F-8 Crusader in the Vietnam War

F-8 Crusader in the Vietnam War The F-8 Crusader was the last fighter designed for the US Navy that utilized guns as its primary weapon. Entering service in 1957, it saw combat during the Vietnam War both as a fighter and ground attack aircraft. Variants of the F-8 remained in use with the worlds air forces and navies into the 1990s. Background In 1952, the US Navy issued a call for a new fighter to replace its existing aircraft such as the Grumman F-9 Cougar. Requiring a top speed of Mach 1.2 and landing speed of 100 mph or lower, the new fighter was to utilize 20 mm cannons in lieu of the traditional .50 cal. machine guns. This change was made as studies during the Korean War found that .50 cal. machine guns caused insufficient damage. Among the companies to take up the US Navys challenge was Vought. Design Development Led by John Russell Clark, the Vought team created a new design which was designated the V-383. The aircraft incorporated a variable-incidence wing which rotated 7 degrees during take-off and landing. This allowed the aircraft to achieve a higher angle of attack without affecting the pilots visibility. For this innovation, the design team won the 1956 Collier Trophy for achievement in aeronautics. Clarks variable-incidence wing was mounted high on the aircraft which required the use of light, short landing gear that were housed in the V-383s fuselage.   The V-383 was powered by a single Pratt Whitney J57 afterburning turbojet capable of 18,000 lbs. of thrust at full power. This gave the aircraft a top speed in excess of 1,000 mph and the type would become the first American fighter to achieve such speeds. Unlike future fighters, the V-383s afterburner lacked zones and could only be employed at full power. Responding to the Navys armament requirements, Clark armed the new fighter with four 20 mm cannons. To supplement the guns, he added cheek pylons for two AIM-9 Sidewinder missile  and a retractable tray for 32 Mighty Mouse FFARs (unguided folding fin aerial rockets). This initial emphasis on guns made the F-8 the last American fighter to have guns as its principal weapons system. Competition Entering the Navys competition, Vought faced challenges from the Grumman F-11 Tiger, the McDonnell F3H Demon (a precursor of the F-4 Phantom II), and the North American Super Fury (a carrier version of the F-100 Super Sabre).  Through the spring of 1953, the Vought design proved its superiority and the V-383 was named the winner in May. The F-11 Tiger also moved ahead to production though its career proved short due to issues with its J56 engines and the Vought aircrafts superior performance. The following month, the Navy placed a contract for three prototypes under the designation XF8U-1 Crusader. First taking to the skies on March 25, 1955, with John Konrad at the controls, the XF8U-1, the new type performed flawlessly and development progressed rapidly.  As a result the second prototype and the first production model had their inaugural flights on the same day in September 1955. Continuing the accelerated development process, the XF8U-1 began carrier testing on April 4, 1956. Later that year, the aircraft underwent weapons testing and became the first American fighter to break 1,000 mph.   This was the first of several speed records set by the aircraft during its final evaluations. F-8 Crusader - Specifications (F-8E): General Length: 54 ft. 3 in.Wingspan: 35 ft. 8 in.Height: 15 ft. 9 in.Wing Area: 375 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 17,541 lbs.Loaded Weight: 29,000 lbs.Crew: 1 Performance Power Plant: 1 Ãâ€" Pratt Whitney J57-P-20A afterburning turbojetCombat Radius: 450 milesMax Speed: Mach 1.86 (1,225 mph)Ceiling: 58,000 ft. Armament Guns: 4 Ãâ€" 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 12 cannonsRockets: 8 Ãâ€" Zuni rockets in four twin podsMissiles: 4 Ãâ€" AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 2 x AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground guided missilesBombs: 12 Ãâ€" 250 lb bombs or 4 Ãâ€" 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs or 2Ãâ€" 2,000 lb bombs Operational History In 1957, the F8U entered fleet service with VF-32 at NAS Cecil Field (Florida) and served with the squadron when it deployed to the Mediterranean aboard USS  Saratoga  later that year. Quickly becoming the US Navys top daytime fighter, the F8U proved a difficult aircraft for pilots to master as it suffered from some instability and was unforgiving during landing. Regardless, in a time of rapidly advancing technology, the F8U enjoyed a long career by fighter standards. In September 1962, following the adoption of a unified designation system, the Crusader was re-designated the F-8. The next month, photo reconnaissance variants of the Crusader (RF-8s) flew several dangerous missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis. These began on October 23, 1962 and saw RF-8s fly from Key West to Cuba and then back to Jacksonville. The intelligence collected during these flights confirmed the presence of Soviet missiles on the island.   Flights continued for six weeks and recorded over 160,000 photographs.  On September 3, 1964, the final F-8 fighter was delivered to VF-124 and the Crusaders production run ended. All told, 1,219 F-8s of all variants were built. Vietnam War With the US entry into the Vietnam War, the F-8 became the first US Navy aircraft to routinely battle North Vietnamese MiGs.  Entering combat in April 1965, the F-8s from USS Hancock  (CV-19)  quickly established the aircraft as an agile dogfighter, though despite its last gunfighter moniker, most of its kills came through the use of air-to-air missiles.  This was partly due to the high jam rate of the F-8s Colt Mark 12 cannons. During the conflict, the F-8 achieved a kill ratio of 19:3, as the type downed 16 MiG-17s and 3 MiG-21s. Flying from smaller Essex-class carriers, the F-8 was used in fewer numbers than the larger F-4 Phantom II. The US Marine Corps also operated the Crusader, flying from airfields in South Vietnam.   Though primarily a fighter, F-8s also saw duty in ground attack roles during the conflict. Later Service With the end of the US involvement in Southeast Asia, the F-8 was retained in frontline use by the Navy. In 1976, the last active duty F-8s fighters were retired from VF-191 and VF-194 after nearly two decades of service. The RF-8 photo reconnaissance variant remained in use until 1982, and flew with the Naval Reserve until 1987. In addition to the United States, the F-8 was operated by the French Navy which flew the type from 1964 to 2000, and by the Philippine Air Force from 1977 until 1991.

