General Discussion

F-22 Crashes Near Edwards Air Force Base Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Print EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — The Air Force says an F-22 fighter crashed in the vicinity of Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of Southern California. Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek confirmed the crash Wednesday but had no other details. Stefanek had no information on the status of the pilot. The F-22 is the Air Force's new top-of-the-line fighter. https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510588,00.html

Hello I'm a danish citizen born in united states. I've just failed the flying school in the RDAF, and I'm now considering applying as a pilot in the USAF. I don't have a high school degree, but I have what compares to that in Denmark. What is the view on that when you apply? I passed the tests to get on the RDAF pilot training, but failed in the selection on flying school. Will this affect me if I apply? In the RDAF they select only aspirants which have the skills to become a fighter pilot, I know that's not the case in USAF.

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?

I am wondering if this is just a local thing or is there an airforce wide movement among leadership in the flying community wearing abu's to "blend" with the rest of the troops ?

From military.com: Link: https://www.dodbuzz.com/2009/07/30/af-wants-60-light-airlifters/?wh=wh I guess the good news is that there are going to be 60 more manned aircraft.

Hey gang...new to the forum. Our base is looking for a manufacturer of lighted Follow Me signs that can be installed in the back of standard pick-up trucks. Ours were locally made years ago and are becoming their own FOD hazard. I thought we would find some manufacturers out there with a web search of ground support equipment, but no joy. Appreciate any leads you all may have.

I'm SURE there was a legit reason for the VC-25 and 2 F-16s to be flying around NYC, but a PA phone call to a few news stations might have been a smart move considering past events in the city... https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/F-16s...ty-on-Edge.html

I was cruising through some recorded ATC comms on liveatc.net, and came across this of a U-2 trying to get back to Sigonella, and apparently getting some grief from the controllers. Audio doesn't have the controller comm, just the U-2. Pretty interesting stuff though - gotta love VFR on Top at FL600..:) Dragon 20 on 25711.1.wav

I was fortunate enough to go on a base visit to Tyndall not too long ago and couldn't help but notice some of the QRF-4's on the flightline and some painted in a camo similar to SEA style. I asked one of the pilots if they were drones as well, but turns out they are used for pilots to maintain currency according to him. I guess my question would be under what circumstances would you get to use the phantoms for proficiency? Is it a thing for the Eagle/Raptor guys? ... Or a weapons testbed for different missiles/weapons? Phantom Phantom Take Off Phantom landing roll

Who and what occupations get to work at NORAD? Can pilots volunteer to work there?

We had a TH-67 go down in Ft. Rucker today. 1 pilot is confirmed dead and the other was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. There are no further details as of now.

Gents (and Ladies) I am working for a publisher that is commissioning new artwork for the UH-60, SH-60 and EA-6B. The artwork will appear in a product called World Air Information Files that is being sold globally The publisher is Aerospace Publishing, which some of you may know created seminal products such as World Air Power Journal and Wings of Fame. I am looking for individuals from Blackhawk, Seahawk and Prowler communities who can provide photographs of a specific aircraft in their squadron so that the artist can create a new painting. The publisher wants to go with a UH-60L, EA-6B and MH-60R. If you are in any of these communities, or you know someone w…

I forwarded on the request for donations to the family of the F-15E aircrew KIA and several people to whom I sent it forwarded to folks on their list. Somewhere prior to the sixth degree of separation, somebody shot back the following to one of my family members - "when a man dies in combat his children are guaranteed college where ever they choose, (I believe) on the US government. I personally know of twins that went to college with XXX and XXX just told me of another family as well. So, this may really have happened, but this organization and credit card giving alarms me a bit." I'm 99.69 percent positive this is BS. SGLI is all we've got and seeing as how t…

Nickel on the grass for "Pitbull" McDowell and "Lag" Gramith. They both leave behind wives, and Lag leaves behind twin 7 month old girls. The Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association (River Rats) are setting up 529 accounts for Lag's daughters. I expect donation info in the next day or two, and I will post here when I get the details. Cheers, Cap-10

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!

dobriy den' ! my ««tease post«« was aiming at checking if what my Russian ««istribitel'«« officers friends wrote about people like you....was accurate Laughing at my English, the ««female«« issue....you are for the most part( with some welcome exceptions) exactly what the Russians think . A bunch of rude people,disrespectful, making fun of everything and everybody not USAF. looking forward to your «participation«« in any arctic issue. Like a friend from Greece said lately «NAziTO wanna-be heroes pilots and alikes are better exercise how to eject and swim in cold waters,they will need such skills when the MiGs 35 and Su 47 invite them for dogfights«««....well..…

www.foxnews.com U.S. officials believe Usama bin Laden's son, Saad bin Laden, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan. Sources confirmed to FOX News late Wednesday that officials believe the younger bin Laden was killed by hellfire missiles from a U.S. Predator drone strike earlier this year. The death was first reported by National Public Radio. National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell told NPR that Saad bin Laden reportedly traveled to Pakistan last year after spending several years under house arrest in Iran. It is believed Saad, who is not considered a significant player in Al Qaeda leadership, was "collateral" damage in the airstrike and was no…

NY Times, 7/21 an “inexcusable waste.” uh huh.

Russian stealth plane, Now Russia has its own stealth jet bomber. They promise to have it here already this year and start producing it in series starting 2010. They tell that the design of the plane is still kept secret and those sketches are the only clue that people have, but as it is known it would be a decent F-22 competitor. From:DefenseTech.org https://www.defensetech.org/archives/004940.html?wh=wh +++++++++++++++++++ Any one have any other juicy details about this? I am rather intrigued by this.. --edit to fix link of site referenced

Anyone care to comment on the QOL and Ops tempo of a C-5 Reservist? Is transitioning to a civilian flying job after initial training easier than the fighter guys because of the airframe? I spoke with a JSTARs Active Duty pilot a couple months ago who kept b*tching about the flying he was doing - and I'm hoping that's not the general feeling throughout the non-fighter community. Any insights would be great! Thanks!

https://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9...;show_article=1

USAF teaching Iraqi's to fly airstrike missions. Iraqi crews ‘ready to go’ on mission Part of slow transition from Air Force reliance By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Jul 12, 2009 9:42:57 EDT Airmen deployed to Iraq are teaching their Iraqi counterparts to fly airstrike missions. Today, after fewer than a dozen training flights, two Iraqi aircrews — a pilot and a mission-sensor operator make up an aircrew — are qualified to fire Hellfire missiles from AC-208B Caravans, a military version of the single-engine turboprop Cessna Grand Caravan utility airplane. A third aircrew is in training. “They are ready to go,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Spi…

linkage Published: Saturday, July 11, 2009 Skillfull pilot may have saved Obama plane Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Skillful piloting may have prevented a disaster for President Barack Obama and his campaign last summer, a former federal safety official said Friday. A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates an inflated slide may have pressed against critical control cables, forcing the emergency landing of Obama's campaign plane on July 7, 2008. The slide inflated inside the tail cone of the campaign's Boeing MD-81 shortly after takeoff from Chicago's Midway International Airport, the report said. Investigators found evi…

Back in the day, there was this term BAI (battlefield air interdiction)...but in doing a little Googling, I can't seem to find it...or at least can't find a reference that says the term is still in USAF doctrine. You folks who have been thru PME recently...can you help on this question? TIA.