Do cheap and easy to maintain L-39s across the Air Force. Easy to get checked out in, good stick and rudder flying, a good stable platform and can do formation, tactical, pattern work, and navigation. There are a couple L-39s at my home airport and the owner flies a few times a month. Fuel is higher right now, so he’s not flying as often right now, but compared to any of our operational aircraft it’s a fraction of a penny on the dollar per flight hour. Put a few (3-6) L39s on every single base with aircraft and triple turn each jet daily (1.5 to 2 hr) with two pilots per flight. A couple of designated IPs for checkouts, check rides, etc. A few contract maintenance A&Ps.

You could even do the old school ACE cross country trips for weekends. This is bringing back some good memories from Plattsburgh ACE days.

1 hour ago, bfargin said:

Do cheap and easy to maintain L-39s across the Air Force. Easy to get checked out in, good stick and rudder flying, a good stable platform and can do formation, tactical, pattern work, and navigation. There are a couple L-39s at my home airport and the owner flies a few times a month. Fuel is higher right now, so he’s not flying as often right now, but compared to any of our operational aircraft it’s a fraction of a penny on the dollar per flight hour. Put a few (3-6) L39s on every single base with aircraft and triple turn each jet daily (1.5 to 2 hr) with two pilots per flight. A couple of designated IPs for checkouts, check rides, etc. A few contract maintenance A&Ps.

You could even do the old school ACE cross country trips for weekends. This is bringing back some good memories from Plattsburgh ACE days.

Yup, the L-39 NG is probably the best solution if this is the answer to crew proficiency and experience building (ACE 2.0).

If ACE ever got traction, for each base / wing / mds community it was attached to it would likely need a bit of structure / defined objectives to address observed crew flying issues to get institutional support.

Use ACE for experience building in formation, generate high count patterns for SA building, x-country with training objectives (enroute rendezvous, dynamic retaking, training diverts, etc…).

The dollars n cents, jet availability plus wear n tear on the heavy iron would be the data driven reason why.

Cross currency would be critical to also justifying it.

Some percentage would / should be set aside for crew planned good deals but kept to a reasonable amount.

I've got a fair amount of experience flying the L-39, including in Airshows.

Buying used L-39s: they run about $600,000 and up for a nice one. Closer to $1M with the Garrett/Honeywell engine instead of the Ivchenko (which would be a terrible choice). But the USAF isn't going to buy used jets.

L-39 NG?

Not. A. Chance. At $15-$20M, they are more than the T-7!

Go buy the Gamebird.

Edited 11 hours ago11 hr by HuggyU2

9 hours ago, HuggyU2 said:

I've got a fair amount of experience flying the L-39, including in Airshows.

Buying used L-39s: they run about $600,000 and up for a nice one. Closer to $1M with the Garrett/Honeywell engine instead of the Ivchenko (which would be a terrible choice). But the USAF isn't going to buy used jets.

L-39 NG?

Not. A. Chance. At $15-$20M, they are more than the T-7!

Go buy the Gamebird.

I was about to ask you your two cents as you fly / have flown the L-39

The L-39NG would be my if king for a day choice (or other light jet: IA-63, M-345, etc…) but the cost would make this nigh impossible

Gamebird seems to hit the right wickets: affordable, supportable, domestically produced, capable performance (aerobatics, range, speed)… but it’s not IFR certified and while I don’t think doing mind numbing repetitive IAPs is what ACE should do, I could see the naysayers using that as an argument against.

I’d still argue for it just trying to bring up what the argument(s) might be against it.

ACE as a program of Professional Military Flight Education and Training might have a better chance.

Multiple programs, teaching, reinvigorating or reinforcing aviation skills while bringing together the different parts of the Line of the Air Force to fly together.

Classes run with heavy, fighter, rotary (if fixed wing qualified also) pilots to fly together for their own personal and professional development.

Gamebird based program could be one.

Others maybe (STOL flying, powered glider, etc…)

There’s a camaraderie built doing a challenge together, incorporating flying into rather than flickerball I think would build not only better individual pilots but a better pilot team.