GreasySideUp

2 birds in the hand is better than none. Apply to both, maybe you get at least one, hopefully you have a tough decision to make. Provides an easy answer when they ask what you'll do if you don't get the slot. "well sir I have a package in with AD as we speak...." Good luck, explore all your options. -j

The military in general needs to pay way more attention to the airlines, specifically Fedex, UPS and Southwest. These guys have figured out how to run at min cost and there is no reason we in the military should not either, in fact we owe it to the guys who pay our salary to do so. So running with less gas only saves a few hundred pounds a leg, a miniscule savings but whien multiplied by the number of flights we do in a year saves millions. Anywhere we can run a GPU vs an APU, An Air cart vs an Engine, taxi with an engine shut down after landing or starting the last one up in the EOR will all save a ton of gas when looked at on the grand scheme. Just because a flight here and there has to dump fuel because of a cancelled fighter sortie is not a valid excuse for everyone else to waste gas. 10 diverts out of 2000 hours would have most likely cost a lot less than the amount spent on tanker fuel and holding - pain in the ass maybe but it would have saved money. With that said sound judgement still prevails. There is absolutely no excuse for ditching in the ocean because someone told you you would have enough, the AIB would be incredibly short. No one needs to tell a pilot how much gas he can have no matter what the reason, on the other hand there is no reason they shouldn't have justification for the fuel the pilot wants. Just because is not a valid answer. It does get sticky if they are going that route where a planner will not under any circumstance give more gas. Figure out how much gas you legally need and add some for crappy weather, just throwing on a few thousand because it would be nice to have is wasting money. Not nats assing your fuel to include training and currency down to the approach and touch and go and then landing at min legal fuel is wasting money. Taking a bunch extra today just because someone you know had to put the gear down and burn yesterday for events out of his control is ignorant. We all owe it to the Airforce and the tax payer to save a buck here and there even if the apparent savings are miniscule, besides it just makes common sense to save gas no matter how small the amount. Airlines figured this out a long time ago, amazing it is taking the military so long to follow suit. my .02 -j

Ahhh Mr. Ngoza.... The most infamous scam of all yet those guys still make a living off it. Scams are starting to get more complex. I buy a lot of pretty big items off the net so I've seen a bunch. The latest is to hold back and only send one picture, when you ask for more they'll wait a day to "take a few pics" and then send a few more as requested so it actually looks like they took more pics. I've had this done several times now with pinball machines and motorcycles, problem was the pictures were pirated from other random sites off the web and used as their own. I am very familiar with just about every picture on the net for the stuff I am looking for and can recognize usually where the pictures came from. I usually don't hear back when I send them the next picture in the series. My latest CSM (counter scam measure) is to request a picture with a random item of my chosing on the item for sale. ie. please send a pic with a hammer on the seat of the motorcycle so I know you actually have it. Honest people selling have no problem doing this, scams shy away pretty quickly. I just sold a Harley to a guy in Europe with no issues and no phone conversation at all so the honest deals are out there but you really have to be careful. I would never have made the purchace that way. Many scams are now just looking to get the deposit, I can only imagine how many people are being burned a hundred bucks at a time. The real shame is the computer skills and command of the English language could get these guys a pretty descent job. I would love to have some of the tech support these guys could give with their skills (ebay pages with buttons, website design of schill companies etc.) My final email to these guys now goes something like this. "Is your life truly so bad you need to scam others to be happy? Are the short term gains from the money you were getting from me worth the hole in your soul for stealing hard earned money? It is obvious you have a roof over your head and access to the internet, are you not going to eat tonight if the scam falls through? Go to to the church of your choosing this weekend, think about it and put your computer skills to good use, get a good job and earn the money for the extra things you want in life. The rewards of things earned and not stolen will be so much more fufilling. If there is anything I can do to help you with an honest living please let me know." I've actually had a few people come back and say "You are absolutely right, I don't know why I'm doing this. I have a descent job but for some reason it didn't feel like a crime...." along with a bunch of other stuff about their life. Who knows if they were sincere about quitting the scams but you change the world one person at a time right? Anyways.... Did you get the Coronet? Sweet ride, I was looking for one of those a few years ago after that movie with Ed Norton. Still want one someday.

