This is supposedly a photograph of an F-14 pilot conducting an unauthorized fly-by of the aircraft carrier USS Stennis (CVN-74). The pilot was grounded for 30 days, but thinks it’s worth it because it’s such a great picture.
I found this while wandering around the Web. I have no further information about the photo, and make no claims about it's authenticity.
Real or not, it's a pretty spiffy picture, eh?
I think it looks real only for the fact that it is not a clear photo. I like the cloud or smoke above the port wing. It could be a fake especially since there are no distinquishing marks on the jet or carrier deck.
to UT: this pic is better than yours but not as journalistic.
I googled this and found this page:
http://acro.harvard.edu/ACRO/threads/1011343/thr1011343.html
where some of the people there actually claim first person knowledge of the event.
Don't know if I believe them, but looks cool.
Well, it appears Patty Wagstaff is [email]Gypsy444@aol.com[/email], and her hubby Dale was one of the fliers that day. His explanation of the maneuver makes sense to me.
"It's not risky at all with practice. It was my opening pass to a Tomcat
tactical demonstration at sea. I started from the starboard rear quarter of the ship, at or slightly below flight deck level. Airspeed was at about 250 knots with the wings swept forward. I selected afterburner at about 1/2 mile behind and the aircraft accelerated to about 325-330 knots. As I approached the ship, I rolled into an 85 degree angle of bank and did a 2-3g turn, finishing about 10- 20 degrees off of the ship's axis. It was a very dramatic and, in my opinion, a very cool way to start a carrier demo.
The photo was taken by an Aviation Boson's Mate who worked the flight deck on the USS America. Just as an aside...the individual with his arms behind his back is Admiral Jay Johnson, the immediate past Chief of Naval Operations for the Navy."
Thats a great image, i love the F14.
Sy
Okay... very funny... who submitted the F-14 image to Fark?
It didn't get accepted, but even the increased traffic from TotalFark was... ummm... substantial. :eek: