Steve Davies

It's an accumulative fatigue issue - at least, that's what I am being told through PM. I understand that it's a matter of a pilot's arse spreading his weight evenly accross a wide surface area of seat vs. that weight all being carried by his/her foot to a much smaller surface area. Obviously, the former is acceptable, the latter is not. Word is that the same rule might well be coming to the Eagle world at some point in the not-too-distant future!

Thanks for all the responses, serious or otherwise. One person PM'd me to say that the ACES II in the F-16 has problems with the seat plate cracking. That tallys with what's been said here and elsewhere. If true, I can now sleep easy at night.

Does that make Eagle Crew Chiefs the dirty slackers of the MX world, then? They're more than happy to let you stomp all over their seat cushions. Then again, maybe they wash theirs, but Viper CCs don't? That would make Viper CCs the dirty slackers of the MX world. [ 16. March 2006, 16:33: Message edited by: Steve Davies ]

This is a pretty cool test to see who does, and who does not, have a life.

Apologies in advance for the anal question. Hit the back button on your browser now if you have a life. When the T-Birds pilots do their robotic dancing to the jet, up the ladder and then into the jet, they momentarily stand on the seat. My question is: on the two occasions I have flown in the back of the F-16, I've been told never to stand on the seat. Looking around the ramp it's clear it's not just because I am a fat bastard that I've been told that, because everyone else has to do the contortionist’s entry and exit from the Viper 'pit, too. So, how come the T-Birds can do it? Incidentally, the only reason I was ever given was that the F-16's ACES II has a fibreglass seat pan. I didn't buy it because I'd have assumed the F-15's seat does too, and there are no problems with standing on that. Any ideas?

CONUS E-models are located at Mountain Home AFB, OH; Seymour Johnson AFB, NC; and Elmendorf AFB, AK. You'll also find two squadrons at RAF Lakenheath, England.

You'd have thought these news agencies would consult their photogs about the optical illusions caused by telephoto lenses/increased focal length. Oh, wait a minute, if they did that they'd have no sensationalist stories to print/broadcast. Tst. [ 30. January 2006, 12:07: Message edited by: Steve Davies ]

Xtndr It's a PR.9 cockpit. Good job on ID'ing it as a Canberra, though.

Correct But, which one?

Something from the RAF (apologies for the watermark):

My guess would be the VC10 at Duxford IWM.

Looks like NASA's X-29.

Speaking of which, isn't there a good story about an Eagle driver who chased an Iranian Airbus halfway accross Iraq trying to do a VID at night? Pretty sure it was someone who should have known better... [ 25. January 2006, 17:23: Message edited by: Steve Davies ]