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True, in some respects, but I must mention that I'm in the oldest flying squadron in history,.... any service,... any nation. All the way back to the days of Pancho Villa. So who ya callin' "junior"?

Ah,.... all very good comebacks,... minus the ironing the flightsuits (never done), and scarves bit (hasn't been done in years). But remember,... we don't drive boats; we fly jets. We're the experts.

What??!! F-16s and F-5's??!! Navy units flying USAF aircraft??!! How do you airwarrior-types contain your anger??!!

Interesting that the Services are so different: in the USAF, we can't drop until within a year; and we can wait until 6 months prior. We don't have near the harsh repercussions that y'all are having. Additionally, the USAF is paying pilots in certain year groups to get out. We had one pilot...

USNMark, So what has happened since your last post in April?

Just got back from Reno last night. Are you referring to Steve Dari's? I didn't know him, but had heard nothing about this being a first flight.

Sorry. I've been on convalescent leave for the past month. Today is my first day back at work. I checked with Eglin: first F-35 showing up ~Jan 2010, and the 33rd Wing becoming an AETC wing about a year before that. Remember: the 33rd Wing is a tenant unit at Eglin. Eglin will still be...

Indeed,... the horror!!!

Ah, Maxwell,... Pre 9/11, "the Pit" was a good time. However, you must beware of the female "regulars" there,... they're called "Pit Vipers".

Sorry for the thread creep, but this cat won't qualify within the weight limits for an ejection seat.

I hadn't heard that before. I like it!

I'll admit that "Lightening II" for the F-35 lacks any originality. But what was the Admiral smoking when he came up with "Growler"? Put down the crack pipe!

Good question. Inquiring minds want to know.... Let me ask around.

VFA-203 has the story right, at least as far as I've heard. The "F/A" was a political maneuver. Although the USAF loves CAS/A2G (I think; if I wasn't a recce guy, I'd want to be an A-10 pilot), it is still run by an Air-to-Air Mafia, and they want the F-22 to be a pure "fighter",... whatever...

I thought this was good:

Side note: it is officially the "F-22", not the "F/A-22". I'm told the USAF leadership wants nothing to do with Raptors in the attack role. Once they met certain milestones with congress, they dropped the "A" like a hot potato.

Why not just call out to UNSTPS and ask them? I don't have the number, but I'm sure you can find it. Ask for CDR Van Fleet: he's a former P-3 pilot. If nojoy, try CDR Feddersen. He's the Ops Officer.

If his aircraft went down in Walker Lake (or another good sized body of water), the ELT won't work long, and you won't find the wreckage until you map the floor of the lake.

Yes, too bad, but that's the reality. Steve Fossett is a national flying icon. If Yeager, Crossfield, a Senator, or someone of that type went missing, it would happen again. And I'm guessing that Fossett's fortune is heavily involved in subsidizing the effort. But maybe not. Let's also...

They sold out to Global Hawk, and probably forgot they ever built the Intruder. Sour grapes, I know...

Although this might sound odd, contact Steven Coonts ("Flight of the Intruder"). I'll bet he would be a tremendous source of information.

Congress has said loud and clear that it will not happen before the Global Hawk's capabilities meet or exceed the U-2's. This was in response to the USAF's attempt in Jan 06 to begin parking U-2's in the boneyard. The USAF is convinced the Global Hawk is "the way". However, once the combatant...

OK, OK, OK!!! I'll start verifying my shizzle before I post. Geeeeezzzz!! Plus,... don't you know??,.... donuts cause memory loss. :eek: And, now that I'm "onboard", do I have to "swab the deck,... matey"?

Do you really feel there are doubts as to how this aircraft's capabilities stack up? I understand your lack of confidence in the USAF's party line, but ask around: there are a bunch of Navy/Marine pilots that have flown against it. The question for me is: is it worth $250M+ ?

You've been in NROTC for 7 years?? Do you know Mr Blutarsky? C'mon man,... fat, drunk, and stupid are no way to go through college.

I certainly don't know what happened, but many of the warbird accidents these past few years have been with very old pilots at the controls. I'm guessing this pilot was about 75 years old, based on his bio on the team's website. These guys are killing themselves, hurting their loved ones, and...

