ClearedHot
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Posts posted by ClearedHot
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I don't think we will ever see the Four Horsemen again, but it might look something like this...
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What is interesting is most of the Marines I was with on my exchange tour were very "un-excited", about having Pace as the first Devil-Dawg CJCS. To quote one of them..."there was never a finer yes man in the corps". Look for another talking puppet to regergitate Rummy's musings.Originally posted by MajorMadMax:Don't expect any changes, but it is interesting that the Marines are taking so many top positions in our military. Former Commandant Gen James Jones is the Supreme Commander Allied Powers Europe (SACEUR), and was the first Marine to assume that postion as well. Oddly enough, Jones was my old boss, and my current boss is a USMC Colonel...
Cheers! M2
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No, but tomorrow is closer than you think.Originally posted by FourFans130:OK...I know we're trying to fight tomorrow's war and be ready for the future...and the F-22 is an awesome tool for that. But are we supposed to be ignoring the war that we're fighting today so we can fund the war we might fight tomorrow?
So what do you do with the money that has already been spent? If you stop production the people with the skills to make those planes will go away. Everytime you push something to the right, you add to the cost. The eye-opener is how much money it will take to keep the Eagles flying (Last one delivered to the USAF was in 1989-1990) or to purchase more F-15E’s, if you push F-22 to the right, it may cost you more.Originally posted by FourFans130:I just notice how much the F-22 and the F-35 are doing for us in Iraq and Afghanistan and I wonder if there might be a better use for that money...such as more C-17s and maybe some C-130's that aren't broken...you know, that planes that are ACTUALLY doing things in theater. [/QB]
The F-15 initial operational requirement was for a service life of 4,000 hours. Testing completed in 1973 demonstrated that the F-15 could sustain 16,000 hours of flight. Subsequently operational use was more severely stressful than the original design specification. With an average usage of 270 aircraft flight hours per year, by the early 1990s the F-15C fleet was approaching its service-design-life limit of 4,000 flight hours. Following successful airframe structural testing, the F-15C was extended to an 8,000-hour service life limit. An 8,000-hour service limit provides current levels of F-15Cs through 2010. The F-22 program was initially justified on the basis of an 8,000 flight hour life projection for the F-15. This was consistent with the projected lifespan of the most severely stressed F-15Cs, which have averaged 85% of flight hours in stressful air-to-air missions, versus the 48% in the original design specification.Originally posted by FourFans130: Thoughts? [/QB]Full-scale fatigue testing between 1988 and 1994 ended with a demonstration of over 7,600 flight hours for the most severely used aircraft, and in excess of 12,000 hours on the remainder of the fleet. A 10,000-hour service limit would provide F-15Cs to 2020, while a 12,000-hour service life extends the F-15Cs to the year 2030. The APG-63 radar, F100-PW-100 engines, and structure upgrades are mandatory. The USAF cannot expect to fly the F-15C to 2014, or beyond, without replacing these subsystems. The total cost of the three retrofits would be under $3 billion. The upgrades would dramatically reduce the 18 percent breakrate prevalent in the mid-1990s, and extend the F-15C service life well beyond 2014.
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I almost got an Article-15 from the Army K2 base commander because I would not take the parachute down from our make-shift porch. We flew at night and slept during the day. It was in the 100's and the power kept going out so we would wake up and go sit under the parachute to get some shade.
"Sorry Col SIR, I was busy flying ocmbat missions and killing bad guys down range. I will cancel my CAS missions tonight so I can take down the parachute and make it look like a perfect little Army base." Freaking tools.
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My favorite crapper graffiti viewed at K2...
"Flush twice, it's a long way to the chow hall"
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You are correct there are folks at both ends of the spectrum in any profession. I have actually worked with some great SFS folks who were professional and genuinely cared about what they were doing and it is probably not fair that I focus on the negative events. I guess I have just had the unfortunate luck to see a lot of poor behavior. Probably the worst was when I saw a SP who was directing traffic for an airshow, scream at a woman who didn’t understand what he wanted her to do. He literally brought her to tears, with her tow kids in the car. However, at the same airshow I saw a SP pick up and comfort a kid who was crying because he was separated from his parents.Originally posted by rumblefish_2:My brother's an SF dude and just got back from Iraq with a Purple Heart. He was augmenting an army unit and got hit by an IED while on a patrol in Kirkuk. That being said, I have run into a couple of jackasses in the SF community, especially those rent-a-cops. I would agree there are dudes at both ends of the spectrum...
My props to your bro and all of the dudes taking it to the insurgents in Iraq.
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Shack!Originally posted by Rainman A-10:Quite frankly, I would much rather get on the perch with an AC-130 and kill people than fight against any type of C-130 in the MOA.
