hobbitcid

Just finished Any Weir's The Martian... Amazing book, could not put it down. Basically, (no spolier), an astronaut gets left behind on Mars when his crew has to evacuate due to a storm - to be fair they think he's dead and cannot find the body in the short amount of time they have left. The marooned astronaut comes to, finding himself alone and has to survive until the next mission that will take place in years... The book is part Robin Crusoe, part Gravity and all McGyver... Weir did some really outstanding research for the book. There is a movie coming out soon with Matt Damon in the role of the lost astronaut... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p7bgMxewxA

From aviation week - http://aviationweek.com/defense/lockheed-martin-offer-converted-c-130js-maritime-patrollers The article requires free registration. So excerpts from the article: Lockheed Martin To Offer Converted C-130Js As Maritime Patrollers " RNAS YEOVILTON, U.K. — Lockheed Martin is to offer a U.K-specific variant of its SC-130J Sea Hercules to Britain, as the U.K. looks to re-generate a maritime patrol capability." "The company says it could convert the U.K. Royal Air Force’s existing fleet of C-130J airlifters into SC-130Js, reducing procurement costs and technical risks, company officials told Aviation Week on the eve of the RNAS Yeovilton Air Day." "The company plans to formally announce its plans in the coming weeks. If selected, the British Sea Hercules’ would be fitted with the same mission system fitted to the Royal Navy’s AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin Mk. 2 helicopters, which were upgraded by Lockheed Martin as part of the U.K. defense ministry’s Merlin Capability Sustainment Program. Currently the Sea Herc is being offered to international customers with Lockheed’s Artamis mission system, which was developed for use on the P-3 Orion." I think the Herc may actually outlast the B-52...

From the weird side of aviation... According to the web site, the idea of an Amphibious C-130 was considered back in the early 70's... or is it fake? Can't tell these days... Anyway its an interesting diversion. http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/a-c-130-hercules-amphibian-makes-too-much-sense-to-be-t-1716610531

It just won't go away... even Sec Army is trying to put a fork in the idea :-) http://www.dodbuzz.com/2015/02/25/army-not-interested-in-taking-a-10-warthogs-from-air-force/

Hey there is an original available and apparently it only cost 1 million to restore... Dwight D Eisenhower's Columbine is apparently wasting away in Marana AZ. http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/02/16/original-air-force-one-wasting-away-arizona-desert

Looks like the USAF has decided to replace the current AF-1 VC-25 (B-747) with a 747-8... http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/air-force-one-boeing-747-8-114689.html

Update from BBC and NDTV - 10 dead (8 French, 2 Greek), 21 Injured (Italian and French) some with serious burns. The HAF F-16D hit 2 X ITAF AMX, 1 X FAF Mirage 2000 and 2 X FAF Alfa Jets. the Spanish said the Greek F-16 "lost power" and one of the two pilots performed a wrong manuever. Sad day for NATO and for TLP... http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30991950 http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/f-16-crashes-10-killed-during-nato-exercises-in-spain-654073?trendingnow

A Greek AF F-16 participating with the Tactical Leadership Program has reportedly crashed on the apron at Albacete AB Spain. Two reported dead and thirteen injured... A bad day at TLP http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150126/1017370197.html

C-145 makes a successful single engine landing at Talahassee. The news media of course is making a really big deal out of landing on just one engine in low cloud cover... Anyway, it ended well... http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Air-Force-Pilot-Makes-Emergency-Landing-In-Tallahassee-243414381.html

Interesting times... I got picked up for O-4 without AAD during a drawdown. I was lucky on that board, wrong place, wrong time but working for the right guy. The Gen went to the mats for me in the MLR and I came out with a DP - nice... Fast forward about five years, yet another drawdown - O-5 board would promote the minimum allowed by law (about 65%). I was again wrong place, wrong time and in this case, working for guy who really didn't give a s**t. But I had all the squares filled, AAD, PME, leadership (deputy CC)... Still no luck, not whining just going with it. On that board, we had 5 O4s competing for 2 DPs - 2 of the O-4s were C prefix CCs. Oh well s**t happens... OK fast forward another two years - suddenly the USAF is way down on bodies, its a freakin' disaster... The O-5 board goes to something like 85%... Anyone with a heartbeat is getting promoted. And to top it off, a whole group of guys who had been passed over for O-4 back in the day were back, and making O-5 on the first round... But its cool, needs of the USAF and all that... Fast forward three more years, now we are so short of O-4s that we are continuing all of them to 24 years. Later that year I'm having lunch with a now retired bud from my RTU. He was ahead of me by 2-3 years and was given a choice when he was passed over for O-5 first time - either take the early retirement or take your chances with an APZ promotion and no continuation. So out he went at 18... Basically we had people all over the place. So what did I tell the Lts? Basically its all about timing - control what you can, don't worry about what you can't and never assume the game is over until its really over. I suspect those officers pushed out ahead of their 20 will be found either in the Guard or Reserve or in about 2-3 years, back on AD wearing their O-5 oak leafs... Unless they decide to just quit, and thats a whole different case.

You guys are right, forget about the A-10 - someone needs to save Army Aviation... http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140123/DEFREG02/301230029

Once again the idea of passing the A-10 to the Army is making its appearance. Interesting review of the history of USAF-US Army agreements on fixed wing support aviation (Key West Agreement) and the claim that the USAf never wanted the warthog in the first place. I think the first time I heard this topic raised was in 92, after the Desert Storm when the concept was floated in QDR. I guess the increased cost of the F-35 makes keeping the A-10 difficult to justify. The question would be, does the Army really want it, and if so can they maintain it. I assume since WOs successfully fly and employ highly complex aircraft such as the AH-64, the MH-60 and the MH-47, they would probably have the ability to fly the A-10 effectively. Not so sure about their ability to maintain multiple squadrons (battalions) of ejection seat equipped fighter and their associated weaponry and targeting systems... Could be fun though... http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2014/01/22/save_the_a-10__give_it_to_the_army_107047.html

Hmmm... an intersting concept - especially since the USAF was the Army Air Corps through WWII. I'm not sure I fully agree with the notion of the USAF being created only to prosecute a strategic war... But there are certainly redundancies between the services. At any rate, its an interesting concept and given our current fiscal realities, one thast may not go away quickly. http://www.boston.com/opinion/2014/01/06/time-abolish-the-air-force/B1BQF31AkNjl0GcQS8msHO/story.html

Looks like the USAF is on the hook to support a French deployment to the Central African Republic (CAR). Currently its airlift (C-17s) burt Tankers and ISR will probably follow. Chrstmas time in Africa :-) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/us-to-fly-african-troops-to-central-african-republic-8994230.html

Looks like the Japanese and the South Koreans making a point of ignoring the Chinese ADIZ. If you are going to draw a line in the sand, you better be ready to react once its crossed. Not sure the Chinese had this in mind... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25133957