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Wow, strafing neighborhoods now? Impressive seeing as how they don't have a gun installed in their airplanes.... People indeed are fucking morons.

Wait what?

The other piece here is the limit of the human- in the UAS world we regularly swap crews after about 4-6 hours. Why? Because that's about the limit of the human brain to focus and because we can. Sometimes we do it even sooner. You can't do that when you're in the airplane. I'm all about...

Training is a huge issue. Plus, you lose capability with optionally manned platforms in the form of ejection seats, life support, avionics displays, etc... with a pure uav you need a cockpit in the airplane, and you don't have to limit the airplane based upon the meat bag that has to stay alive...

I flew sailplanes all through flight school. I also sailed boats, windsurfed and refereed minor pro hockey. Some guys told me I was stupid- but there is more to life than flight school, and the same people that like to fly airplanes also like to do other cool stuff. Just be smart about it. Wear...

I've been following the Perlan Project for a few years. It was really disheartening when Steve Fossett died, and was worried that the project was going to simply disappear. But Einar Enevoldson really picked up the pace. Talk about a dude I wouldn't mind having a beer or two with.

My squadron deployed with them a few years ago. No one around here knows anything about them anymore. Apparently the program was successful, then put on hold. They did some really awesome work hauling stuff from FOB to FOB.

Ok, so dangerous may not be the right word. More risky? That part wasn't really the point of the post anyway.

Good luck! Who knows what will happen by the time you complete flight school and get to the fleet. If you do get your number one- you'll love your time flying the T-45. Midstage bouncing was some of the most fun I've had in a military airplane. You're good enough that you're signing for a jet...

It is by far the most fun flying I have done. If you can get on the ridge and bomb around at close to VNE while at about 50-100ft AGL, it's awesome. I also like cross country flying, being outside of the glide range of your home airport and pressing on is a great challenge and a lot of fun. And...

We do. Albeit some are better than others...

A lot of sailplanes don't have certificated electrical systems. No sailplane has a generator. Transponders require power- something that has to be stored in batteries- which are hit or miss for duration. It's going to ground a lot of sailplanes if they HAVE to carry a transponder as the process...

Coastal Soaring is still around, they moved to Elsanor Airport (about 15-20 minutes west of their old location) because the owner at Coastal was raking them over the coals with fees and charges. FWIW I'm still a member there. It's a really good club and has a diverse mix of aviators from all...

Your money is better spent at the bar, or on a boat, or doing something other than what you'll be paid to do in a few months.

Wouldn't be such an issue if we bought the A-29 when we should have. Thank that one to our legal system tying up the decision to buy it in court for 7 years.

The Air Force uses (and it trying to push to the rest of the DoD) RPA- remotely piloted aircraft.

So we shouldn't have a fighter CAP to protect our recce and attack airplanes going into indian country because they aren't manned?

It's a cultural thing, and it is important- even if you think it is just a costume. These guys want to look like a part of Marine Aviation. Flight suits do that. Nevermind the fact that the Marine Corps used to pay for it (starting in 1983) and did so until 2012, when a certain DCA and an...

Why do non combat Marines wear cammies? FOD free uniforms on the flight deck that we fly off of. Walk into a MEF Planning exercise: "Who is that Aerial Recce SME guy? Did he not get the memo that we're in flight suits? Oh he doesn't have wings? He's not an aviator and therefore doesn't know...

Hazard pay I completely understand. But "green ink" is an important differentiation. The guy running SCAR in Syria from a GCS in Syracuse, NY is doing a lot more than the dude doing CONUS training missions. The dudes following the same bad guy around for months before we kill him are also...

"Hey gents, you're the future of Marine Aviation, welcome to the MAG! You've got the same responsibility as a pilot in an airplane, but you're not in the airplane. What's that? Oh, we're not going to train you like a real pilot, but we expect the same professionalism and performance. What's...

Your mileage will vary based upon your command climate. Base housing does allow pets. Work sked is again, dependent upon your command. You won't get a solid answer because there really isn't one.

Yeah dude, it's API- not NYU...

There seems to be in influx headed our way (VMU).

Huey guys fly Hueys and Cobra dudes fly Cobras.

The WSO was an IWSO of mine in the RAG. Great dude. He debriefed all of -106 on this mishap and the SIR. It's rare that we get to see into the inner workings of a crew's thought process during such situations.

I would hope it is. I'll caveat that with the fact that I don't have any experience with the ACLS other than flying the needles at the boat in the RAG (and not very well, and only in good weather). However, it's all about datalink for UAVs. You can't lose link in bad weather, that's just bad for...

And with flight hours getting thinner, and bros disappearing it's not a surprise how things are.

Thus far they have done a really good job with it too. We're not there yet with the MQ-21A, but we're headed in the right direction. As far as the other pieces go, it's no secret that UAV's are knocking on the door of some of the mission sets that the F-35 is supposed to take on. There are...

There are times when guys wear them to exped airfields at night.

Hmmm- don't threaten me with a good time!

Ah. I didn't realize that the AF and the Navy had different variants of MH-53s. I mean, I did, but didn't realize the Pave Lows were also MH-53 types. Those two Navy MH-53s- would they go anywhere but the RAG? How easy would it be to turn a minesweeper into a CH-53E? Is the cockpit any...

Well. A lot of hard hours at 100' AGL towing a minesweeping sled over the salt water. An MH-53 bro told a while ago that their airframes were aging quickly, and their corrosion control program could not keep up.

Thanks! I'll head over there and pick up a pair for myself. My heels and arches just aren't liking the Belleviles anymore.

Where do you buy the 2233s? I see them listed but can't seem to find a retailer.

On det in Key West we had the Kim's Cuban challenge- the dude who could drink a large Con Leche closest to the flight without shitting himself won the pot. One dude definitely ORM'd out because of the deuce that was about to erupt while he was getting dressed in Flight E.

Do the Whiting course rules still suck?

The big ones do, but Group 3 UAS tend not to. The RQ-7 and MQ-21 both do not. We found our RQ-7s with some really good help from local firefighters and waterman. The Firefighters brought HD side scan and down scan SONAR that they could use in as little as 6 feet of water (or as much as 300+...

These days the cost and decision whether to salvage or not belongs to the Controlling Custodian. (MARFORCOM for Marines on the East Coast) We recovered 2 UAVs that we put in the drink this summer for my SIRs. Interesting process. The biggest learning point is that salvage starts after you find...

Wifey and I received letters this last week. Awesome.

2-3 times a week? if you're doing BFM and earning those hours .8 at a time... Marine Hornet guys aren't flying that much unless they are deployed.

Even all of their fighter pilots hate this guy. I've only heard my old man call him, "He who shall never be named".

Well crap.

This. A lot. It wouldn't be a hard sell if they just funded their manning side and treated us like aviators instead of second class citizens.

Drink, a lot, with other people. Hopefully many of those other people are members of the opposite sex.

^^ I still laugh every time I hear it!

Man, weird to see a lot of flight school and RAG buddies on there. If only everyone knew what Smoat was an acronym for.

If you are interested in UAS, there are some really good opportunities in the Air Guard right now. Money to fly Reapers, schwack shit heads from 1/2 way around the globe, go home every night, no boats, Launch/Recovery Element deployments for 90 days if you want to go.

Absolutely agree, it's good for the Navy guys. Marines... not so much if you want to stay in a cockpit.

My experience was completely opposite. Navy dudes went to the P-3/P-8 community. Marines are either UAV or finance officers.