View Full Version : Blue Angels in town for show
Air show this weekend here. The Blue Angles have been streaking the sky’s here today. I work next to Test Pilot School so they are in the transient line at TPS. I miss hearing those GE F 404’s screaming in a vertical climb almost in a departure demo mode of flight! What a blood rush!!!! But I hated it because the Blue Angels could steal our parts like it was nothing. They have a better priority than a ship in a war zone. Navy recruiting tool! I remember this time I was helping put on a Left main landing gear (LMLG) and it was almost complete and we had to take it off and give it to the Angels! They were up at Andrews AF Base so we also had to deliver too! Thankfully I got OT for that gig! :D
Just as a reminder two great airshows comming up this fall are
The MCAS Miramar Airshow
www.miramarairshow.com
October 14-16
The Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis Air Force Base Los Vegas NV. November 11-13 www.aviationnation.com
Man, I do love the sound of jet noise! :thumbsup:
I was walking across to TPS line and I saw a Blue Angel parked on the far side on the line. So I guess it went down pretty hard and until the parts come in it will be a line queen.
I'll bet the parts will be overnight expressed and they'll be there in the morning. or the Navy will have an aircraft bring them up from NADEP Jax, MCAS Beaufort, or MCAS Cherry Point Pronto. Trust Me that aircraft won't collect dust anywhere. :thumbsup: :)
I've heard rumors going around that the Blue Angels are supposed to transition to the F/A-18E super hornet. Has anyone else heard that?
Well Rander Yesterday it was parked on the line, and whatever the down part was must have been prett big because TPS and Strike test have 18's on the line to choose from. I haven't heard that E/F transition. Would make sense new air frame and low hours. I don't know what the average hours are on these current charlies in the blues or fleet wide? but I do know that we transfered 2 from Strike test to the blues. That also would be the biggest bird they have flown since the F-4's and that has been well over 20 years ago. Would look cool to see them in flight.
smutman
09-15-05, 11:23 AM
The F/A-18Echo,Ehh?God,I remember back in 82 when I was in VFA-125 working on bureau numbers in the 159`s and 160`s.God I am getting old!!!! ;)
Yeah well they are @165 buno's for the Echos
When I worked on EA-6B's we had 158-160 buno's so figure those were early 70's buno's. Yes we are getting old. Right now on my H-60's we have production bunos coming off the line @Sikorsky 166 numbers.
Well Rander Yesterday it was parked on the line, and whatever the down part was must have been prett big because TPS and Strike test have 18's on the line to choose from. I haven't heard that E/F transition. Would make sense new air frame and low hours. I don't know what the average hours are on these current charlies in the blues or fleet wide? but I do know that we transfered 2 from Strike test to the blues. That also would be the biggest bird they have flown since the F-4's and that has been well over 20 years ago. Would look cool to see them in flight.
Ojive: we have a TPS aircraft here at NADEP North Island, A F/A-18B all painted white with orange stripes on it The aircraft is fairly well disassembled
and I found out to day they are work stopage on it. I'll try to find out why and let you know. Its in the sheet metal/machinest phase of update and all the fuel cells are removed. The aircraft is up on fuselage stands even though the landing gear is still attached.
Also the Navy has given the C-2A Greyhound a 20,000 hour service extention because there is currently no follow on aircraft either planned or in development.
I think that alot (but not all) of the A-D hornets comming have significant time on them. I helped to install 2 engines last week and each of them had over 6,400 hours of time since new. and some of the avionics boxes i see have between 6,000 and 9,200 hours recorded on the componet hour meters.
Hey, that is first hand news from NADEP...Cool. You know the overall maintenance in the fleet could really be upped a few notches. I worked at Strike test and we reaceive birds in from commands that were hanger queens or just coming off cruise with every known inspection due at time of arrival, which ment that the test phase was automatically slid 4 weeks when you have phase a-d due, or high end inspections due. Our job was to gewt it out pmc, but if we could get it out after the pro fmc, that was a plus for us. But these birds would be in serious gun deck mode. When we'd send them out you could see right away a difference. Sad thing is when you add a extra 20k of life on a aged frame you are now really upping the risks. But on a positive note I believe that a lot of midigation has been done to review current and future risk. Again the Navy is trying to fund a high end replacement. That sucks I don't understand why they can't funds a replacement that just does it's job at a reasonable cost to the people instead of making a "super" platform (AKA V-22)that will have to slide a number of years due to problems with the original contract or weight or the best funding!
