General Discussion

SWA jet landing in Austin took a human to the engine cowling as they landed. Pilot apparently “maneuvered” to miss? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-airlines-jet-plane-hits-kills-person-austin-airport/#app

https://www.mypanhandle.com/news/eglin-plane-crashes-after-flyover/?fbclid=IwAR2vjFyJH7uCT2Mcqy5CMOD6GXo-cPsjUbniCkWG45pEItVKBtj49-ugPmM Reports are the pilot ejected.

I'm in the middle of pilot training and have some downtime before my Phase 3 starts. What I'd like to do is do the Mil Comp commercial/instrument test solely to get my instrument add on so I can enjoy instrument flying during my down-time. However I am about 30 hours shy of the 200hr commercial requirement. The Part 61 verbage on mil comp requirements states that you need to have an instrument check and documentation of qualification in a military aircraft (e.g. T6 time) but makes no distinction on how to apply the equivalency testing towards only one rating (e.g. just the IR add on versus commercial/instrument simultaneously). I spoke to Sheppard Air but they wouldn't gi…

I pulled a chair up to the window here in Crystal City, and I can see part of the puzzle palace, the monument, and the Dome. I'm not as impressed as I once was. Believe it or not, I'm constantly challenging my own thoughts more than anyone else and I don't like the feeling of, or giving the perception of, shytting on my country. But just when I convince myself that my concerns are overwrought, they get reinforced. Like this article from Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/509189/confidence-military-lowest-two-decades.aspx My career in service was a pretty big chapter in my life so I have an interest in whether my investment was a wise one. Yesterday, I saw a…

I know that relative to the heavies, fighter pilots spend less time flying. What would be involved in a typical day/week aside from flying, briefing or debriefing a mission?

The Lady Endures by 2nd Lt. Kidron B. Vestal Chief of Public Affairs, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing 10/19/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The year was 1968. The Tet Offensive began in Vietnam. Simon & Garfunkel premiered the soundtrack to The Graduate. Martin Luther King 'had a dream.' The U.S. Air Force had a vision. The plane known as the U-2 Dragon Lady, Aircraft No. 068-0337, came on board to offer strategic, aerial capabilities equal to none. She exceeded her 25,000th hour of flight Oct. 18, 2009, in a mission out of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia. America's premier, high-altitude intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance plane i…

Queen decorates Nepali for Afghanistan heroics Its like Call of Duty, except IRL. All kidding aside, hats off to this dude for not giving up. "I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die so I thought I'd kill as many of [those fvckers] as I could before they killed me." ^^^^^^Hell yeah

Hey all, My wife and I are both military and according to the FY14 Force Management Program I fall in the "RIF Board" category but my wife falls in the "Force Shaping Board" category (based on our year groups). Does anyone know what the difference is between being RIF'd vs being Force Shaped? From what I understand, they are both equivalent to being laid off by the military, but there has to be a difference (if there are two separate categories). Thanks in advance. ~Just a Regular Dude

ERAU had a pretty rough Christmas. This afternoon, a tornado ripped through their flightline and destroyed most of their airplanes. Here are the gory pictures: My sources say they lost 50 of the 65 aircraft, and their Mx hanger got hit pretty hard, too. [ 26. December 2006, 06:04: Message edited by: Toro ]

https://news.yahoo.com/obama-us-boost-military-presence-143134755.html So are we pivoting to the Pacific and then back to Europe? I'm confused...

NASA X-59 undergoing tests No sonic boom, interesting looking bird.

