http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/navair/ en-us Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:34:46 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2282704/posts The breaking of the sound barrier is not just an audible phenomenon. As a new picture from the U.S. military shows, Mach 1 can be quite visual. This widely circulated new photo shows a Air Force F-22 Raptor aircraft participating in an exercise in the Gulf of Alaska June 22, 2009 as it executes a supersonic flyby over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. The visual phenomenon, which sometimes but not always accompanies the breaking of the sound barrier, has also been seen with nuclear blasts and just after space shuttles launches, too. A vapor... LiveScience.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2282704/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:34:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281395/posts In the spring of 1941, the Navy was looking to replace its F4F "Wildcat" (also manufactured by Grumman) in light of new developments in the field of aeronautics, and the worsening military situation both in Asia and in Europe. On June 30, 1941 the Navy ordered the prototypes XF6F-1 and XF6F-2. They were to have the Wright R-2600-16 engine, producing 1,700 horsepower, on the -1 and a Wright 2800-16 fitted with a turbo-supercharger on the -2. Immediately after the first flight of the XF6F1 on June 26, 1942, the craft was mysteriously redesignated the "XF6F-3" and the engine was changed... aviation-history.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281395/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:17:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2280687/posts Rob Finch/The Oregonian/2002U.S. Marine Corps Col. Kenneth L. Reusser (center) is joined by Marine Staff Sgt. Marvin Harper (left) and Air Force Staff Sgt. Kim Nickerson on the Freedom Train, a string of cars honoring Oregon veterans, firefighters and disaster-relief workers who flew to New York City after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CLACKAMAS -- They came by ones and twos Friday, quietly slipping into the pews at New Hope Community Church. They smiled at the words honoring a man whose faith made him an inspiration and whose exploits in three wars made him a hero. And when the... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2280687/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:07:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280516/posts Fast Boat Threat Faces Hail of Hellfires Posted by Graham Warwick at 6/26/2009 2:48 PM CDT Faced with the threat from swarms of small boats. the US Navy is looking to equip the sensor turrets of its shipborne helicopters with the ability to designate multiple targets for simultaneous attack by laser-guided missiles like Hellfire. Photo: US Navy A new Office of Naval Research project, called Multi-Target Track and Terminate (MT3), aims to demonstrate a prototype multi-target laser designator on an MH-60 - including at least six simultaneous launches against maritime targets in realistic conditions - within 60 months of contract... AVIATION NOW http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280516/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:25:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277695/posts One of the last two Flying Boats from World War II -- a 747-sized airplane that can only land on water -- will be floating on Lake Elsinore this summer, ready to dump tons of water on Southern California wildfires. The 'Mighty Martins' One of the last two Flying Boats from World War II -- a 747-sized airplane that can only land on water -- will be floating on Lake Elsinore this summer, ready to dump tons of water on Southern California wildfires, it was reported today. A Martin Mars JRM-3 flying boat -- with a wingspan greater than a... The Daily Breeze (LA area news) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277695/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:19:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278145/posts 6/23/2009 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin made a surprise visit to Sailors and personnel onboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) on Monday during the military joint-training exercise Northern Edge 2009. The invitation came as a surprise for the governor, who jumped at the opportunity to visit U.S. service members and learn more about U.S. Navy operations. "This is such an honor to be here," Palin said. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for my husband Todd and I to see an aircraft carrier in action, and see what its... Elmendorf Air Force Base http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278145/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:40:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271303/posts The House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Sub-committee has delivered a blow to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) business plan. The committee has also saved the Navy from itself by pushing for a multi-year Super Hornet buy. The House proposes that 28 and not 30 F-35s be acquired for the 2010 budget. The Marines and Air Force will each lose one. That is only 9 now for the USAF if the House has their way. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), the chairman of the panel stated, “Overall, 28 aircraft is still twice the number of aircraft approved last year”.... F-16.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271303/posts#comment Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:45:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2271096/posts I think I need a barf bag. My head is spinning after watching this footage of the Blue Angels, the Navy’s ridiculously precise stunt pilot team. No, I’m not talking about another home movie of the fliers, shot from an air show. This raw video is taken from inside a Blue Angel cockpit, as the jets scream through the air. Personally, it’s as close as I ever want to get from stepping inside one of those planes. Closer, actually.Video Wired.