Touch and go…

Posted on by May 22, 2013

Or as we called em, crash and dash…

Hopefully with most of the parts remaining attached to the airplane!  X-47’s first touch and go’s at sea, on USS GHW BUSH.

Full arrested landings coming this summer to a carrier near you!

Comments

Touch and go… — 15 Comments

  1. I’m more than happy to let a drone do crash-‘n-dash. I hated spending four hours of my life getting nauseated while the “stick actuator” got his monthly requirements. X3 in the C-5, they tried to maximize flying time, and loaded the flight deck with people behind on flying hours.

  2. It’s clearly the key to the evolving future of Naval Aviation. When they come up with a VTO variant — whoa baby, end of the big deck carriers.

  4. The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.

  5. Looks an awful lot like the fighter from the movie “Stealth”. Sure wouldn’t want to piss the little critter off! 🙂 Pretty cool sir, pretty cool.

  6. 10 years. In ten years there will be deployed squadrons of UAV’s on CVN’s. The fundamental elements of Naval Aviation are changing. Can you see the shipalt’s in work now? Get rid of three or more ready rooms and have rooms full of drone operators. Bleck!

  7. WN- LOL, I’m amazed ANY of them knew how to hand fly a C-5…

    LL- Yep…

    WSF- That it is!

    MSgt- 🙂

    Bill- Actually that is where they ‘got’ the CGI… An early prototype photo

    Mikey- Yeah, that’s gonna suck!

  8. As a former ground pounder (leg ground pounder thankyouverymuch) the only thing I know about aeroplanes is whenever I must fly on one I spend the flight praying the wings stay on.

    So far so good….

  9. Dang, you just know the stories those desk jockeys will tell aren’t going to be nearly as interesting, or funny, or anything…

  10. @Six: It’s not those fixed wing jobs you need to worry about, lots of bolts holding the wings on.

    Helos, however, have ONE nut holding the ‘wings’ on. Pilots call it the ‘Jesus nut’ because if it comes loose, everyone on board meets the man.

    Mechanics call it the Jesus nut because that’s who usually gets invoked as you try to either break it loose or bring it to the torque spec (so it doesn’t come off in flight)! 😛

    Completely automatic carrier traps are going to be interesting.

  11. Six- LOL

    Brighid- Yep, not nearly as funny! 🙂

    Scott- Got my time in helos… Two combining gear transmission failures (autorotations) and one tail rotor failure (run on landing)… And your comment on the Jesus nut is dead on!!!

  12. So, this thing is flying completely on its own, without a remote pilot? That does make it quite impressive. 🙂

  15. That doesn’t quite answer my question, or maybe I’m not interpreting your answer well…Let me rephrase.

    So, it’s flying autonomously, but there’s a human pilot watching it, so if it “goes off the rails”, s/he can take control if needed?