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Efficient method for turning jet fuel into noise (lots of noise)

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jfarris

jfarris

Jedi Trainee
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Somehow, I had the pleasure of doing our monthly commissary shopping last week. The Air Guard unit in Montgomery AL is transitioning from F-16s to F-35s. One was doing touch and goes at Maxwell AFB. It is the first time I've seen one in flight, nice looking airplane!
F35.jpg
 
Last year we spent a night at NAS Fallon, home of the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (AKA, Top Gun). Yes, lots and lots of noise. Fortunately, they knocked off at about 2230.
 
jfarris said:
Somehow, I had the pleasure of doing our monthly commissary shopping last week. The Air Guard unit in Montgomery AL is transitioning from F-16s to F-35s. One was doing touch and goes at Maxwell AFB. It is the first time I've seen one in flight, nice looking airplane!
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That's very cool! I spent about a month and a half at Maxwell for Squadron Officers School (SOS) back in the 80s.
 
I was a little ahead of you Basil, I did SOS in 1978. I did finish my career at Maxwell as the vice commander of CAP-USAF, the active duty component that advises (and monitors) the Civil Air Patrol. The fun part was getting to fly all their varied general aviation aircraft.
 
Sometime in the early '70's I did a TDY to shoot what was then a new "noise suppression" device. ISTR it was at Brooks AFB. Apparently the noise of an F-4 on full AB for final testing after maintenance had become an issue. The "device" was a building that enclosed the entire butt-end of the bird, and as throttle was applied, a HUGE amount of water was sprayed at it. Not certain, but it didn't seem to me it did much to "suppress" the noise... but a monstrous amount of steam/vapor was an impressive result!
 
Costs really spiraled out of control starting in the 60s when they changed from a bid on a contract model to a cost plus one. Then there was no incentive for manufacturers to be efficient. Read once, the first C-5A transport built cost a billion dollars and never flew. It was moved outside for a test flight the next day, caught fire and was destroyed. Some wiring fault was blamed.
 
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