Fellas, thanks for all the offers I really appreciate it. I'm 91-94% sure it's turning into a scam as in the guy won't allow anyone to see the bikes, won't use escrow, a shipping company, Harley Davidson or any 3rd party company to hold the cash until pickup. He only wants a 3k deposit by 5:00 tonight directly to his bank and the rest on delivery which he has already paid for. He managed to send some pics but the years are not correct for what he advertized and one of the bikes is a Harley when he advertized 2 Indians. Amazing how many scams are on the internet. This guy actually had a phone number and chatted for a few hours, normally you can't even get phone numbers from them - they just want you to send money off a random hotmail account email. I've been looking for an old Indian for a few years now and have run into at least a dozen scams. It's really too bad, the pics he sent were pretty nice. I'm still holding out for that 6-9% chance it is legit and I'll let you know but my hopes are grim. No one has an old Indian they want to unload by chance, project or otherwise? Thanks again, -j

Looking for someone in South Dakota to check out a motorcycle for me. You don't need to know anything about them - I'm just looking more for verification that the thing is actually there. Maybe take a few pictures as well. I found an old Indian Chief that a guy inherited but he doesn't live there. Anyways there are a few fishy things in his story about where the bikes are but he does have a valid phone number, I've spoken with him several times and he is an older american. I've uncovered a half dozen scams looking for one of these things but usually it ends when I ask for their phone number. They are conveniently in Europe or want to use cashiers checks etc. I think it is Legit but the deal is one like you read about. Anyhow I could throw a hunderd bucks in to cover lunch and gas money, not sure the exact area - somewhere around Mount Rushmore but I'll try and narrow it down today. Thanks, j

The only way you have a 0 chance is if you don't apply. as the sig line says Good luck and any flying you get will help both your chances and in UPT -j

I have a thousand hours blasting through MOA's as a civilian and would never do it the same way again after my first flight in a T-37. I didn't realize what an inconvience it is for aircraft that I thought had global SA when depending on the training might now be devoting 100% attention and 20-30 minutes looking for a cessna. Mind you a lot of fighting can be done in a Viper without having an operable radar, let alone in an A-10, 38 or 37. Things you can do to help, Always talk to the controllers who are talking to the military aircraft and ask if they are only using a portion of the MOA. They might never be above 5k or below 10k depending on the mission. They might be working over a particuluar town or north of a certain radial. Stay to the extreme vertical boundaries - fly in the bottom or top 500 feet if you can and tell the controller you will be at that hard altitude if it will help. Try to never fly in the middle of the altitude block. Try to be on a border. Ask what you can do to be the least hinderance. "What altitude would help the most?" would be a huge help. If the MOA starts at 6k and you are at 7, please just descend to 5. If you are around tweets doing spins go to 4 to be safe. Being in a MOA because you are allowed when it is just as easy to descend 2 k is absurd. I realize there are MOAs surface to the moon where this is not practical. Is this required? Absolutely not. but if I have SA in my cockpit that a 172 is going to be on a 180 heading on the 360 radial from xyz VOR at a hard altitude of 6900 feet I can plan accordingly and still get something done. Even if I know one or two of those for certain it will help immensely. If I have to devote my radar and eyballs to 20k feet of altitude looking for someone doing S turns about a point I just wasted my sortie. Depending on the mission and where the MOA is in relation to the field, a fighter might only be in the MOA for 20 minutes. A Cessna transversing in the dead center can easily kill that entire time. Thanks for asking how you can help, these tips might save a midair as well. Fly safe, -j

Without getting too classified The F-16 beats the F-15 in every regime of every arena every time period dot. Substituting an Arrow or a 172 for the F-16, the F-15 has a slight advantage only negated by the skills of the average private pilot in said arenas. -j

The Good : It drives like a Jeep The Bad : It drives like a Jeep I can't speak for the Unlimited, only CJ's and YJ's but I want one too - Probably next summer getting rid of the 4Runner and getting another Jeep. Definately get the 6 cylinder, the 4 works but the extra gas for the 6 is worth every penny. 4WD is a must as well, even if you are only in the City, Jeep owners tend to flock to other Jeep owners who flock to trails a couple of times a year. Some every week. You'll make both those up in resale as well. -j

