Unbelievable!!

[Geoff]

Unbelievable!!! f15-flies-on-one-wing ;);)

 

If you haven't seen this, here's a link to the video.

 

http://www.crapshot.com/f15-flies-on-one-wing.html

 

 

[Admin]

Yeah Geoff, there was a lot of hoo har about that a couple of years back because if you look closely there was something about it that didn't look right - I can't remember exactly what it was now but there was something strange about it - can anyone spot it?

 

 

[Wilfred]

the story changes as often as it is told this is the version i heard with the same picture as is in the video Most people claim it is a hoax

 

This is a story about an Israeli F-15 that lost its wing - and still managed to stay airborne!...(pics below)...

 

"On May 1st. 1983, 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 on 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 lowering 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 McDonnel 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. McDonnel 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".

 

 

[Guest AusDarren]

Oh Man.. what you can do if you have enough thrust..

 

that is just sooo impressive to watch

 

thanks for the link Geoff.

 

Regards,

 

AusDarren

 

 

[Guest Sabre]

Nope

 

Yeah Geoff, there was a lot of hoo har about that a couple of years back because if you look closely there was something about it that didn't look right - I can't remember exactly what it was now but there was something strange about it - can anyone spot it?

Looked at it over and over. The still photos looked legit but the movie shown an F100 Super Sabre doing a role and some digital smudging on the landing F15.

 

That's about it I'm afraid

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Interesting none the less (insert X-Files music here).

 

 

[Student Pilot]

I can't be bothered loading the video but I have seen photos of an F15 they reckon landed with one wing. Sounds bull**** to me. A fighter of that era normally has wet wings but after the wing being damaged or torn off the fuel in there would be gone in seconds. An F15 on full afterburn would run out of internal fuel (without fast packs) in about 6 minutes (that's not including losing half with one wing gone). The Fighter would also have to fly knife edge but I think there still wouldn't be enough roll authority to stop the Aircraft rolling uncontrollably. Then there's the problem with landing. Military are taught to eject in tight situations why didn't he here?

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Different wings yes. one wing? nah

 

this is interesting photo if you study it.

 

 

 

[Yenn]

Obviously a played around with video. Where was the camera mounted to get shots of the pilot rolling around. If it was on the aircraft he would have been in the same attitude all the time. If I can't believe that I can't believe any of it.

 

Any way the accent was yankee and as a matter of principle I seriously question the honesty of that race.

 

Ian Borg

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

The rolling around and all that (despite if this story was true or not) I think was for purposes of a re-enactment for the supposed 'doco' not actual footage.

 

 

[Guest Nomad]

Sheesh. Of course the video's not real. The accident happened on an exercise, there weren't camera ships scooting around taking film 'just in case' something spectacular happened. They've (like practically all documentary makers) used and altered existing footage to provide an illustration of what they're describing. It's a lot more interesting to viewers than half an hour of talking heads.

 

Or perhaps all the "OMG teh videos not real teh aMericanz are lieying AgAIN!!!11~" people think that air crash documentaries are only made about air crashes where a chase aircraft happened to film the entire event?

 

Also, there's no reason an F-15 couldn't fly on one wing. The left wing, fuselage and stump of the right wing provided lift; and the elevons provided sufficient moment to counter the assymetric lift. It had also had fuel in the left wing and centre tanks. I believe the fuel pumps are located in the engine accessory gearbox - located between the engines. You can see it on THIS IMAGE at number 122.

 

 

Edit:

 

The F-15 does carry fuel in the wings. See numbers 98 and 196 in the above cutaway. Centre tank is 93.

 

The F-15 has roll-control using the horizontal stab. Left and right stabs are both fully moving and independent. The flap could be deployed.

 

 

[Ultralights]

the F15 does NOT carry Fuel in the wings.... just as the F18 and F16 do not carry fuel there either...

 

and if it is flying on 1 wing, then the lifting devices on the remaining wing would be flap and aileron UP to balance the lift, not with full flap deployed as in the pic. and no rudder deflection either..

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

the F-15C/D has an empty weight of about 12500kg. It is capable of carrying over 7000kg of fuel and ammunition on external stores, 4500kg of additional fuel in conformal fuel tanks (CFT's), and 6000kg of internal fuel. Seeing as it was on a training mission, the Eagle would have been far lighter than its ~30000kg MTOW. A typical Israeli A2A training sorty on that type of aircraft would have called for internal fuel, a single 610 gallon belly tank, no CFT's, and two training missile rounds. This would have amounted to a maximum of 20000kg total weight at the beginning of the flight, making the aircraft considerably lighter after it burned off some fuel and lost a whole wing.

 

 

 

Statement from Pilot:

 

 

 

 

A simulated dogfight training took place between two F-15D's and four A-4N Skyhawks over the skies of the Negev, Israel. The F-15D #957, (nicknamed 'Markia Shchakim', 5 killmarks) was used for the conversion of a new pilot in the squadron.

 

 

 

"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 fireball was the Skyhawk, that exploded, and the pilot was ejected automatically.

 

 

 

There was a tremendous fuel stream going out of my wing, and I understood it was badly damaged. The aircraft flew without control in a strange spiral. I reconnected 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...)." My instructor pilot 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 had 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.

 

 

[Guest Teenie2]

Yes they do have partial wet wings (F15),Ive worked on them at Clark AFB (USN, dont know about IAF)

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

There was a tremendous fuel stream going out of my wing

Must be something in there??