All Questions
43 questions
1
vote
2
answers
587
views
What are the little bulges on the tail of an F-18 for?
I noticed on this photo of an F-18 from Wikipedia that the tail of this F-18 Super Hornet has multiple small bulges on it and I was wondering if anyone knows what the purpose of those bulges are?
- 822
3
votes
1
answer
225
views
Why are the top of the F/A-18 strakes curved?
As seen in this picture, the top of the strake has a slight curve to it. I'm mainly talking about the curve seen if you were to look at it straight on.
To be more clear, not the curve of the strake as ...
- 3,755
0
votes
1
answer
78
views
How the EFD system of F18e shows the fuel in tanks of the fighter?
I was seeing this image:
How the EFD system of F-18E/F shows the fuel in the tanks of the fighter? I mean it's very low. e.g. 7.2 lb? Is it rounded?
- 3,329
2
votes
1
answer
676
views
Why were the external stores pylons on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet canted outward?
It is very visible in the picture above that the external stores and pylons to mount them on F-18 Super Hornets are canted outward. I do not believe the legacy Hornets had their pylons mounted this ...
- 75k
6
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why does the F/A-18 have so many lift supplementing devices?
Leading edge devices, normal flaps, dog teeth, strakes. Why does the F/A-18 have so many lift assisting devices?
- 3,755
1
vote
0
answers
134
views
Engine Performance Data for GE F414-400
I am currently in Capstone for ASE, and for our course we have been tasked with reverse engineering the X-59 QueSST created by NASA and Lockheed Martin. I am the propulsion lead for our team and I ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
61
views
At take-off, what is the deflection angle of the rudder for the legacy Hornet? [duplicate]
At take-off, what is the deflection angle of the (legacy) F/A-18 Hornet's rudders?
- 2,117
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is a “HIDE” system on F/A-18?
On the ATC recording from this video a Blue Angels aircraft has declared emergency. When ATC asks for information about the problem the pilot responds, “one of our hide systems is malfunctioned and it ...
- 28.7k
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How does the fly-by-wire on the new F/A-18 Super Hornet work and what is it maintaining?
I am trying to replicate the fly-by-wire (FBW) system of the Super Hornet for a game called SimplePlanes. I was wondering if it is maintaining a certain $g$ number, turn rate, angle of attack, or a ...
- 39
3
votes
1
answer
466
views
When F/A-18 landing on the carrier the main landing gear touching the runaway first or the hook?
The hook in my opinion must be lower enough to make sure that he gets the proper cable, but it is possible that I'm not right.
- 2,117
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
How are the landing lights of the legacy F-18 Hornet seen before landing on the carrier?
The LSO will be able to see the nose gear landing lights to make sure that the aircraft's angle of attack is at $8.1^\circ$ if the aircraft is "on speed". Are these lights (all 3 of them) ...
- 2,117
0
votes
0
answers
121
views
what is considered a good pedal performance in a fighter?
What is considered a good performance in designing the directional control law in a fighter? Is it acceptable to have some roll when using a pedal? For example, is it acceptable to have 40 degrees ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
185
views
Does the pilot always need to use stick to compensate roll caused by pedal?
When the pilot uses pedal in a fighter like F-18, does the aircraft roll? If so, is it the pilot's job to compensate this roll or the control system compensates it automatically? In other words, is it ...
- 21
9
votes
0
answers
861
views
How did Soapy get to fly Hornets?
Allegedly, in early June 1983, while flying a Sea Harrier during a NATO exercise off the coast of Portugal, Royal Navy's Sub-Lieutenant Ian "Soapy" Watson found himself in a rather ...
6
votes
3
answers
11k
views
What is the altitude record for the F/A-18 Hornet?
Does anyone know how high (above MSL) the F/A-18 ever went? Its service ceiling is 50,000 ft, but when going up steeply, is it able to surpass 100,000 ft altitude?
- 193
2
votes
1
answer
523
views
Do the stabilators on the F/A-18 also have a roll function similar to the F-22?
I'm curious about the F/A-18C. I know it has ailerons, but they seem too small to be greatly effective at low speeds. Do the stabilators have a roll function as well? If so, is there a speed at which ...
- 2,500
2
votes
1
answer
514
views
Why do some military aircraft carry two datalink pods?
I was taking a look at pictures of the SLAM-ER when I noticed an F/A-18C carrying two AWW-13 datalink pods on its left wing. Why carry a second one? Does it increase signal strength or something?
...
18
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why is this F/A-18 flying through a hailstorm of sparkles?
The F/A-18 Super Hornet squadron VF-102 Diamondbacks, flying from the USS Ronald Reagan, has posted a montage video of its 2019 Indo-China cruise.
At about 5:15, the video shows a night-time cockpit ...
- 14.6k
19
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Does an F/A-18 require a lot of rudder in turns?
I am an aspiring Navy fighter pilot and I use an X-Plane add on for FA-18 Hornet as a fighter. It's made by a creator named Colimata. I think the turns are unrealistic. When I begin a bank a lot of ...
- 370
0
votes
1
answer
288
views
In an F-18, how do rudders deflect during cross winds and gusts? Can rudders be deflected by different angles?
Deflection of rudders can balance moment about the centre of gravity. I have thought of non-symmetric deflection of rudders so that net sideward force is create to balance the moment about the center ...
15
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What are these small engine inlets on the Super Hornet?
Does anyone know what these two small variable inlets on top of the engines are used for on the Super Hornet?
Source: navy.mil; cropped
- 1,071
4
votes
2
answers
566
views
What frame of reference should I use for my Simulink simulation of the F/A-18 Hornet?
