Clip of fighter plane emerging from the sea???

[McKenzie]

I downloaded a 9-second clip off a Newsgroup that seems to show a fighter plane launching straight up out of the sea. It looks authentic although it could be a movie clip, or a model; no sound btw. Anyone know if this is technically possible? Rockets can do this...but aircraft?

Whatever, it looked well scary...this plane just rockets skywards and there is a downward jet thrust that boils the water's surface. Maybe I shouldn't drink and download junk at the same time.

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Not possible...

you can't operate a jet engine underwater...it's an air turbine, not a water turbine. You CAN do it with a rocket, but a rocket doesn't have an exposed intake, either.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. But what about a RATO-equipped fighter?

RATO (rocket-assisted take off) could get the jet to a speed in which the water would evaporate and the jet could start (although spool-up time for a jet would take longer than the RATO pack could operate)...:shrug:

On edit: a funny JATO-equipped Imapala story:

http://ylatis.com/darkon/humor/jatostor.html

Jet-Assisted Take-Off Units not always a good idea
True Story:
The Arizona (U.S.)

Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal imbedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road, at the apex of a curve.

The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene.

The boys in the lab finally figured out what it was, and what had happened.

It seems that a guy had somehow got hold of a JATO unit, (Jet Assisted Take Off, actually a solid-fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra `push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert, and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed, and fired off the JATO!!

Best as they could determine, he was doing somewhere between 250 and 300 mph (350-420kph) when he came to that curve.... The brakes were completely burned away, apparently from trying to slow the car.

MORAL: Solid-fuel rockets don't have an 'off'... once started, they burn at full thrust 'till the fuel is all gone.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. Of course, that raises another question...

what's it being launched FROM? An Ohio-class ballistic missile sub? An underwater platform?

And I heard the JATO story about ten years ago...heh...one of the better "urban legend"-type stories (not true, though)

[pintobean]

8. Urban legend

http://www.snopes.com/autos/dream/jato.asp

[HeeBGBz]

10. Must have been one hell of a ride

What a doofus savant. That is so morbidly funny on this rainy Sunday morning.

[rooboy]

2. Is there a link to this clip that can be downloaded? n/t

[McKenzie]

5. it's on this open directory too - mods check re bandwidth

don't want to post something that sucks someone's bandwidth dry.

http://www.kicken.fm/irak/

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. That actually looks like a model airplane fitted with a rocket.

Burn characteristics look all wrong for a jet...notice the massive gout of flame and smoke coming from the exhaust?

[Cooley Hurd]

7. That's an F-15 with a RATO pack?

I'm pretty sure it's a fake - they took footage of a Polaris launch and superimposed an F-15 over the missle.

[pintobean]

9. Look at it frame by frame.

The f-15 appears behind a missile as it comes out of the water. Then it's over the missile. Also, there's no water coming off the wings. It's a fake.