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UAVs, not just an Air Force gig anymore

Single Seat

Single Seat

Average member
pilot
None
Hell, I'm on the beach, not flying UAV's... and doing 12-on-12-off.

UAV's are at Creech. There's nothing at Tonopah (that you know of!).
 
skidz

skidz

adrenaline junky
NOO!! I just saw the new Navy commercial that had nothing but unmanned vehicles in it, aerial, submersibles, and surface vehicles. With "unmanning the front lines" at the end. Damnit.
 
HackerF15E

HackerF15E

Retired Strike Pig Driver
None
bobbybrock said:
they will get no sympathy from me for the conditions they work in.
Click to expand...

And I'm positive no USAF guy will be looking for any sympathy from anyone on the ground in the AOR.

Trust me, everyone understands what real stress and harship the guys with boots on the ground have, and aren't under any misconceptions that their conditions are any more challenging.

The comparison the UAV pilots are making is to the rest of the USAF combat flying force, who does 120 days in the desert every 18 months, and then is at essentially at home station doing normal continuation and upgrade training during that 18 months "off".

These guys are essentially on a 3-year tour that is in max AB opstempo and never stops.

I guarantee you that none of those guys is comparing their stress level to anything ground pounders are living.
 
gaetabob

gaetabob

Registered User
pilot
squeeze said:
Perhaps you should look at human error in our own mishaps before slinging shit downrange.
Click to expand...

I realize that the majority of all mishaps have human factors (the latest numbers are roughly 84% for the Navy and Marine Corps?). Of those, many are attributed to fatigue, loss of SA, or just pushing a bad decision. In the case of the operators in this article, it is being attributed to rushed training and a lack of experience. I thought it could open the door for a little discussion, especially considering how many squadrons are seeing less actual flight hours due to rising fuel cost, airframe fatigue, etc.

But yes, I was also trying to sling a little light-heart shit downrange at the expense of the predator pilots.

Sorry if I offend...I'll jsut take my ball and go play in the corner...
 
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
From a big picture view, but not knowing the Predator/Reaper pilots themselves, they have rapidly expanded a brand new way of doing business to keep up with the burgeoning demands of a war and its leaders who have an insatiable desire for the product they deliver. There are bound to be some growing pains in this field and it is understandable that there are a rising number of accidents.
 
Kycntryboy

Kycntryboy

Registered User
pilot
Article said:
"The Air Force has increased the sheer volume of pilots put through the training pipeline and shipped them off to war with the bare minimum training required," researcher Lt. Col. Robert P. Herz said in an e-mail...

The military can continuously operate 29 of the Predator and Reaper surveillance planes, which are flown by remote control from the United States.
Click to expand...
Yes getting "shipped" of to war to Las Vegas must really suck.:D
 
loadtoad

loadtoad

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
They had a predator unit at the base I was at in Iraq and a lot of their mishaps happen on landing. Anytime we knew one was landing we would try to watch it land because we wanted to see a crash.
 
skidkid

skidkid

CAS Czar
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
I dont know that much about Predator ops but I am going to throw out the obligatory OPSEC warning to those who do.
 
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