Mary Shafer wrote:

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 22:04:01 -0500, Matthew G. Saroff
wrote:

"Boomer" wrote:

I see that F-15 is limited to about 12º rotation on takeoff to avoid
scraping the tail or weapons. Is this fairly typicle of modern fighters?
IIRC, on landing Naval fighters get to a higher pitch
angle.

I don't think so. The F-8 and A-7 had short, squatty gear and tail
strikes were a real concern on both takeoff and landing. We had more
than one tail strike with our F-8 DFBW, and each time it would
downmode the flight computers into backup mode.

Just a note: Back when Bitburg received its first few F-15s
for familiarization (fall 1976) one of them participated in
the annual Hahn AB airshow the following spring. (I had been
moved there from Bitburg in March 1977, along with the F-4Es.)

He sat at the EOR and cranked it up; rolled perhaps 100 feet
(though those in the know have since told me it had to be at
least twice that) - and yanked the nose straight up!
He was still travelling forward - but presenting the bottom
of his jet to his direction of travel. I got a real sinking
feeling: that in the next second, he would simply fall on his
tail, in a ball of flame; his tailplane was only about the
length of the craft above the runway, and forward motion was
slowing drastically.

However, the Eagle just took off, almost straight up, before
levelling off (perhaps 200-400 feet)... and continuing down
the runway for a looksee from the crowd.

This clearly was not an F-4. While an F-4 could have pulled
the same initial stunt (surely with a bit longer takeoff roll)
- it would have ended up pancaking on its back, a little
further down the runway.

For the first time, I was impressed by the F-4's replacement
- though it would be another decade before the F-15E came along,
completing the replacement with FULL fighter capabilities.
(A/A, A/G, and Strike.)