Aviation BS and Photo Thread

Haha, all of the guys that I work with that are former Air Force maintainers (which is about 75% of them) have a real distaste for anyone that was on the finance side of things.

 

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Yikes.

I never meant to say that UAV's should take over ... just supplement truly mission dedicated (i.e. A-10's) aircraft ... to fill the voids.

The ... "one size fits all F35 (with many pricy modifications) ... does not seem to work in reality.

I am for "real pilots" and "UAV controllers", we just need more input from the troops (end users) in the field as to what they really need vs the bureaucrats and politicians.

This is just my view ... but I believe that DoD purchases should be more "present and future mission driven" and not a jobs programs for certain districts.

I think this will be addressed in the future administration too. Presently DoD vendors live off ECP's and VECP's or that is what we used to call them.

ECP = Engineering Change Proposal = bid contract at cost = encourage a change = charge 50 times cost of change to make a profit = do this many times on same contract.

VECP = Value Engineering Change Proposal = same as above, but you also share in profits (savings) for performance enhancements and contract money saved.

Both can be super ripoffs for taxpayer and give troops in the field less that desirable equipment

We all want the best equipment for our troops in combat, but it has to be fully functional and priced right or everybody loses.

End of my rant. Lol.

PS ... I used to work on small DoD - R&D projects and if they looked bad, we threw them away ... and did not pour more money into them.

 

Honestly, I would love the A-10 to go to a group that will actually use it properly, the Army. They are the ones in direct contact most of the time and the warthog is the perfect aircraft for them. This would free up our manning for other items like the craptastic 35. Truthfully, I would like to see more 22s and refurbed 16s and 15s like Boeing wants to give us.

 

....or fast enough.

 

But giving the A-10 to the Army would fly in the face of 50+ years of the pissing match between the USAF and the Army over who gets to have control of the airplanes that carry weapons.

The F-35 is cool, but it's kind of like buying a Leatherman and throwing out your screwdrivers, pliers, and files.

 

I'd love the A10 to come over to the Army. I'd be first in line for the transition over from rotary.

 

It's weapon is mainly a giant cannon, which is what the army is good at using. I understand the pissing match. But the Air Force "doesn't want it" and is being kept around by army/Congress. I love the plane. But it doesn't fit the traditional AF role and would be better suited in the army.

 

The problem is that this is exactly what SHOULD happen which of course means that it won't.

 

Every organization has support roles. The military is no exception. Not everyone in the Navy keeps the boat afloat, or not everyone in the Marines is on the front lines with a M-16. Same for the civilian world. Not everyone at an A/C contractor works in the field. There are accountants, HR reps, warehouse, etc...

 

I keep hearing how the AF is short on pilots, so why don't they accept transfers from other branches? I know plenty of good Army pilots who would make the switch, myself included

 

I'll take an armed QA-10 ...

 

The AF could totally use some Warrant pilots...

 

Hell, im convinced 90% of the pilots i work with are certified on either A-10's or F-15's, could probably coax most of those guys back in the hot seat

 

I see what you did there.

 

...^^^...

IMO ... USAF won't allow WO's & O's mixed (in aircraft) as much as Army does. The A-10 should be USArmy based and flown by WO's.

Personally ... I think some of the best helicopter pilots in RVN came out of the USArmy WO program.

18/y/o, HS education and a USArmy WO could be flying in combat before he was 19 y/o. Those guys had no fear of death, because they felt invincible.

Train them and turn them lose in A-10's ....
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Did you happen to catch the tail number or civil ident? You guys got my favourite ident a couple of years ago when FWAD left our fleet. We've been shedding some 700's, and replacing the, with 800's. From an economic stand point it mak s sense. From a piloting stand point, I prefer the 700. We can't give our 600's away, and I'm okay with that.

 

The required equator crossing pic.

 

Advanced F-15 Air Superiority Fighter

https://youtu.be/xGY2JBuSCU0

 

@Bawlmore consider yer self tagged in

 

https://www.airforcetimes.com/artic...-armed-gunship-ever-will-send-enemies-running