General Discussion

I've been lurking here for years, so feel free to roast me based on my post count for this question, won't hurt my feelings. Does anyone know why the F-16 Blk 30 went with the SADL radio vs a Link-16 terminal? I assume it was partially because of the cost difference and partially because of the Air-Ground mission set, similar to the A-10s reasoning. Does anyone have any facts about how this acquisition took place or the reasons for the choice made? TG btw, a search for SADL didn't turn up too many viable posts on this forum..I checked.

Pilot candidates face cheating probe By Erik Holmes Staff writer Pilot candidates from the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, are being investigated for cheating, a base spokesman said Wednesday. The number of officers under investigation, their ranks and the nature of the allegations are not yet known, said Maj. Michael Young, the base spokesman. “They just initiated an investigation,” he said, “so it is really in its infancy.” Young said the wing commander alerted the base detachment of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to the allegations on Nov. 3. The OSI began an investigation that same day, he said. All the o…

I have heard about the Air Force pilots flying off carriers with the Navy, has anyone heard any info about this?

Well it's about that time... and I'm waivering on what order to rank the fighters. Now I'm set on the fact that I want to fly fighters, hands down, but with very little experience in the AF I'm having a tough time ranking them. My current sheet looks like this 1) A-10 2) F-15E 3) F-22 4) F-16 5) F-15C For those with more wisdom than myself (which doesn't exclude many) can you tell me your thoughts on the A-10/F-15E world and the foreseeable future for Lt's in the airframe. Also, many of the guys around here say I'd be crazy not to put the F-22 first. And I'm honestly considering it. Insight into that world would be great, as well. Moral of the story is my dream sheet is …

PC-12 Crash I expect this thread to go something like the rest of them... Some people know details. Nobody can talk about it. Something will be out on SIPR soon. Everyone is glad they are ok. We are reminded to wait until the AIB releases more details. So, does anybody know what happened here? What kind of mission were they flying when they crashed? I keed. But seriously, I'm glad they all survived.

Asking for a friend because I am not experienced with the heavy side of the house. Trying to get a feel for how much time are units asking out there. "My current unit (heavy) wants 8 days a month. I have seen other units as little as 2 days. I am losing a ton of money with the airlines at this point (CA at a legacy) but still have a service commitment. " Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU-hJ9r7fGg&feature=player_embedded IMHO, looks like he lost control in slow flight (whether mechanical or pilot error), rolled right, and couldn't recover. Punching out was a good call. Hope you get better soon buddy!

Can someone give a quick down dirty of how TOLD/W&B is done in fighter world. Trying to bounce some ideas around in another community.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/12/air-force-reaper-crash-nellis-120512w/ Best part was hearing what the "Senior Master Staff Sergeant" had to say. Great job Air Force times...

Just wondering if the T38 IP's at these bases were U-2 and B-2 pilots or if they are strictly T-38 IP's , and if they are where do they usually come from ???UPT bases or from MWS's thanx for the help. and do they still fly A model or did they get the c model ?????//

Thought this was pretty interesting. Proves that the tanker boldface of "Throttles - Cut-Off after touch down" is probably a good idea if you crash land and survive. https://gma.yahoo.com...topstories.html

I have a general question about flight training with the military translating into the civilian world. If someone enters UPT without a license and works their way through flight school, do they earn instrument ratings, multi engine ratings, etc. just like they would in the civilian world? How would that be applied if they don’t have a PPL? Are they automatically applied to their civilian ratings or would a pilot have to sit for a written/oral/practical exam as a civilian as well? I’m assuming the knowledge is the same or very similar. Military pilots have to know how to fly instrument approaches and multi engine aircraft. As a follow-up, does a mi…

I've been reading a lot on here lately about non-continuation for passed over majors in the flying arena, and this is a topic addressed to the rated community only. I would love to see the reaction and hear the great stories of individuals who choose to be the best in the jet, and forego all the queep. A few questions to consider. - How did this individual affect morale in the squadron, and were they actually credible? - Would they have been better leaders if they had promoted based on flying ability and officership instead of exec strats and PME completion (in-res selection, etc...)? - Would it have been better for these individuals to help "run the company" f…

