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I am constantly amazed that Iran manages to keep some of their F-14s airworthy decades after the US stopped supplying spare parts and knowledge. Seems to me th
by cyberferret 8y ago
I am constantly amazed that Iran manages to keep some of their F-14s airworthy decades after the US stopped supplying spare parts and knowledge.
Seems to me that they have worked out how to manufacture certain parts themselves, or are getting them on the black market somehow.
For all the F-14s many faults, at least it proved to be a serviceable aircraft that proved itself in an actual dogfight situation. Our own RAAF is slated to receive F-35s soon, but I recall last year during an airshow to display their capabilities to the local crowds, the aircraft could not return to their home base to land and had to be diverted to an alternate due to... light rain.
Fair enough the aircraft were not certified for flight into inclement weather yet, but it strikes me (pun intended) that the new generation of aircraft are far more sensitive to issues like these than the older generation aircraft that could be flown while held together with sticky tape and chewing gum.
- m_eiman 8y agoConsidering the cost of one of the new aircraft, I think it’s understandable that everyone tries to stay away from doing anything untested unless they really have to…
- pjmlp 8y agoSpecially when taking into account the state of many during the WWII that still managed to land somehow.
- dgudkov 8y agoThere was an airshow recently in Toronto and all aircraft (including F35) stopped flying because of a light rain. I guess it's a common precaution measure on airshows.
- cyberferret 8y agoI understand about not flying a display routine in inclement weather, fog or low cloud (I am a former pilot). In this case, then F-35 squadron had done the flyover at the actual airshow in clear weather and were returning to their temporary airbase several hundred miles away. They could not land back there due to the light rain over the base and had to be diverted to a dry base elsewhere.