Ojive: I havent heard much lately about the V-22 Osprey(or USPAY) as I believe the aircraft is badly over funded and for what little use the Marines have gotten from the flight test aircraft, not to mention the loss of life on publisiced earlier flights, kinda makes me think they should scrap it and design a newer CH-46 style aircraft. I suppuse the Navy got tired of waiting for the Osprey and went after the MH-60R or S Model of the Of the Seahawk helicopter to to replace the aged CH-46.
Will take a look at the TPS aircraft tomorrow and let you know what I
find out.
Actually on the H-60 side, SH-60 B was the first and it was a replacement for the SH-2 Lamps III, So the MH-60R is the replacement for the Bravo, now the SH-60F and HH-60H are and will later give way to the MH-60 Sierra this platform will do many many many many many things, well a few things anyway. But check this out they are pulling H-53's out of the desert and retro fitting them down at Cherry Point another over aged airframe. The V-22 is pretty cool looking up close, but yeah I'd agree a tax trap. Maybe once fielded it will prove productive. Now saying this hopefully this JSF X-35 will be a good replacement, they did flight test with both of those platforms, those Pratt and Whitneys make a hell of lot of noise, but they were equally inpressive in VSTOL and regular take off. As I cross my fingers
Now on the H-46 the Marines are still flying them. My friend how has 1,000 hours flying the 46 said it was a great bird.
OJIVE: They stated back in May that the number of CH-53 comming to NADEP North Island in FY06 would little more than double from 9 to 18 or 19. and the H-60 inductions in to NADEP would go up also. I gotta admit the USMC is getting every thing they possibly can outta those aged CH-46's. I don't believe there is a replacement for the Seaknight (other than the V-22) If you can call the V-22 a replacement.
The TPS F/A-18B that is here has some very costly structural issues that have to be considered before this aircraft will go back in work. Structural repairs to the aircraft centerbarrel and to the floors of fuel cell#2 and #3 will be labor intensive and costly and may put this aircraft out to pasture. To replace the Centerbarrel is a 20,000 man hour job and takes about 10 months to complete not to mention the Millions of dollars involved. The front section of the aircraft at FS383 has to be jiged up and pulled away from the forward centerbarrel split line, which means that hydraulic lines and electrical wireing have to be cut and tagged then you do the same to the aft section of the fuselage at FS571. The Navy Engineers have to decide if the cost to keep this aircraft flying is going to be worth it.
Rguess21
09-20-05, 09:49 PM
Ojive: I havent heard much lately about the V-22 Osprey
Bell Readies for Eventual V-22 Full Rate Production http://www.textron.com/newsroom/featured_stories/12_14_2004.jsp
http://www.bellhelicopter.textron.com/en/aircraft/military/bellV-22.cfm
It brings capabilities not found in any helicopter – twice the speed, three times the payload and five times the range of the legacy helicopters that it replaces. Add the ability to fly two and a half times higher than those helicopters and you have an aircraft that is truly a leap ahead. These capabilities recognized in 18 major studies and analyses, including seven Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analyses (COEAs) performed by the U.S. Government. All these studies have shown that the Osprey is more cost effective than any helicopter, compound helicopter, or combination of helicopters.
You bring up some good comments, but this technology has been on the drawing board for a long time, say 40 plus years. With this you bring a whole host of issues and concerns that have never been addressed. I believe once this bird gets into OT(operational Test) and bugs worked out it may be a worthy craft, no matter it has been approved so if it's junk the gov will mod the piss out of it and fix it but a break neck fee to the peoples!
Funny I grew up outside Amarillo, back then nothing was there besides Levis out by the airport, ASARCO copper plant and a Nuke weapons plant. My that old sleepy town has awaken, I was out that way last year and I couldn't get over how it has grown, funny what nine years will do.
Rguess21
09-29-05, 12:47 AM
http://www.kvii.com/home/headlines/1765366.html
Bell Announcement
The green light to pump out nearly fifty Osprey a year, came late Wednesday from the Pentagon.
First, the announcement means big business for the Bell Helicopter Textron Plant in Amarillo. Each Osprey costs upwards of $60M. Full production calls for four times the number of aircraft that's currently being assembled in the Amarillo facility.
"We've contended for a long time this is an exceptional aircraft with technology that's going to give the marines tools nothing else in the world will." said Roger Williams, Amarillo Site Leader, just before the Pentagon's announcement Wednesday.
Congress still has to approve the billions needed to pay for full production, but Bell leaders are confident they'll back the Defense Department's order with the bucks needed.
Full production should begin in 2008.
Looks like the Marines will get their V-22 after all. Hope it all works out in the end :thumbsup:
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