Steve Davies

CH From talking to a couple of guys on the raid who saw Karma 52 go down, and based on the autopsy reports of the one guy eventually repatriated, the general view is that it is more likely that they ejected following a SA-3 impact on the right side of the jet.

Rainman I don't do "taunting". I ask questions and then shut-up and listen to the answers. I took your response at face value since you always tell it straight and I had no reason to think that this time would be any different. So, yes, I was surprised. Why? Because I expected someone as experienced as you to have spent time flying in former Eastern Bloc countries and to have met, drank beer with and shared "10 per cent true" stories with them about your jet, their jet, moving mud and their experiences (or those of others) in the 10-year war between the Soviets and the Mujahaddine (Sp?). In that sense it was "my bad" for making that assumption. Edited for spelling. [ 06. June 2006, 13:24: Message edited by: Steve Davies ]

That's surprising. I suppose I expected you to be genned-up on it. My bad.

Asides from which... what's your view on the Frogffot compared to the A-10? I am thinking about all facets of the mud moving business, including airframe survivability and the like. Like the A-10, I have always heard that the Su-25 can soak up a tremendous amount of punishment and still get home. Stories and pictures from Afghanistan during the 10-year war seem to confirm that. Just thinking aloud...

Looks like a Su-25UBK FROGFOOT.

How come her and her sister have almost asd many (medal) ribbons as Moseley? M2 Nice call on the Girl Scout reference. Whoever wrote it needs to be taken outside and shot.

Rainman I agree with that 100%. I know that i haven't been there, and that I never will; by virtue of that, I can't possibly know what it's like or why decisions are made/not made. However, the free world (at least, the UK and US) is being judged by the rest of the world, and the Muslim world in particular, on the basis of the clips shown by the media and on the 'net. As such, it's right and proper that the media asks questions - the problem occurs when the military is unable or unwilling to answer them. That's my beef with this clip. As for capturing guys without killing them, I have seen F-15E WSV where it's been done. Based on what you're saying these might be the exception to the rule, but I still think that the US PR machine should be releasing said WSV to the media to balance the argument. I appeciate you sharing your experiences. Like SATCOM's, they're very enlightening.

Cobalt So, if you're not saying that they were fair game because they remained in the city, what exactly are you saying? As for PID/CDE, it's a *legal* requirement of coalition forces, and is one of the things that makes *us* different from *them*. Again, I don't see what your point is. Perhaps you can explain? SATCOM Interesting post. It explains a few things. Thanks. [ 21. April 2006, 05:26: Message edited by: Steve Davies ]

Jason I know you weren't suggesting it was good PR, it was more me just thinking aloud .

Jason This clip has been subject to a range of valid questions regarding the PID and CDE of the people that were dropped on. In the interviews I've seen with USAF spokespeople, no convincing answer has been given that explains how the FAC(A), TAC(P) or whoever could have ID'd them as hostile. I've heard the story that they came out of a house known to harbour insurgents, and that the group were aggressively approaching an Army checkpoint, but neither of these 'facts' has been publicly acknowledged by the armed forces, AFAIK. I'm not privy to the ROE, but if they were anything like OIF in March 2003, then there is also a question mark over how the pilot conducted his own PID and CDE. Whilst it's entirely possible that this strike was warranted and perfectly legitimate (and I would prefer to give the benefit of the doubt), I don't think it's a great example to use to demonstrate the work that coalition forces are doing out there. I'd prefer to see the military release tapes of F-15Es and F-16s pinpointing insurgents with lasers to allow them to be apprehended by NVG-equipped soldiers, or the clip of several insurgents caught burying weapons by an F-15E and then being apprehended single-handedly by a US SF trooper. Just my view, but I’ve been fortunate enough to see these videos and believe they'd serve the US and the coalition much better as a PR tool... not to mention that they're probably far more representative of what's going on out there.

Genuine question: Do the pilots driving the chase car have to take any advanced driving course beforehand?

Anyone know if this is hosted anywhere else? I get about 5 seconds of video and then the stream stops. TIA

MIx Just about the best low-fly clip out there! Depending on who you speak to, that incident is characterised as either superb flying, or downright dangerous flying! I can't make-up my mind as to which!

Hoser I was actually trying to recall as much as I could from my own limited knowledge of the Hornet! . EDIT: Maybe I should stick to talking about real aeroplanes from now on . AoA So is the carret at the bottom an angle of bank indicator? Oh, and where's the ghost FPM?! [ 10. April 2006, 10:29: Message edited by: Steve Davies ]

That looks more like the angle of bank indicator, not the RATR. My guess would be that the RATR is the little square box above the centre of the gun pipper.

It's always present, no matter what master mode is selected.

Makes sense to me. It means that there's absolutely no room for error, and it prevents incidents like those in the 80s and 90s when friendly aircraft flying DACT and BFM actually shot eachother down. The Super Bug doesn't have a Sim mode like the Viper, and what's more, you don't need Master Arm on when there's a witness mark at the top of the HUD confirming that the firing circuitry has been energised.

And I suppose if it really was Kabul the exhaust flux would have set off all the mines in the overrun, too! I have some nice screen grabs from the vid. Will post them tomorrow.

Short clip of Harrier GR7 doing tactical departure at Kabul, or wherever. Work safe if your speakers are turned-off. http://media.putfile.com/low-one

dmeg Thanks for educating this civilian .

As an outsider... It's interesting to note that on the board there is one thread that states explicitly and by implication that it would be nice if only pilots made the rank of General; and another concurrent thread blasting non-flying members of the air force for apathy. If the former attitude is prevalent in the Air Force, then can you really expect the latter not to follow closely? I am sure that this is a huge over-simplification of matters, but as an outsider, I wonder if it is one of the causes?

Oh, and the Marines don't have the Super Bug. I am told by someone much wiser than me about such matters that that they're hanging on for the JSF. Could it have been that the Super Hornet demo pilot (Ricardo Whateverhisnameis) threw you with his desert flight suit?

TT I have that video as a 50MB file on my PC. It's a Lockmart pilot demoing a Danish Viper at Le Bourget. He does not to do three *flat spins*. He does two loaded, maximum deflection rolls and recovers at just under 500' AGL. That's completely different from what you're saying.

Finally! Thanks for chiming in .

Hoser I thought the same thing. It would be even harder in the back of the B/D/E model jets.