1/72 F/A-18A Blue Angels 2006-Hasegawa

[Stuart]

Very cool - looks like a nice kit.

[Stikpusher]

Looks like a Hornet now

[BlackSheep214]

Sure it’s fast. It’s the Navy not the AirForce.

[Stikpusher]

Careful now, most of the fastest aircraft have been USAF.

[Stuart]

Yeah but you Yanks are boring - you use actual aerodynamics and advanced technology and common sense to build fast aircraft - when what you should do to get a really fast airplane is to use duct tape and string, leaky aluminium, dodgy engines and fuel tanks the size of egg cups.

[Stuart]

(Sad isn't it, when the old creaky EE Lightning is considered the best all British aircraft ever made )

[Ledsled]

Is that double barrel flying shot gun zooming up to clouds with images on them? Is this some sort of "subliminal message"?

[Stikpusher]

That is an English Electric Lightning, an aircraft with amazing performance. It was one of the few types that could intercept a U-2 with its zoom climb capabilities. Also the first type to have “super cruise”, going supersonic without using afterburner in level flight, before that was even a design consideration or specification.

[Ledsled]

So what happened? I don't remember it being a huge seller. The B-52 is still in service! There are gazillions of F-16s and even Mig-21s!!! I guess it was too good.

[Stuart]

well basically, it was crap. Well okay, it was of it's time It did indeed have superb performance, was really manoeuvrable, but also had (like most British aircraft) appalling range and quite limited Radar and weapons. It was kind of a stable-mate of the Mig-21 and F-104, but for some reason it didn't get the upgrades and extra stuff those two had to extend it's life. It was still in service in the 80's but it was woefully obsolete.