Start applying yesterday. Get your BAT and AFOQT done immediately. Get on the phone and call the unit directly and ask to talk to a pilot on the board. The hiring season started a month ago and will run till ~ September but many units only hire once every couple of years. Not sure where Fresno sits with their board timing but they definately do like the prior service. Ditto with pretty much every unit. The Marines should give you time off to interview (Don't think it is required but I've seen active duty dudes at every interview I went on) Also don't limit yourself to just one unit, spread the eggs out and you'll have a much better shot. Use some of that leave you have saved up and try to visit the units you are applying to. Face time is huge in the hiring process and gives a definate leg up over the others. The 2 year Gard timeline is pusing it a little, The prior service (AF) Captain we last hired was in UPT in around two months after the interview and the non prior was in AMS 5 mos later and UPT around the 9 month point. Having been commissioned with a clearance is huge as Pirate mentioned. As a Viper driver you'll never be on weekends only, minimum is 8 sorties a month for an inexperienced guy(<500hrs) and then 6 sorties there after. You'll get a little over a year of full time seasoning days when you get back from UPT/RTU and then plan 6-9 days a month absolute minimum. If you want to be at all effective in the jet as a young dude you'll probably spend a few more days than that every month. Plan on a little under 4 years of full time work from the day you leave for UPT until you can go part time, most guys are pushed out kicking and screaming rather than willingly leaving, wanting just a little more experience before being shown the door. Thankfully many units are able to accomadate. Good luck, The job is absolutely incradible. I know several priors now in the cockpit so it is definately possible. -j `

All great questions in the previous posts. The absolute best thing you can do is visit the unit. A few visits and a few beers are equivilent to a thousand perfect answers. If you are local and have not visited they'll wonder why. On the other hand you are not expected to fly across the country prior to an interview but you will be a leg down on dudes that have been to the unit before. I remember showing up to interviews at the same time as other civilians, introducing myself while the guy next to me was getting asked questions about how his wife and kids were doing - obviously having met several of the pilots previously. Huge advantage. Other than that know absolutely everything about the aircraft you want to fly. Know the history of when it was concieved and the evolution of the airframe over the years. Know about the mission. Know why the C-17 is different from the C-130, Know how the Hog mission is different than the Viper and if you interview with an Eagle unit know the difference between a pitcher and a catcher. Know the advantages and disadvantages of each mission and why you like one over the other. For fighters, know about the munitions each carry. Know about the difference between a GBU12 and a GBU38 and an AIM120 and an AIM9. Learn as much as you can about every weapon the jet can carry. Know which block aircraft the unit flys and the differences between the blocks. Do research on targeting pods and some of the capabilities of the pod the unit carries. Know some basic capes of the radar, detect and track numbers. Read about the deployment cycles, the last 2-3 they have been on and when they expect to go again. Research news of what the unit accomplished while overseas. Read Janes. Know some of the history of the unit, when they started and what planes they flew until today. Know the names of the people on the board and some of their history, where they went to school and what they have accomplished in the airforce. Know about the state and the city you are going to live in. Know about housing prices and some neighborhoods you might like to live. Know the rank structure. Know the evolution of your career and how you would like it to progress by certain years. Know about flight commanders, 2FLUG, 4FLUG, IP, Scheduling, Stan Eval, Weapons, know the difference between the OG, the Squadron Commander and the Wing Commander. Know who each of those people are in the unit. The DO wouldn't hurt either. Is all this expected? Absolutely not but several people I know that were hired knew many parts of the above. When they ask Why this jet? "Because it looks cool and would be fun" is probably not the best answer. "Because a 4 ship can deliver 8 GBU 10's behind the FEBA unescorted with the ability to fight their way in and out....." Just be ready for the follow on of what a GBU10 is. Being able to answer that gives huge bonus points. This simple question gives you the ability to show how much you want it and that you really have researched the fact that you want to be there. When you interview with the Herc unit tell all the advantages it has over the C-17, while with the C-17 unit talk about it's strengths etc.. The internet is a wonderful thing. Take the interview the same way you would approach a test. Study. You are not expected to know much at all about tactics or even about weapons but there is a ton of information out there you can get smart on and really impress the board. This board is an awesome resource, many units have websites with the monthly newsletters - read every one so you can see what the unit has done over the years. F-16.net is a great place for Viper Gouge and I'm sure there are other sites for each airframe in the inventory. Good luck -j

Welcome to the forum. What is your vision without contacts? Search in the medical forum for vision requirements, waivers and PRK. Might be able to land a slot with a waiver and most likely with PRK. (Do a ton of research before that last option - there is a ton of info here if you do go that route.) Good luck, -j

