Northrop RF-5 Tigereye (76-1580)

I'm not sure if one of the two pilots caught a glimpse of me standing on Charlie taxiway (which is parallel and adjacent to runway 16L) or if they were merely seeing how long they could keep their Tiger "nose high," but this one remained in this nose high configuration from the moment it touched down until it was passing my spotting position. Since my first pic caught it smoking some rubber at the 1000 foot marker and I was positioned between the 4000 and 5000 foot markers of 16L, this beautiful Black Tiger stayed nose high for over 3000 feet. I doubt they ever saw me, but it sure made for some sweet snaps as they came sailing past.

It's a technique called aerodynamic braking. On a long runway keep the nose high and you will increase the induced drag over the wing. The more energy that you can bleed off that way means that the wheel brakes have that much less to absorb, so they last longer, saving the taxpayer a bit of money.

Dave ..... Hi and Thanks. I've seen this done previously, not only with jet fighters but also with C-130s, and I always thought it was some type of SHORT runway landing maneuver designed to decelerate the aircraft quickly. Either that or (grin) they were giving me a great photo op. (BIG Grin) TYVM for the explanation.

Cool shot!

5*'s Gary, on all your recent pics, welcome back. :)

Awesome Photo Gary.

what a cool mean looking plane too !!

Another great shot Gary - would one expect anything less though?