Crazy photo (USAF Thunderbird mishap)
The pilot takes off, does a loop de loop too close to the ground. His plane can't start regaining altitude fast enough and he ejects a split-second before it crashes.
Hi-Res photo (2.7 MB, 5 megapixel) and videos available below:
http://www.avweb.com/newswire/10_06a.../186633-1.html
Hi-Res photo (2.7 MB, 5 megapixel) and videos available below:
http://www.avweb.com/newswire/10_06a.../186633-1.html
Comments
Why the heck was it just published now?
Still, it's a pretty good picture, and it's only the second crash the Thunderbirds have had since '82 when they switched to the F-16.
Originally posted by job
The crazy thing is that photo is from Sept. 2003!
Why the heck was it just published now?
Still, it's a pretty good picture, and it's only the second crash the Thunderbirds have had since '82 when they switched to the F-16.
Probably pending internal investigations into the cause of the crash, which seems to be pilot error. Some stories report that he piloted the plane out of harms way for thousands of spectators, but he's clearly not near any spectators at any point in time. I don't even think aerial demonstration teams are allowed to perform maneuvers over spectators in the US...to avoid accidents like the one in the Ukraine a couple years ago.
THUNDERBIRDS KNOCK IT OFF!
1 KNOCK IT OFF
2 KNOCK IT OFF...
Originally posted by Eugene
...
Some stories report that he piloted the plane out of harms way for thousands of spectators, but he's clearly not near any spectators at any point in time.
...
I was feeling that was bunk too. The plane never left the line of the runway.
I was thinking that it was the eject mechanism though.
Anyone know how you fire that off?
It's got to be quick and accessable.
Great coverage though!
Outside, inside and still shots.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Between the legs, at the front edge of the seat, generally.
Yeah, it's a much safer position for the arms to be in when you pop rather than in some older designs where the loops were behind the shoulders
Glad no one got hurt by this.
Originally posted by Eugene
Yeah, it's a much safer position for the arms to be in when you pop rather than in some older designs where the loops were behind the shoulders
And easier to reach in a high-G situation. :}
Originally posted by Cake
You see him struggling with something a couple of seconds before he pops.
I was thinking that it was the eject mechanism though.
Nah, he's trying to save the plane until the very last second, when he knows it's time to get the **** out of there.
Originally posted by Eugene
Yeah, it's a much safer position for the arms to be in when you pop rather than in some older designs where the loops were behind the shoulders
Yea, we all remember what happened in Top Gun.
Still brings a tear to my eye. Poor Goose. He was a good man.
but the majority of modern aircraft ejection systems are underseat.
There are some pretty cool documentaries on the history of ejection systems.
</pulls big yellow handles>
Too bad the internal video doesn't have audio.
Plane's computer: "Terrain... Terrain... Terrain... Pull Up... Pull Up"
Pilot: "Shut up... Shut up.. Shut up... Shiiiit!"
Looking at that image.
Astounding how far digital photography has come in just the last 5 years.
This shot would have probably been near impossible before that. There might have been cameras to do the shot but I suspect they would have cost Megabucks.
Aqua
Originally posted by Aquafire
Looking at that image.
Astounding how far digital photography has come in just the last 5 years.
This shot would have probably been near impossible before that. There might have been cameras to do the shot but I suspect they would have cost Megabucks.
Huh? Or he could have used any of the high-speed 35mm film cameras like the Canon EOS-1V, EOS-1N, Nikon F5 could have shot off at 8-10 FPS to capture that shot.
The Nikon D1x used to take the photo is also a 3-year old camera.
Kodak had the DCS series and Nikon had the venerable D1 back then too.
http://www.avweb.com/newswire/10_06a.../186633-1.html