Above 9.5 is when the crewchiefs start drinking for free. Not an over G until 9.6. It should cut it off at nine but I think HAL is occasionally G-Loc'd and isn't quite sure whats going on. I've seen above nine several times, a classmate in RTU held 9.3 for a good 2 turns before calling uncle. A painful tape to watch for sure. Nothing like a GE burning downhill! The hornet can "Paddle" above 7.5g for emergency use but I believe there are inspections to follow. -j

Have a buddy that was .25 diopter outside limits when they added astigmatism pre op. Otherwise 20/20 after surgery with all timelines and post op visits met. He is now about to submit a package for the Navy. All other ducks in a row (AFOQT, BAT, Engineer, flight time etc) Awsome candidate. When can he resubmit, is it possible to send the package for approval now knowing it will take a month to get wherever it is it goes? Would hat to lose him to the darkside. -j

I had an AD Navy slot when I got picked up by the Guard. Know of a few others that had spots in the AirForce that are now Guard. I absolutely would not give your OTS Date up in the hopes of a Guard spot but definately don't feel bad about applying to units with that spot in the hand. Looks good in the interview when they ask "What will you do if we don't hire you? Sir, I have a date in May of 07, I'll fufill my AD tour and reapply with you in 2017" That OTS and UPT spot will get filled by someone else if you do get hired somewhere no matter what some might tell you. There are always people on the short call list itching for an earlier date. Be prepared if you do get hired this Spring to not go to training until 08, not sure if they would be able to keep that school date or not. Lastly look carefully what you'll be giving up going to the Guard and weigh that with the benefits. Send out some Apps and see what happens. The tough decisions are the most fun but to have that decision you need to start getting on the phone today, visiting units and sending out apps for the places you want to get hired. Good luck, -j

Take a look at airwarriors.com. There is the same bs as on this board when trying to ask legitimate questions but you should find some answers there. Take a look at the Navy as well. They guarantee flight slots, if you don't pass the physical or a few other things you can get out with no commitment. As far as the wait it really depends on timing. Some people breeze through, others are stashed like Riddler said - what is going on now will probably be drastically different when you get there. What riddler didn't say was during those years of training during primary when you are not flying you are golfing, fishing or at the beach. Good luck and definately keep your options open. -j

Met a fella 2 years ago in IFF for a hog unit that flew 135's AD. 96% positive he flew tweets and tones and then the 135. When he got picked up for the hog he was sent through a qual at Randolph for the 38. He made it through IFF but I have no idea how he did past that. I know two captains right now in RTU for Viper units that flew Bones, had 38 time but no fighter time so a little bit different situation but they got hired because they were awsome dudes and would be good fits with the unit. They could teach them how to fly fighters knowing its tough to train personalities. "So if a pig had a personality it would ceace to be a filthy animal?" You'll have to be one charming tanker pilot but I'm at least saying theres a chance.

Thread Revival Could you explain the rules of the betting and how this works? Calcutta - The Calcutta is basically a Turkey shoot, except people in the squadron bet on who they think will perform well and who will suck (like betting on a horse race). You can bet on yourself to do well, or bet on someone else to do well. Winners get ca$h prizes and the snacko takes 30% clean off the top. Again, costs the squadron nothing. Thanks for the help. Looks like a great way to raise some dough. -j

My Marine buddy hornet drivers got qualed on the boat and then never saw it again. Not sure if that is the norm. Class ranking plays a huge part in selection. Check Airwarriors.com for more reliable info. they have a great forum over there for gold wing types. Good luck and don't give up. Don't sell yourself short on the AF yet either until they've told you no a few more times. -j

