<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>The other incident didnt involve a missle but rather an Isreali F-15 having a mid-air with an A-4 Skyhawk. The F-15 had one wing virtually destroyed but made it back to base, I have those pics somewhere.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
I found this today
A simulated dogfight training took place between two F-15D's and four A-4N
Skyhawks over the skies of the Negev. The F-15D (#957, nicknamed 'Markia
Shchakim', 5 killmarks) was used for the conversion of a new pilot in the
squadron. Here is the description of the event as described in "Pressure
suit":
At some point I collided with one of the Skyhawks, at first I didn't
realize it. I felt a big strike, and I thought we passed through the jet
stream of one of the other aircraft. Before I could react, I saw the big fire
ball created by the explosion of the Skyhawk. The radio started to
deliver calls saying that the Skyhawk pilot has ejected, and I understood
that the fire ball was the Skyhawk, that exploded, and the pilot was ejected
automatically. There was a tremendous fuel stream going out of the wing,
and I understood it was badly damaged. The aircraft flew without control
in a strange spiral. I re-connected the electric control to the control
surfaces, and slowly gained control of the aircraft until I was straight
and level again. It was clear to me that I had to eject.
When I gained control I said : "Hey, wait, don't eject yet!". No
warning light was on and the navigation computer worked as usual; (I just
needed a warning light in my panel to indicate that I missed a wing...)"
The instructor ordered me to eject. The wing is a fuel tank, and the
fuel indicator showed 0.000 so I assumed that the jet stream sucked all the
fuel out of the other tanks. However, I remembered that the valves operate
only in one direction, so that I might have enough fuel to get to the
nearest airfield and land. I worked like a machine, wasn't scared and
didn't worry. All I knew was as long as the sucker flies, I'm gonna stay
inside.
I started to decrease the airspeed, but at that point one wing was not
enough. So I went into a spin down and to the right. A second before I
decided to eject, I pushed the throttle and lit the afterburner. I gained
speed and thus got control of the aircraft again. Next thing I did was
lower the arresting hook. A few seconds later I touched the runway at 260
knots, about twice the recommended speed, and called the tower to erect
the emergency recovery net. The hook was torn away from the fuselage because
of the high speed, but I managed to stop 10 meters before the net.
I turned back to shake the hand of my instructor, who urged me to eject,
and then I saw it for the first time - no wing !!!
The IAF (Israeli Air Force) contacted McDonnell Douglas and asked for
information about possibility to land an F-15 with one wing. MD replied
that this is aerodynamically impossible, as confirmed by computer
simulations... Then they received the photo.... After two months the
same F-15 got a new wing and returned to action.
Special thanks to Tsahi Ben Ami
This is what "Flight international" wrote about the incident:
"The most outstanding Eagle save was by a pilot from a foreign air force.
During air combat training his two seater F-15 was involved in a mid air
collision with an A-4 Skyhawk. The A-4 crashed, and the Eagle lost it's
right wing from about 2 ft. outboard. After some confusion between the
instructor who said eject, and the student who outranked his instructor
and said no, the F-15 was landed at it's desert base. Touching down at 290
knots, the hook was dropped for an approach and engagement. This slowed
the F-15 to 100 knots, when the hook weak link sheared, and the aircraft was
then braked conventionally. It is said that the student was later demoted
for disobeying his instructor, then promoted for saving the aircraft.
McDonnell Douglas attributes the saving of this aircraft to the amount of
lift generated by the engine intake/body and "a hell of a good pilot".
<img src="http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL702/3046559/6177620/109584558.jpg" border=0>
<img src="http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL702/3046559/6177620/109584547.jpg" border=0>
It ain't the heat it's the humility.
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