Danger41

I find that very difficult to believe. I’ve flown with dudes that couldn’t have been over 5’3” all the way up to 6’6”+ in a variety of jets and way more than 40% of the women I know fit within those bookends. Admittedly, I’m from the upper Midwest with a bunch of Viking shield maidens running around, but that figure seems crazy low.

Are you kidding? This baby is off the charts!

Not a movie, but “The Last Dance” documentary about Michael Jordan and the 90’s Bulls was great.

If you read his definition of what he considers BFM (maneuvering to a WEZ to employ) and the context of this thread (safety vice relevance of training), then why is control zone BFM given so much time and effort? Because of the mechanics and broad spectrum of skills it teaches. Same argument for continuing form approaches and landings. And your earlier assertion that scores of people have died doing form landings is incorrect (https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/aetc/publication/aetch11-210/aetch11-210.pdf) according to Road to Wings. A quick Wikipedia search of F-15 accident history (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_F-15_losses) is chocked full of dozens of accidents from BFM training that hasn’t been put to combat use in decades. I don’t think you’d advocate that all of that stops under the guise of safety. Even though BFM is demonstrably more dangerous than formation landings.

One of the best parts of the U-28 flying assignment is the companion PC-12’s and support to take those things basically anywhere you want. I took one to the lowest and highest airports in the US in one day. This was staging out of Scottsdale and being based in Hurlburt. Oh, we also did the VFR Grand Canyon routing with the special part 93 procedures. This was all as the IP and upgrading 3 young guys to AC. Pretty amazing opportunity to build well versed aviators and awesome growth opportunities for those dudes.

The U-2 interview they put you in a spacesuit and lock you in a closet for 8 hours to see if you’ll go nuts. The B-2 interview they put you in a closet with the OG for 48 hours straight and make you audition (jokes, stories, limericks, etc). At least that’s what I heard.

Time now and with our (SOF) RPA partners, I’d agree with Bashi on that. Not the case 9 years ago, but where the MQ-9 RPA community is at now is very impressive. I don’t mean to exclude the ACC MQ-9’s, just not as habitual of a relationship. On the ground force topic, it does depend but I’m not going to argue because you both have good points (I’m personally more with Lawman but you both have good points). One thing that blew my mind was talking with certain JTAC/FSO’s is that they know which squadrons are in theater and adjust their game plans accordingly. We were developing a CoF one time and the guy said that “we won’t have the *certain state ANG A-10’s* doing this next week when the *other state ANG A-10’s* leave”. When I asked why it was because “they’re assholes”. That really drove the value of relationships home.

Last Caliphate check shows that a “Retrofitted commercial aircraft” did pretty okay.

Interesting stuff. For those out there that are interested in learning some more of the “how” of instruction, the FAA Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9A) is very good. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, focus on Ch 1-4 and 7-8. 5 & 6 are kind of OBE due to our V1, V2, and MIF criteria. Chapter 9 is supplanted by ORM processes. If you have a foreflight account, you can add it for free in the documents section. You can view it for free online as well, but you will have to buy a hard copy.

You really don’t think that’s a skill you should have? Especially as an A-10 guy? The odds of anyone getting BDA and losing radios and/or Nav equipment and needing a formation letdown through the weather would be higher in your community than any other I would think. And by your logic, why are you practicing BFM? I’m sure you’ve never done any no kidding BFM in combat. I bet you’ve strafed, maybe marked a few targets, and dropped PGM. However, I’m sure you’ve applied “BFM concepts” to a bunch of things. That is why I think form approaches are a good thing. Thoughts?

To continue the thread hijack, when guys go through PIT, are you given any instruction/academics on the fundamentals of instruction? Or is it still “fear, sarcasm, and ridicule”?

I was going to say this and offer a different perspective. I’m an EN grad and went through when the “universally assignable” thing became real. There were several (I’d say about 30-40%) of Americans in my class that were stoked because they realized they didn’t want anything to do with fighters*. This really drove the importance of track select home and that not everyone was like me and wanted to be a fighter pilot. If the AF goes helo direct, how would they select guys that are actually sure that’s what they want? *Caveat is that during that time people were really afraid of getting RPA’s as lower performers so that may have had something to do with it.

Helos did well in an air to air role in a documentary called “Firebirds” starring Nicolas Cage.

I’d say that was the future except for that “Airbus” part. Boeing will piss and moan about that so they can deliver an inferior product behind timeline and over budget.

I’m with di1630 about cutting outdated things. I only hope that the instrument phase isn’t cut back or watered down because all the friends I’ve lost in my career were the result of mistakes in instrument flying or physiological mishaps.