Re: F-14's and F-15's

[Regan Dale Copple <copple@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike,
	I did three years on an aircraft carrier, the USS Ranger CV-61,
and I used to work in a shop down on the O-2 level just under the waist
cats (side catapults).  When flight ops were going on we used to have the
flight deck camera channel on the shop TV so that we would know when an
F-14 was taking off, so that we could cover our ears.  The sound was so
loud if you stood out on the portside sponsin (a little balcony on the
left side of the ship under the waist) that you could feel the bones in
your head rattling, teeth, skull, everything.  We later learned that it
wasn't a good idea to do that a lot because it could damage your hearing
just by rattling the three little bones in your ears, you know those
cochlear bones?
	Besides you had all those Air Force bases in Sacto before they
closed down, I'm sure you managed to see the Thunderbirds just once.
Interesting factoid for all you non-military aviation types, did you know
that the original prototype for the F-14 and the F-15 was the same bird?
The Air Force wanted different things than the Navy so they proceeded to
contract for two different birds, one for each branch.  The Marine Corps
was going to fly F-14's as a replacement for the old F-4's (called the
flying brick, for good reason, it had a flight to height ratio of 22/10,
meant that for every 22 feet it glided with it's engine out it dropped 10
feet) but the Marines called off the deal at the last minute.  Seems there
was a new and improved bird coming out shortly, called the F-18 Hornet.
Major differences between the F-14 and F-15, machine gun is mounted in the
nose of an F-14 and in the right shoulder of the F-15.  F-14 has much
heavier landing gear to accomodate the carrier landings than the F-15.
All F-15's nose-landing gear assemblies collapse forward, and all F-14's
nose-landing gear assemblies collapse backward.  Can anyone tell me why?
First one to answer correctly gets a ride in my next newest Alfa once I
purchase it, a silver 72 Montreal.
	Eat your heart out Michael!  Ciao tutti!

						Regards,
						Regan Copple
						79 Spider
						73 Montreal
	(coming soon to a theater near you)---->72 Montreal

>>Did anyone else see the fleet week airshow over the bay today?

>You lucky bum. Can't seem to get the fleet to come up the silty
>Sacramento River. Guess we'll never see that show. Heard they broke some
>windows out of a Coast Guard ship during practice...they weren't
>shooting...just the noise! I've been in SF while they were practicing
>over the city. It is an awesome sight to see them fly through San
>Francisco. Would hate to see it done in anger!


Michael Williams
Sacramento, California US of A
69 Duetto
72 GTV (for sale)
73 Berlina (for sale)

http://www.rcip.com/michael

------------------------------