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Originally posted by uberarcanist
That link don't work, dude. It just takes me to the photobucket main page.
[edit on 2-7-2007 by uberarcanist]
Originally posted by earth2
I think he is farther away from the ship than he appears. the camera was zooming. Kinda like taking a photo of a person standing in front of the moon and the moon looks real big.
Originally posted by WestPoint23
Notice that everyone on deck seems to know in advance what is about to happen. I'm sure the Air Boss did too, yet the fly by was done anyway. In this case I do not think it was against regulations.
[edit on 2-7-2007 by WestPoint23]
Q:That shot off of the America is very widely used….most people seem to initially think it is either an edited photo, or a risky maneuver. What was it?
A:It's not risky at all with practice…it was my opening pass to a Tomcat tactical demonstration at sea. I started from the starboard rear quarter of the ship, at or slightly below flight deck level. Airspeed was at about 250 knots with the wings swept forward. I selected afterburner at about 1/2 mile behind and the aircraft accelerated to about 325-330 knots. As I approached the ship, I rolled into an 85 degree angle of bank and did a 2-3 g turn, finishing about 10- 20 degrees off of the ship's axis. It was a very dramatic and, in my opinion, a very cool way to start a carrier demo. The photo was taken by an Aviation Boson's Mate who worked the flight deck on the USS America. Just as an aside...the individual with his arms behind his back is Admiral Jay Johnson, the immediate past Chief of Naval Operations for the Navy.
Originally posted by mizzu
Once you make it into the "driver's" seat of a Tomcat, F16, F22 or in the old days an F-4. You have a butt pumped full of bravado. Usually this wears off quickly after your first good brush with death due to your own shenanagans. If you overide logic & continue to be a "hotshot" you either become famous or more likely grounded or dead.