ID question: hornet or super-hornet?

[Jim Battista]

Seeing a couple fly over one at a time this weekend leads me to ask:

Is there any easy way to tell a plain-old Hornet from a Super-hornet if
it's alone in the sky? I know the E/F's are bigger, but, that ain't
much help without the other one next to it.

Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?

--
Jim Battista
A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.

[Yeff]

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 21:00:16 -0000, Jim Battista wrote:

> Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?

The inlets - rounded on the Hornet, square on the Super Hornet.

-Jeff B.
yeff at erols dot com

[Michael Zaharis]

Yeff wrote:
> On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 21:00:16 -0000, Jim Battista wrote:
>
>
>>Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?
>
>
> The inlets - rounded on the Hornet, square on the Super Hornet.
>
> -Jeff B.
> yeff at erols dot com

Bug has an s-shaped LERX leading edge, while the Super-bug has one that
has almost a constant radius curve.

[Tarver Engineering]

"Michael Zaharis" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Yeff wrote:
> > On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 21:00:16 -0000, Jim Battista wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?
> >
> >
> > The inlets - rounded on the Hornet, square on the Super Hornet.
> >
> > -Jeff B.
> > yeff at erols dot com
>
> Bug has an s-shaped LERX leading edge, while the Super-bug has one that
> has almost a constant radius curve.

Which fixes the tail wash out problems at high alpha. (23 degrees +) It
would be interesting to know what the static pitch stability of the Super
Bug is as a percentage.

[Jim Battista]

Yeff > wrote in
:

> On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 21:00:16 -0000, Jim Battista wrote:
>
>> Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?
>
> The inlets - rounded on the Hornet, square on the Super Hornet.

Ah -- that I might be able to spot. I don't think I'd be able to
tell one kind of wing-front-thingy from the other unless both were in
front of me.

Still dunno what they were that flew over me Saturday though -- don't
see many military aircraft in sunny Denton TX. Sometimes I miss
being a kid back at Ramstein or, dare I say, even Hahn, going out on
the balcony and watching the F-4s take off on afterburner in 2- and
4-ships...

--
Jim Battista
A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.

[Tarver Engineering]

"Jim Battista" > wrote in message
.. .
> Yeff > wrote in
> :
>
> > On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 21:00:16 -0000, Jim Battista wrote:
> >
> >> Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?
> >
> > The inlets - rounded on the Hornet, square on the Super Hornet.
>
> Ah -- that I might be able to spot. I don't think I'd be able to
> tell one kind of wing-front-thingy from the other unless both were in
> front of me.
>
> Still dunno what they were that flew over me Saturday though -- don't
> see many military aircraft in sunny Denton TX. Sometimes I miss
> being a kid back at Ramstein or, dare I say, even Hahn, going out on
> the balcony and watching the F-4s take off on afterburner in 2- and
> 4-ships...

They are probably just down demonstrating for the USAF F/A-18 buy. :)

[Erik Von Erich]

Jim Battista wrote:
> Seeing a couple fly over one at a time this weekend leads me to ask:
>
> Is there any easy way to tell a plain-old Hornet from a Super-hornet if
> it's alone in the sky? I know the E/F's are bigger, but, that ain't
> much help without the other one next to it.
>
> Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?


I can't answer that particular question, but you probably saw Hornets
from VFA-201 out of NAS Fort Worth JRB. I'm basing that on your
University of North Texas email address.

Strike Fighter Squadron 201, a reserve squadron from Fort Worth, flew
combat missions from the USS Theodore Roosevelt last year during OIF.
They led Carrier Air Wing Eight in target acquisition, destruction of
targets attacked, sortie completion rates, and landing grades(Top
Hook).

See you at the NAS Fort Worth air show next month.

