General Discussion

I'm honestly not sure how to react to this story on the BBC website. Should I express dismay at the unfortunate and sad death that resulted, or should I laugh quietly and think they have some kind of shit-hot bomb aiming gear on that C130? And what are the odds of this happening? link The picture of an RAF Herc that accompanies the article is captioned "The RAF tries to reach local people with leaflet drops". I wonder if the copywriter didn't have some kind of warped sense of humor also.

If any pilots/co-pilots are interested in a 60 or 120 day tour at the Deid with an AFRC C-130 unit from Jan-Apr, send me a PM. The catch with a 60 day rot is that you have to have a buddy to do the other 60.

I had a student bring up an interesting topic the other day in my graduate level MIS class. We were discussing technology in aviation ( I try to combine my current job of teaching technology and my true love - aviation, when possible) when he asked me why with the advances in technology the black box hadn't been moved and located on the ground (on a server type system) instead of in the aircraft. The technology exists for each aircraft to have a private network connection using satellite or even ground based stations located around the world. All aircraft systems output could be broadcast, voice communication could be captured (internal and external), even passenger ca…

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 …

I recently heard that the rules on wearing partial PT uniforms had changed... ie people could now workout while wearing just the shorts and a civilian t-shirt or vice versa, so long as they were not at an official formation. I was in the gym recently with a buddy when he mentioned to one of the enlisted troops we work with that folks might get upset about partial uniform. I spoke to him afterwards and told him I'd heard that the rules had changed but I'd look into it... Anyone got the low-down? Did the regs change? - PS. I thought I asked in another post but I couldn't find the post or topic. Feel free to add your other PT uniform gripes/complaints here. Oh yeah,…

The Obama administration has proposed the possible pull out of all 40 F-16s from Misawa AB to the government of Japan. The discussion are supposed to have taken place back in April and have only now been released. The move could possibly start at the end of the year with the agreement of the new incoming administration of Democratic Party of Japanese leader Yukio Hatoyama. As part of the same strategic review plan the US has also told Japan that they may also remove 50 or so F-15s from its base in Kadena, Okinawa. Both proposals are pending as the Japanese government are still concerned about the situations in North Korea. Japanese officials say the moves could s…

so I will. Happy Birthday Air Force. The guys on this board (and the SECDEF) give you a lot of sh-t but you keep me employed and my nation safe. So thanks Big Blue and keep on keepin' on! ZB edited for admitted oops - looking at AM/PM clock...

"After extensive internal review, Air Force officials released Sept. 17 their basing criteria that will be used to determine the future basing of joint strike fighters. The basing criteria were approved by the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force. The basing criteria are airspace, flight training ranges, weather, support facilities, runways, taxi ramps, environmental concerns and cost factors." https://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123168380 I am glad it took an "exhaustive internal review" for the Air Force to figure out the criteria for basing the JSF. I am waiting to see where this ground breaking discovery ranks in the history of air power...jet engi…

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB125314575889817971.html#mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories YGBFSM. No shit Iran's missile program "isn't quite there yet," but it's not like you can deploy this thing the day after they do "get there."

Hey guys, Assignment night is coming quick, and I can't decide how I want to rank the C-17 bases in my dream sheet! They're all pretty sweet spots, so how do I decide? If anyone out there can tell me the pros/cons of each base, that would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

We got the message today that officially the wing is planning on at least a 6 month slip to the closing timeline. There was a congressional policy letter that got forwarded to us a few weeks ago. It proposed a new study or something that would add 6 months onto the timeline for the closure. We still don't have any official word either way, but I wouldn't mind if we got extended for a bit!

Great video being featured on youtube. If someone can post the video in here that would be great. For some reason it's not allowing me to post it... NORTH KOREAN CAMP link to video -Yerfer

China urges U.S. to halt surveillance near its shores By Lucy Hornby BEIJING (Reuters) - China called on the United States to reduce and eventually halt air and sea military surveillance close to its shores after a series of territorial disputes this year. The request was made during a special session on maritime safety between the two countries' militaries on Wednesday and Thursday, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, citing China's Defense Ministry. Five times this year, Chinese vessels have confronted U.S. surveillance ships in Asian waters, the U.S. Defense Department said in May. China said the U.S. vessels had intruded its territory. There has since be…

How do we make a patch that is obviously copying a well-known, trademarked brand, without getting fined/imprisoned? Seems like every patch out there is a clear violation of copyright laws, yet somehow was approved by both a patch company and a chain of command. But Mardonco just told me they wouldn't do our patch because it would be illegal. ? Thanks.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/army_camo_081709w/ So looks like the Army is going to be ditching the ACU pattern ASAP. What are we going to do? It takes us like 5x longer to implement a uniform than they do (and we still screw it up). So we going to stick with a useless pattern or pull the plug?

Hey all, I was wondering what you guys thought some pros and cons of being in an Airlift Squadron opposed to an Air Refueling Squadron were. I am looking towards that division of the air force, but I dont exactly know which one to pick

Anyone know of any short tour (365 day) locations, flying or otherwise besides Korea?

I'm waiting on my first set of orders. The NCO in my ROTC office has had them done since Monday, but he's waiting on Finance to approve the Funds Cite. What is this, and how long does it usually take? Thanks BLud

You have the Knights collision, the bombing, and then the hydro plant explosion. What next? https://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world-europe/20090816/EU.Russia.Jets.Collide/ https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8204670.stm https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=abTSuT2fsxR4

FU#K DTS. That is all

Gents -- BRIGHT STAR (an exercise in Egypt) is coming this fall. For those that have been, how was it? what should folks expect for flying, living, off-duty, etc.? For those that are coming, what have you heard? I'm not directly involved (yet), but if you're coming out call me at 010-102-1429 (inside Egypt). I'll open the Air Force bar in Cairo for you!

where did Brabus' thread at the top go?

Anyone know of a good place to get thicker cushions for my bose headset? Sick of my ears hurting at the end of a long sortie. Google found oregon aero which sells a kit for ~70 bucks but that seems like a lot. Anyone have any favorites they can reccomend?

Air Force requests 100 light-attack planes By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer Posted : Monday Aug 3, 2009 16:49:24 EDT Air Force pilots could be flying light-attack airplanes in less than three years. On July 27, the Air Force took an early step toward buying small airplanes able to fly attack and reconnaissance missions. The “request for information” came from Air Force Materiel Command’s Aeronautical Systems Center. According to the center, the Air Force seeks to buy 100 fixed-wing aircraft starting in 2012 and declare initial operational capability in 2013. Air Combat Command would operate and maintain the planes. Specifications call for the plane to have two …