Burger,
That Soviet helmet you posted labelled as for the MiG-21/23/25 and Su-15 is only the one intended for full pressure suits, and is not the helmet most regularly used in such types.

The pressure suit helmet was only ment for high-altitude flights where a loss of cockpit pressure would have been dangerous for the pilots. For normal, lower operations a less clumsy and more ‘normal’ helmet (and a normal flight suit rather than a pressure one) would be worn, which is far more comfortable just like a normal flight suit. Don’t forget that when pulling (for example) 9 G, your 2,5kg helmet (about the weight of a 1960s-era pressure helmet) would weigh 22.5 kg. A regular helmet at the time weighed roughly a kilo less. Similar pressure + regular helmets/flight suits were used in the West for aircraft like the F-104. Attack units were probably not even issued with pressure suits/helmets at all.

Obviously, considering the need for pilots to move their heads during high-G dogfights, weight in pilot’s helmets is essential. I believe a current standard Western helmet comes at some 800grams, including communications stuff. Helmets with sights are obviously heavier.

Just one of those silly thoughts… the vanilla Hornet is often called Bug.

Time to introduce Slug?
😀

Are there signs on the southside of the base forbidding photography? I didn’t see them last time i was there (six months ago or something), but that might be my second nature of ignoring such signs 😀

From the southside, there are two great spots for photographing onto the runway. One is straight across from the Skyhawk hangar, on the Eastern end of the base. 200-300mm is enough for runway photography, but if the aircraft take off towards the West the Spooks may well be too high already. Another spot is further west, near a few earthen walls (looking like former revetments) more to the East. Here, 135-200 mm is enough to take pics of aircraft in the early stages of takeoff (again, when taking off heading West). Definately a great spot, although you should consider climbing one of the earthwalls because at a lot of places concertinas can ruin your shot.

Flying might be a bit slow. Last time i was there, only four F-4F’s were flying in the morning, and just about when i had enough boredom they sent out 14 Phantoms in just over half an hour. Alas, no Skyhawks, but still good enough.

And even if Wittmund is quiet, don’t forget that Jever is really close too.

The post-Tienanmen boycot only meant that nothing of a military nature could be delivered to the PRC, but it said nothing about testing American (=Grumman) gear in a foreign aircraft. So the PRC kept the program going, probably in the hope that the embargo would be cancelled in relatively short time. I guess they only cancelled the project when the embargo seemed there to stay, ‘financial reasons’ of course being a perfect excuse.

The tests were of course done at Edwards since it not only has the test facilities, but also because it’s remote and large enough to fly something saucy like the J-8II without all sorts of people asking questions. You know, planespotters and conspirationalists.

The Subpar Hornet as target tugs?

I thought it was more like a USAF fighter/attack combo. One F-15 fast-jet equivalent (the Su-30MKM), one slow A-10 attack equivalent (the F/A-18F). I have to agree with Sean (…better leave them Dropkick Murphies in the bar, please, thank you…) that more D-model Hornets would be a far better idea though. While it’s true they aren’t built anymore, wouldn’t it be possible to resume production of them in Finland or Switzerland? I know it’s a reach (especially with Boeing desperate to prove the Subpar Hornet), but those two countries do have old-style Hornet production gear in place.

Two J-8II’s did fly from Edwards to test Grumman-installed avionics on the Finback. The test program was run by USAF Col. Will R. Stewart, and appearantly the testing was only ended in April 1990 (a full year after the Tienanmen incident and subsequent outrage) because of financial troubles on the Chinese side (of course we shouldn’t forget that Bush Sr. was actually quite close with the Chinese, him being a former ambassador there and such). However, when the project was dropped it was suddenly blamed on the Tienanmen-stuff. I believe it took quite some time before the Finbacks actually went back to China.

Doh! Obviously… you’re right of course, Alastair. But can i weasel out by saying the Natter was never ment to land at all 😉 ?

Well, at least Aermacchi is honest enough to say that the 346 is a Yakovlev design, not one of their own as you can read at the M-346 lemma on http://www.aermacchi.it/Aircraft/air3.htm

But indeed, the Italians did rather crudely nick the original design from the Russians. The jet was developed throughout the 1990s by Aermacchi and Yakovlev together, but alas for the Russians the contract was constructed in such a way, that the rights for the Westernised Yak-130 would end up in Italian hands. So when Macchi blew up the cooperation in 2000 (the excuse being “different financial and schedule priorities”, whatever that is supposed to mean), they got a nice new jet to add to their catalogue.