jls: In 1976 I was at Bournemouth UK preparing for a beach show. The Red Arrows (gnats) arrived at the airfield and beat 7 bells of @£$% out of it. The Leader flew sedately down the runway at 30'. Behind him a couple of the others mowed the grass. One of the last guys came down the runway and I swear if he had lowered the gear he would have climbed. The gnat looked as flat bottomed as an F! car and your backside was as close to the tarmac as Lewis H.
Back to the video & pictorial of the Hunter manoeuvre I have the thought that the the pull up was not at 90 to the intended final pull-out line, the runway. The initial pull up might have been closer to 90 to A27. The roll off the top for the 1/4 clover was not a 90 roll but would have required more like 135 roll. The target line was blind to the pilot as the roll off was initiated. The most significant ground feature for orientation was A27. During the pull through after the roll off the top A27 would have been the most significant and visible ground line feature, and it would have led to the runway centreline. During the descent a resulting roll of 45 left would have been required after the runway centre line was acquired. If it was realised late that the pull out was the priority then the roll left would be forgotten. It was now survival.
If the arrival manoeuvre had been a 3/4 loop then the runway would have been in view all the time and a 45 roll made on the descending portion of the loop to realign with the runway. As this was now a roll towards the target. rather than away from, then the initial pull up might have had to be made a little further away from the threshold to allow the realignment manoeuvre. My thoughts being that the target line would have been in view at all times, no blind spots.
Those with more experience might have further insight.
Last edited by RAT 5; 29th Aug 2015 at 19:07.