707guy
"You can't make this shit up..."
I just thought that meant it was cold...
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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery...part DEUX
- Thread starter Gatordev
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I just thought that meant it was cold...
Apologize for somewhat changing the subject, but the Canucks would be crazy not to cash-in their As for Super Hornets. In addition to all the similarities & lower costs (buy & operate), they're never going to downtown Beijing or Pyongyang, either. The E/F give them all the air defense & attack capability they need at a fraction of the cost of the F-35. JMHO.
I have been wondering that as well and after talking to two RCAF FTEs recently that may indeed be where they go with their program. Apparently their fast-jet folks are insistent on a single-seat option only - the few CF-188Bs Canada operates are for flight training and flight test duties. Sounded odd to me, but that mindset is supposedly part of what drove their desire to be added in the JSF program.
Now back to the photos:
Ha ha, my thoughts exactly! It - along with three more "Mentors" - is assigned to the US Army's Aviation Flight Test Directorate in Huntsville AL on the Redstone Test Center complex. A couple weeks ago one of the test pilots told me that all their T-34s are still legally on the Navy's books (they still take them to Whiting routinely for MX) and the aircraft are primarily used for safety-chase, pilot proficiency sorties, etc.
Sadly the Army plans to replace these very cost-effective birds with brand-new T-6Cs sometime soon (so I am told), but these days who really knows..
That's a fantastic shot. Nice job. The "head T-34 dude" at Huntsville came down to Whiting to do some sort of refresher training while I was instructing at the FITU. Really nice guy. I think he was a civilian at the time, but retired with some obscene amount of hours. I never got to fly with him, but sounded like a great gig. Hmmm....I hear living in Huntsville is pretty nice...
Thank you sir, that was a great day - caught an AFTD T-34C, LUH-72A, and Iraqi Bell 407 all at KTHA. I know both of the crew in that particular image and another half a dozen of the test pilots down at KHUA, so we are probably thinking about the same dude.
In 1.5 years my goal is to be done with grad school and roll right into OCS at Newport, but if things don't work out immediately I am seriously considering getting a 'standby' job as a FTE down at Redstone until things get better.. Good folks, a great mission, and as close to the action as a civilian can expect to be.
In 1.5 years my goal is to be done with grad school and roll right into OCS at Newport, but if things don't work out immediately I am seriously considering getting a 'standby' job as a FTE down at Redstone until things get better.. Good folks, a great mission, and as close to the action as a civilian can expect to be.
Yea, that's a clean modernish Mentor, here's a dirty, ancient T-34A, & a dirty, ancient BzB - Saufley 1957.
BzB
Love the photo. Saufley is where I bounced for my initial T-34 solo 12 years ago. There is a lot of history there. I was sad when I went back to instruct and it was covered with FEMA trailers. No more grassy point entries and ridiculous course rules. How sad.
Yipes! Stripes! Never saw a Weenie with the D Day stripes. How cool. I flew them in '67 with the international orange and white, no cool stripes, however.
What's the patch on your flight suit?
All correct. Back in our day, the "Embarked CAG" was the "peer" of the other CV's (CVAs? CVSs?) "Department Heads". Worked directly for the CO of the ship…but usually, I think, broke out #1.
Also remember that we didn't normally "sail" from homeport with an embarked Flag & Staff. They (most notably CTF-77 (WESTPAC) and CTF-60 (MED) ) "loaded aboard" when you INCHOP'ed to theater. There may have been other "staffs" as well…I never really paid attention as an Ensign…didn't mean much to my QOL, one way or the other.
My recollection about the whole shift to "Super CAG", as well as the stand-up of NSAWC...had much to do with the strikes into Syria (Lebanon?) after the Beirut Barracks bombing. Some/many things didn't go right, and "those bastards" [E.g., "senior leadership] decided we needed a better way…mostly for someone who could stand up and say "Hey…may just be me…but that's TOTALLY f#ck3d up by the numbers…".
The whole "Senior CAG/DCAG" thing has gone throughout at least THREE evolutions, all of which occurred during my time:
Iteration ONE: A "Senior CAG (O-6)" coupled with a post-command O-5 who was screened/selected and served as "Deputy". From inception until about 1989-90….as I recall.
Iteration TWO: A "Senior CAG (O-6)" with a "Chief Staff Officer"...normally a non-Command Screened STRONG TACAIR O-5…about 1989/90 until…when?
Iteration THREE: What I believe the "current construct" still is: A "Senior CAG (O-6)" with an equally qualified O-6 "Senior DGAG" who will "fleet up" in the rotation. Assuming he/she doesn't screw the pooch…it HAS happened. Think FWA….
Just my $.02...
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