Description
Watch this incredible display of aircraft maneuvering through the cloudy skies! This fighter jet performs some truly beautiful aerobatics, showcasing the pilot's skill. The airplane, a spanish EF-18M Hornet BLASTS its afterburners at Festa Al Cel 2025 Airshow! This supersonic military fighter jet from spanish air force's 'Ala 15' squadron steals the hearts of aviation enthusiasts over the sunset skies of Salou, pulling off an elegant solo flight display that highlights the bright afterburner plumes of its engines in the dimly lit dusk background, an amazing airplane in action!
Ejército del Aire's 'Ala 15' squadron (Spanish Air Force) delivers a dazzing F-18 Hornet flight show, the pilot commanding this astounding military machine with skill and roaring afterburner engines, delighting the crowds with thrilling aerobatic stunts... truly an exciting flight demonstration!
The plane at display is a C.15, bort number #15-30 (C.15 is the spanish designation for the EF-18 Hornet) with a special 40th anniversary Ala 15 squadron livery featuring the iconic tiger of the squadron's emblem on the vertical tails. The pilot explores the entire range of speeds from slow 35-45º high alpha to near supersonic flybys, displaying spectacular aerobatics designed to delight all aviation enthusiasts attending the Aire 25 Airshow!
The F-18 Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft. Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing and Northrop), the F-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
The F/A-18 has excellent aerodynamic characteristics, primarily attributed to its leading edge root extensions, that coupled with a digital fly-by-wire control system, allow the Hornet to remain controllable at high angles of attack. The trapezoidal wing has a 20-degree sweepback on the leading edge and a straight trailing edge. Canted vertical stabilizers are another distinguishing design element, one among several other such elements that enable the Hornet's excellent high angle of attack ability, including oversized horizontal stabilators, oversized trailing-edge flaps that operate as flaperons, large full-length leading-edge slats, and flight control computer programming that boosts the jet's maneuverability.
SPECIFICATIONS
Crew: 1
Length: 17.1 m
Wingspan: 12.3 m
Height: 4.7 m
Wing area: 38 m2
Aspect ratio: 4
Airfoil: root: NACA 65A005 mod.; tip:NACA 65A003.5 mod.
Empty weight: 10433 kg
Gross weight: 16769 kg
MTOW: 23541 kg
Fuel capacity: 4930 kg internally
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-402 afterburning turbofan engines, 49 kN thrust each dry, 79 kN with afterburner
Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1915 km/h at 12000 m)
Cruise speed: 1062 km/h
Range: 2017 km
Combat range: 741 km air-air mission
Ferry range: 3334 km
Service ceiling: 15000 m
Rate of climb: 250 m/s
Wing loading: 450 kg/m2
Thrust/weight: 0.96 (1.13 with loaded weight at 50% internal fuel)
More info about this jet here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet
Festa al Cel official homepage:
https://www.festaalcel.com/
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