountain is back to being a molehill. 4 years ago you were considered nuts to think the JSF program was going to make it, now you are nuts if you think it won't.

[sferrin]

This awesome news! Looks like the tailhook redesign is working as advertised (aboard a carrier that is )

I wonder if the F35C's new hook has been hooking ELPie's and Sweetie pie's brains as well.....wait a minute....those guys have no brains!

Yeah, the F-35 Critics are going to be eating a lot crow over the next couple of years.

I'll bet they will cry about it being perfect weather, no swells and slower than usual speed of the boat, because, you know with testing they immediately go to the most challenging conditions right off the bat.

They can't do that though. Look at the video again and check out the front end of the ship and the horizon as the F-35 is sitting there before it turns off to the right.

[sferrin]

Doug Allen Saturday, November 01, 2014 11:10:00 AM
Part of me wants these trials to fail spectacularly enough for there to be a public outcry. Another class-A mishap perhaps? No loss of life, of course, but enough to get the mainstream media's attention.

They are handling it just swell.

Wow that Doug Allen sounds like a real classy piece of $hit.

[netcentric]

...I'll bet they will cry about it being perfect weather, no swells and slower than usual speed of the boat, because, you know with testing they immediately go to the most challenging conditions right off the bat.

They can't do that though. Look at the video again and check out the front end of the ship and the horizon as the F-35 is sitting there before it turns off to the right.

Not sure why you used a shocked emoticon when describing the calm seas they were in.

Are you implying that the conditions on that deck were 'challenging' ?

[spazsinbad]

The PACIFIC can have long rolling swell that will move any large ship a little as seen in the No.2 video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BOt0a_tGRg ) however the conditions are benign as they should be for any initial testing.

One NEVER wants to correct a CHIEF and I will say it is likely he has been 'verballed'. Why? Because GREEN in the approach light indicates SLOW. Red indicates FAST whilst ORANGE is Optimum Angle of Attack. From my recollection I can see only steady ORANGE during the No.2 video. Whilst it blinks when the HOOK is UP which indicates same to those interested. During FCLP the 'hook bypass (approach light) switch' will be actuated by ground personnel before flight so that 'hook up' FCLP approaches can be made ashore without the light blinking. I hope that makes sense. Smoke 'em if youse got 'em.

Now that I have rewatched the video I see the orange (Opt AoA) steady on first approach (with nibbling to the right which is necessary as explained earlier). The second approach has the green showing for a millisecond or two but so what - otherwise orange.

THE HOWL during the touch and goes must be MAGIC to hear.

Bye the Bye or BTW it would seem IF the Break My Fence story about no catapulting is correct then the two aircraft arrested once each to stay onboard. That means the aircraft seen in the No.2 video did touch and goes and wave off(s) before arresting. Coolio.

[sferrin]

Okay. Just saw the front end bobbing up and down and thought, "that doesn't look smooth to me".

[XanderCrews]

Doug Allen Saturday, November 01, 2014 11:10:00 AM
Part of me wants these trials to fail spectacularly enough for there to be a public outcry. Another class-A mishap perhaps? No loss of life, of course, but enough to get the mainstream media's attention.

They are handling it just swell.

Wow that Doug Allen sounds like a real classy piece of $hit.

One of those "oh you really are nuts" moments.

[alloycowboy]

Doug Allen Saturday, November 01, 2014 11:10:00 AM
Part of me wants these trials to fail spectacularly enough for there to be a public outcry. Another class-A mishap perhaps? No loss of life, of course, but enough to get the mainstream media's attention.

They are handling it just swell.

Wow that Doug Allen sounds like a real classy piece of $hit.

One of those "oh you really are nuts" moments.

In Canada we use the slang term, "crayon eater" for people like that.

[spazsinbad]

There are many 'cross deck pedants' (yep that is correct) on pPrune. One of them pointed out that the first arrestee tickles No.2 wire as it passes overhead. Quelle Horreur! Sacre Bleu! ForFsake. So the guy was a little low and no damage was done but anyway... here are two SloMos for ye. The first is at one/eighth speed and the second has been one eighthed agin.

[spazsinbad]

One cannot keep up... A good compilation video here with scenes not seen by me before. I guess it will be on youtube soon if not now?
GREAT COMPILATION VIDEO:
http://www.livescience.com/48597-joint- ... video.html
&
The NavAir story: http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fu ... ry&id=5766

Great Pics: http://www.navair.navy.mil/img/uploads/ ... _007_1.jpg (first attached only thumb - big is 4Mb)
&
http://www.navair.navy.mil/img/uploads/ ... __17_1.jpg (+ carrier) (3.4Mb)

[Raptor_claw]

...IFthe Break My Fence story about no catapulting is correct then the two aircraft arrested once each to stay onboard. That means the aircraft seen in the No.2 video did touch and goes and wave off(s) before arresting. Coolio.

True, no cat shots yesterday (Monday). I haven't seen any press today (yet), but I can tell you there have been more traps on Tuesday - so you can figure out (by extrapolation) that cat shots have been done (today).

[spazsinbad]

Good to know 'Raptor_claw' thanks.

[quicksilver]

Also some really terrific photos at Flickr. Go there and type F-35C Nimitz.

[cantaz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHanYr ... 2wFuqfkMEA

Cat shots are up!