HuggyU2

To a location where the Environmental Impact Study will not take 6-9 years before construction begins on the base. In any case, I vote for Reese AFB.

There are obviously going to be unflyable jets at any location. I believe it is unreasonable to expect that a Wing can Hurrivac 100% of their jets.

A kill’s a kill.

Bigsby! Glad to see you back.

I'd like to clarify one thing, as a former U-2 interview pilot. When someone says " can't land the jet ", it's an expression for "we don't feel you will do well in this aircraft". We base that on a lot of tangibles. I can't speak for the others but I based my decision on intangibles too. No matter how it is phrased, the interview pilots look at a lot more than "landing the jet". There are some world-class pilots out there that really don't belong in the U-2. It's an odd duck. I can teach anyone to fly the U-2 safely. But I only have so many bananas to give out, as per the syllabus. If you're coming from a pointy nose jet or C-17, you will have a lot of stick-and-rudder stuff to unlearn in 3 rides. I've hired fighter guys that flew like shit, but showed a huge learning curve. By the way, if you come to the interview and hit on our flight surgeon, expect to pack your bags and leave.

No. Also to race Reno, the aircraft cannot be "swept wing". Lots of L-39's and one L-139. I expect an L-159 will eventually get there. A few years back, the Snowbirds finished their 9-ship demo, and instead of landing, they all took off for the pylons and did a lap. It was hilarious, and they had a good time. The jet course is small enough that if a "modern" and much faster jet flies it, it will be a constant 6+ G's around the course. 1B.

If the offer was good, I'd do it. The retired officer voluntary recall thing looked good... until I crunched the numbers. Mrs Huggy would slit my throat while I sleep if I took a pay cut that significant.

Here are some pics from the flying in between the racing. Jim Bryant is a photographer that doesn't crop, doesn't use PhotoShop, and only shoots in one-shot mode. He does very nice work, as you can see.

I’d say it is a long shot. But I am certainly not in the know. I didn’t know this was seriously being considered until I saw the article posted here. When it was considered while I was in the U-2, I was very much against it. However I’m sure there are a lot of good reasons... and realities...that are driving this. That said, I hope that they are considering contract U-2 pilots if they want a pool of highly qualified pilots that are motivated to do the job.

Not sure what you mean. He was a C-130 Reservist and remained a Reservist. However, it was a very unusual and isolated case. Many proposals have been generated about part time U-2 Pilots. Foolishly, none have taken hold. Maybe things are changing.

It's already been done.

Not even close. 410-440 knots is more like the Unlimited Gold speeds in years past. This year, it wasn't even close to those speeds since the fastest Unlimiteds didn't show up.

Step 7: you now have the money to get serious about other forms of recreational aviation. Go to Oshkosh... go to the Reno Races and roam through the pits... find the passion for cool aviation that has waned. Go find something fun to do at your local airport.

RAND folks have no idea what they're talking about. In my 28 years on active duty, the worst base for sexual abuse... by far the worst... was Randolph. The majority of pilots I know were sexually abused by personnel at that base. Though I was able to avoid the ubiquitous and frequent raping, it happened to many of my friends. Many of them separated at their earliest opportunity due to the repercussions of said abuse. The amazing part is that this abuse still occurs and is known by USAF leadership. It is important to know where to find the culprits. They are hidden behind the letter A, F, P, and C. Keep your guard up! I'm sure many of you have been sexually abused by AFPC. If so, you are not alone.

There have been many A-10 pilots on the Thunderbirds. I don't know about now, but there was a time when the solos couldn't be Eagle guys... only A-10, Viper, or Strike Eagle types.

That would be me. But I've made my point. If Bendy and the rest of them think it's appropriate, then have a nut.

Smack Mack's short stint as #3 on the TBirds back in '99 is a good example. I'm assuming he got his callsign prior to being on the team. Ironic. But, it didn't slow his career down: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/467062/major-general-russell-l-mack/ I remember many years ago when the Blue Angel solo's did an opposing hit that was closer than normal. Post-flight look found that the missile rails actually scraped. 800+ miles per hour closure, and it was a perfect scrape... just enough to take the paint off.

Some do, most don’t. Most of the race L-39s I’ve flown do not. All eight of the Patriot L-39s have hot seats. I've never flown an L-29... racer or not... that had hot seats.

Whatever, losers. I was in Del Rio for 4 years... long before the internet. Long before Tinder (thankfully). There were the guys back then that bitched about "being in the middle of nowhere" and couldn't seem to get over it. And there were the guys that realized the environment they were in was not downtown Manhattan. And those guys had smart, hot girlfriends. OK... a few weren't that smart... but I digress. In any case, Del Rio is larger than it was when I was there. And so is Uvalde. What's your excuse for not having a great date this weekend? Make some effort if it is so important to you. I'm not going to bore you with stories from long ago, but honestly... you're getting no sympathy from me. Boo-fuckin-hoo.

Hacker, Knowing you, you had a camera lined up on the mid-air, and have magazine-ready photos to prove it. Great to see you!! But 3 minutes in passing on the ramp isn't enough to catch up, Amigo. ICAS is only 76 days... hope to see you at our "event".

I heard it. Looked up and saw the camo jet getting chased. The blue jet had a lot of damage. Word is he flew 180 knots on final to land. I looked over the damage, and am somewhat surprised he was able to land. Great weather but the turbulence inflight was pretty rough in the afternoon. Our morning demo on Sunday wasn’t such a punishing ride.

Which airline? Dies their FOM address it to? If so, Does it expand the options?

Hmm.... Newbie corrects a homophone on a 10-month old post. Hell of a first post. I'm sure you'll have lots to contribute on your second post. Thanks for signing up here at Baseops.net!

YGBSM. "The greatest Air Force in the world"... and we cannot manage to teach educated professional aviators this skill.

I met Stuck Barbour back in 2006 at Reno, in Box 102 when he was in college, and we were friends since then. He relished coming out there every year, and was well loved by everyone. The Box owner decided to do up a theme for Stuck on this year's T-shirt. Check it out.