Went to the air show yesterday (Saturday). Perfect weather, clear skies, and an incredible atmosphere. I love going on base. I feel more at home there than anywhere. The troops were polite and helpful (yes Sir, yes Mame), that's how I was brought up and it's awesome to hear young people who understand the power of being respectful. I did run into one guy who insisted there was no VIP parking, but I decided to assume he was stupid, not racist. He claimed it was a misprint on the invite.
Anyway, the F22 and F35 demo was actually better than the Thunderbirds. Is it just me or is the F35 getting some new aerodynamic capabilities? The F35 was doing tail slides, flat spins, and high alpha passes at well below stall speed - all stuff I had only seen the F22 do. The amazing thing about this is they were flying the F35 Lighting II, which does not have vectored thrust! This platform is really looking impressive.
I remember when they sent F-4 Phantoms to Vietnam without a gun, claiming the age of dog fighting was over. After they realized the missiles were not reliable and often actually bounced off Migs without significant damage they added guns. To my way of seeing it, a plane that can't dogfight is not a fighter and sooner or later will fall to enemies like China or Russia. So I'm glad to see the F-35 getting some advanced aerodynamic capabilities. Frankly, watching the F22 and F35 flying together made me realize the F22 may never fight. The F35 is smaller, cheaper, has some astonishing electronics and sensors, and seems to have stepped up the gymnastics. Watching these two yesterday, I would rather face one or two Raptors than 4-5 Lightenings (the F35 is a pack hunter, that's why cost and complexity are important).
I have been going to air shows for 55 years. I still love them as much as I did as a kid.
Anyway, the F22 and F35 demo was actually better than the Thunderbirds. Is it just me or is the F35 getting some new aerodynamic capabilities? The F35 was doing tail slides, flat spins, and high alpha passes at well below stall speed - all stuff I had only seen the F22 do. The amazing thing about this is they were flying the F35 Lighting II, which does not have vectored thrust! This platform is really looking impressive.
I remember when they sent F-4 Phantoms to Vietnam without a gun, claiming the age of dog fighting was over. After they realized the missiles were not reliable and often actually bounced off Migs without significant damage they added guns. To my way of seeing it, a plane that can't dogfight is not a fighter and sooner or later will fall to enemies like China or Russia. So I'm glad to see the F-35 getting some advanced aerodynamic capabilities. Frankly, watching the F22 and F35 flying together made me realize the F22 may never fight. The F35 is smaller, cheaper, has some astonishing electronics and sensors, and seems to have stepped up the gymnastics. Watching these two yesterday, I would rather face one or two Raptors than 4-5 Lightenings (the F35 is a pack hunter, that's why cost and complexity are important).
I have been going to air shows for 55 years. I still love them as much as I did as a kid.
