Here's the text that was in the email:
This video is fresh (for the public). It was made just six weeks ago in the Atlantic, just off Newport News (Hampton Roads), Virginia .Interesting combination of uniforms there. I thin k that, if I was on flight deck duty, I'd wear my oldest uniforms that were authorized to wear them out...
These are the latest sea trials of the F-35B on the USS Wasp. They were very successful, with 74 VL's and STO's in a three week period. The media and the program critics had predicted that we would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard. Neither of which happened. You will notice a sailor standing on the bow of the ship as the jet rotates. That was an intentional part of the sea trials.
The USS Wasp is an amphibious assault ship designed to embark a Marine Expeditionary Unit. It is capable of simultaneously supporting rotary and fixed wing STOVL aircraft and amphibious landing craft operations. For this test deployment the USS Wasp was outfitted with special instrumentation to support and measure the unique operating environment as the F-35B conducted short takeoffs and vertical landings.
No catapult...... No hook .............
The shape and scope of warfare – worldwide – just changed.
4 comments:
1. Uniforms: You'll notice that they were wearing either Green fatigue pants, green coveralls or old-style woodland camouflage.
That's pretty typical of flight deck operations. Most of it is either issued by the ship as "organizational clothing" or is gotten as surplus from DRMO (Defense Reutilization and Marketing Offices) for free. The flight deck is hard on uniforms so flight deck gear is typically issued, not standard uniforms, which must be purchased by the service members.
The jerseys and "float coats" are standardized and the colors indicate the role of the individual wearing them.
2. I'm not sure where the e-mail came from, but it's a little sensationalistic.
"The media and the program critics had predicted that we would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard. Neither of which happened."
Um...we've been flying STOVL craft (AV-8 Harriers) off of ships like that for decades (Been There...Done That) I seriously doubt that the F-35's engines are THAT much more powerful or generate THAT much more heat than the AV-8.
"Blow sailors off the deck?" You're trying to tell me that an F-35 creates more jetwash than an F-14 or F-18? Or even an H-53E's rotor wash? BS.
Sensationalistic.
"You will notice a sailor standing on the bow of the ship as the jet rotates. That was an intentional part of the sea trials."
The sailor may have been up there to watch for something as a part of the trials, but it wasn't to test whether the plane would blow him overboard. There is no way a CO or Air Boss would intentionally place a sailor in a danger zone if there was a credible chance of that happening. There are much better ways to test something like that than putting an actual human being (with several years and several millions of dollars worth of training) in harm's way. Besides, he wasn't near enough to the bird to feel more than a warm, stiff breeze from it as it passed by anyway.
Sensationalistic
"No catapult...... No hook .............
The shape and scope of warfare – worldwide – just changed. "
Again...I presume that the author of this piece is aware that we've been flying STOVL combat aircraft for quite some time. The F-35B is an improvement over the Harrier that it is designed to replace, but not significant enough to change "the shape and scope of warfare". It's an improvement over an existing system, not a completely new way of doing things.
Sensationalistic.
Sorry to sound so critical, I really enjoyed the video and it even made me almost miss the flight deck
almost.
It would have been better for the e-mailer to have just sent the video without the superfluous editorial comments.
IMHO.
OK, I just started cursing the MOD again (not a novel occurrence) for their typical foresight in not going for the B variant for the Royal Navy.
Oh, I know about the cost (I argue that constantly) but... damn, I want!!! (Dear Santa...)
Nice work!! That's hella bitchin'!
Somewhat different than the old USS Ranger out of the Golden Gate on Family Day back in 1969...
Maybe I should have added, I got this from an Air Force guy... ;-)
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