Leaderboard

Those are actually not a bad idea. I wonder if they could get those at Dover. And then install some that say " NOT MCDILL" at that Peter O. Knight place.

Number one: not a fighter pilot... I think I'll head to the nearest kill box and shoot my internally carried load all over the place... Are you fucking serious?!! I've had a 9-line passed via electronic means (not available to everyone)and the only reason I knew the engagement happened was the explosion that happened on the ground and the JTAC saying, yeah that's one of ours... This shit happens more than you REMFs know/want to admit it does. And you'll have to dig deep into the daytime sitreps but there are many occasions where this happened and nothing else was ever heard regarding these incidents.

PSIF/FTD/BO/BKIH

I try to only post after drinking heavily. Historically this was extremely infrequent, but it is becoming a much more common event. Everyone bear with me here, it's going to get ugly. You must be high! You work in the land of endless cash and limitless dreams apparently. The fact is, this country is drowning in debt! Trying to justify that a predator is worth $5 million bucks over a $1 million dollar manned asset that performs at 5 times the level is ludicrous. You sir are misinformed and stuck in the land of make-believe. I get that idiots want to keep pushing this technology as the only future while there is only a limited future in it. The future may not be manned fighters (or aircraft for that matter), but it isn't these things either. The entire future is wasted if all of the eggs are in this RCA bullshit basket. Generals, politicians, and contractors love 'em. Since you ended up talking about CAS, ask any JTAC in the world if he would rather an A-10, or a goddamn UAV. YGBFSM. No fear of being non-vol'd to those things here; you wouldn't want to send me there. I speak too many truths and rock too many boats. Integrity first right? Just speaking some truths from experience here to help educate folks that either don't have any real-world experience or are stuck in REMF land (perhaps like yourself). There are SERIOUS limitations that make the Pred and Reaper serious limfacs and pure examples of F/W/A. Aside from staying airborne for a day at a time and providing limited data, they are not that valuable. They really aren't. You'll see why they are so loved from senior brass below, where I reference how our USAF tenet has gone horribly wrong. OK, I have first hand knowledge of this occurring and apparently so do a few others that replied to your post. Whoever you are, you are ill-informed. There are a few wars going on (that's not a typo) and some of us have spent the better part of the last decade fighting them. Sorry if you got left out. Why wouldn't it surprise you that someone forgot to call in on their final clearance? Why would someone releasing a weapon inadvertently IN A STACK be on the JTAC? Seriously? From any weapon employing platform that would be absolutely unacceptable! Firing a missile through a stack without getting VERBAL clearance from the control authority and without deconfliction is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE! I hope that is what they teach in RCA land. That is how this event happened- more than once. For your last question, keep reading for the drunken finale... I'm a fighter pilot because I earned it, not because I still fly it. Maybe in the Guard the privilege will return. Maybe not. The other stories you are reading do not come from fighter pilots but from other folks with first hand knowledge flying other relevant aircraft. I wouldn't be surprised if other pointy nose fellas jump in and share an experience or two as well; I know they have some. Keep hoping for those court martials. They aren't happening nor should they, at least for the JTAC or Wardens. I'm not putting all of the blame on Pred operators either (not all of it). You sir, are living in the land of theory and textbook application of how USAF warfare is SUPPOSED to be applied. Welcome to the present, where centralized control and CENTRALIZED execution reign supreme. You have dipshits like GC directing virtual 9 lines that make no sense whatsoever and are being sent from half of a world away. They love Pred porn and being able to micro manage aircraft in a stack where the action is. They do have authority and make the choices that lead to events you don't hear about. That's how your damn Hellfire ends up blitzing through a stack. Don't blame the warden, and don't blame the JTAC (if there was even one even there). Mix in non-military actors and the fun escalates exponentially! Nine-lines make sense during CAS, but in todays screwed up land of Generals running tactical missions without ground troops, those same CAS procedures somehow end up being used for air-interdiction strike missions that have nothing to do with TICs or JTACs. It's about as effective as the current administration running economic policy or Diane Feinstein debating FOR the second amendment. Good on you for reading the books about how it should be, now go get some experience related to how it actually is. ///play clowncar music/// I reread this post three times, and it illustrates truths but does not violate OPSEC. It covers things we don't want to talk about (but should); it doesn't hurt anyone but ourselves if we don't recognize these problems and fix them. Fix 'em GC, you're an aviator right?

GMAFB. This thread is the equivalent of a group of grad Lts, waiting for orders from their UPT base, arguing about how bad they'd heard PEX is, from stories their buddies at the B-course told them. Mods: please move this thread to its appropriate place in the RPA forum, where it can whither in peace.

CHS... Was the gear down?

I don't know why you need a guy whose job is to be the gym towel boy.... Seriously do you guys not have E2s and such in trouble? Additional duty for infractions in discipline short of ucmj action should be more than enough at any base to cover the stupid shit like putting a dude at the gym for safety reasons or keeping the grass cut at HQ. we have 24 hour gyms down range at nearly every major FOB I've been too, and they are always locally "owned."

Works for me. May have to limit it...your leave turns into regular leave if you come back unmarried, you only get it every five years, etc. (gonna have to wait on that third marriage).

The new approach lights installed at San Francisco International Airport after the Asiana Crash...

Allow myself to quote myself

Looks horrible.