Linkage A cut/paste from the article that concerns me: This struck me as pretty bad. How many people have had their boss tell them "if you can't get a ride or your plan falls through, call me and there will be no questions asked"? Granted calling the boss isn't exactly plan A, but the option DOES exist, and I DO know dudes who have called leadership because they were in a bad spot and out of options. The fact that this is being used to bury this guy seems like a dangerous precedent. Granted there is plenty of other stuff that seems to be going on here, but that one particular incident was highlighted. I know some of you guys are in leadership positions, an…

here's a hypothetical situation: crew aircraft with winglets. part of before taxi checklist is to check the area outside the jet for obstacles before taxiing. CP (from seat) scans, "all clear" P scans (from seat), "all clear" LM scans (from in front of the jet, on the ground outside), "all clear" LM hops aboard, closes door, yadda yadda yadda, crew taxis. [sound of something metal scraping] P "what the heck was that?" LM deplanes - sees fire bottle nudged by nose gear. P and LM subsequently get commander directed Q3s. thoughts? objections? comments? i'll start. i think it's crap that the P got Q3d. sure they're responsible for everything, but cra…

So my fiance and myself (OK, mostly me) are wondering when the heck we'll find out what his orders are for after he commissions? He got a pilot slot last March, goes for his flight physical the last week of August and will graduate and commission June 10, 2007. When do ROTC guys typicaly find out the when and where for their first base? Is there a typical order of what they do (ie. ASBC, then IFS, then UPT?) Does anyone know the typical wait for UPT right now? We're hoping to get married 3 weeks after he commissions - so I was just wondering what anyone else knew. Thanks!

So I read this and it’s only 1 article in a Trump friendly paper but… it seems like Greenland needs some freedom, not necessarily kinetically delivered. https://nypost.com/2026/01/16/world-news/greenlanders-speak-out-against-danish-rule-they-stole-our-future/ Should we force this issue? A new arrangement with a new independent Greenland or no more NATO?

Sorry, if this has been mentioned before. I did a search and nothing came up. Myself, like a good portion of people have heard the myth growing up that you need an engineering degree to become a military pilot. I know this isn't true but I didn't even though that until 5 or so years ago. Growing up I heard from enlisted personal, civilian pilots, teachers, guidance councilors, my parents, other civilians, etc. I know most pilots probably have business degrees or something. I know Robin Olds had a history degree, I believe Dan Hampton who wrote Viper Pilot had a degree in Architecture and I read a while ago about an A-10 driver who was an 0-6 during Desert Storm that …

I am looking for an old buddy who I served with a long time ago and who separated from the USAF in the early 90s. I am lucky in that I have an old set of orders that has his SSN on it. I tried Intelius but only got a listing of possible cities. A full report costs $50, and I want to be sure the info is worth getting before shelling out the cash. I did a search on his name and in those cities via WhitePages.com; but the one best lead (same exact name) I got was not the right person. I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations. The driving factor behind all of this was my being contacted by a guy who served with my bud's father in Vietnam, and who was wit…

Yikes! https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052559/posts Nice job by the crew!

Disclaimer: I only know what is posted in the article. https://rt.com/news/meteorite-crash-urals-chelyabinsk-283/ The article claims that Russian air defenses shot down at least one meteor. If so, this would be impressive considering the speed the object was probably traveling at and the very short (presumably) window that would exist to identify, track, and engage it. The article doesn't say what weapon was used to hit it either. IF this proves to be true, this poses some interesting questions about Russian capability to destroy targets coming from space at high speeds (MIRVs).

Does an oxygen mask (like an MBU-5/P) provide any kind of protection from noise to the microphone? I fly a noisy biplane and I already have a military helmet. I was thinking that using an oxygen mask I could improve the quality of my radio transmissions. Of course the free end of the mask hose would not be connected to an oxygen system, but it would be secured at the back of the cockpit where the noise level is somewhat lower. Another question: does the oxygen mask seal perfectly on the face of the pilot or in airplane with an oxygen system, some of the oxygen seeps out of the mask? Thanks

I finally read about the conspiracy theory on this exercise, other than imposing martial law on Texas to pave the way for theft of precious bodily fluids and prepare the population for mass brainwashing, what's the big deal? OPSEC considered, is anybody here going to support this LFE? Ok, Wolverines...

Anybody got any bright ideas of stuff to do at Kef while you're waiting for a part? We've been here for days with one bad "rescue part" already.. Trip was supposed to be a quick out-n-back the same day.. yeah.. that didn't happen exactly as planned. I think we've checked in and out of billeting 2-3 times now.. the maids are getting to know us by name, and we've bowled so many times that our thumbs are gonna be sore for a week. I've read the OCONUS gouge thrown together by Mr. BaseOps, himself.. looks like a new rescue is in the works again, so we probably won't head out on the town.. Headin' this way? Give us a yell when you get here. Cheers! Linda

With no bags and no AR, how long can the eagle and viper stay up, sts? For instance...the single-ship demo guys and T-birds. How much gas do they have left after the routine?