Tagteam from Hell
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Chapter Seven
Skycop Jackass has been waging a war against me ever since the “rootbeer incident”. On several occasions he would follow me out of the parking lot all the way to the front gate. After few months I was lucky enough to take over an AMU and ended up spending a lot of time on the flightline.
Our main building was undergoing renovation and we moved into a small trailer right next to the flight line. The only problem was there was no parking nearby so the SQ/CC got us permission to park our Govt vehicles right next to the red line so we could get to our aircraft in a timely manner. Skycop Jackass took exception to this and tried in vain to have us park ½ mile away, I guess the only Govt vehicles he wanted on the flight were the ones he slept in when he was on “patrol”.
I thought things had finally settled down because we had not heard from Skycop Jackass in nearly two weeks when one of my guys called and said “you have go to see this”. I guess Skycop Jackass was afraid we were to close to the redline and he took it upon himself to get a jackhammer and drill holes in the tarmac every 25’, then put a three foot pole to string a red piece of nylon rope marking the redline. He also used this modification as an opportunity to close the entry point closest to our building so we would have to drive to the other end of the flightline if we wanted access. I walked outside and watched his clown act and just could not believe it had come to this, “whatever” I thought and went back to work. About an hour later a crew was taxiing out for a local pro trainer when I got a call that they had just shelled an engine, were shutting down, and doing an emergency ground egress. I ran outside and it the aircraft was stopped right in front of our trailer. Long story short, the engine guys found chucks of asphalt in the engine. I put two and two together and started looking where Skycop Jackass had “drilled” the flightline and there was stuff everywhere. He had drilled perhaps 30+ holes and decided to leave all the debris laying right there on the flightline. We took pictures and I had my guys gather the crap and put it into a box that weighed nearly 20 pounds. Within an hour the AGS/CC invited the SFS/CC to come see what happened.
I never saw Skycop Jackass on the flightline again.
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Toro - Here is Chapter six for you;
Not my best behavior, but at one time I did enjoy poking the skycops in the eye.
As a young maintenance officer I had multiple run-in’s with a very over-zealous TSgt type skycop. The first event happened one day at lunch when I pulled out of the base gas station and onto the main drag at Charleston AFB. It was hot and I took a long pull on my bottle of IBC rootbeer. The skycop who was himself speeding the opposite direction saw the dark colored bottle and decided it was a matter of national security so he hit the lights and did a power slide 180 in front of all the other cars to race back and get me. He obviously called for back up because two other skycop cars joined him and they are out of the car with weapons before he even got his fat butt out of the car. I know what is going on and decide to play it up a little. He walks up to my window barking orders to keep my hands where he can see them and the rest goes something like this;
Skycop Jackass – “Who do you think you are , drinking and driving on my base”.
Young 2Lt – “Why whatever are you talking about (while pretending to push my bottle of rootbeer to my side.
Skycop Jackass –“Sirrr (with as much disgust as he can muster), I saw you drinking and while driving I am taking you in”
Young 2Lt – “Since when is a crime to drink and drive?”
Skycop Jackass– “(Temper causing his face to get red), No more "Sir", just “Step out of the car and place your hands behind your back”
Young 2Lt – “Sgt you are making a mistake and I would appreciate it if you call me “sir”
Skycop Jackass – (skull now shooting blood out the top), grabs my arm and orders me out of the truck. Starts to read me my rights and tells one of the other officers to “get the beer out of the truck”.
Young 2Lt – (biting cheek so I don’t laugh out loud), “Sarrrggee, you’ve made a huge mistake I was not drinking and driving with beer”.
Skycop # 2 – “Umm Sgt so and so, we have a problem”
Skycop Jackass – “What the @#$* are you talking about?"
Skycop #2 - (very sheepishly), “Sgt it is a bottle of rootbeer.”
Skycop Jackass - “YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME, give me the damn bottle””
Young 2Lt – “I tried to tell you sarrrrggee, by the way can I have your name please”
Skycop Jackass – “mumble mumble mumble”
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All I can say is last night, Dos Gringos, Rocked!!! Awesome job gents, glad I was in town and managed to see it.
CH
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Try taking the gas in a 130 bra.Originally posted by Xtndr50boom:130s are a real pain in the a** to refuel. Worse than hogs.
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Linda,
I saw 480GS on the SCNS in a -7 E model during a 250ish descent into Shaky's Pizza with 200kts on the tail. I think we even took a picture. These days my average daily speed is a tad under 1038MPH, the roatation speed of the earth under my freaking desk in the puzzle palace.
CH
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As I recall it is about 4-5 hours. Check a map, but it is usually much faster to take HWY-84 rather than I-95. If you are going to stay at Moody, take the route that places you on 122 just north of the base. It goes through the woods, but it is about 30 minutes quicker.Originally posted by Kawen:Anybody know how long it takes to get to Valdosta from Charleston?
