Message posted by NotTelling (Member since 07/02/2023) on November 13, 2023 at 15:48:16 PST:
Chase serves multiple purposes. First and foremost they are for safety...in fact at the mission brief and on the cards they will be referred to as Safety Chase. Next, they will surely carry a photog to document the mission for historical reason as well as technical In another post there was mention of the tanker...it was surely for chase. Assuming that the B-21 is equipped for air refueling, there's zero chance they will attempt that anytime soon. Given that the takeoff for the primary bird is rarely on time, the chase face the likelihood of orbiting for a significant time waiting. Vipers don't carry a lot of fuel so having a tanker ready is always handy. Plus there's always a risk that something could happen to the test bird and having a SARCAP available with no fuel concerns is good. I saw a photo online somewhere of one of the Chase birds (that I can't locate again) and the back seat did not appear to be a person but something bulky. Odd, couldn't figure out what it was...
1) Keeping eyes on the test article
2) Looking for leaking fluids
3) Verifying gear position (no plans to raise gear on first flight anyway)
4) Being available to inspect exterior on demand
5) Verifying no other traffic in the way so primary crew can focus on the test cards
In Reply to: Chase Plane posted by Calidan on November 13, 2023 at 10:12:59 PST:
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