Military Photograph Advances Stereotype
A picture on the US military’s DoD Live website recently highlighted a fascinating, if often misconstrued, photo of flight:
The caption:
An F/A-18C Hornet…breaks the sound barrier Read more
Tag Archives: f-18
Air Force vs Naval Academy: Best for Becoming a Fighter Pilot
One question asked repeatedly is whether it’s better to go Air Force or Navy if one wants to fly or be a fighter pilot. The FAQ of this site answers this question (as well as many others), but there’s interesting and relevant information from the graduation of the class of 2011 that just occurred.
USNA:
Class Size: 1035
Pilot Training (incl. “Marine Air”): 305 (30%)
Naval Flight Officer: 75 (7%)
Navy Changes Pilot Bonus Structure
Like the Air Force, the US Navy pays its aviators a monetary bonus to encourage retention (though it doesn’t always work, as the Air Force acceptance rate showed).
This year, due to high retention levels, the Navy altered its bonus plan; as stated now, the only aviators who will get the previous years’ $25K bonus per year are F/A-18 Hornet pilots. All others will get a bonus specific to their airframe: Read more
Green F/A-18 to Stream Live, 1400 Today
Today at 1400 the US Navy will broadcast the flight of its “Green Hornet,” an F/A-18 operating on a blended biofuel, live on the internet.
The flight can be watched here. You can also read the Navy announcement, which contains another link.
While it is yet another public relations coup on the part of the Navy flight testers, it is also a significant risk. Normal military aviation Read more
Navy Set to Fly “Green Hornet”
Similar to the bio/synthetic fuel powered Air Force aircraft, the US Navy has embarked on an alternative fuels effort with its “Green Hornet.” The Navy plans to fly the F/A-18 Super Hornet on Earth Day, April 22nd.
The “Green Hornet” was a backdrop to President Obama’s remarks at Andrews AFB (now Joint Base Andrews) on his energy policy. During his remarks, Obama also recognized the Air Force’s efforts and the recent flight of the A-10 on biofuel.
Because the Navy operates different engines and has slightly Read more
Fighter Pilots Grounded after Flyby
Two F/A-18E Super Hornet pilots were grounded–permanently–after a board decided that their flyby of a college football game was intentionally too low and thus “unsafe.” A Military Times article states that the pilots performed a flyby of the November 7, 2009 Georgia Tech v Wake Forest game below the 1,000 foot minimum set by Navy rules…and then reported the incident after landing. (The flyby in question is on YouTube, which also lists the names of the pilots and indicates they were both 96 grads of Georgia Tech. The flyby was low-speed, gear down, and high power.)
The pilots went before a Naval Aviator Evaluation Board, which is likely Read more
Navy Advised to Abandon F-35
A recent article at the Military Times suggests its “time to bail” on the Navy version of the JSF (the F-35C). (The online article is a lead-in to a longer story in the print version of the Military Times.) The proposal instead is that the Navy purchase more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
This would not be the first time the Navy “bailed” on a joint program. The F-111 was also supposed to be a joint program; the Navy bailed on the F-111 “B” and later acquired the F-14 instead. In the 1970s, the YF-16 and YF-17 had a “fly-off” won by the YF-16. The Navy, which was part of the program, didn’t like the single engine F-16 and instead Read more
F-18s Collide in Midair, Pilots Safe
Two single seat F/A-18E Super Hornets collided in the airspace over Nevada during a training sortie Monday night. One pilot ejected and was recovered safely, while the other was able to land his damaged aircraft.
The Super Hornet is a larger, more modern and advanced version of the F/A-18A/C Hornet. The crash occurred on the heels of another Hornet ejection just last week.