F16 Close Pass

Missileer

Active member
http://community.webshots.com/user/lknou

Here's an interesting photo, along with some comments:
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> For info: Here is the message text received with the F16 image.
> I cannot verify anything about the source of the image or the text.
> ----------------------------------------
> This one was really close. Big post flight hose-down. Check out the
> speed brakes fully deployed on the F-16 on the left!
>
> These guys are better than this, but close calls do happen. Obviously
> the timing was off in this maneuver. In a crossover, both planes try to
> cross each other at the same altitude going different directions. The
> lead plane flies a constant airspeed, and the second plane adjusts his
> airspeed ( relative motion) to stay as close as possible without having
> a mid-air.
>
> In the photo, the second plane was going too fast and pulled his speed
> brakes (panels sticking out on tail) and idled his engine (decreased
> contrail). He also was changing his altitude, based on the aeronautical
> law that states that two planes cannot occupy the same airspace at the
> same time. The altitude change was what saved his butt.
>
> It's hard to believe they didn't swap paint.....hose down the cockpit
time.
 
wow. that is too close. i dont see how they passed eachother. the left wing one on the plane to the right looks like its gonna clip the cockpit of the other plane.
 
Thunderbirds. I read about this photo somewhere. Appearantly, it's a trich of the camera. According to the article, these two were about 200 meters apart at the time the photo was taken. Something about parabolic lenses and special angles or something. Anyway, these two aren't quite as close as they look. But it's one beast of a shot, anyway!
 
Woah dude, that's definetely a close call. They seriously look like they're about to clip each other's wings. I woulda shat my pants.

That makes sense about the camera trick though, I was watching the Blue Angels dealie last night on the Discovery Channel/Military Channel preview. They said that they used illusion to make the viewers at their demos believe that they're inches away when they cross each other when they're actually a significant distance apart.
 
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