Aviation BS and Photo Thread

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...^^^... I like it and it has a lot of the same things (plus more) as the past C-130 gunships.

My main concern would be ... no matter how good the electronic counter measures and etc are .... it's still still a big & slow flying object.

IIRC .... That gyro-balanced-105 on the previous C-130 .... my AH-64 buddy in Iraq War 1 saw the 105 fired and he said how accurate it was.

And I think I met a lady whose husband was KIA in Iraq War 1 when the only C-130 gunship went down .... trying to do all this from memory.

PS ... A sidenote ... when the C-130-J came out a few years ago with the new props ... one got lose (during a test) and hit a building at Lockheed in Marietta, but nobody was hurt.
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http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20160130/tragedy-of-spirit-03-they-became-true-ghostriders

This was an H-model gunship ... it didn't have any countermeasures installed. All of the gunships have had the countermeasure mods added to them, H and U models.

These are slow and low flyers ... especially the H-models. They had to be unpressurized to fire the 105mm

Daylight CAS with this aircraft is not a great idea

 

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...^^^... I looked at the names ... I can't remember ... but I think he was enlisted ... trying to remember how I met his widow ... stuff blends all together as you get older.

I do remember her saying it was only Spectre Gunship to go down ... saw that name on link.

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Off this subject now, but C-130 memorial reminded me of this other site ... this is a great link to search on RVN KIA's. WIA's &etc. ... it has lot of info of all types on the personal mini-links too. Good real life stories under remembrances too.

Site looks small ... but is very big in depth and info.

http://www.virtualwall.org

EDIT ... It looks like the personal remembrances have been temporarily removed from the site ... while the site is being rebuilt.

 

Would.

 

Reminds me of the Super Tomcats...

 

Just not as sexy.

 

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/top-gun-day-special-the-super-tomcat-that-was-never-bu-1575814142

^ can you imagine that, upgraded to modern standards?

 

Would need to upgrade the Phoenix missile too. Because badass.


Pic over key west in that article is my last squadron during he transition from Tomcats to Super Hornets. I got there just after the transition so I didn't get to fly the turkey.

 

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FWIW ... there is a guy who moved in the neighborhood a couple of years ago who shot down a Mig in RVN.

IIRC .. He is in his early 70's and was a USN carrier pilot who flew a F-8 if I remember. He is listed on several official websites & his unit downed several Migs. in several days.

He does not talk about it ... except to say he was a Navy pilot.

Doing this from 2 year old memory and not google ...

PS ... I used to help people with their VA claims (as a volunteer) and I met some interesting people and friends of those friends too ... very interesting.
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In a heartbet, those quad ejector rack of Spamraams are sexy

 

This one was GWSE. It will now be N7885A. If I'm not mistaken, we have close to half the world's -700 fleet and our pilots really like them too.

A few months ago we retired our last -500 and in September our remaining -300s will be sent to the desert as well.

 

I found my wife's uncle on this site... died in Vietnam (11B). Several guys from his squad posted about what actually happened to him the day he died. It was difficult for the family to read but good to know what really happened as opposed to the official story... plus all the heartfelt memories.

 

http://www.hurlburt.af.mil/News/Art...le/1018805/ac-130j-drops-first-laser-sdb.aspx

 

the SDB is the one that has the "wings" that allow it to glide, right?

 

Frickin laser beams

 

http://www.boeing.ca/products-and-services/defense-space-security/laser-sdb.page

Here is a good video although not from a gunship... very cool technology

https://youtu.be/C8LoRO5UHoQ

 

SKYNET IS SCHEDULED TO BECOME SELF-AWARE NEXT YEAR

https://youtu.be/2Znb_ott1Gw

 

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...^^^... Very Nice ...

The 60 is a great machine that can do many things ... very smart of the USArmy to be so forward looking and spec, design and build it ... nice ride.

 

I love this thread. I skipped around the pages a bit, but was definitely checking my memory for some of those tail numbers. I used to work at general aviation airport, then (administratively) ran a flight school for two years and went to a couple of other states/airports and back to Texas before I started nursing school. Of course I met some steller guys and then the ones that taught me how to drink after we land.

I miss the life of going on random flights when my friends needed a faux flight attendant last minute or just going for a hundred dollar hamburger. Yes, some of you may feel as though you got hit by "like-bombs", I'm not sorry.

Safe travels, y'all.