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Something something Y2K.
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Mar 12, 2023 13:34
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BIG HEADLINE posted:If a B-1 was launching to strike somewhere in Syria it'd be from Al Udeid or Diego Garcia. And far more likely to be the former, because the B-1s are "issue prone" and the last place you want to have an issue is over the massive swath of *nothing* that is the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea. Not many (re: none) friendly diverts other than turning back and praying to whatever entity will listen. Mountain Home hasn't had B-1s in 20 years. Dyess or Ellsworth, probably.
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Mar 25, 2023 16:37
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hobbesmaster posted:https://twitter.com/repbencline/status/1642928880959864842?s=46&t=TBi_iSImUmzjTxXAKsMEHw The EC-37 is a Gulfstream.
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Apr 4, 2023 12:37
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hobbesmaster posted:Oh, neat. Altitude alone means that platform makes way more sense than the EC-130. I’m guessing that was always an improvised Vietnam war decision like the AC-130? I think it was informed by the Vietnam experience, but came afterwards. Most EW was in the form of self-protection jammers or dedicated tactical aircraft, like the Prowler. A C-130 gives you a lot more range and loiter, and power. Nowadays threats can reach a whole lot farther, so a C-130 is probably not the best platform anymore. The most surprising aspect of this is that the AF actually pursued a modern platform for a support capability, as the existing aircraft approached end of life. It almost seems like someone managed to plan this out AND get buy-in from leadership. It's rather stunning.
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Apr 4, 2023 17:25
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Midjack posted:Early show could have done it but no way to work an explosion into that one so late MB would decline. Well, you could try it with an in-flight plane...
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Apr 7, 2023 23:21
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That thing looks more comfortable than a United 757.
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Apr 8, 2023 22:24
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The first two E-3As originally had normal passenger windows. In a close-enough or properly-angled photo, you can see the panel that replaced them. The rest were purpose-built without windows. Also I don't remember if I posted in here, but the USAF has begun the E-3's retirement. The first tail to go was 75-0560, which flew from Tinker to DM on the 6th, and is now parked at the boneyard for processing. A few days before departure, Tinker hosted a kind of open house for former AWACS crew and maintainers, and a couple thousand of them showed up to say goodbye and sign their names, inside and out.   Departure:   At DM: 
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Apr 12, 2023 14:12
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Aviators in general are. But pilots try to be the dudebros of the dudebros. You also don't get to pick your own callsign, generally. So most of those don't have a flattering story behind them. I actually know a bunch of the folks on that interior panel, and none of them are flattering. 
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Apr 12, 2023 14:30
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standard.deviant posted:Is “Blue” for what I think it’s for? It came from an accident that occurred IN the hospital, but testicles were not involved. hannibal posted:I just think it’s wild that we are actually finally replacing the E-3. I always assumed it would be one of those platforms that flew forever. They’re pretty beat up right? Is the replacement good? Seems like one of those things that will be made to go right because it’s so important. They're extremely worn out, there are basically no engines left, and almost everything needs to be fabbed from scratch. The replacement is very good, but several years off. Phanatic posted:"Jethro"'s got to be the most obvious and obligatory one ever. That dude was one of the last enlisted AWACS controllers. I considered myself lucky to have that generation of experts with 10+ years experience teach me how to do poo poo, before they were completely replaced by 1Lts who literally couldn't spend more than 3 years doing it unless they'd done something to destroy their career already. Godholio fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Apr 15, 2023 |
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Apr 15, 2023 00:36
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Xenoborg posted:They have lots of them (spares from 100s of decommissioned B-52s), but PW is charging and arm and a leg for maintenance and refurb. Engine maintainence costs was one the main drivers cited in re-engining the B-52Hs away from TF33. Old BUFFs, old KC-135s, the other C-135 variants, the C-141s, and a fuckton of airlines that the USAF purchased used engines from. The stockpile is basically burned through, I guess. The overhaul facility is across the runway from the AWACS parking ramp, in the second-largest building in the DOD (behind the Pentagon). Bldg 3001 is a mile long. Edit: Obviously it's not dedicated to that task, it's also the depot for several heavy aircraft types.
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Apr 15, 2023 23:35
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If you flew or worked near them, you might be blessed enough to hear it nearly all the time!
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Apr 15, 2023 23:56
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Vincent Van Goatse posted:From my childhood I can definitively state that a C-5 on final approach to NAS Norfolk is the loudest, harshest sound in the universe. They actually got quieter during the big C-5M upgrade a few years ago, which included new engines. But I'll never forget watching one takeoff at Maxwell AFB (pre-upgrade)...it looked like it was barely moving forward and couldn't POSSIBLY be able to lift off, but somehow it did. I was convinced I was going to be a witness in a crash investigation.
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Apr 17, 2023 17:07
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Operational necessity outside of dedicated supersonic-authorized training ranges is all pretty strictly defined. I'm blanking on the document title, but years ago I had to be passingly familiar with it. But basically unless poo poo is actually happening, military aircraft have to follow the same rules as everyone else outside their ranges, when the ranges are active.
