I keep getting videos promoted at me of an f35b landing on the helipad of some tall hotel in the middle east.
What I don't get is you can clearly see the markings saying max weight is 7.5t. and D value (max overall length rotor tip to rotor tip) of 20m. The f35b is 15m long so that's fine. But empty it weighs over 14 tons.
I can't work out, is this a fake video. Or are they exceeding the design load of the helipad by 100%. If the later. What are the implications for this overload?
Also given the early reports of the down draft from f35b damaging the deck of various naval ships. Does the exhaust from the jet not knacker the helipad? At the very least it should destroy the paint job...
@quixoticgeek well, 14 tonne plane hovering implies 14 tonnes of downdraft, albeit diffused a bit over distance... Plus some of it is jet exhaust, so... Warm.
Yep. It's a fake video.