Endeavour's Ames flyby

Was able to see the Endeavour final ferry flight flyby of Ames/Moffett
Field from the fourth floor of an adjacent office building. Nice to
see, glad I was able to do it. Alas, just the one pass.

I'd though it was an F-15 flying chase, but someone else claimed it
was an F-22.

Traffic getting to work this morning was the pits though And
*boatloads* of peple on the sides of the roads nearby in addition to
the thousands actually at Ames/Moffett itself.

rick jones
--
firebug n, the idiot who tosses a lit cigarette out his car window
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

Fred J. McCall wrote:
Rick Jones wrote:

Was able to see the Endeavour final ferry flight flyby of Ames/Moffett
Field from the fourth floor of an adjacent office building. Nice to
see, glad I was able to do it. Alas, just the one pass.

I'd though it was an F-15 flying chase, but someone else claimed it
was an F-22.


Those two aircraft look very different, so I'm not sure how you could
mistake one for the other.

I wasn't looking all that closely at the chase plane. I saw twin
tails, dark grey, delta-ish wing and moved-on

Oh, by the way, it was neither. It was a T-38 in NASA colours.
Another aircraft that looks VERY different from either of the two you
mention.

What is the plane with the SCA/Endeavour starting at about 1:40 he
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1cMJSRSq8 That looks like what I
think I saw a little while later at Moffett, dark grey.

rick
--
It is not a question of half full or empty - the glass has a leak.
The real question is "Can it be patched?"
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

Rick Jones wrote:
What is the plane with the SCA/Endeavour starting at about 1:40
he http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1cMJSRSq8 That looks like
what I think I saw a little while later at Moffett, dark grey.

The WSJ has some video, parts of which include the other plane as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...v=3FnzNA4tezo#!

rick
--
oxymoron n, commuter in a gas-guzzling luxury SUV with an American flag
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

Based on these (and other) photos from the flickr stream mentioned in
a posting in .news, it would seem that how many and what sort of
planes were flying chase varied along the way: (these photos are not
in "flight order")

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...ttleendeavour/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...ttleendeavour/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...ttleendeavour/

Now, here is a chase plane in NASA livery down at LAX, but it looks like an F/A-18 derivative?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...ttleendeavour/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...ttleendeavour/

Two chase:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lomara/...ttleendeavour/

F-15 Chase:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/misterk...ttleendeavour/

Walnut Creek - nearish to SFO:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontste...ttleendeavour/

Continuing through the stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnca...ttleendeavour/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnca...ttleendeavour/

here is one with a T-38?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorimye...ttleendeavour/

back to Ames:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demed/8...ttleendeavour/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demed/8...ttleendeavour/

rick jones
--
I don't interest myself in "why." I think more often in terms of
"when," sometimes "where;" always "how much." - Joubert
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

In article ,
Rick Jones wrote:

Based on these (and other) photos from the flickr stream mentioned in
a posting in .news, it would seem that how many and what sort of
planes were flying chase varied along the way: (these photos are not
in "flight order")

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...huttleendeavou
r/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...huttleendeavou
r/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...huttleendeavou
r/

Now, here is a chase plane in NASA livery down at LAX, but it looks like an
F/A-18 derivative?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...331045/in/pool
-spaceshuttleendeavour/


F-18. It was also an F-18 when they landed at Edwards.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...329539/in/pool
-spaceshuttleendeavour/

Two chase:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lomara/...ttleendeavour/

F-15 Chase:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/misterk...huttleendeavou
r/

Walnut Creek - nearish to SFO:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontste...paceshuttleend
eavour/

Continuing through the stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnca...ceshuttleendea
vour/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnca...ceshuttleendea
vour/

F-15

here is one with a T-38?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorimye...uttleendeavour

Not a T-38 -- looks more like an F-18, with the opposite fin obscured.
back to Ames:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demed/8...ttleendeavour/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demed/8...ttleendeavour/

F-15


rick jones

On Friday, Orval Fairbairn asserted:
Rick Jones wrote:

Now, here is a chase plane in NASA livery down at LAX, but it looks like an
F/A-18 derivative?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...331045/in/pool
-spaceshuttleendeavour/


F-18. It was also an F-18 when they landed at Edwards.

What's an F-18? Who makes it? Who flies it?

/dps

--
Who, me? And what lacuna?

Fred J. McCall wrote:

Rick Jones wrote:

Rick Jones wrote:
What is the plane with the SCA/Endeavour starting at about 1:40
he http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1cMJSRSq8 That looks like
what I think I saw a little while later at Moffett, dark grey.

The WSJ has some video, parts of which include the other plane as
well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...v=3FnzNA4tezo#!


The plane at the landing in blue and white livery looks like a
Hornet (the color looks like the way they painted the Northrop YF-17
prototype).

In the sequence taken over the city, the chase airplane is definitely
an F-15.

In the landing sequence, it's one of NASA's F-18s - (They replaced
their F-104s with F-18As in the '90s - part of the reason was the
switch to JP-8 fuel, which the F-104s didn't handle well.)

--
Pete Stickney
From the foothills of the Florida Alps

Rick Jones wrote:

Based on these (and other) photos from the flickr stream mentioned
in a posting in .news, it would seem that how many and what sort of
planes were flying chase varied along the way: (these photos are not
in "flight order")

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...55948/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...52937/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrissh...49259/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

F-15 without a doubt.


Now, here is a chase plane in NASA livery down at LAX, but it looks
like an F/A-18 derivative?


http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...31045/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/bravo45...29539/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

Two chase:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lomara/8010555486/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

Sedan Model (2-seat) F-18, one of NASA's fleet.


F-15 Chase:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/misterk...52770/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

Walnut Creek - nearish to SFO:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontste...39311/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

Continuing through the stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnca...16994/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnca...17096/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

here is one with a T-38?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorimye...63478/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

F-18, actually.


back to Ames:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demed/8010445256/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/demed/8010443362/in/pool-
spaceshuttleendeavour/

rick jones
--
From teh foothills of the Florida Alps

On Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:08:16 +0000 (UTC), Rick Jones
wrote:

Was able to see the Endeavour final ferry flight flyby of Ames/Moffett
Field from the fourth floor of an adjacent office building. Nice to
see, glad I was able to do it. Alas, just the one pass.

I'd though it was an F-15 flying chase, but someone else claimed it
was an F-22.

I can't say for the Ames flyby part, but there was definitely a
two-seat F-15 (a B or an E?) flying chase over San Francsico.
By the time they got to LA, the F-15 had been relieved by two NASA
F-18Bs. They were T-38s flying chase/escort from KSC to Biggs. I'm not
sure what took over for the Biggs/Dryden leg.

I never saw an F-22 in any of photos or video of the transport
flights.

Since the chase was mostly for photographic purposes, I'd have to say
the chances are minimal that an F-22 was used, as there are no
two-seat variants of the F-22, so no place for a photographer to sit.

Brian

Brian Thorn wrote:

On Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:08:16 +0000 (UTC), Rick Jones
wrote:

Was able to see the Endeavour final ferry flight flyby of
Ames/Moffett
Field from the fourth floor of an adjacent office building. Nice to
see, glad I was able to do it. Alas, just the one pass.

I'd though it was an F-15 flying chase, but someone else claimed it
was an F-22.

I can't say for the Ames flyby part, but there was definitely a
two-seat F-15 (a B or an E?) flying chase over San Francsico.

D model, most likely, I don't think there are any As or Bs left in
service.
The most likely source for the airplane is the Air National Guard
squadron based out of Fresno, which is transitioning from F-16s
to F-15s.

--
Pete Stickney
From the foothills of the Florida Alps