Midair

This guy was flying on a wing and a prayer.

Just one wing! mk

Remember that the F-15 has a very high power to weight ratio, considerable control surface affectivity, and limited thrust vectoring is built into the engines. Evidently, the combination allowed the pilot to make it home. On the other hand, over the years, several less dramatic mishaps resulted in a large smoking hole in the ground.

I'm guessing the pilot would have been reprimanded for not ejecting when there was clear evidence of major damage to his craft - instead he risked his life and that of his navigator - which would be regarded as much more valuable assets to the Air Force than an F-15.

On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 09:21:04 GMT, I said, "Pick a card, any card" and "Poxy" instead replied:

You didn't watch the entire piece. At the end he states that he didn't know he had lost a wing and would have ejected had he known it. He thought the plane had suffered a hydraulic failure. Which it did. A massive failure.

-- Ray

The only F-15 with thrust vectoring technologies were research modifications. The F-15 the video refers to did NOT have this.

The only reason it didn't create a smoking hole in the ground was due to the fact that the tail surfaces could be deflected enough that at a high enough speed, it could counteract the lack of the wing.

g.

Originally true--As I understand it, there was a mod some time ago. Its not extreme, but the F15 also has a heck of a lot of excess power with the new engines.

"The > > Remember that the F-15 has a very high power to weight ratio,

considerable

modifications.

No production model of F-15 has ever had thrust vectoring nozzles.

The F-15 in question was equipped with Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 engines. I can't speak to the IAF fleet, but most USAF & Air Guard F-15s have been upgraded to the F100-PW-220 engine and some have the F100-PW-229, although the '229 is mostly used in the F-15E.

The only nozzle modification that I know of was the deletion of the "turkey feathers". These were a series of interlocking plates that shrouded the nozzle. From what I've been told they were more of a maintenance hassle than any benefit realized from the streamlining effect they produced.

...and just so you know I'm not talking out my hat, have a peek at my website -

g.