I want to start the exercises but I need further explanations. My issues are concerned about the position of the elbows, hands and shoulders during push-ups. The issues about the starting position. In the starting position, are my shoulders, elbows and hands in the same vertical line? If the answer is yes, that means that the distance between my hands is the same as the distance between my shoulders. If not, that could mean the distance between my hands is bigger than the distance between my shoulders. It could mean also that the line that would link my shoulders is behind the line that would link my hands. Is this right? The issues about the final position. In the f…

Does anyone have any info on what life is like flying the C-17 active duty stationed at Elmendorf, AK? I am very interested in choosing that plane and location for my drop sheet. I’ve heard that C-17 pilots are extremely busy and gone upwards of 280 days a year at times (I know deployment cycles change all the time though). But I’ve also heard that the ops tempo at Elmendorf is lower than other bases because they do airdrop and are in PACAF. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated. I would like to be home more for my first assignment until my 2 kids grow up and are a little easier to parent 😁

In several threads I've noticed pilots mentioning a "fear of flying" and "controlling the fear". Could you guys elaborate on what you mean by that? Is it fear of the ability to control the jet at it's limits, fear of the enemy, both? Just curious, thanks.

Former USN A-6 Intruder pilot, Rear Admiral, 8 year Vietnam POW to where he was able to morse-code the word Torture on camera while being filmed by the North Viets, and former US Senator from Alabama.

I'm looking for speaker(s) that you know of that give presentations on the threats, errors, and how to minimize risk in low level maneuvering. I recall many years ago getting a mandatory briefing from the Physiology folks at Randolph, and I remember it being well done, though very brief. I figure that the way the CAF has brought down the low-level CFIT rate over the past decade means that there are folks at D-M, Luke, and elsewhere that give a good presentation on the subject, and know it pretty well If you know of anyone that fits the bill, please send me their info... put them in touch with me... p.m. me for more... whatever works. Thanks.

World's biggest super-jumbos must be GROUNDED, say engineers after cracks are found in the wings of three Airbus A380s Cracks found in two Singapore Air super-jumbos, and one Qantas Both airlines admit cracks, but say planes are safe 'We can't continue to gamble with lives' - engineer https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084242/Airbus-A380-Worlds-biggest-planes-sky-worthy-say-engineers.html

Came across this link of some pictures and transcript of yesterdays launch at Vandenburg. Looking at the pictures I am wondering the pucker factor of the launch controller who had his finger on a self destruct button. Looking at the pics on the link you can see a fire at a seam on one of the external boosters and later you see a fire just above one of the engines. Hopefully there are some guys with knowledge with these monsters on this forum. https://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d352/status.html

Upon completion of FTU and reporting to your first ops assignment, generally how long does it take for the average pilot to complete 2FLUG, then 4FLUG, then IPUG? Do those things sort of "go at your own pace" or is there a stricter timeline to follow? Also, if you're not flying any upgrade sortie, what types of sorties might you find yourself flying? Thanks guys.

Kadena saying pilot ejected and has been safely recovered. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/06/11/kadena-air-base-f-15-crashes-off-okinawa/

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/09/21/sexual-assault-here-are-the-bases-where-troops-are-most-at-risk/ Discuss...

I washed out of IFF. I'm flying heavies now and doing just fine. Will my IFF failure affect my hireability with the major airlines or package delivery companies in the future? Anyone have any experience with this situation? Any suggestions on how to approach the topic if it comes up? Thanks. If this is more appropriate for the Road To Wings QnA I'll move it there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Six_Right "One Six Right: The Romance of Flying is an independent film about the general aviation industry as seen through a local airport. Within a short period of time, it has achieved a passionate following and presence among pilots and aviation enthusiasts worldwide who see the film as being able to communicate their passion for aviation. Concurrently, the film has garnered both local and national political attention in the United States as an accurate depiction of general aviation and its important contributions to all aviation industries worldwide. Within the entertainment industry, the film has attracted the sponsorship and sup…

Can anyone provide a brief overview of how the Air Force mitigates against low-level bird strikes? I seem to recall from a trip to Seymour Johnson that there was a service which highlighted low-level routes where birds might be more prevalent at a given time of the year. I also believe that there was a grading system for risk. Are these systems still in effect, and are they integrated into Falcon View or similar? Is it down to the discretion of the mission commander to avoid these, or are the AFIs that mandate flagged areas be avoided? TIA