F is for.. wait for it... THE F-22 RAPTOR

The F-22 Raptor... Where to begin?  Well for starters, it looks like this!

And this!

And this!!

The F-22 is the most advanced aircraft in the United States's Military.  It is a fifth generation stealth fighter, the only aircraft in its class.  It has never been combat tested, however in war games, the F-22 is able to detect, lock on, and shoot down enemy aircraft before the enemy even knows the Raptor is on the hunt!  The United States owns 187 F-22 Raptors, which is a rather low number compared to the fleet size of previous American jets.  The reason the U.S. feels safe with the amount of Raptors it has is because they know they can beat any other aircraft in the skies.  In war games (which are a fair test of the true capability of our Military) 5 Raptors took out 15 F-18 Super Hornets (the second best fighter jet the U.S. has) with firepower to spare.  

The Raptor is not perfect as we are learning now however.  Many F-22 pilots report experiencing hypoxia while flying the aircraft.  Hypoxia is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, and can cause the most experienced pilots to forget what they are doing and where they are.  Obviously this is a major problem.  The Air Force grounded the F-22 for a year and tried to figure out what the problem is, however they were unable to find the problem, and cleared the aircraft to fly again. 

The F-22, despite that flaw will remain to be the backbone of the United States Air Force for the next 20 years.  Allowing America to maintain air superiority for the years to come! 

E is for the EAA

The EAA is the Experimental Aircraft Association which is a group of people who build their own airplanes.  The EAA also serves a purpose in the aviation world because they try to get the general public involved in aviation.  Every year in Oshkosh Wisconsin they hold one of the largest airshows in the world, thousands come from all over the globe to see everyone's aircraft and watch air shows like the Navy's Blue Angels.  Also, they played an important role in my own aviation history.  Through their Young Eagles program, they allow children and teenagers free flights where the kid actually gets to fly the airplane.  After the demonstration flight, the student is granted access to the EAA's online ground school program for free!  This online course provides the knowledge necessary to pass your FAA written exam!  I have personally flown with 2 EAA pilots and can tell you that the people at the EAA really enjoy bringing people with an interest in aviation up in the air and give them a true flying experience.  Oh, I forgot to mention that after you're done flying, you are treated to an awesome breakfast!  However awesome all of this is, they also offer a lot of scholarships.  They help people get the money needed for flight training, and even college for those who are pursuing an aviation degree!  I cannot express to you just how awesome these guys are.  If you want to learn more or find a group near you, click here. 

I encourage anyone with any interest in flying to go and talk to these people.  Take advantage of what they have to offer.

D is for the Delta Wing

The Delta wing is a is a wing platform named mainly by its resemblance to the Greek letter Delta.  The Delta wing is used in a few different types of aircraft around the world, one of them being the the B-2 Bomber I talked about in a prior post.  The Delta wing has a few advantages over the traditional wing type, for starters the wing allows the most lift possible for the air frame. It also performs very well at high speeds, which is why the SR-71 Blackbird utilized the delta wing.



Notice how this airplane has no central vertical stabilizer?  This is another advantage to this design.  Without a vertical stabilizer, an aircraft has a smaller profile making it harder to detect on enemy radar.  Lastly, without boring you with aerodynamics, the wing design allows the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds while keeping the airflow over the wing below supersonic.

Although the Delta wing has many great properties, there are a few cons on this list.  For starters, while at a low airspeed (takeoff/landing) the airplane becomes unstable, making it vulnerable to stall.  When a delta wing stalls, it is usually a deep stall which can render the aircraft uncontrollable.  The only thing the pilot can do in this situation is point the nose down and hope there is enough altitude between you and the ground to regain enough airflow over the wing to lift the aircraft back up... Or the pilot has to bail the aircraft.  Another con to this list is that in order to maintain the delta wing, the aircraft cannot have a large operating space.  meaning commercial passenger jets in this design are still far far away.

C is for C-130

The C-130 is the backbone of the United States Air Force.  It is used to transport everything from people, weapons to tanks.  The reason why the U.S. can be anywhere in the world with force within 24 is because of this monster.



The C-130 cost 63 Million dollars per unit making it relatively cheap for the role it plays in the Air Force.  The C-130 has been in the U.S.'s armory since 1958 and it is still being produced!  It was built by Lockheed and named the Hercules.  The C-130 uses 4 turbo prop jet engines with variable pitch props allowing it high speed and great fuel economy.  These engines also allows the aircraft to land or takeoff on dirt runways in more remote locations, rather then needing to land or takeoff from a paved runway.

The C-130 is a cargo aircraft, however it has been modified to serve as an attack aircraft as well.  The AC-130 (as many of you know from Call of Duty) is on of the the Air Forces most powerful weapons.  The AC-130 is fitted with a massive cannon, a 50 cal. machine gun and a mini-gun.  The AC-130 will circle a point and destroy anything that is in its sites.


  

Also, it is equipped with high tech cameras and sensors allowing it to be just as deadly and accurate even in the darkest of nights.  The quite hum of this beast flying overhead should be enough to scare the living daylights out of whomever it is hunting.

  

Just thank your lucky stars that we have this monster on our side!

B is for the B-2 Spirit

The B-2 Spirit is the most advanced bomber in The United States inventory.  Each plane alone cost $737 Million dollars (1.07 Billion today with inflation).  The United states currently owns 21 B-2's and are always prepared to strike anywhere in the world.



Thanks to the "in-air refueling" capability, the B-2 is able to strike anywhere in the world.  Missions can be launched from an Air Force base here in the United States and attack Afghanistan then turn around and come back home.

 


Due to the B-2's stealth design, the aircraft is able to fly into enemy airspace unnoticed, drop its deadly payload and fly out to safety without alerting the enemy of its presents.



The B-2 has a very large and very destructive bomb bay.  In this particular photo, the B-2 is dropping 47 500 Lbs bombs, which is only half of what this plane payload actually is.  Imagine seeing this fly overhead:



You'd be scared right?  Well you shouldn't worry, because this beast is on our side.