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2271096/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:07:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268456/posts Every war veteran has a story to tell. But few could rival John Moffat's extraordinary tale. Now 89, Mr Moffat had a ringside seat to the sinking of the Bismarck, one of the most dramatic sea battles of the Second World War. But it was relatively recently that the pilot, who gave up flying only last year, found out just how pivotal his role was. It was the torpedo he fired that crippled the rudder of the German battleship, leaving it at the mercy of Royal Navy ships which then sank it in the Atlantic off the west coast of... Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268456/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:29:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267057/posts China revives production of JH-7 strike aircraft Monday, June 08, 2009 By Kaleem Omar China is now spending upwards of $ 60 billion a year to modernise its military, with the eventual aim of giving it power-projection capability far beyond its borders. In typical fashion, however, Beijing is not rushing pell mell into this endeavour, but is proceeding with due deliberation one step at a time, so as not to alarm its neighbours. Unlike the United States, China is also not given to throwing its weight about in its dealings with other countries and tends to err, if anything, on... The News,Pakistan http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267057/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 11:47:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267199/posts RAF chief predicts controversial takeover of Royal Naval air power The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, has sparked a major turf war within the armed forces after questioning the future of the Royal Navy's jet aircraft. By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent Published: 8:30AM BST 07 Jun 2009 The Chief of the Air Staff told The Sunday Telegraph that rationalisation in the armed forces would lead to the RAF running all combat jet operations. The move would effectively neuter the Royal Navy's maritime air force, the Fleet Air Arm, leaving the service with just a small... Daily Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267199/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 15:26:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265920/posts WASHINGTON, June 5, 2009 – The Navy’s top officer yesterday marked the 67th anniversary of World War II’s Battle of Midway at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Navy Memorial here. The Battle of Midway, fought June 4-7, 1942, pitted U.S and Japanese naval and air forces in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Midway is part of the Hawaiian island chain; the battle was fought about 1,300 miles northwest of Oahu. The United States lost the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and a destroyer at Midway, but the Japanese navy incurred more extensive losses, including the destruction of four aircraft carriers and... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265920/posts#comment Sat, 6 Jun 2009 01:00:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263597/posts F-35 chief endorses competition for engines and radars By Stephen Trimble New F-35 programme chief Brig Gen David Heinz strongly defended the case for funding two separate engines and raised the possibility of qualifying Raytheon or Thales as an alterative radar supplier. Speaking to reporters on 2 June, Heinz spoke out in favour of continuing production of the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 alternate engine despite its added costs. "I believe that part of the debate that has to occur -- and is occurring - is, is there an operational risk that we are accepting by having just a single engine manufacturer?"... Flight International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263597/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jun 2009 10:49:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2261345/posts The last years of Marine Corps veteran Ian Colin MacPherson's life were spent fending off one puzzling ailment after another. Rashes. Headaches. Vertigo. Nausea. And finally, the abnormally aggressive prostate cancer that killed the Riverview man at age 46 in 2004. > She discovered news of the water contamination on the Internet three years after his death. St. Petersburg Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2261345/posts#comment Sat, 30 May 2009 20:23:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260109/posts "Only under the administration of a former 'community organizer,' a product of the corrupt Chicago political machine, who never served a day of his life in uniform, could a 20-year retired Marine Corps Officer be prohibited from visiting the Arlington National Cemetery resting place of his father, a 30-year retired Marine Corps Officer with distinguished combat service, on the most hallowed of days for our fallen and deceased military servicemen and women -- Memorial Day." The Patriot Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260109/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 21:20:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259922/posts AN Australian Navy warship and RAAF spy planes will join the fight against Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. The Gulf-based Anzac Class frigate HMAS Warramunga and P3-C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, now working on Operation Slipper, will be re-tasked and available for anti-piracy duties in and near the Gulf of Aden. They will join the US-led multi-national Combined Task Force 151 for short-term counter-piracy missions against the criminals who launched more than 100 attacks on merchant ships during 2008, The Daily Telegraph reports. The pirates also collected more than $150 million in ransom from desperate ship owners. The... Daily Telegraph (Sydney) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259922/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 16:29:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259539/posts South Korean and US troops have gone on higher alert after North Korea announced it is scrapping the armistice in force on the peninsula. Seoul's defence ministry said the "Combined Forces Command upgraded Watch Conditions by a notch to Stage Two". US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says North Korea will face consequences for its "provocative and belligerent" actions towards its neighbours. The UN Security Council is discussing a response to North Korea's nuclear test. "Surveillance over the North will be stepped up, with more aircraft and personnel mobilised," Seoul's defence ministry spokesman Won Tae-Jae told AFP news agency. Meanwhile,... