https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-hunter-biden-18efb958a5365eebda5bb3da411c4326

2 hours ago, DirkDiggler said:

HC-130J FTU is following this model at Kirtland now.

And they were taking ~11 months to get a new co-pilot through the syllabus.  
Unsat. 

Well, I stand corrected.
I had comms with AFPC and there is a meeting with OPM next month to discuss the program.

More to follow. 

2.5 years later, it appears they have quietly walked away from this idea. . 

On 11/15/2024 at 5:15 AM, FourFans said:

It's baffling.

No.  It's Pennsylvania.  

On 11/10/2024 at 8:30 PM, Lawman said:

If we can teach helicopters to land in the dust unmanned (and we have) teaching it to get on the boom or into the basket is easy.

Haha, yeah, right.  Total pipe dream.

You're probably one of those guys that thinks a spaceship can fly itself back to the launchpad and land in a pair of "chopsticks".  

Ridiculous.  

Money for new programs:

its why SecAF is trying to kill the U-2. 

On 11/2/2024 at 9:15 PM, raimius said:

Who said that?  It doesn't check with anything I've heard or the AF has done lately.

I'll see if I can contact the Lieutenant and get the details (and will post if I do), but around March we sent a casual LT to one of these flight schools to get some ratings, Enroute to UPT. 

7 hours ago, Vito said:

I remember reading MIG PILOT when I was a teenager.

I bought MiG Pilot that night. 

Definitely bring it back.

I was a FAIP during Project Warrior's years, and at Laughlin, we used that to go pick up guest speakers in the T-38 to bring them out to talk to the Wing... usually done so they could go to the monthly Daedalians meeting that night. 
 

I flew to Oklahoma Cuty and picked up Bob Anderson, MiG killer and early Thunderbird. "Here's a helmet... unpin the ejection seat when I tell you. Questions?"

Also got to fly back from Phoenix with X-15 pilot Pete Knight on my wing. 
 

Another FAIP got to pick up Victor Belenko.  That was cool. After the Daedalian meeting, he wanted to hang out but most everyone left. So myself and 2 other FAIPs sat in the OClub bar and drank with him. Surreal. 
 

Project Warrior was a huge positive. But I seriously doubt our risk-averse culture would allow it to happen again like it did. 

19 minutes ago, M2 said:

Who the fuck shoots rifles that close?!?

Tim Walz?

Assuming he can load it. 

On 10/14/2024 at 12:19 PM, SocialD said:

 

 

Ha, further proof that FAIPs are idiots!    

Touch yourself. 

13 hours ago, McJay Pilot said:

... and decent relations with your border buddies...

I contemplate what would be different, had we spent $2 trillion on Mexico (and other Central American nations) instead of Afghanistan. That money certainly didn't win us the war. 
 

I think back to 2004 and deployments  from then.  That was a long time ago.  
 

If we spent $300,000,000 every DAY since 2004, that sum today would be...

... $2 trillion.  That may have done something significant to preserve the dying Monroe Doctrine.  

 

Every day that we inch towards 30 Sep 2025 makes it a little harder to turn back. 

I have no inside information, but I'm hopefull that something will get extended... which would maybe require a few more pilots. 

The first flying squadron in North America.  Tasked with chasing Pancho Villa around the US-Mexican border.

Currently the FTU for the U-2 and T-38A at Beale.

Hail Dragons...

On 9/25/2024 at 9:34 AM, SurelySerious said:

Astro-Inertial sales rep enters the chat

Haha, this. 
 

The U-2 and SR-71 had an old but great Astro-tracker.  We flew it on missions that went way north, where there was always overcast (which precluded doing a ground fix update), and before GPS was really integrated into military flying ops.
 

I believe it was maintained by Northrop. 

IIRC, it tracked 300 stars and gave us around 700' of accuracy. I had an engineer tell me a few years ago that 700' is terrible, compared to modern standards. 

Unfortunately, airline certification for an Astro-tracker will take decades and cost millions of lives. Too bad. Works great, lasts long time. 

I hear it is tomorrow, 26 Sept, leaving Travis.  

Central Coast AirFest in Santa Maria CA is this weekend, 21-22 Sept.

It's right by Vandenburg SFB, and the best warbird airshow in the nation.  

Two of the only 5 De Havilland Mosquitos will be flying in formation... the first time that has happened since 1987.  

The F7F Tigercat just cancelled but the flying lineup includes:  P-38, F8F, SBD Dauntless, TBM Avenger, P-40, lots of Mustangs, B-25, MiG-15, Yak-3, P-63, Sea Fury, the only P-47 Razorback that files... 

Also, F-18 Demo Team.  And the A-10 Demo Team in their 3rd to last airshow before the team is disbanded (thanks a lot, Frank Kendall).  

https://www.centralcoastairfest.com/

 

United plans to hire 1,700 in 2025, as per the Instructor/Evaluator meeting last week. 

Summary?  I don't use that app. 

Durbin. Ugh.