#fwaas15

[sentinelchicken]

The original USAF plans were for a force of 750 F-22 Raptors, but even before the first production F-22A made its first flight in  September 1997, force reductions were already cutting deep into the Raptor program. The first of many restructurings came in January 1993 that resulted in the reduction of flight test aircraft from 11 to 9. Three years later in 1996, the two-seat F-22B variant was cut from the program and another 4 aircraft were cut from the flight test program. I had read somewhere that the loss of the F-22B variant wasn’t too much of an issue as the sim phase of the Raptor training course is so extensive and realistic, but the time a new Raptor pilot steps into the cockpit for their first flight, they have “virtually” flown the F-22 many times. However, in some circles, a two seat F-22B variant would open the door for more specialized versions of the F-22 like electronic warfare (similar to the Navy’s EA-18G Growler) or strike (a stealthy replacement for the F-15E Strike Eagle). @kjdphoto1971’s May Aviation Photo Challenge | #0516planes | Day 4 | My Country’s Air Force | #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #FortWorth #AllianceAirShow #AllianceTurns25 #airport #Texas #FWAAS2015 #FWAAS15 #avgeekery #avgeekschoolofknowledge #Lockheed #F22 #Raptor #USAF #mil_aviation_originals (at Fort Worth Alliance Airport)

[sentinelchicken]

While the P-51 was the first aircraft to be designed with a laminar flow wing, in reality the wing never demonstrated laminar flow despite what’s often said in aviation literature. Yes, laboratory and wind tunnel studies did demonstrate laminar flow- but small manufacturing imperfections, camouflage paint, dirt, and dings from operational use pretty much prevented laminar flow from taking place. But a laminar flow airfoil has other benefits and this is where the Mustang got its advantage. Because the thickest part of the airfoil is further back from the leading edge, compressibility and shockwave formation is delayed- this feature is beneficial even at lower speeds as it reduces drag and while laminar flow would have been great, the drag reduction in practice was still significant enough to give the Mustang outstanding performance. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #FortWorth #AllianceAirShow #AllianceTurns25 #airport #Texas #FWAAS2015 #FWAAS15 #avgeekery #avgeekschoolofknowledge #NorthAmerican #P51 #Mustang (at Fort Worth Alliance Airport)