Clark Griswold

Biggest aircraft in history begins construction: Microsoft co-founder provides glimpse of his proposed megaplane that will launch rockets into orbit

Valid point. Coming at it from a Guard perspective, my answer to the manpower issue (requiring a change in AF mentality) would be to offer 3-5 year contracts upon completion of FTU/award of MR qual for Guard / Reservists as required to fill those gaps (sts). The AF gets a solid return on its investment with the contract stipulating they hired for aircrew purposes not as regular officer with an expected vertical progression and other official duties. Very much like a Warrant Office but not technically a Warrant as they would still retain a regular commission. Flexibility is not only the key to airpower but to running an effective organization, we need to flex with the times.

Only one puke story - at CFIC during the summer I was challenged by my partner to the box nasty called the "Roggie" - a PBJ with BBQ chicken - what a great idea - i flew my profile at Clint-Sherman in the pattern after him with that powerful KC-135 air conditioner we all love when the motors are pulled back so after an 1.5 hour of rudder off OEI approach, go arounds, demos, instructor torture I have had enough. I call time out and go barf in the garbage bag and we head back to KLTS. But my stomach was now ready for round two, about 3 miles out from that blessed full stop I need to barf again so I give the IP the jet, barf in the Walmart bag I have and land, he tells me to get checked out which I do of course and press on from there. Ride complete and all was good but lesson learned the hard way. While not a puke story this is funny video with the radio / intercom audio of an F-4 crew with a physio

Respectfully disagree, build the curricula and allocate the time to develop the cadre, the Navy uses guys who flew E-2's and C-2's for their T-45 program and as far as I know there are no restrictions on who can teach what in their syllabus. As an AF and especially as aircrew, we've got to try to breakdown the stove-pipe mentality that once you're given wings you do only one kind of career path and that's it. Now do you want to retrain a high tenure guy in a totally new plane and mission, probably not but we shouldn't arbitrarily hamstring ourselves.

True. Did the old school program for the 135 out of UPT, looking back and having gone thru several quals since then, much was done in the aircraft that could have been done WAY cheaper and effectively in the sim. Don't get me wrong, I like the flight time and there is something to be said for the x factor in flying the real thing but instead of beating the hell out of the pattern in M10 after M10 at who knows how much, you could give your crews training that increases airmanship overall and not just in the nuances of rolling flaps at one dot above. ACE was a great idea from back in the day that could serve very well but I give 0.0000069% chance of ever happening again. You could fly a leased Extra 300 for about $400 per hour wet, get more out of it as a pilot than mind numbing instrument approach after approach and probably boost morale and airmanship about 1000%. But let's face it, make that argument to a dude whose ambition is to not fly except when the mission is a simple trainer with field grade wx and see how far that gets. Rant complete. On the subject of fighter cross-flow, couldn't the gaining and losing commands make it a one for one swap to fill the empty billets so it's a wash? Follow on question for the 11F types: Could you incorporate the syllabus of IFF into a longer syllabus for Phase 3 with the new replacement for the 38 and at least have seeded the crew force? Going old school again but when everyone went 38 they were Fighter-Bomber-Recce certified at UPT based on class rankings, couldn't you do that with a last block of tactical instruction in a new Block 3 program to UPT? Just guessing it would add 6 weeks to UPT overall.

Cool - flew the mighty Tone myself but everyone going thru the same program would have it's benefits. Multi-place training can happen after UPT in a sim prior to FTU for heavy dudes. If you can fly in formation you can say co when the checklist calls for it

SUPT could go back to UPT T-X Buy Could Grow by 200 Jets and possibly, maybe get a Red Air variant USAF Downplays T-X 'Red Air' Option

Copy that - thanks. Thought there would be a dollar consideration as they rotated to PDM and KC-46 rolled out Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Has anything been said about KC-135 drawdown as KC-46 comes online? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The F-16 Gun Pod That Tried To Shoot Down The A-10 Warthog

Valid points and I understand that TIB - golf courses and DoD cyberchallenge CBTs will only go so far Propose big changes like retiring the BUFF and replace with the Super T, reduce the AR requirements for the C-5 and C-17 and retire 10% of the oldest 135s, make the case to retire the oldest 15Cs After post follow on: Those are just some WAGs at where to save the approximately 400 mil the SECAF and CSAF quoted in the CSPAN video deaddebate posted, fundamentally he should propose basically a new AF as the funding as appropriated now will not support the legacy structure now, this is big DoD national wartime and contingency strategy stuff not just saving the A-10 and KC-10. Make the case to Congress (after consulting with Clark Griswold from BO.net of course) that we need an AF of around the same size but one with smaller footprint, modern systems scaled to fight a big conflict but one also to put out the brushfires we are likely to get into, we are kind of there now with the one major theatre and two or more contingency operations in our stated doctrine but not in what is actually on the ramp, we need a plan with numbers and desired systems to acquire to make that happen Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably but good to put them on the spot. I take them at their word (sort of) when they say sequestration is why they have to divest the A-10 (and KC-10) but I have to wonder why not just propose an alternative plan with a price tag and see if Congress bites? What other job does the CSAF aspire to that keeps him from going big and just seeing if Congress bites? Propose the LAAR or an inexpensive (in airplane terms) platform to fill CAS once the threat is suppressed and you also have a good COIN platform. Let's face it, the old order of the post WWII post colonial world is going to continue to breakdown, we will not be engaged in occupation / rebuilding Iraq style operations but in smaller scale operations of COIN / Capacity Building; having something inexpensive and not too technically challenging or too expensive to operate for our allies and can perform CAS efficiently is a win-win. His (CSAF) job is to lead us to a better place not make the trip downward more pleasant thru smooth talking points. Edit: grammar

True - it is just annoying that they will keep prestige projects while continuing to kill the A-10.