[ 04. September 2005, 08:28: Message edited by: Clearedhot ]
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NOT True. All Slick C-130 Herc drivers may have the same AFSC, but they are all different for SOF. For example mine in the AC-130H is W11S3COriginally posted by Slilock:All Herc drivers, except the J-Model guys,have the same AFSC.
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Reno versus Dos gringos...tough choice.
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Thread revival...
Besides me, mho is going to be at the show? Hacker?
[ 27. August 2005, 09:00: Message edited by: Clearedhot ]
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SEFE = Stan Eval Flight Examiner
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Snake,
I was never an ATC/AETC EP (thank god), I was a SEFE for an Operational Wing and my picture was always calibrated on sending folks into combat. I was always known as a Santa Claus, except when it came to stuff that could get you or those around you killed. I always had a few hip pocket questions that would force folks to look into the regulations and think about what they were doing, i.e. Trouble-T, TOLD, Munitions Limits. In the case I spoke about earlier, the pilot getting the check ride finally looked at me and said “I don’t know”, when asked what system to use in an emergency. That person was upgrading to mission ready Aircraft Commander and had zero clue about half the systems on the aircraft. Unacceptable in my mind, but that is just me.
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I will disagree with you on this one Snake. I’ve only busted one person for a ground eval and it was well deserved. I would never bust a bro because he spelled a word wrong it put a period in the wrong spot. However, I have done a ground eval and as we statrted talking systems, it became blatantly clear that this person did NOT know the aircraft. I am not talking about obscure trivia like the only edible part of the aircraft, I am talking about basic system function and proper ways to handle an emergency, i.e. which system to turn on/off.Originally posted by SnakeT38:AMen to this, and I'm sorry to all those SEFE types but I have never seen the wisdom in some of the busts for these REDICULOUS ground evals.
Borders on the same line of thought that comes and goes with BOLDFACE, is it intent OR actual comma's, periods, was that an extra "S" on the end type BS. I can understand setting a standard but some evaluators are "off the charts".
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Looking at my post where does it reference the C-17 crew was taking short-cuts?Originally posted by kkboris:Cleared Hot:
From the information given, how did you determine that this A/C was taking short-cuts or tolerating breaches in air discipline?
It was a general statement about leadership and why the USAF tends to be conservative when holding people accountable. I don't know the details of this incident, as I was not there. The way it has been presented sounds like it is a bit unfair to the AC, but again, I was not there.
Is it fair to the entire crew when a Flight Engineer is using a non-standard method to feed the fuel system, the engines flame out and most of the crew dies? Is it fair when Dash-2 turns the wrong direction and hits lead, killing both of them? Is it fair when the Nav screws up and flies the crew into a box canyon and they all die? Is it fair when the Pilot is showing off and plows a B-52 into the dirt? Some of them honest mistakes but all with the same outcome.
If you want fair, you might want to check with Judge Judy, but things are different when it comes to flying. I am not trying to be harsh or mean, but sometimes it is like Bruce Hornsby says, "Thats just the way it is".
[ 22. August 2005, 07:20: Message edited by: Clearedhot ]
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No it means you need to set an environment where people pay attention to checklists and accomplishing their duties in the correct manner.
Taking short-cuts, or tolerating breaches in air disciple is one of the easiest ways to get yourself or those on your crew killed, especially in combat.
[ 22. August 2005, 07:09: Message edited by: Clearedhot ]
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It's a tough situation and I can certainly see the arguments for both sides. I've seen situations where other members were given a Q-3 and the AC escaped, when in my opinion he should just as responsible as the others.
Ultimately, it's part of the game you have decided to play and the rules are not always fair. It happens more often than you would think. Take for example a squadron commander who takes care of his troops and trusts his people to do the right thing. Then one jackass does something stupid like a gross deviation in flight discipline and a plane gets bent or worse yet someone gets hurt. Odds are the SQ/CC is toast, even though he would never tolerate that type of behavior.
Checkrides and leadership are not always easy things. I've given a lot of checkrides and I always asked myself one question at the end of the day, "Would I go into combat with this person?". With that in mind on occasion I've overlooked a stupid mistake that could have been a legitimate bust. I've also been a part of a situation when the person got a SQ/CC directed Q-3 when I thought he should have lost his wings.
I know this seems unfair, and in this day and age, leadership is always going to play it on the conservative side. I wish I had a better answer for you but it is one of the tough parts of the job.
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In line with reviving this thread here is a little video to place Combat Proud in it's proper place.
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The fighter cross-flow program has come and gone several times through the years. Next time there is a shortage look for the to fire it back up.
CAS
in General Discussion
Posted
I don't think anyone does CAS for money.
There is no better feeling in the world (professionally), than helping the guys on the ground. I know some guys like A2A and it takes a lot of brain power to do that properly, but for me, hitting crap on the ground is the way to go.