The Dems are Pee- oo'd Pres Bush will address the nation onboard a carrier..

[Penn]

And another thing...

..just because it had never been done before, are we saying it's not-the-thing-to do?
From time to time we hear of unprecidented moves or never-before attempted strategies; so does that put a preventative aura on this type of event? Hogwash.
GW, or his advisor Karl Rove, saw an excellent opportunity to welcome the troops coming home, show his support for them, praise them for their heroism and sacrifice and courage.
And oh by the way, deliver an excellent major address to the country and the rest of the world.
I would call that pretty suave and knowledgeable politics; there's not a much better atmosphere to deliver the indication of the road we must follow for the future of homeland security and world peace.

The Dems, like Sen. John Kerry of Mass., presidential wannabe, are just angry because they aren't in the position to do the same.

 

[Ken King]

Re: Uh-Huh...

Originally posted by penncam
Tut, tut, Mr. King. Maybe the pilot of the S-3 was nervous he had his CinC onboard his craft and that fact caused him to touchdown a tad late.

You can bet the pilot was experiencing sphincter tension about two clicks beyond critical. Who wouldn’t? The point being is you were poking fun at a complex task, which you must admit is about the toughest thing in the world to do.

It was a safe landing by any means, but I must say the trap speed of an S-3 is a bit slower the trap speed of an F-14 or F-18,
no?

You ever catch a glimpse of the flaps that S-3 has? They are huge, and allow the pilot to bring in the airplane a lot slower than the fighters.

Not much slower in case of a bolter. You’ve got to be able to get it back in the air. I’ve seen the S-3 and you are right it is a lot different then an F-18 or F14. It still has to achieve lift.

I've always wished I could have made a TAD aboard a modern carrier to watch planes trap; I have seen Grumman promo tapes of the F-14 trapping, but it obviously isn't the same as seeing it live.
The airplane seems to literally fall out of the sky the last 12-15 feet above the deck, slamming onto it, and snagging an arresting cable.
One of the most awesome things I have seen is a catapult shot of an F-14 here at Pax River, near Strike facility; the launch system
"throws" the airplane off the runway! The F-14 goes from 0 to 180+ in a few seconds, and it's gone! That's got to be a heck of a rush.

You can have the boats, no desire to be there. Working at the Test Range I see plenty of the testing and how the new planes and gear get the “shake, rattle, and roll” of the TC-7 and MK-7 before it is fleet ready. You ought to see the video we have for a Hornet doing an in-flight engagement of the arresting gear (nose gear stress testing). After being in the Air Force and now working for the Navy I have a greater appreciation for the differences.