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F/A-18F Super Hornet Build Time-Lapse From Beginning To End

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engineerd
07/15/09

In reply to F/A-18F Super Hornet Build Time-Lapse From Beginning To End
One of the coolest variants of the F-18 is the X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing research craft used by NASA. I actually got to see it at NASA Dryden many years ago when it was being prepped for flight. Basically, it is a F/A-18 with a wing more similar to the original wing. This wing was replaced early on in the development because it was too thin and not rigid enough. They took a pair of these wings and modified them with actuators and controllers. They can then warp the wing shape in flight which changes the flight dynamics of the aircraft. It's pretty cool stuff for aero weenies like me.
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pauljones
07/15/09

@engineerd misses Uncle Pete: That is cool to see fly.

Have you ever seen the HiMAT demonstrators? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HiMAT
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engineerd
07/15/09

@pauljones: Yeah, that is a bizarre aircraft, but totally cool. In my senior design project in college we wound up using canards on our airplane for stability. Our payload was located such that a traditional tailplane was unstable due to the rotation about the CG.
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pauljones
07/15/09

In reply to F/A-18F Super Hornet Build Time-Lapse From Beginning To End
That is one sexy jet, though. Not as sexy as the F-14 that went before it, which remains the Megan Fox of fighter jets, but I wouldn't say no to a chance to take one of these for a spin.
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BaconSandwich and the generic grey civic of doom
07/15/09

@pauljones: Strange, I never thought of the F-14 as having toe-thumbs...
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pauljones
07/15/09

@BaconSandwich: One misshapen thumb. One. And you know what? Misshapen thumb or no, you'd be all over that, and so would I; just like I'd be all over an F-14A, TF30s or not.
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The5thElephant
07/15/09

@pauljones: The F-14 is sexier than the F/A-18!? No way. It is way too big and clumsy, can't maneuver at low speeds, and has way too fat of an ass.

I like my planes the way I like my women, slim, sleek, maneuverable, and not TOO fast, with properly angled vertical stabilizers = F/A-18.
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pauljones
07/15/09

@The5thElephant: Umm...do you have any familiarity with the F-14 design at all?

The F-14 is actually extremely agile at low speeds, so much so that baring the S-3, it was one of the easiest jets to land on a carrier. Granted, the F/A-18 has a slightly better instantaneous turn rate, but that has more to do with the fact it has a FBW system, while the F-14 is hydraulic.

Also, I, too, like my planes the way I like my women: once I turn the throttle up, I like them to be able to go for a while. Not something that F/A-18 can do all that well.
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Chaparral
07/15/09

@pauljones: The FBW system on the F/A-18 is still hydraulic. The difference is the computer controls the valves on the F/A-18 and on the F-14 mechanical cables control the valves.
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pauljones
07/15/09

@Chaparral: And the computer is still faster.
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pauljones
07/15/09

In reply to F/A-18F Super Hornet Build Time-Lapse From Beginning To End
Hyperactive video tour sponsored by Starbucks: One on every Boeing assembly line since 1971.
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BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ
07/15/09

In reply to F/A-18F Super Hornet Build Time-Lapse From Beginning To End
Too much travel of tool boxes, needs more Kaizen to do it quicker.
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