Tag Archives: turbine

Row Faster, He’s Gaining on Us

One evening after work I headed down to Kenmore.  It is a short distance from my office and, sitting at the top of Lake Washington, it has a nice waterfront park including a pier.  I walked out on the pier to see the arrivals of the Kenmore floatplanes at the end of their workday.  They are not the only arrivals, though.  Various boats were out on the lake including some rowing crews carrying out their training.  One of the crews was heading in when a floatplane came in to land.  I suspect they had plenty of space but the plane did seem to adjust its course a bit to avoid them.  Taxiing in after touchdown (landing seems to be the wrong word) they did seem to be chasing the crew down a bit!

Dormant Centerline Jammer

The Growlers use the same jamming pod that came from the Prowler.  A new jamming system is in development but, for now, the ALQ-99 is the system that they have and the pods are the same pods.  The jamming power comes from a generator that is powered by a turbine mounted on the front of the pod.  As the jet flies along, the turbine spins in the airflow and provides the “juice” to power the electronics within.  Even at relatively low speeds the turbine gets rotating.  However, when the jets come in to land, if they have a centerline pod, the turbine is not moving.  I don’t know whether the blockage from the nose gear doors is enough to stop it or whether it is deliberately switched off.  However, the turbine blades are feathered and it is not moving.  Compare the wing mounted pods and the motion and blade angle is clearly different.