For the USAF (if I remember correctly), the number are 238 lbs, and 6' 5". They're starting to get stricter on those numbers, but I've flown with guys that were probably ~280 lbs,... albeit a few years ago.

The Raptor demo at Oshkosh this year was a big disappointment, especially after last year's "improptu" two-ship extravaganza. Apparently, the crowd line at Oshkosh is too close for ACC's likings, so they did their "flat show"... basically, it looked like the Eagle demo. I sort of put one of...

There's probably near 1,000 AT-6 / SNJ aircraft flying worldwide. It's just this particular variant, the SNJ-2, that only has 10 left.

How is it to fly? Quite a handful, at first. But no matter how many hours you have in it, you better not get too comfortable with her. It's not a "mil spec" aircraft, which is the problem. All of us (USAF, Navy, Marines) are trained as "mil spec" aviators in "mil spec" aircraft that have been...

I'm glad to hear it. I figured the reflective belt was getting forced onto ALL personnel in the Middle East, irrespective of branch of service. Next time I deploy (which won't be for a while, probably), I'm going to find a way to put on so many reflective belts at once that you'll think a...

Interesting. However, I'm sure that is only the airframe/engine itself. The "stuff" we carry now accounts for a great deal of money. In this day and age, if you don't include the sensors to the cost for any recon asset, you've basically purchased a cool trainer that doesn't do much other than...

The reflective lettering is always a nice touch: once the Navy makes the PT gear the mandatory uniform for off-duty wear in Kajerkistan, you: a). no longer need as many reflective belts to satisfy the Safety Officer after sunset; b). it helps the enemy snipers keep track of the larger...

Cheer up,... you've got more in common with the USAF than you thought. Now, back to my donuts... mmmmm,.... donuts......

The CIA or USAF started a program putting the U-2C onto the carrier. The U-2C was the smaller version of the current U-2. The U-2's that currently fly started life as the "U-2R" in 1967, and grew to a 104' wingspan. To this day, the outer 70" of each wing folds, supposedly to allow it to fit...

Shack.

=

gatordev, Like you, I can't remember the exact details of how it works, but the thrust line of the engines vs. the CG is a big factor too. If you're really aggressive with the throttle, you can end up in a big PIO, where the rotor can hit the tail, or (somehow) it develops into some sort of...

I believe the proper term would be "motor glider", thank you very much. :icon_tong

That also means that you will probably live on a boat for an extended period of time. All of my Navy/Marine pilot friends tell some good boat stories,... but not one of them ever wants to back to "the floating prison" (their term, not mine). In the USAF of today, expect to spend some time in...

Although the Training Command (AETC) left Moody, I think the Hogs from Pope AFB moved in, as well as some HC-130s. The HH-60's in the Rescue Wing remained just as they were before BRAC. Again, I don't know for sure, but most of the units there are probably deployed a fair amount.

Who "assembled" it generally has nothing to do with any mishap that involves an ultralight. Second, most of these gyrocopters (maybe all, since they are "rotorcraft") are ineligible to be classified as "ultralights". Most are in the "experimental" category, and there's a difference. I've flown...

Donut eater??

How about you hold off on the judgement thing, at least a few more days. Maybe I'll grow on you. If not, have at it.

Again, apologies up front. Like you, I've sat around burning what little gas I've got waiting for the wave of folks shooting the radar patterns. Side note: I did get to "bounce" at Meridian a few months back in the T-45. Nice ride. However, all that stuff y'all have to wear was killing me...

Your advice is noted. Thank you. My initial read on this thread was that the comments seemed pretty over-the-top,... like some folks were really consumed with it. It was an observation and that's all. I'll try to contribute by being one of your resident experts, albeit a Naval Aviation...

gatordev: I think it's considered pretty silly outside of the pointy-nosed world. Yeah, I understand the USAF is a pretty fun target for the Sailors. That's fine. The Tomcat/Hornet/Hoover drivers I work with are pretty good at dishing out the banter. However, their IQ's seem about 100 points...

Wow. I just joined airwarriors.com, and this is the first thread I read. Seems like a bit of USAF bashing around here. A few comments: First, on the subject of "box/head/sts". It has NOTHING to do with political correctness, so get off that soap box. I find the whole thing childish too, but it's...