Piper Cub Vs F-15

(Jim Thomas) wrote:

This led me to go find my F-15A-1, circa 1975. Level flight, 0 bank,
military thrust, gear & flaps down, sea level stall speed (defined as
30 deg AOA) was about 100 KIAS. Final approach speed under those
conditions was 143 KIAS. So, assuming the numbers haven't changed much
for the F-15C/D, staying with a 110-120 KIAS Cessna would be sporty,
but doable.

My commercial pilot log shows that in the chaotic days following 9/11
(29 October, 2001) while cruising along in a Cessna 210L at 160 kts.
or so I was intercepted by an F-15 near Miami's Turkey Point nuke
powerplant. However, since I was on an IFR flight plan and talking to
Miami Center, they handed me off to Homestead AFB who gave me
a heads up. "Shark XX" zipped by lickity split about 50-75 yards in
front of me at the same altitude and perpindicular to my flightpath
then disappeared over the Atlantic as quickly as it appeared.