All of the above. How dare you insult these aerospace ninjas. They could jazz hands an ISIS position while high kicking a jihadi all in heels. Below you can see them in combat: You think a two ship of A-10's with 30mm and JDAMs brings aerospace power like the above mission critical war fighting system? Choke yourself.

Copy that Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't think the pod 30 mm on a designated A-16 is coming back but focusing some 15 & 16 units on CAS maybe Without breaking the bank or putting too much money into older airframes, what could you do to to improve CAS on a 15/16? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dedicated 15/16 CAS units was interesting in the this article. Now the U.S. Air Force Wants to Replace A-10s With F-16s From JQP: A-10 Chronicles: McSally Urges Carter to Halt Air Force Shenanigans Just more smoke and mirrors from Big AF but maybe the ANG could take the idea and run with it.

Can't say that I disagree with that, just interested in what others thought about allowing any of them to repatriate. On a subject related to ISIS being introduced to either 30mm or a PGM, the Iraqis seem to be making steady progress and I saw this little gem. Iraqi air force EC-635 in action near Tikrit

Looking to hear other opinions and all valid points. Me, kind of on the fence about it and I don't have a problem with trying to bomb the shit the out of anything with an ISIS stink to it and I see the argument that they made a choice now they have to live by it with that meaning that their ISIS affiliation is probably a death sentence and / or they have forfeited their citizenship but.... if they were young, naive and stupid as a sack of rocks and went there then realized the err of their ways, is surrender not possible? I thought about this after reading the Atlantic article, pretty much it's a cult with a mega shit ton of weapons, cash and no morals, they brainwash their soldiers but even after all that, some of them wake up and realize it's all bullshit. If we give them an out, I think that could crack their facade that attracts the disaffected from Europe, ME, etc... Tacairlifter - haven't had a chance to see a presentation on out-briefs of former ISIS jihadis but that is somewhat surprising and depressing, if that's the case with someone and they freely admit that then the case can be made I think to strip citizenship and expel permanently from their country of origin. Also, I'll go back to an early argument I made that Assad was / is bad but he is an angel leading a heavenly choir compared to ISIS, Al-Nusra front, etc... it would be impossible for this administration to admit it and the govs of Western Europe too, but thru a proxy, funneling cash, weapons and intel to Assad is probably the least worst option available. Tell his neighbors who hate him to go pound sand and just deal with it, diplomatically of course.

Yep, hopefully. On the idea of continuing to encourage in-fighting, desertion, disillusion, etc... I found this article: Returning ISIS Fighters: Forgiveness or Punishment Question for the thread, is this suicidal or smart? Of course it is all in the interrogation / vetting when they return from Syria but even if you can be reasonably sure they didn't commit a crime against humanity, is it possible to trust / forgive someone who fought with an enemy of the civilized world?

ISIS rot http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-islamic-state-is-fraying-from-within/2015/03/08/0003a2e0-c276-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html?hpid=z1 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

At sea refuelling. Good article on Navy seaplanes of the 50's. The U.S. Navy Tried to Create a Far-Out Seaplane Strike Force

not a bad idea and on a somewhat related topic, there is some success with a common computer language, Ada. Very stable, open with lots of safety features built in and used by some (Boeing 777, ATC and traffic systems, ISS, etc.) in critical systems. Unfortunately, for whatever reason we do everything by committee now and it takes so much compromise to get everyone on board that the end result is not corrupted but comprised to a fault. It is a cool pic, saw the A (several) of them at Eglin, a bit chubby but still good looking. I think I should be more optimistic and the reference to the F-4 could be a good thing, despite all it's faults it turned out to be the most successful fighters (number of airframes) and one of the longest serving multi-role fighters and had a respectable record when improved technically and employed to max its advantages. Edit for grammar.

Valid points but the WTF of the article really was that they hope to have it capable of SDB II employment in 2022, not even sure if that is going to happen. These paragraphs pretty much sum it up: In the end, the lack of SDB IIs in the F-35's quiver till at least 2022 may not be a show-stopper for a jet that has fought one problem after another throughout its development, but it is just another 'wait and see' item on the F-35's growing list of 'wait and see items.' The truth is that, regardless of its price tag, the F-35 will not really exist as promised until the middle of the next decade, assuming development goes as planned and assuming that orders remain intact at current levels. This puts the existence of a fully mission ready F-35 close to 20 years after its first flight, and some 25 years after its technology demonstrator, the X-35, first flew back in 2000. For some perspective, you were lucky to be carrying an analogue Motorola StarTAC cell phone in 2000, now take a look at your cell phone now. If we can learn anything from the F-35 debacle it is that we need to find another way to design, test and procure high-end weapon systems. A 30+ year cycle just to get the weapon system as originally envisioned is totally unacceptable and in many ways the F-35 is already obsolete both on a sub-system level and on a conceptual level. I get it that we have bought it and it is going to be that mainstay of the AF, Navy, USMC, etc... but at some point there has to be a come to Jesus moment where we admit we bit off more than we can fully chew, the program achieved some of its objectives, some it missed and some it only partially achieved and it is time to curtail it responsibly. We have to get some operational aircraft out of it but to stop throwing good money after bad.