Many of the foriegn buyers are getting the CFTs because they do not need huge combat ranges. Israel needs to have aircraft that are able to make it to what would be the next state here in America, and be ready to defend them. Their true combat radius is not much. More of being able to use burner more, to get there…

Is that why in mock combat flying, the F-16 two seater was able to get the jump on the F-35? Recent headline, and happened at EDWARDS. But it was said the F-35 was not wearing its stealth radar avoiding coating. BUT, if in a major combat operation, high mission demand, will that coating hold up to mission after…

So far only thing that is has “proven” is that it’s cost is way too much for what is being received. And the fancy computing of its fuel versus combat, is not being done “real world”, as the other planes mentioned have proven themselves. Even the F-117, more of a stealth bomb toter, than a fighter, proved itself…

But it was also designed to be supported by a large number of F-22’s and that has been cut to the bone. And without the support of air superiority fighters, the F-35s will end up being fresh meat. The recent mock battle between an F-16 and an F-35, where the old plane won. Was a
two seater at that, shows there is…

The Air Force tried to kill the A-10 all the way along. Yet the two planes in the fly-0ff, the A-9 and the A-10, we got the A-10, and the Soviets ended up with an almost copy of the A-9, doing the same job as designed. Funny how function follows form. But the A-10 never has had support of the upper fast mover crowd.…

And now that Russia is ramping up production of tanks, what kind of threat might be in the future? Those same tanks churning through the Fulda Gap? Perhaps. Or perhaps it is a whole Jihad mass, and then what? But of course those that equate stealth with survivable flying even if it means having less aircraft to do the…

Perhaps that is because they are doing their job still. Why retire a plane that is mission capable. As to the plane’s age, not a problem, the assembly line could be ramped up, Boeing is trying to promote the aircraft for foreign sales anyway, so a production line would be not that hard to establish. Upgrade its…

I have been wondering as the costs of the damages. I had already posted that as this is the first failure mode for the type, it would probably be sentenced to become a training aid, etc. Parting it out, would make some sense, and put some spares into the supply pipeline. But the cost of the airframe, makes it a very…

With the speed of light, our world has been changing. Computers now do so much in our world, that anyone that is using one, has been subject to some form of malware, virus, or hacking. But the laws are based the things that existed back in those days. So yes, our laws need to be made to cover a wide range of new…

Well, I guess I must have been a S/F nut, for out of these ten, I have read and enjoyed three of them, Dune, Foundation, and 1984. There are others out there, such as Stranger In a Strange land, by Bradbury, that also are worth reading. I also enjoyed the Bio of a Space Tyrant series by Piers Anthony, along with his…

Or in an emergency, they more often make it home. One flight we hit turblence, and lost an engine, #2, and when we called in the IFE, were told C-130s flew just fine on three engines. Once the tower understood that the engine had departed in flight, and we required a straight in approach, did they realize what had…

Back in the early seventies, I was stationed at Edwards, and we had an assigned C-130A, that even had three bladed props, instead of the now standard four. It also had no radome, and sort of looked like a bulldog from the front view. The last three of its numbers were 131, and I believe it was a 52 year model. I…

And with the A-10, it was designed from the start, to carry the 30mm gun, and bust tanks. Since there is little glamor in a slow jet, that does not promote air-superiority, the Air Force has not wanted it from the start. Low and slow, the FAC's dream, enough armor to protect the vital systems and the pilot against…

All the comments about the black smoke, to me, it might just be the tire rubber being blown off the roads, along with the roadway itself. The output of jet engines is mega-heat, and since these are not concrete stretches of roadway but black-top, I wonder. And too, some of the video, is in rainy weather, and lots of…

Yes, I could see my GPS unit flagging my speed as being too high, until it had a nervous breakdown. Or take the next off-ramp in, oh, never mind you missed it too. Make a U-turn at Dallas, and follow the road for xxx miles, and then, etc.

Nothing new about using off the shelf electronics. In the Vietnam era, before a aviation device could be developed, the Wild Weasels and others were using off the shelf ''Fuzz-buster'' brand radar detectors. At least I know of some of the Hun drivers that used them. To keep their hind ends protected. Later…

This has been in practice for years. Back in the seventies even. But while the roads are pre-selected and stressed for aircraft landings, the problem is with the logistics. You have to have a large amount of tankers, to supply the jet fuel, and the ordinance also must be staged or transported. And if the main air…

To show how much it is worth, you cannot rush things. You must appear to be giving value for the trillions you received for this aircraft. That so far has been a failure, but the program continues. It catches fire, and burns before flight. It cannot land or takeoff unless special hot-pads are designed and in…

Okay, the gun might not be needed, but that had also been said of the all missle F-4, which later had to be redesigned to include the gatling gun. And just how is an aircraft going to support the ground troops with only 180 rounds of ammo? What a waste this project is turning out to be. The Warthog A-10, carries…

Once I told our Col. Chief of Maintenance that I could order anything if I could get a NSN for it. He jokingly told me to order him a couple of new F-4s. Soon we had four F-4Es arrive. We got the old Thunderbird F-4s assigned to replace some we lost during flight testing. He quickly got into the spirit of things,…