Racing an F-15

[MolaKule]

quote:

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F-15 beats IndyCar by a nose, wing, tail and a few yards
The Virginian-Pilot 06/23/04
author: Chris Brownlow
(Copyright 2004)


HAMPTON - Which is faster - an IndyCar or an F-15 fighter jet?

That's just what the folks at Langley Air Force Base and Richmond International Raceway wanted to know. So they pitted Maj. Bret "Slam" Anderson, a veteran fighter pilot, against IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon and held a drag race at Langley on Tuesday afternoon.

If you had placed your money on the IndyCar ... well, you would've lost.

Anderson's F-15 smoked Wheldon's IndyCar in the 17-second race, crossing the finish line yards ahead of the car before taking flight.

An F-15 reaches speeds up to 205 mph before liftoff, while an IndyCar can reach 100 mph in less than three seconds while accelerating. Wheldon told reporters he wasn't sure how fast he was going. In fact, he didn't know he had lost the race.

"Did I get beat?" Wheldon asked reporters after the race.

"Yes," a reporter told him. "It was a photo finish."

"I was told I would be racing somebody named Slam," Wheldon said. "I'm just glad he didn't slam into me. That F-15 can get rotten fast."

While Wheldon was talking to reporters, Anderson continued his flight over the base.

The race took place about 4 p.m. on two parallel landing strips 750 feet apart. About 50 service members and their families came out to support Anderson and to see Wheldon, filling up the metal bleachers at the airfield.

For the Air Force, the race was a way to recruit and boost morale, said a press officer. It also promoted the IRL IndyCar Series Weekend coming up at Richmond International Raceway, where Wheldon will be racing.

Races will start Friday and continue into Saturday evening. For more information, call 866-455-RACE or go to www.rir.com.

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[427Z06]

The F-15 matchup was to easy.

I think a more interesting race would of been between the Indy car and a C-130 in the Fat Albert edition.

http://www.theaviationzone.com/images/hercules/fat_albert/bin-1/fa_22.jpg

(I was aboard on the flight above)

Here's a small clip of one in action.

http://www.theaviationzone.com/media/fat_albert_demo.avi

 

[MolaKule]

I still love the sight of those JATO's.

 

[Patman]

Indy Cars aren't designed for drag racing though, they should've paired up the F-15 against a top fuel dragster instead.

 

[labman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
Indy Cars aren't designed for drag racing though, they should've paired up the F-15 against a top fuel dragWas Weldon allowed to have his crew pushing him at the start the way they do in the pits? Do those garden tractors they pull Indy cars with have heavier clutches than the cars? Did anybody push the F-15?

Maybe we need to challenge the F-15 to a road race with turns?

I am glad somebody in the Air Force has a sense of humor. ster instead.

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[MolaKule]

I wonder if the F-15 driver used the AB's?

If he did, that's cheatin'.

 

[tom slick]

if you think the JATO takeoff is impressive you should see the new C-130J doing a max climb take off. it's climb rate is greater with engines only than the older c-130 with JATO.
when lockheed demos a max climb take off they leave the cargo door open and point the nose up and spiral as they climb.

 

[427Z06]

Holy Sh*t Batman, they sure improved the propulsion sytems on those C-130Js since I last worked on them! I wonder if the low-power color radar system is the same one I hand a hand in back in the early 90s (Westinghouse)?

 

[Bret Chase]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
Indy Cars aren't designed for drag racing though, they should've paired up the F-15 against a top fuel dragster instead.

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Hot Rod did that with a F14 about 10 years ago... the fueler smoked the F14 using a catapult and everything the plane had.


-Bret

 

[tom slick]

quote:

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Originally posted by 427Z06:
Holy Sh*t Batman, they sure improved the propulsion sytems on those C-130Js since I last worked on them! I wonder if the low-power color radar system is the same one I hand a hand in back in the early 90s (Westinghouse)?

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the RR AE2100 engines are 6000hp derated to 4500hp so they never have any low power issues no matter the altitude or engine's age.
i don't know much about the color radar system but the flight stations sure are different, where there used to be 40 engine guages is now color computer screens (HDD). there is no navigator or engineer anymore

next maybe they can try a fighter against a land speed record car in the "flying mile"