Warbird Information Exchange

I wanted to share a couple snapshots taken by my backseater yesterday while I was strafing with the 20mm gun. Not many people get to see a strafe pass from this perspective, so I thought the WIXers might appreciate it.

Unfortunately, the target is very tough to see in the photo. It is a truck-shaped billboard atop a flatbed train car. The train car moves sideways at about 20 mph giving us a laterally-moving target to hit. In the 2nd picture where I'm wings level on final attack heading you can see the train track up just above the canopy bow and right of the compass. This particular range is part of the Fort Polk range that the USAF uses for the Green Flag East exercise. It is the first time I've personally ever attempted to strafe a moving target.

If it looks like my nose is pointing at the ground short of the train tracks -- YOU'RE RIGHT! The F-15E has a gun that is up-canted 2 degrees from the waterline of the aircraft! This is a real asset when trying to pull out the pistol against another aircraft because it takes care of some of the lead that you have to pull to hit a moving target. When pointed at the dirt, this is a bit of a negative because it means your dive angle is steeper.

Cool stuff! Dumb question, but can you hear the buzz of the gun being fired or feel much of any effect on the airplane's flight path? I played around the Ft Polk/JRTC range in the Herc and remember seeing no-sh*t Russian-built tracked vehicles and what looked like an SA-6 carrier running around (the Herc's poky speeds gives one time to pick out details on the ground). When we saw the bad guys' three fingers of death, we did what Hercs do best--put it in "afterprop", ran away like a puppy spanked with a newspaper and called in the shooters (A-10s in this case)...great memories! Enjoy it, soak it up...I don't know where my 20 yrs went, but it went by quick!

Very cool perspective Randy! Thank you (and your back seater) for the photos.

So, did you hit it?

Gary

No effect on the flight path or airspeed that is perceptible to me, but you can most definitely hear and feel the gun shooting. It's located about 6 feet off behind my right shoulder...the top of the right engine intake blocks a direct line from the muzzle, but you can definitely hear it. Sounds like a buzz...sort of like when you drive your car over a bridge that is made of that metal grate at a slower speed. The rotation of the gun and the rounds going through the feed mechanism at 4,000 rounds/minute also vibrate the jet.

The two things that don't happen that I wish would just for the sake of manliness -- you can't see the bullets hit, or smell the gun gasses after you shoot. Because of the bullet speed and the timing for my "safe escape maneuver" (the 5G climb that gets me out of the way of the bullets and the ricochets) I'm pulling my nose off the target before the bullets even impact.



This is really a great range complex down here. I've seen a couple of those same 3-fingers-o'death myself, but haven't employed any ordnance on them.



Hit twice, missed twice.

For my first miss, I just took too much lead and hit out in front of it...probably 20 or 30 feet off centerline. My 2nd miss wasn't so much of a miss, but more that I squeezed the trigger, a couple bullets spit out, and then I ran out of ammo. I don't know if I hit the target or not, but it wasn't enough bullets to knock it down and have it scored as a hit. The jet I was in had gone to the range earlier in the day and I only had 240 rounds to shoot off, so I was fortunate to even get 4 "hot" passes.

The whole time, I was thinking of that scene in the movie "Thunderbolt!" where they're strafing trains. Oooooooh yeah.

I went to JRTC when it was still back at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas back in the early 90's. Even back then they had flying Soviet built choppers like the "Hip" as well as Soviet built tracked vehicles. I'm sure their collection has grown since then.

Cool pics by the way Randy!

John

This thread reminded me of an old query -
Strafing is is pronounced

STRAYFING

or STRAHFING?

I say STRAYFING - am i right or is it

you say tomato...

?

Cheers

TT

_________________
Life's a Beech and an Armed T-6

It's pronounced STRAYFING.

Cheers fella - so I was right

ATB

TT

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Life's a Beech and an Armed T-6

Awesome shots Randy....Thanks

Interesting to learn about the 2 degrees difference.

I was just wondering the other day while looking at the NMUSAF's F-15.

With the cannon mounted where it is. Does the line of fire parallel the cockpit's centerline? Or does it intersect the center line at some specified distance infront of the aircraft? Ala typical WW2 fighter with wing mounted guns.

Thanks

Shay
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Semper Fortis

The gun is "harmonized" to converge with the centerline datum of the jet at 2250' in front of the HUD.

I agree....however, in the UK I hear a lot of ground fire controllers say "Straaafing".

I couldn't stop myself

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Don't touch my junk!!

Hey Hacker - greetings from Phoenix

Cool to see how it differs from the Viper: more noise for us, no boresight issues and a bit of insulation and cordite usually makes it into the cockpit. Good to see that y'all are practicing vs. moving targets. You'll probably use that skill in the future. Amazing to think that only a few years ago, low-altitude strafe was something no one ever thought they'd do in combat again. The more things change...

I can't imagine anything will ever be as satisfying as shooting up a steam locomotive, though.

Great pics. THat is so awsome.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Doctor!! Long time, no see. How's the Viper treating you these days?