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May 13, 2023 13:23
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Just spent a week in Europe for work, and managed to finagle my way onto a United 787 on the way there, and a LH 747-8i on the way back. So I've checked all the big names in the 7x7 family, finally. The 787 was a really nice ride, and the 747 was no slouch either. Even in economy, the 747 had the most legroom I've ever had on a commercial airliner...I had room to stretch a bit, which contrasts drastically with United's 757s, where I cannot avoid my knees being in contact the entire time without partially standing. The life preserver box under the 747's seats though...that sucks. It's absurd that this is the first time I've had to put my backpack in the overhead because it didn't fit under the seat.
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May 24, 2023 11:55
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david_a posted:Is buying a 20 year old plane and refurbing it as a VIP transport common? I mean, the US can always afford to buy new, but I’m wondering about the rest of the world. I'd never call JSTARS crew VIPs, but all their jets were second or third hand. Somewhere (I hope I haven't lost it) I've got an old ppt of those jets in their former lives. edit: goddamn lol
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May 31, 2023 11:12
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bull3964 posted:All this poo poo is some designers way of getting their name up on a bunch of news articles. High school student designers.
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Jun 12, 2023 21:33
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ManifunkDestiny posted:Oh man, that must’ve been incredible to hear https://twitter.com/exoticaviation/status/1674910336376360962?s=46&t=hdimtcCpG7vL0FMaHCpIPQ I don't know if I'm missing a joke but these are B-52s. They'd be a fair bit louder than today's H-models, but not B-36 "rattle your loving soul" loud.
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Jul 2, 2023 16:28
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Vincent Van Goatse posted:B-52s are loud, but not nearly as loud as the C-5 with the original engines. The TF33 powering the B-52H, while shrieky as all hell and extremely loud by today's standards, is positively quiet compared to the J57. I'm not sure how the old BUFFs would compare with an old Galaxy.
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Jul 3, 2023 01:59
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OMGVBFLOL posted:the flyer was barely controllable as it was drat
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Jul 10, 2023 23:18
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I rode in the back of a 707 a lot, and it was easy to tell if the experienced or inexperienced pilot had the controls at any phase of flight.
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Jul 15, 2023 13:21
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Spaced God posted:https://twitter.com/kcalnews/status/1688389153879105536 It was a firefighting helo and a skycrane...which doesn't sound like a news helo.
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Aug 7, 2023 12:41
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Xenoborg posted:Certainly for Boeing claiming ownership of the F-15 and F/A-18. Pretty sure Boeing has built more of them than McD did. Edit: This is meant as an observation, not a correction or something.
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Aug 12, 2023 20:07
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david_a posted:So is it safe to say that the Max will be the last revision of the 737? That was allegedly their plan all along. The max was a move to stretch that design out long enough to get the 787 finished and in full production before kicking off a new design.
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Aug 23, 2023 18:32
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Sagebrush posted:I bet the F-35 in that configuration is burning fuel faster than it can take it on. At afterburner? You betcha. it's not a real pic
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Sep 24, 2023 18:21
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Ospreys CAN refuel other aircraft, it's just not doing it in that photo. That's not where the drogue comes from, and obviously an F-35 isn't rocking afterburner in a semi-hover(?) mode at a couple thousand feet.
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Sep 24, 2023 18:27
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Advent Horizon posted:https://mynews4.com/news/local/six-cities-announced-as-potential-future-home-of-national-championship-ari-races-after-reno-depature And miles of nothingness that Reno hasn't had in decades, a major interstate highway, and the Bonneville Salt Flats which brings a reputation.
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Oct 26, 2023 21:43
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shame on an IGA posted:sextant port but it's for the x-ray telescope that unlocks pulsar navigation We used ours for an Iridium antenna.
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Dec 4, 2023 14:11
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slidebite posted:True, but which all the more makes it shocking the Canadian government didn't go with Bombardier. The amazing thing is they didn't try to buy our old P-3s.
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Dec 11, 2023 23:54
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If a single Boeing beancounter says it, that's the end of discussion. They don't even need an engineer or technician to put eyeballs on the aircraft.
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Dec 17, 2023 18:55
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I would blow Dane Cook posted:Has anyone here been intercepted whilst flying? What's it like? I've made the "This the US Air Force on guard..." call to some idiot dentist/doctor/lawyer busting a presidential TFR a couple of times. Usually they don't seem to realize you're talking to them, but then suddenly between radar sweeps they've managed to maneuver their Cessna onto the proper heading and you can practically hear the "Oh gently caress oh gently caress oh gently caress" as they start following directions promptly. I never actually had fighters and idiots on the same missions, sadly.
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Feb 9, 2024 12:50
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Aaaaaaarrrrrggggg posted:Lack of a combination of fighters and idiots makes me picture an intercept in a C-5 or something equally ludicrous. This was about 15 years ago, so procedures have changed, but at the time there just weren't always fighters assigned. Depending on what ground facilities and radar coverage was available, we'd either send a controller to an ATC facility, or an AWACS might be tasked to absolute boredom. I was sitting in a TRACON with a secret service agent, no fighters, but this guy was making phone calls to ensure the errant dentists were welcomed appropriately at their destination airfields. Networking has progressed over the years (and honestly we had a lot of this capability back then but nobody used it) so a lot of this stuff is handled directly by EADS and WADS. If you've noticed, the audio from most of these events includes either the Huntress or Bigfoot callsigns.
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Feb 11, 2024 14:20
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