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Super Hornet Vertical Stab Question

Discussion in 'Military Pilots' started by FullDeflection, Mar 8, 2011.

  1. FullDeflection Well-Known Member

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    AMG or other USN guys-

    Why do the vertical stabs produce some pretty serious vortices when the jet is inverted or in the vertical? See below, please.

    [video=youtube;iJw6wRuGPrs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJw6wRuGPrs[/video]

    -A curious wannabe
  2. BeRich Very Special Agent

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    I might be wrong, but that looks like a smoke system...
  3. Hacker15e Member Of Extraordinary Magnitude

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    Looks like venting fuel to me.
  4. C-182 flyer Well-Known Member

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    Definitely venting fuel, pretty common actually.
  5. FullDeflection Well-Known Member

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    Ok so why would they vent fuel at that time? Or is quality control at Boeing slacking?
  6. Hacker15e Member Of Extraordinary Magnitude

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    Gravity?
  7. ///AMG Well-Known Member

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    Looks to me like he put the dumps on......the dump masts are in the vertical stabs where the fuel appears to be coming from. I'm a legacy guy, so I'm not intimately familiar with the SH fuel system, but I've never seen a Hornet dump like that inadvertantly.
  8. C-182 flyer Well-Known Member

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    Fuel venting is very common in all models, especially during dynamic flying.
  9. FullDeflection Well-Known Member

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    Just seems to me they would have put a check valve there or something. Oh well, I guess they know what they're doing.
  10. ///AMG Well-Known Member

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    So what you are saying is that I should look behind me more often? :)

    Good to know, so that I don't say something dumb in fighter weps or something when lead starts streaming fuel....
  11. Hacker15e Member Of Extraordinary Magnitude

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    The Eagle would occasionally puke a little fuel out the vent when maneuvering, too. The tanks are pressurized, and there's a design to keep the fuel from just puking out...but by design, a vent has to allow stuff to get out, otherwise it wouldn't work right.
  12. MikeD Administrator

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    Wouldn't matter. With the Navy's lack of tactical knowledge, no one would notice anyway......

    Zing!
  13. C-182 flyer Well-Known Member

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    Usually only the Air Force guys have to worry about looking behind themselves that much.

    The venting "should not" happen, but it is quite common. Don't go to GQ if your lead is venting some gas, but if it is constant, let him know over aux so he can write it up. I am sure your jets at 101 have very groomed fuel systems in light of a mishap not too long ago.
  14. Hacker15e Member Of Extraordinary Magnitude

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    Guess this is one of those ultra-rare Air Force Hornets, then.

    [IMG]
  15. C-182 flyer Well-Known Member

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    Must have been the Kuwaitis or Aussies!!
  16. Derg Major Domo

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    If you want to see fuel vent, check out the wings of a 1900 when making a tight corner on a taxiway!
  17. fish314 Well-Known Member

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    Got you all beat. Once "vented" over 96000 lbs. worth.


    (Ok, so maybe it was an IFE... and maybe it was a KC-135 that was too heavy to land on a wet runway with a bad hydro system and no speedbrakes or anti-skid... but it "vents" like a sumbitch when you hit the fuel dump switch and turn on all the pumps).
  18. C-182 flyer Well-Known Member

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    I would love to know how much gas has been "vented" over the Northern Arabian Gulf. I have gotten rid of quite a bit there by myself.
  19. Hacker15e Member Of Extraordinary Magnitude

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    Done that once or twice myself, too.

    [IMG]
  20. Inverted Chillin' at .81 mach.

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