11 Things You Should Put in a College Roommate Agreement

11 Things You Should Put in a College Roommate Agreement When you first move in with your college roommate (either in an apartment or in the residence halls), you may want- or have- to set up a roommate agreement or roommate contract. While not usually legally binding, roommate agreements are an excellent way to make sure that you and your college roommate are on the same page about the everyday details of living with someone else. And while they may seem like a pain to put together, roommate agreements are a smart idea. There are a variety of ways you can approach a roommate agreement. Many agreements come as a template and can provide you with general areas and suggested rules. In general, though, you should cover the following topics: 1. Sharing Is it okay to use each others stuff? If so, are some things off limits? What happens if something breaks? If both people are using the same printer, for example, who pays to replace the paper? The ink cartridges? The batteries? What happens if something gets broken or stolen on somebody elses watch? 2. Schedules What are your schedules like? Is one person a night owl? An early bird? And whats the process for someones schedule, especially in the morning and late at night? Do you want some quiet time when you get done with class after lunch? Or time to hang out with friends in the room? 3. Study Time When does each person study? How do they study? (Quietly? With music? With the TV on?) Alone? With headphones? With people in the room? What does each person need from the other to make sure they get adequate study time and can keep up in their classes? 4. Private Time Its college. You and/or your roommate might very well be dating someone - and want time alone with him or her. Whats the deal with getting time alone in the room? How much is OK? How much advance notice do you need to give a roommate? Are there times when its not OK (like finals week)? How will you let each other know when not to come in? 5. Borrowing, Taking or Replacing Something   Borrowing or taking something from your roommate is practically inevitable over the course of the year. So who pays for it? Are there rules about borrowing/taking? For example, its OK to eat some of my food as long as you leave some for me.   6. Space This may sound silly, but think - and talk - about space. Do you want your roommates friends hanging out on your bed while youre gone? At your desk? Do you like your space neat? Clean? Messy? How would you feel if your roommates clothes started sneaking over to your side of the room? 7. Visitors When is it OK to have people hanging out in the room? People staying over? How many people are OK? Think about when it would or wouldnt be all right to have others in your room. For example, is a quiet study group OK late at night, or should no one be allowed in the room after, say 1 a.m.? 8. Noise Do both of you like the default to be quiet in the room? Music? The TV on as background? What do you need to study? What do you need to sleep? Can someone use earplugs or headphones? How much noise is too much? 9. Food Can you eat each others food? Will you share? If so, who buys what? What happens if someone eats the last of an item? Who cleans it? What kinds of food are OK to keep in the room? 10. Alcohol   If youre under 21 and get caught with alcohol in the room, there can be problems. How do you feel about keeping alcohol in the room? If youre over 21, who buys the alcohol? When, if at all, is it OK to have people drinking in the room? 11. Clothes This ones a biggie for women. Can you borrow each others clothes? How much notice is needed? Who has to wash them? How often can you borrow things? What kinds of things cant be borrowed? If you and your roommate cant quite figure out where to get started or how to come to an agreement on many of these things, dont be afraid to talk to your RA or someone else to make sure things are clear from the beginning. Roommate relationships can be one of the highlights of college, so starting strongly from the beginning is a great way to eliminate problems in the future.

