F/A -18 HORNET - 260 TURBINE - AZZA STEPHENS AT WESTON PARK INTERNATIONAL - 2022

PILOT / OWNER - AZZA STEPHENS

The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft. Wikipedia
Top speed: 1,915 km/h
Introduced: 7 January 1983
Length: 17 m
Unit cost: 29,000,000–57,000,000 USD (2006)
Retired: 2019 (Hornet, USN); 2021 (RAAF)
Engine types: Turbofan, General Electric F404
Manufacturers: Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Northrop Corporation

Design -

The F/A-18 is a twin engine, midwing, multimission tactical aircraft. It is highly maneuverable, due to its good thrust-to-weight ratio, digital fly-by-wire control system, and leading-edge extensions, which allow the Hornet to remain controllable at high angles of attack. The trapezoidal wing has a 20-degree sweepback on the leading edge and a straight trailing edge. The wing has full-span, leading-edge flaps and the trailing edge has single-slotted flaps and ailerons over the entire span.

Canted vertical stabilizers are another distinguishing design element, one among several other such elements that enable the Hornet's excellent high angle of attack ability, including oversized horizontal stabilators, oversized trailing-edge flaps that operate as flaperons, large full-length leading-edge slats, and flight control computer programming that multiplies the movement of each control surface at low speeds and moves the vertical rudders inboard instead of simply left and right. The Hornet's normally high angle of attack performance envelope was put to rigorous testing and enhanced in the NASA F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). NASA used the F-18 HARV to demonstrate flight handling characteristics at high angle-of-attack (alpha) of 65–70 degrees using thrust vectoring vanes. F/A-18 stabilators were also used as canards on NASA's F-15S/MTD.

The Hornet was among the first aircraft to heavily use multifunction displays, which at the switch of a button allow a pilot to perform either fighter or attack roles or both. This "force multiplier" ability gives the operational commander more flexibility to employ tactical aircraft in a fast-changing battle scenario. It was the first Navy aircraft to incorporate a digital multiplexing avionics bus, enabling easy upgrades.

The Hornet was designed to reduce maintenance, and as a result, has required far less downtime than its heavier counterparts, the F-14 Tomcat and the A-6 Intruder. Its mean time between failures is three times greater than any other Navy strike aircraft, and requires half the maintenance time. Its General Electric F404 engines were also innovative in that they were designed with operability, reliability, and maintainability first. The engine, while unexceptional in rated performance, demonstrates exceptional robustness under various conditions and is resistant to stall and flameout. The F404 engine connects to the airframe at only 10 points and can be replaced without special equipment; a four-person team can remove the engine within 20 minutes. The aircraft has a top speed of Mach 1.8 at 40,000 ft.

The engine air inlets of the Hornet, like that of the F-16, are of a simpler "fixed" design, while those of the F-4, F-14, and F-15 have variable geometry or variable intake ramp air inlets.

A 1989 USMC study found that single-seat fighters were well suited to air-to-air combat missions, while dual-seat fighters were favored for complex strike missions against heavy air and ground defenses in adverse weather—the question being not so much as to whether a second pair of eyes would be useful, but as to having the second crewman sit in the same fighter or in a second fighter. Single-seat fighters that lacked wingmen were shown to be especially vulnerable.

PLEASE LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL TBOBBORAP1 AND HIT THE "BELL" NOTIFICATION FOR FUTURE UPLOADS NOW (ITS FREE) AND KEEP UP TO DATE AND WATCH OUR 4K / HD QUALITY RC MODELS VIDEOS AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHS UPDATES OF THE MAJOR UK RC SHOWS AND CLUB FLY-INS AT -

https://www.facebook.com/Tbobborap1-1483073475269714/

https://www.youtube.com/user/tbobborap1

FILMED AT WESTON PARK INTERNATIONAL RC MODEL AIRCRAFT SHOW - WESTON PARK - WESTON UNDER LIZARD - NEAR SHIFNAL - SHROPSHIRE - TF11 8LE ENGLAND - 3 MILES OFF M54 / JUNCTION 3 - 8 MILES OFF M6 / JUNCTION 12, - 8 MILES FROM TELFORD,

OVER THE WEEKEND OF 17-18-19 JUNE - 2022