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2259539/posts#comment Thu, 28 May 2009 03:07:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2259406/posts Recap: -North Korea tests nuke -Obama gives speech saying he's outraged, then goes golfing -North Korea fires two missiles -Obama's UN Ambassador, Susan Rice (the same woman that the 911 Commission says turned down Sudan's offer to hand over Osama Bin Laden) goes on Today Show and says UN is going to meet, threatens more UN sanctions on the already fully isolated country -UN meets, doesn't pass new sanctions, does send "stern letter" -North Korea responds by test firing another anti-ship missile -Obama Press Secretary is pressed by ABC News Jake Tapper to explain what Obama's next attempt will... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2259406/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 23:29:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2259216/posts Former President Bush Visits Namesake Aircraft Carrier Story Number: NNS090527-04 Release Date: 5/27/2009 10:50:00 AM From USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, At Sea (NNS) -- The USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) namesake -- former President George H.W. Bush -- and the ship's sponsor visited the Navy's newest aircraft carrier May 26-27 to observe flight operations during the ship's underway period in the Atlantic Ocean. "It is the greatest honor of my life to be the [ship's] sponsor, so thank you for letting me have that opportunity," said Doro Bush Koch, the former president's daughter... United States Navy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2259216/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 18:28:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257656/posts "They had no right to win. Yet they did, and in doing so they changed the course of a war ...even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit -- a magic blend of skill, faith and valor -- that can lift men from certain defeat to incredible victory." Dedication Stone Inscription by Walter LordNational WWII Memorial, Washington, DCBattle of MidwayJune 4-7, 1942 National Geographic produced a DVD, "Battle for Midway," which includes actual combat footage of the historic WWII naval battle and Dr. Robert Ballard's search and discovery of the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown,... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257656/posts#comment Mon, 25 May 2009 05:51:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257062/posts Naval Air Station Fallon Executive Officer Cmdr. Luther Hook, 44, and three of his daughters are the confirmed victims of a plane crash that took place Friday evening near the Fallon Municipal Airport. Hook perished in the twin-engine Cessna crash along with daughters Kaitlyn Elizabeth, 15, Rachel Katherine, 12, and Mackenzie Elena, 9. The four were in route to Fallon from Fresno, Calif. Kelly Spicer, a representative from the airport, said Hook flew to Fresno every Friday afternoon to pick up his daughters from a previous marriage for weekend visitation. He returned his daughters to Fresno each Sunday afternoon in... Lahontan Valley News (Reno) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257062/posts#comment Sat, 23 May 2009 21:55:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256569/posts I spent many years as TV reporter (and am a 2000 hr pilot) but this weekends work by some ditsy News Babes for News 12 Long Island reaches new lows. Two stories on the Jones Beach air show contaimed these reporters' mistakes: #1: "This WW-II Navy fighter, the F-4 Corsair had folding wings so it could park on small airport parking places such as those shown here at Republic Airport." #2: "The Air Force Thunderbirds, here shown in video from last years air show......" (as 4 high wing piston straight wing monoplanes fly over. They look like Cessna 172s or... News 12 Long Island http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256569/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2009 21:39:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2256485/posts 090519-N-7656T-124 ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 19, 2009) An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 passes by the landing signal officer on the way to making the first arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush is the tenth and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and is underway off the coast of Virginia conducting flight deck certification. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Tackitt/Released) 090519-N-6125G-116 ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 19, 2009) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 makes the first... United States Navy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2256485/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2009 19:24:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255252/posts Australia is conducting the biggest expansion of its navy since the Second World War and will spend an extra £35 billion on the armed forces over the next 20 years. The latest defence White Paper recommends buying 100 advanced F-35 jet fighters and 12 powerful submarines equipped with cruise missiles, a capability which no other country in the region is believed to possess. The "potential instability" caused by the emergence of China and India as major world powers was cited as the most pressing reason for this military build-up. In particular, Australian defence planners are believed to be concerned about... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255252/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 04:09:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254517/posts The Coast Guard says a Navy helicopter with five people aboard has crashed into the ocean 13 miles south of San Diego near the Coronado Islands. More Navy Copter Down (from AP) Prayers up.prisoner6 Ventura County Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254517/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 09:38:08 GMT