VMFA-314 Hornet Sundown and F-35C Transition

socalhornetpilot · by **socalhornetpilot** » 08 Jun 2019, 03:05

Pictures of F/A-18A++ and F-35C prior to upcoming sundown ceremony.

sprstdlyscottsmn · by **sprstdlyscottsmn** » 08 Jun 2019, 06:23

Those are beautiful shots! Thanks for sharing socal!

f-15c85-0114 · by **f-15c85-0114** » 08 Jun 2019, 10:00

What are the sources of these images?

mixelflick · by **mixelflick** » 08 Jun 2019, 13:09

Amazing in that it doesn't look much bigger than the F-18, but has so much more fuel/range. The big wing is just gorgeous, and once they get the up-rated engine performance will match the rest of its attributes. Yes, performance today in some areas is surprisingly good, but the new engine will make everything better.

quicksilver · by **quicksilver** » 08 Jun 2019, 15:06

F-35C is 4’ shorter with 3’ more wing span. If you saw them side-by-side, visually, the Hornet fuselage is a greyhound in comparison, and therein lies the reason for its limited internal fuel capacity.

jetblast16 · by **jetblast16** » 08 Jun 2019, 15:41

socalhornetpilot, thank you for posting those beautiful shots.

The F-35C, in its current iteration, is like a Block 70 F-16.. Such a nice-looking plane. Its looks have really grown on me, over the years. A slick package, indeed.

Corsair1963 · by **Corsair1963** » 09 Jun 2019, 00:10

Is VMFA-314 deploying on the USS Carl Vinson with VFA-147 in 2021 or another Carrier and AirWing??? (hearing conflicting stories)

mixelflick · by **mixelflick** » 09 Jun 2019, 14:21

jetblast16 wrote:socalhornetpilot, thank you for posting those beautiful shots.

The F-35C, in its current iteration, is like a Block 70 F-16.. Such a nice-looking plane. Its looks have really grown on me, over the years. A slick package, indeed.

The absurdly large wing almost gives the impression it's a kite. Some day (when the new engine gets here) it'll be the best performing of all F-35 variants. Right now, it's probably the least sprightly. But times will change, and with it performance capabilities. 19,000+ pounds of gas, a great turner and ability to carry a tremendous external load are large feathers in its cap today. Tomorrow, they'll be that much more impressive with more "umph" to the engine..

steve2267 · by **steve2267** » 09 Jun 2019, 14:29

mixelflick wrote:
The absurdly large wing almost gives the impression it's a kite. Some day (when the new engine gets here) it'll be the best performing of all F-35 variants. Right now, it's probably the least sprightly. But times will change, and with it performance capabilities. 19,000+ pounds of gas, a great turner and ability to carry a tremendous external load are large feathers in its cap today. Tomorrow, they'll be that much more impressive with more "umph" to the engine..

What!? The other F-35 variants won't benefit from the extra "umph"?

mixelflick · by **mixelflick** » 03 Aug 2019, 13:28

steve2267 wrote:
mixelflick wrote:
The absurdly large wing almost gives the impression it's a kite. Some day (when the new engine gets here) it'll be the best performing of all F-35 variants. Right now, it's probably the least sprightly. But times will change, and with it performance capabilities. 19,000+ pounds of gas, a great turner and ability to carry a tremendous external load are large feathers in its cap today. Tomorrow, they'll be that much more impressive with more "umph" to the engine..

What!? The other F-35 variants won't benefit from the extra "umph"?

Well I didn't say that, nor was I implying it. But the C will be the best turner of the bunch. More importantly, it'll have the most gas. And that's really saying something!

ricnunes · by **ricnunes** » 03 Aug 2019, 15:12

Nice to see the "Black Knights" which is perhaps my favorite USMC squadron getting the F-35C (and being the first so).