[Drewe Manton]

Probably the quickest way from below would be the tailplanes, the rear edge
of a legacy Hornet has a curve at the tip, SuperBugs have a straight angle.
--
Regards
Drewe
"Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colourful rag is unfurled"

[Dweezil Dwarftosser]

Jim Battista wrote:
>
> Still dunno what they were that flew over me Saturday though -- don't
> see many military aircraft in sunny Denton TX. Sometimes I miss
> being a kid back at Ramstein or, dare I say, even Hahn, going out on
> the balcony and watching the F-4s take off on afterburner in 2- and
> 4-ships...

Ah... memories. I used to sit on the couch in my third-floor
living room in Hahn Housing's 14-B-3 and watch the noisy F-4s
pass first by the right window, then the left, taking off from
the runway a few hundred feet away, as B-327 curved around the
perimiter. Later, Vogelweh was too far from Ramstein to enjoy
the same treat.

John T. - Bitburg 75-77, Hahn 77-80, Ramstein 81-85.
(There's almost a year at Seymour Johnson in there,
too: 80-81.)

[Emilio]

Here are Hornet / Super Hornet photos:

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/aircraft/air-fa18.html

Emilio

"Jim Battista" > wrote in message
.. .
>
> Seeing a couple fly over one at a time this weekend leads me to ask:
>
> Is there any easy way to tell a plain-old Hornet from a Super-hornet if
> it's alone in the sky? I know the E/F's are bigger, but, that ain't
> much help without the other one next to it.
>
> Is this one where you just have to really know what to look for?
>
> --
> Jim Battista
> A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.

[B2431]

>From: Dweezil Dwarftosser
>Date: 4/20/2004 6:45 AM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: >
>
>Jim Battista wrote:
>>
>> Still dunno what they were that flew over me Saturday though -- don't
>> see many military aircraft in sunny Denton TX. Sometimes I miss
>> being a kid back at Ramstein or, dare I say, even Hahn, going out on
>> the balcony and watching the F-4s take off on afterburner in 2- and
>> 4-ships...
>
>Ah... memories. I used to sit on the couch in my third-floor
>living room in Hahn Housing's 14-B-3 and watch the noisy F-4s
>pass first by the right window, then the left, taking off from
>the runway a few hundred feet away, as B-327 curved around the
>perimiter. Later, Vogelweh was too far from Ramstein to enjoy
>the same treat.
>
>John T. - Bitburg 75-77, Hahn 77-80, Ramstein 81-85.
> (There's almost a year at Seymour Johnson in there,
> too: 80-81.)

Ah yes, memories.... getting my teeth rattled while trying to sleep in a
baracks room facing the red section end of the runway at Hahn. 1978 - 1980

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired

[Jeb Hoge]

Drewe Manton > wrote in message >...
> Probably the quickest way from below would be the tailplanes, the rear edge
> of a legacy Hornet has a curve at the tip, SuperBugs have a straight angle.

Canopy to body size ratio can sometimes be a giveaway, the super bug
is bigger enough that the canopy looks different. And IIRC the pylon
count will be different too. 4 vs. 6

[Dweezil Dwarftosser]

B2431 wrote:
>
> >From: Dweezil Dwarftosser

> >Ah... memories. I used to sit on the couch in my third-floor
> >living room in Hahn Housing's 14-B-3 and watch the noisy F-4s
> >pass first by the right window, then the left, taking off from
> >the runway a few hundred feet away, as B-327 curved around the
> >perimiter. Later, Vogelweh was too far from Ramstein to enjoy
> >the same treat.
> >
> >John T. - Bitburg 75-77, Hahn 77-80, Ramstein 81-85.
> > (There's almost a year at Seymour Johnson in there,
> > too: 80-81.)
>
> Ah yes, memories.... getting my teeth rattled while trying to sleep in a
> baracks room facing the red section end of the runway at Hahn. 1978 - 1980

You might have gotten a little more than noise there.
Two Tab Vee spots in Red Section overlooked the base
chapel - where the SPs often lay in wait with a radar
speed gun. WCS toads would zap the crystals in the
speed guns with live pulse and CW at every opportunity.
It was considered a public service...