I want to simulate the Equations of Motions for F/A-18 Hornet (12 states & 6 DOF) on MATLAB using Simulink. I have the Aerodynamic model, from which I will get CL, CD, CY, Cl, Cn, Cm that are ...
- 461
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
The F/A-18 Hornet , F15 and MiG-29 ailerons from the external parts of the wings go up some degrees in flight ,meaning adding " crow" .Why?
In some parts of the flying envelope of the F/A-18 Hornet and MiG-29 the ailerons from the external parts of the wings go up in sync. They're made to go one up one down in order to get rolls, not up/...
- 2,117
0
votes
1
answer
119
views
In F/A-18, where the servo-loop closure is accomplished?
In the flight control system of F/A-18, where is the servo-loop closed? I mean which of these two scenarios happen: 1-The position of the actuator and servo-valve ram are sent to the flight control ...
2
votes
0
answers
199
views
What is the communication protocol for the side-stick in the F-16 or F/A-18?
The side-stick in the F-16 or F/A-18 communicates with the flight control computer to transmit the pilot inputs. This transmission uses a protocol. Which protocol?
- 407
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Do the F-18's leading edge flaps deflect symmetrically in rolls?
When the F-18 Hornet does rolls, do the Leading Edge Flaps (LEFs) deflect symmetrically or is the deflection different on the left and right LEFs?
- 2,117
26
votes
6
answers
6k
views
Why did the RAAF procure the F/A-18 despite being purpose-built for carriers?
Why did the Royal Australian Air Force (and others) procure the F/A-18 despite being purpose-built for carriers?
- 509
3
votes
1
answer
770
views
How does F/A-18 autotrack work?
This is about the alleged "UFO" video. However, I'm not interested in speculation about what exactly the aircraft being tracked in the video is.
What is "autotrack" in an F/A-18 Super Hornet? Does it ...
- 4,037
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What are these accelerating flare countermeasures called?
There seems to be a type of flare countermeasure, that not only gets ejected from the flare dispenser, but also gets accelerated in the direction of the plane. So fare I´ve only noticed it on super ...
- 1,071
17
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What is the non-projected cross-hair for on the F-18 HUD?
Top right, there's a little cross-hair - it looks like it's for lining something up, since on the second pane there's a little dot.
I haven't seen this on any other HUDs. Appears to be present on all ...
- 14.6k
2
votes
1
answer
714
views
What is the purpose of these "stickers" in the F/A-18 Super Hornet fuselage?
Photos source: screenshot from youtube video ->
I think they can be used as fuselage reference points in flight testing, but I'm not sure.
Are they part of NATO ...
- 2,106
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How did this F/A-18's execute a "low-boom maneuver"?
The Engadget article NASA will publicly test quiet supersonic technology in November says:
The administration plans to conduct a series of public tests around the coastal city of Galveston in ...
- 6,311
29
votes
6
answers
9k
views
What is this F-18 Hornet "air intake" for?
I think I read once that they served to cool the on-board computer systems, but I'm not sure.
- 2,106
11
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is the function of the holes in splitter plates?
Do the holes in splitter plates reduce the boundary layer, or do they serve a different function such as acoustic/vibration damping?
Many splitter plates have a series of holes drilled into the ...
user14897
23
votes
3
answers
10k
views
What is this smoke coming from an F/A-18 shortly before takeoff?
Watching a video of F/A-18 fighter-jets taking off, I noticed some sort of gas blowing out behind the canopy shortly before the start of the takeoff roll.
Here's a screenshot:
In some videos the ...
- 3,827
8
votes
2
answers
11k
views
F/A-18E and F/A-18F Rhinos: What's the difference?
The answer to this question seems intuitively obvious: One is a single seat strike fighter while the other has two crew stations. But is that all?
When it was under development I judged that the E ...
- 75k
2
votes
2
answers
13k
views
How far can a Super Hornet fly at max supersonic speed in a clean configuration?
How far can a Super Hornet fly at its top (supersonic) speed, assuming it's in a clean configuration, i.e. no external tanks and no ordnance?
- 926
8
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What part of the F-18's wing profile allows for high AoA flight?
I'm trying to analyse the relationship between the angle of attack and lift coefficient of a wing profile I tested. However, I am finding that the data shows that the wing hasn't stalled by the time ...
- 83
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why don't the US Navy Blue Angels fly Super Hornets?
The US Navy demonstration team has been flying the legacy Hornet for a long time and I was wondering why don't they use the Super Hornet? The legacy Hornet is over 30 years old and showing its age. I ...
- 978
9
votes
4
answers
12k
views
Why do the F/A-18 and the F-22 Raptor have horizontal stabilizer as well as canted rudders for pitch control?
F/A-18, F-22 Raptor have a horizontal tailplane as well as canted rudders? Why can't the horizontal tailplane done away with (as in the F-117) and have only the ruddervators for pitch control?
- 1,452
10
votes
2
answers
21k
views
What are the visual differences between the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler?
I was looking at the Northrop Grumman website and came across the EA-18G Growler, which looks very similar to the F/A-18. What are the visual differences between the two?
- 119
59
votes
4
answers
27k
views
Why are the F/A-18 rudders deflected in opposing directions during takeoff?
Looking at some videos and photos of F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets taking off from carriers and from airfields, I recognised that the left rudder is pointing right, and the right rudder pointing ...
- 3,827
26
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Why does NASA have F/A-18s?
I always remember playing FSX as a kid and using the NASA F/A-18, and never thought much about it. And then I saw the picture of the Space Shuttle on top of the 747 being escorted by these planes.
...
- 6,907