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Is there really a good plane of there era that was effective at both, Maybe the Grumman TBF? It had a range of 1000 miles
And it wasn't in service before V-E day either.
The answer to a multi-role 43/44 carrier aircraft is the Firefly.
Was there a missed generation of fighter-torpedo-dive bomber between the TBF and AD that didn't require the development of a Wright 3350 cubic inch or Bristol 3279 cubic inch class engine.
I guess that after the war there really was not a blue water threat for several decades except for subs.Blue water operations (jargon for antishipping ops) were rare and training for same was even rarer.
I would guess that the HUD with it various modes of weapon delivery aiming significantly improved accuracy. However, it appeared about the time smart bombs came into being.Training for dive bombing however was always in vogue. New and improved ways were developed and the competiton to put a bomb on target would have made Wade McClusky, Dick Best and Wally Short very happy. The USN dive bombing culture was so ingrained that even the EW community had its wags who claimed the best jammer on earth was a Mark 82 on target.
I agree whole heartedly (these planes were certainly a leap over the atrocious F7U and the under-performing F3H). Growing up on the approach end of east landing r/w of Sherman field in Pensacola in the fifties, I was immersed in Naval aviation. My favorite, and the one plane I would have selected without hesitation, was the F8U. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough to fly, all services had gone to the very powerful, but less...exciting than the single seaters, F-4. Anyway, I ended up in transports.I think Heinemann saved the best for last when he designd the 'ford.' I think the F4D is one of the most beautiful aircraft of its day, the jet age Spitfire of Naval Aviation and its successor F5D (in photo above), a really awesome fighter in a class with the F-8 Crusader if what I've read is true.
Right over my head. I have very fond memories of sitting in the back yard and watch their performances. The earliest I remember is the F9F Cougars. I do remember running into the house, scared of the low flying SNJs.Yes at Sherman field you'd have been entertained by weekly blue angel shows when they were in town.
Yep, but the C-141A was a modern and powerful aircraft and that is always nice but still a max load take-off from a Navy 8000 ft r/w was always a bit exciting.Hey! Transports is still flying and depending on the weather, taking off with a full load and a full bag can be quite exciting as I am sure I don't have to remind you.
I was the B-2 technical manager for avionics controls and displays for Northrop. As such I interfaced with all aspects of the aircraft including EW. As a high level stealth platform, the B-2 had unique EW requirements. All, of course, highly classified and I had no need to know, except, of course, for any C&D issues.Were you a Northrop or Grumman Guy? or working for an avionics subcontractor when doing the B-2?
We had some outstanding talent in the LO world. I was just responsible for cramming a four man workload into two. We had a major request for information at the Critical Design Review on the cockpit. We ran user crews through the simulator for six months and their basic comment was that the mission was boring, and only wanted one change to the symbology.Well from every thing I've heard about the Spirit, you guys did a great job... I did IR stealth analysis for about 10 years at a beltway bandit outfit and can appreciate what you did to lower observables across the board.
You also get major props for hanging out in the ice box that was the 141. Froze my butt off in one off those babies flying back home from McChord AFB to McGuire AFB to get married in February, 1972.
As Sasha Baron Cohen would say Respec!
When did you become an Old Crow? Did you pull some tours in Vietnam? On board the Kittyhawk?I was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island at the EA-6B RAG (Replacement Air Group) VAQ-129. The -6B was just being introduced to the fleet. We had all of 4 aircraft on station and had to train pilot and NFOs (USAF WSOs or GIBs) for a number of squadrons who had no aircraft of their own. That was supplemented by a couple of tired old A-6A's from the neighboring squadron VA-128, the west coast A-6 RAG. Those were the fun-buggies.
We've all been there! That wing was probably tested to failure to much more than that but I do hope they were standing on a walk way!"It holds up 60,000 pound of airplane, it shouldn't have a problem with a few hundred pounds of bodies" What did I know, I'd only worked around engines 'til then, I knew nothing about airframes.