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Naw. You have to have a way to test out jet engines on a ship before you install them in aircraft, so a special part of the ship was created on the fantail (back end of the ship to you land lubbers) where you can hook up power and fuel to an engine and go through its full range of operating parameters. When I was working the future carrier program a few years ago there was talk that the new Joint Strike Fighter engine would be an “install, ready-for-issue” engine right out of its canister. Seems to me that concept went by the wayside, and seems to me, even with my paltry number of single-engine jet hours, that going by the wayside is a good thing. The fact that the Navy is going back to a single engine jet (not seen in the fleet since the retirement of the A-7 Corsair in the early 90′s) creates its own set of possible hand wringing scenarios, but from all accounts the F-135 engine is a beasty, and a trusting sort of motor. Still, as my Dad said a long time ago (after others, I’m sure), it is far better to call back to base and tell them that you are shutting down AN engine rather than telling them you are shutting down THE engine.

060531-N-1960H-108 Pacific Ocean (May 31, 2006) – Aviation intermediate maintenance department’s (AIMD) jet shop tests an F/A-18F Super Hornet jet engine on the fantail aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Thomas J. Holt (RELEASED)

Over on the Instapinch there’s a little story I just put up titled “Camelot 114″ about a rather interesting hop – or rather the end to it – we had on cruise in the Med back in the day. It has some kinda interesting pilot gun-camera video in there, so strap in and go take a look, if you’d like.

–posted by Pinch

tap tap…is this thing on? Many thanks to Murdoc for offering up this opportunity to help fill in some possible quiet spots over the next few weeks or so. I’m looking forward to posting along with Nicholas, in a combined sort of way (as opposed to a joint sort of way), seeing how we’re allies and all. I have a little blog called Instapinch where you can usually find something associated with naval aviation, and for at least a few more months, the F-14 Tomcat. My 30 second bio? Tomcat RIO for about 8 years, still doing the reserve thing down near Naval Air Station Oceana, and currently hanging the civilian hat at a large multi-sided office building in the northern Virginia area. And with that out of the way, launch ‘em!

I spent the last few days back up in Long Island at a wonderful event hosted by the Northrop Grumman folks to mark THEIR farewell to the Tomcat, which is being retired after 33 years of service. I spent 90-92 up there in Calverton, their main aircraft assembly plant, on Navy orders as Operations Officer and part of the flight acceptance team for the F-14D program – Grumman would build the jet, their own test pilots would perform the first flight on the aircraft, then they’d give it to us and we’d fly a specific acceptance profile to check out all the systems. Those hops, as mundane as they sounded, could actually have a bit of fun in them. The British Airways/Air France Concorde was, of course, still flying back then, and they would begin to accelerate to their mach 2 crusing speed just southwest of our military operating area (MOA). As part of the radar check out, if our acceptance hop coincided with the Concorde scheduled departures, it was always fun to lock up the big beast and watch the speed readouts climb through the roof.

I’ll have a bit of a longer post over at the Instapinch on the events of these last few days soon, but in the meantime here is the Long Island Newsday link to there rather….paltry…coverage. I mean really, guys! Put some meat in the story! This isn’t a Hornet, fer cripes sake!

BTW, two Tomcats came up from Oceana for those two days – the first F-14s to grace those skies since the early-to-mid 90′s – thanks to Puck and his boys for bringing them (see pic).

—Posted by Pinch