Pilot Fighter
Well-Known Member
As far as trainers, my T-34's and T-39's were all older than me.
I think the EF-111 would have been a great gig for pilot or ECMO (or whatever the AF called them).
Why no calls to interview? Is it my speeding tickets?
- Thread starter JayAre
- Start date
As far as trainers, my T-34's and T-39's were all older than me.
I think the EF-111 would have been a great gig for pilot or ECMO (or whatever the AF called them).
[minor thread hijack]
Since it was brought up, Ill add a funny story too: Talking to a 60s-ish year old guy while refueling my AStar helo at KCGZ last week, turns out he worked at KHMN as a maintenance guy on F-4D Phantoms and F-15A Eagles there back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I mentioned that I was based there too, albeit much later, in the F-117s (which replaced the F-15As at HMN in 1992, following their move from KTNX in 1992). We yapped for a bit, then he went to join some friends who had showed up at the airport to meet him, also AF and also his age. As I was paying for the fuel, I overheard him telling them about me and having flown the Stealth at HMN, where they'd also been based. Conversation that I could hear, went something like this:
"HE flew the Stealth fighter? No....I don't believe it. Not possible."
"Yes, he did. He was in the other squadron (8th, they were in the 9th) there, and was based there for a few years before retiring them and leaving active. Nice guy."
"Yes, but that makes no sense at all. What kind of idiot would leave Stealth fighters to go fly helicopters?!?!?...."
[/minor thread hijack]
Since it was brought up, Ill add a funny story too: Talking to a 60s-ish year old guy while refueling my AStar helo at KCGZ last week, turns out he worked at KHMN as a maintenance guy on F-4D Phantoms and F-15A Eagles there back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I mentioned that I was based there too, albeit much later, in the F-117s (which replaced the F-15As at HMN in 1992, following their move from KTNX in 1992). We yapped for a bit, then he went to join some friends who had showed up at the airport to meet him, also AF and also his age. As I was paying for the fuel, I overheard him telling them about me and having flown the Stealth at HMN, where they'd also been based. Conversation that I could hear, went something like this:
"HE flew the Stealth fighter? No....I don't believe it. Not possible."
"Yes, he did. He was in the other squadron (8th, they were in the 9th) there, and was based there for a few years before retiring them and leaving active. Nice guy."
"Yes, but that makes no sense at all. What kind of idiot would leave Stealth fighters to go fly helicopters?!?!?...."
[/minor thread hijack]
chrisreedrules
Master Blaster
That's what I'm sayin!
flyingbum
Needz Re-Edjamacayshun
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
*fistbite* I always thought the 111 was the tits ride to end all tits rides. Absurdly complex, ludicrously fast and loud, and with a mission that pretty much assured that if we went to war with the Russkies, you'd be on the tip of the spear in an extremely life-limiting kind of way. Where's Fencer, your Russian Twin?
PS. Yes, I know we're talking about the Electric Aardvark. Allow me my dreams.
Bumblebee
Commodore
I do something dumb, probably every day...
but one thing I didn't do is take a cheap shot at a guy who was looking for advice here. So maybe try not doing that dumb thing, whaddaya say?
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Did you received any information on verb declination in the English language?
Pilot Fighter
Well-Known Member
It was the first thing that I asked you about. I was like, wait a second.
Fencer and I were talking 111 vs Fencer for a long time back last NJC.
Yeah, at my time, the strike 111s had already retired....last of the F and G (FB) models gone. During my UPT, the rest went too to the boneyard, so they'd stopped taking guys for it.
EF got ripped off during Desert Storm, having gotten a maneuvering kill on an Iraqi F1 (which I think are BS kills anyway, but if you award them to one, you award them to all). But the USAF wouldn't credit it to them because they didn't want their first air-air kill since the Vietnam War, going to a 111.
Lol, yeay, Im a firefighter at heart......so my contract business is the cool thing I do. The cop stuff and military flying stuff is just stuff that pays the balance of the bills, and takes up my extra time.
Tommay85
Well-Known Member
The Celica Supra(the first supra) is the one I like.
Oh and Derg, you can find those all day on forums in pristine condition driven by mature adults. You pay for it though. I paid about 2k more than I should have for my M3 that was driven by an old man. Worth it
Tommay85
Well-Known Member
The Z3 and E36 in general is pretty good bang for the buck. Reliable and the sound that straight 6 makes is delicious
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
But the USAF wouldn't credit it to them because they didn't want their first air-air kill since the Vietnam War, going to a 111.
Sounds like a Mafia action to me!
Called them EWOs. Following the retirement of the EFs, the USN created the 4 EA-6 land-based squadrons that were joint USN/USAF. Both AF pilots and EWOs could get assigned there at Whidbey, but in about 2004, they stopped taking AF pilots, just EWOs.
Sounds like a Mafia action to me!
air-to-air mafia action. Discriminatory. I would've made an EEO complaint.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Would be curious to hear what you two came up with. The general interwebz consensus seems to be something like:
"The 111 was wildly more capable and sophisticated, you're on crack".
"Nyet! The SU-24 was more rugged and reliable, with 90% of the capability, and more likely to actually start so it could make it to the target. And isn't crack an American drug, anyway?"
"Haha. The Fencer was a mess, like all Soviet designs, you ignorant peasant"
"Yes, Imperialist running-dog, that's why you keep losing all of your wars"
Etc etc etc.
You can see why I'd want to hear the notes from a reasoned conversation between dudes who actually know what they're talking about...
Pilot Fighter
Well-Known Member
Well aware of the expeditionary squadrons. The first couple of AF pilots they sent to the RAG were ex-Navy (A-7). I don't understand that service swap.
Edit: Maybe Navy, ANG, regular AF.
You can see why I'd want to hear the notes from a reasoned conversation between dudes who actually know what they're talking about...
Lol! yes. In fact, he apparently showed up there at the room, went VFR-direct to Doug first thing after showing up, and asked where I was, to which Doug pointed him to me. Odd....he had alot of questions about the 117.
Smart guy though, as a former SU-24 Fencer Navigator/Bombardier assigned to Frontal Aviation, of the Soviet AF. We talked at length there regarding tactics, techniques, procedures, and other in-depth items of interest regarding what we respectively did, as we were both involved in deep-strike interdiction, him in the -24 and me in the 117. Was a great nearly 3 hours of conversation.
Yeah a few A-10 guys I used to fly with, went from the Hog to the EA-6 up there. One of the early guys got day trap qualed on the boat, but for the most part the guys were land-based only and they stopped carrier qualing the AF guys; though since the squadrons themselves were land-based (expeditionary), Im not sure if the USN pilots maintained carrier qual.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Went to a Nerd-Convention many, many moons ago. They had Franz Stigler and I *think* it was Gabby Gabreski speaking. It was like watching two best friends who don't speak the same languages. Good stuff.
Pilot Fighter
Well-Known Member
If I recall correctly, they were going to CarQual the expeditionary squadrons but that turned into a logistical nightmare. I heard the AF sent some great sticks. What they were afraid of was another VQ-2 type disaster (1987 Nimitz crash) with shore-based squadrons quickly losing proficiency.