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Terrorism - Essay Example As explained earlier, Terrorism have different meanings in different societies, some regard terrorism as mere political assassinations, some consider it as religious and political terror. Some think this as mere killings by anti socials who are fighting for a lost cause as in the case of religious fundamentals. But all these thoughts point out the fact that terrorism just has no moral insights and thinking to support it. It is agreeable that the word terrorism has emerged from the word terror. Terror is denoted as a system or regime of terror. However single minded efforts other than group efforts that instigate terror in the minds of peace loving citizens can also be brought under this category. The definitions of terrorism related to terror has gained wide acceptance among our modern society. Today we all agree that terrorism is a type of negative attitude. The term is associated to any policy or regime that creates problems. While connecting each and every activity that causes fear in the minds of people with terrorism, it has to be noted that activities that are done to create panic just for the consideration of making fun cannot be depicted as pure terrorism. In the same way, saying that all activites that are done without any aim, cannot be labeled as terrorism is also not agreeable. No one can clearly say that all terrorists have definite aims. As pointed out in the beginning most of the terrorists are fighting for lost causes or causes that are totally rejected by the modern civilized society. Therefore how can we say that all terrorists’ activities have definite aim? Terrorism merely does not mean as engaging into violence directly but it also represents slow intimidation and persuasion to begin violent activities. Molding a person or group of persons to do anti social practices is also terrorism. Terrorism is a type of coercive

Block 7 (Week 13&14) Exercise 7 (Respiratory System Mechanics) Coursework

Block 7 (Week 13) Exercise 7 (Respiratory System Mechanics) assigned from pages 85-95 - Coursework Example narrowing of the airways due to bronchial smooth muscle contraction as in Asthma; inflammation of the bronchial mucosa and hypertrophy of bronchial glands as happens in Bronchitis. 2. As a result of the tidal volume change, what happens to the flow into each lung and total air flow? Air flow into each lung is also increased resulting in increase in increased total flow into the lungs. The puncture in the lungs causes the air to flow into the intrapleural cavity of the lungs through the puncture equating the pressure inside with that of the atmosphere. The elasticity (surface tension) of the lung aleoli compresses the aleoli resulting in the collapse. There is minimum airflow to the left lung. The pressure in the left lung is still the same (zero), the air flow in the left lung ecomes zero. The lungs are only using right lung for respiration. The total air flow is equal to that to the right lung (69.56 ml). The diaphragm descends and the ribcage elevates (expands) – the increased intrathoracic volume results in decreased intrathoracic pressure compared to the atmospheric pressure. Air flows from the high atmospheric pressure to the low intrathoracic pressure filling the lungs. Rapid respiration (hyperventilation) results in the expulsion of more CO2 from the lungs. The CO2 is drawn from the bicarbonate buffer system of the blood. The concentration of CO2 in blood decreases resulting in increase in blood pH (alkalosis). The two values are used to assess the pulmonary function. They tell the clinician about the health of the lungs, any comression or obstruction to tht airflow as well as the extent of the pulmonary dieases (e.g. COPD). They reflect how much the lung function ahs been compromised due to the disease. Emphysema is a disease characterized by dilation f the alveolar spaces and destruction of the alveolar walls. The reoil function of the lungs is also compromised causing a decrease in expiratory flow. Therefore FEV1 is decreased. The lungs become

Drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Drama - Essay Example Much can be discerned about the nature of average lifestyles in post-World War II America through an examination of the play’s plot structure, other sensual elements, language, contextualization and form. Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire is based in post World War II New Orleans, specifically the French Quarter, where a mixed ethnic and social working class group attempt to live in close proximity to each other without coming to blows. It is a noisy, sometimes violent and always busy neighborhood that opens up to Blanche Dubois at the opening of the play. Blanche is a retiring former Southern Belle now attempting to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and shattered psyche to make a new start. She arrives at her sister’s tiny apartment, consisting only of two rooms separated by a flimsy curtain, explaining how she has been given a lengthy leave of absence from her teaching position in Laurel, Mississippi in an effort to provide her the time she needs to restore her nerves. From here, Blanche only becomes more complicated, complicating the lives of her sister and Stanley Kowalski, her sister’s husband, as she attempts to secure a small, quiet place on earth to call her own. From this mystifying opening, the play begins to illustrate how the two women and the man interact as they attempt to find a peaceful means of co-existence. This is made exceedingly difficult as Blanche cannot accept or understand how Stella might possibly be happy in such surroundings and married to such a ‘common’ brute man. Shortly after her arrival, she is attempting to encourage Stella to run away with her to somewhere nicer, perhaps to the home of an old beau of hers by the name of Shep Huntleigh, who is now a millionaire. It is never determined whether this individual actually existed or would have recognized Blanche had

434Mod3Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

434Mod3Case - Essay Example According to the U.S Supreme Court, the video games provide various conflicting situations and conditions to a number of children globally (Totilo, 2010). This also affects their parentage ability as parents are also influenced in this video gaming system. There are many cases involving video games especially in U.S Supreme Court where the offenders claim that video games affects their children upbringing and also leads to violence among them (Totilo, 2010). For example, in mid June the year 2011, the U.S Supreme Court wanted to ban the sale of various video games. However, the first amendment procedures stop them from doing so and later the California Supreme Court decided to ban some violent video games that were considered destructive to children. There are various video game designers in the country including the Nintendo toy games company that was founded in 1889 (Anderson, & Sakamoto, 2008). The firm developed their first video game in 1979 including the first portable video game for children that was designed later in 1980 (Totilo, 2010). The designers of these video games should and must be forced to take the responsibility of various depictions of violent and interpersonal conflicts especially on children of various age groups. The court should properly analyze the effects of video games on children and come out with the best strategy to control this violent act among the children (Anderson, & Sakamoto, 2008). Video games have been available in the global entertainment industry for around thirty years (Totilo, 2011). The recent video games mostly involve the players emotional as well as physically feelings and this makes them have profound impact on children (Totilo, 2010). Currently, around eighty percent of children in the U.S play video games daily and this promote the sales of video games globally (Totilo, 2011). One of major positive impact that video games have on

Education lesson plan design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Education lesson plan design - Essay Example However, imparting knowledge of sex and reproduction early on helps the children to understand that this is all a normal part of life and helps them to develop a more healthy attitude about it. Since babies are a part of every family, especially in the case of extended families, and since the children have been babies themselves, it is only natural that such questions will arise. However, it is also true that in many instances, teachers, especially female teachers, are reluctant or hesitant to teach reproduction and often skim over this topic, imparting a very sketchy understanding. Therefore, the â€Å"Birth of Life† was selected as the topic for this assignment, in order to take up the challenge of presenting this information to the children in a relevant and easily understandable manner. Teaching about reproduction presents a paradox – it is easy in the sense that offspring can be observed openly, yet the mystery surrounding the reproduction process as a result of the unhealthy stigma attached to sex makes it difficult to teach. Moreover, teaching about reproduction also involves imparting knowledge about cells, which in itself is abstract and difficult to communicate to children. Many teachers have found that students have problems with abstract concepts such as cells (www.sedl.org, n.d.) and its constituent parts. Therefore, we had to devise a way in which to make the concept of cells come alive for the children. The second challenge lay in the fact that we were communicating with young children in the second grade and many of the terms used, such as sperm, fallopian tube, embryo, labium minus, vagina and other such words had to be explained in a way that the young children would understand, so we had to think about how we could graphically represent the reproduction process for the children to understand these