General Discussion

Dear Aviation & History Enthusiasts, My father - Flight Captain Erich Warsitz - is remembered as the first person to fly an aircraft under turbojet power, the Heinkel He 178, on August 27, 1939 and also the first to fly an aircraft under liquid-fueled rocket power, the Heinkel He 176, on June 20 the same year, setting two milestones in aviation history. Late in 1936 he was seconded by the RLM (Reich Air Ministry) to Wernher von Braun and Ernst Heinkel, because he had been recognized as one of the most experienced test-pilots of the time, and because he also had an extraordinary fund of technical knowledge. Little is known of this pioneer period because of the st…

Can anyone share the procedure used to attain a type rating. Can an MPD C-130 co-pilot get one? My last qual check ride was a year ago, and I'm my next check ride is due in MAR 2010. Do I still qualify for a type rating with the FAA?

https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6917297.ece A little more backup down the tubes "She didn't believe me" She said "If you are really the Base Commander take that blue reflector belt off and wrap it around your weasel and wave it at me" "So, what'd you do Sir?" " well Sarge, all I had was red"

All, What's the largest aircraft in an air-to-air kill. I'm pretty sure it's the B-52D (2 kills in Vietnam during Operation Linebacker II), however I can't find a reference for whether it is the largest aircraft with an A-A kill. Any help would be appreciated.

Just got a new update to TIMS a few weeks ago and now students can't view opted or un-submitted gradesheets. This is definately a change, and hurts mission planning a little bit. Has anyone experienced this, or found a good workaround? For example, when we start a new block, we can't see what we're opted for. Thanks Lt Winslow @ CAFB

Word on the street is there are TWO new varieties of PT shorts out there. The first kind is the marathon shorts which are shorter and lighter, and those are confirmed to exist. The other kind I've heard about (but have yet to see in person) are supposedly a longer pair with POCKETS. Does such a new PTU short exist, and if so, is it worth me dropping some coin on it before I head back the the Deid in another month?

December 12, 2005 Fresh squad, fresh wings Special operations unit takes on intratheater mission in new plane https://www.airforcetimes.com/print.php?f=0...PER-1383079.php By Bruce Rolfsen Times staff writer A new special operations squadron is in the air and with a new plane. The 319th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is flying a one-of-a-kind airplane for the Air Force, the U-28A, a militarized version of the civilian Pilatus PC-12. The squadron’s primary mission is intratheater transport of small numbers of special operations troops and gear, said the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Michael D’Argenio. The decision by the Air Force…

Just an opinion question here. Do you think MX is inadvertently torpedoing efforts to modernize and upgrade older aircraft by reporting a higher than actual mission capable rate? Not to take anything away from MX, those guys are miracle workers; however, from a bystander's perspective, it seems like it is a lot harder to pitch "we need new engines" when on paper your aircraft is reporting an 80-100% mission capable rate. The obvious retort to the request for new engines then becomes "well, if your airplane is functioning so well, why do we need to spend the money on new engines?" I have a strictly ops oriented point of view, with no real grounds in MX or acquisiti…

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.

Apparently, this bill was passed in both the House and the Senate and is on the POTUS' desk. Does anyone have information how this will work? My residency is in TX and hers is ND. Will she just be able to fill out some paperwork to change that? Thanks! https://www.spousebuzz.com/blog/2009/08/military-spouse-residency-relief-act.html Military Spouse Residency Relief Act August 5, 2009|GBear Seriously, what Military Spouse normally gives two seconds of thought to the Defense Authorization Bill? Well..this year we may all want to pay a bit more attention. Sen Richard Burr (R-NC) has sponsored the Spouse Residency Provision under legislation approved July 23…

Hey Folks, I was watching a youtube video of a KC-135 shooting a low-vis approach into Mildenhall. The video terminates with the AC commanding and the CO performing a missed approach procedure, which got me wondering: Are there any airframes out there where crews utilize monitored approaches? I was just curious. I never did em' until I ended up at the airlines, we use them for all approaches of a mile or less visibility. At any rate, I'm writing an article for the IFR newsletter and need to begin from a "know your audience" standpoint. So, Who does them? Mandatory or optional? If optional, are there any prohibitions against a crew performing one? G…

https://www.kxly.com/news/21386664/detail.html FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE -- A Spokane man has been arrested in connection with a sheriff’s office investigation into the rape of a woman inside an interrogation room at Fairchild Air Force Base’s SERE School. Michael Fassbender, 32, has been arrested and charged with raping a woman early Tuesday morning inside an interrogation room at the Survival Training Center at Fairchild. Fassbender made his first court appearance Wednesday where he was charged with 1st Degree Rape. His bond has been set at $20,000, the judge calling his alleged crime exceptionally violent. Court documents allege Fassbender squeezed the vi…

Anybody know the guy who bombed the chopper?

Anyone heard anything about the latest TPS board? Its been a month just wondering if anyone has heard anything. thanks

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…

ON A MAD HUNT FOR SOME 20MM PGU-27 SHELLS. Does anybody have any or know where to find some? It is for a gift for a pilot. Thanks to someone else's idea... I want to cut the shells down to be used as shot glasses. Can anyone point me in the right direction... P.S. If so, please talk in civilian language.

In a recognition of special operations forces’ reliance on their conventional partners for “enabling” capabilities such as intelligence analysis and engineering, U.S. Special Operations Command head Adm. Eric Olson is rehabilitating a long-lost “truth” that acknowledges the contribution non-special ops forces make to missions. SOCom and its subordinate commands have long touted four “SOF Truths” that encapsulate the command’s self-image. These four statements have become enshrined in special operations lore, frequently quoted by special ops officials. But few special operators know that the SOF truths were written by a non-special operator, or that a fifth truth wen…

So lately I've heard from a couple of people that once you log 100 hrs on NVGs, you qualify for 20% disability. Is this true? If so, where is it written?

I am just curious if ANYONE has heard of a Flyer getting a Civilian Institution slot from AFIT at any point in their career. Trying to put together some facts to take with me and see how far I can get. If you know of anyone that has gotten the 18 months off to go do this, PLEASE let me know!!! I want the Air Force as a career so I don't know why it would be a big deal, as I would continue flying afterward???? Can anyone offer anything. Thanks

This is a little old, but I thought it was cool that out there was an actual tracker available to the general public by NASA. Check it out.

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?

Does anyone else find it a little sac religious (pardon the pun) that SAC is now “Strategic Airlift Command???” When I see articles about SAC in action overseas, I am expecting shit to be nuked. You think they could have come up with a different acronym for an airlift command.

I am a Navy veteran, Air Force brat and avid enthusiast for airpower of all branches. I was privelged to serve in the Navy as an enlisted aircrewman in helicopters, and everything I learned there I have applied to how I conduct myself as a civilian and as an airline pilot now. I grew up as a "70's" child looking thru fences, standing on the flightline or riding my bike to the end of the runway. My heroes were all pilots, mostly Air Force at the time. The Viet Nam era was winding down when I started high school, and I recall vividly the POWs returning from North Viet Nam. I read about the F-105 pilots that flew over North Viet Nam, and the obstacles that they faced beyond …

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.