RA-5C carrier landing

[dsoutherngent1]

The RA-5 was the Navy's SR-71. That was one FAST bird, and yeah, can count the dimples of a golf ball from 50,000 feet. Too bad they were so hard to manuver around the carrier deck with the nose wheel so far behind the pilot.

[cashkate3]

Of course! The Navy is a very cultured service, you know. Don't believe it? Watch Victory At Sea. The orchestra is there in every episode!

[cowboytim98]

Wow! Was there an orchestra on the flight deck?

[GenieMB1]

smoobooty What were the different camera stations vert, l/r obliq, fob,lpan, hpan?

I was with RF-4C's for 11 years in the photo/interpretation facility. What kind of processing equipment was aboard a carrier? All of our equipment was commercial Kodak. Our systems used mostly 5''x1000' b&w and some 9.5''x250'.

[smoobooty]

@GenieMB1 all the above. I was a airframes guy and didn't grasp all the photoshop activities. I think there were oblique mounts ith 30" focal lengths. The processing was done in a secure environment with the work product seldom shared with deck plate guys like me so I don't know what equipment was used. The film was likely the 5" B&W. We also had IR and SLR capabilities plus some early electronic warfare applications the Internet world doesn't need to know about.

[GenieMB1]

Leon you were right in one respect. The RA-5 started out as a nuclear bomber but that mission changed and the aircraft was modified and became a Recce bird. If you look closely at pictures of the aircraft you can see the side oblique camera windows as well as the vertical and panoramic windows on the bottom forward fuselage. One of the most sleek aircraft, looks fast standing still!

[JetMechMA]

That's almost 40 years ago and yet those planes look so beautiful and modern. 

[smoobooty]

GE-J-79-10 engines on these 156xxx series planes. Thrust was 17,500 per engine at full afterburner. 86,000 pounds off the catapults. 50,000 pounds landing weight. Approach was around 150 knots. True Mach 2+ sustained. The plane was huge. Big flight deck footprint. Photopods could resolve the faces of players on the golf course from 50,000 feet.

[GenieMB1]

@smoobooty Faces from 50,000ft, with what sensor system?

[smoobooty]

@GenieMB1 Perkin Elmer cameras with 6" wide film. It may have all been BS to keep us off the golf course during the workday. The cameras were mounted inside what was the linear bomb bay. Aft of the camera was a pod full of electronic stuff and antenna for side-looking radar and other gadgets.

[LaZyLuKe25]

they use to land c-130s on these ships

[jhousdan]

well, they landed ONE, not several.

[Chuckjagermeister]

I think it was closer to 170 knots. Fun to fly. Not fun to land.

[ykarpov]

pretty sure he missed the cables- he landed way the hell updeck.

[fminich]

139 knots at max trap weight

[dimitri02]

whoa shit thats a fast landing speed

[Psykl0pz]

the vigilante was the p51 over vietnam

[leonelp51]

@Psykl0pz what are u taking about ??? well ur coment was 2 years ago maybe u already know that the Vigilante was a bomber xDDD

[GenieMB1]

@leonelp51 Hey Leonelp51 does the title RA-5C give you a clue as to the aircraft's mission? How about Photo Reconnaissance!!

[leonelp51]

@GenieMB1 didnt know that the "R" meaned reconaissance :-)

[VQ1whales]

Looks like the power plant held them up and not lift. A regular rocket I'd say. What was there appoch speed?

[Tailspint]

Seems to me approach speed as about 145 knots, roughly 165mph

[undertake782]

For carrier landings, it's usually 180 knots needed for landings on a carrier for today. This aircraft actually had a very high landing speed and it was very difficult to land because of its forward swept wings not giving much lift at low altitude.