Another long winded story. To those of you following my plight here's one about dropping a couple bombs. A little compilation of a few flights, I sat down to write a little about first dropping BDU's and before I knew it I shot down an F-5 in the LFE. time flies. As always, First to find 5 mistakes I'll buy the first round..... enjoy, The only thing sexier than a clean F-16 is one laden with bombs. "The Lymnadians have invaded to the south in an unexpected move against our allies. It is day 3 of the war and their small Air force has been destroyed, the remaining aircraft grounded by the lack of brave pilots to fly them. None the less the enemy is giving our army a tough time in the urban sprawl using hostage and terrorist tactics through urban warfare. The much needed Close Air support is unavailable due to this SA 3 SAM (Surface to Air Missile) site on the outskirts of town. The battery of surface to air missiles are limiting our ability to provide air cover to our special forces on the ground." Our intel shop has prepared an excellent presentation and are leading the brief this morning for the threats and challenges we can expect on our mission today. A power point presentation outlines our route with the surface threats we will face along with satellite imagery of the target we are to attack. I am number 4 in a four ship of Vipers, #2 being another stud as well. Yesterday we spent 11 hours working out a plan to effectively strike the target including a plan to Air Refuel and ingress and egress the SA 3 GOA site in the low level structure at 500 knots and 500 feet to effectively remain below radar coverage and other SAMs along our route. "Crossing the FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area) you can expect MANPADS and light AAA including ZSU 23-4's" The presentation zooms in to 2 saw-tooth lines, one red and one blue signifying the edge of the forward troops. This line is over a hundred miles from the target but the threat is very real. MANPADS are portable sams that can be carried by a single infantry man to protect the troops he is with. They have a small missile with short range, but inside the envelop they are very effective. The ZSU 23-4 has accounted for several aircraft kills itself with it's 4 machine gun barrels ripping a few thousand rounds a minute of 23 mm fire. Mounted on a tracked vehicle it is completely mobile and can be found anywhere behind enemy lines. There is also that ever so deadly golden BB that can bring down the fastest, most lethal aircraft simply with lucky placement. The ruskies tactics involved a thousand troops laying on their backs with rifles pointed skyward anytime enemy aircraft were overhead hoping for that one lucky shot. Even with sophisticated computer guided, rocket propelled SAMs and Radar guided missiles from aircraft, Triple A or Anti Aircraft Artillery has accounted for roughly 80% of ALL aircraft victories. Gunpowder and Lead, the same technology for over a hundred years, has brought down more planes than all the aces and all the million dollar missiles combined. It is simple, unguided and lethal and with that comes a healthy respect for anyone with a trigger on their finger. "40 miles from the target in this town is an SA 6 Gainful, the 3 fingers of death that brought down O'Grady, just skirting your route. An SA 13 Gopher was spotted by a predator on the highway to the south so it could be a threat by your push. The SA3, your target, is revetted here on the west side of town. There are 4 launchers in a puppy paw configuration with a radar site and control van in the middle. Your target is that van, the flight after you will be tasked with the rest of the site with A-10's arriving shortly after to help with the ground war. If the first run is unsuccessful you will have to re-attack after you stirred up the hornets nest. There will be a bunch of angry men down there who will be expecting you again but we need this site to go down to save the lives of our boys on the ground. Make the first run count." The satellite zooms in from a big overall picture to specifics of what we are going to hit. I've studied these maps and pictures for an hour this morning identifying landmarks and run-in features I'll recognize on the ingress. A few dirt roads lead towards a small creek bed that funnel me towards the site. A large wash, possibly a dried up lake is a good landmark for my action to the final run on the target. I'll have a pack in the jet with me,15 pages thick of all these images but I doubt I'll have time to open it so close to the ground. I flew the mission 100 times last night in my head recalling all the features and actions I would need today for a successful First Run Attack. If I mess up the first time, we'll have to go back in for a second pass, putting myself and more importantly the rest of my flight back in harms way unnecessarily. We planned the attack using 2 each Mk 84 2000 pound bombs containing 945 pounds of tritinal high explosive. Lead will be delivering High Drags, the bomb equipped with a ballute in the tail, combination balloon/parachute to slow the bomb down after release to get more separation before the explosion. His will be armed with a proximity fuse set to detonate above the ground for max blast effect. A tiny pulse doppler radar is fitted inside the nose of the bomb to judge the altitude it will explode. A 10 degree delivery will keep him low to the ground, exposing himself no more than ~8 seconds before release. I'll be dropping slicks from a further higher 20 degree dive. The goal is to release my weapons before his explode so I can both see the target and escape the frag his will reign out. A 2000 pound bomb unleashes a sphere of destruction a half mile wide by the same distance high. Shrapnel can continue to rain for 30 seconds after initial impact, the smallest of which could FOD my engine and leave me on a one way ticket to the crash site. Considering the crash site is in close proximity to the folks I just unleashed devastation on this would be a bad thing. All these reasons are why we spent so much time yesterday planning the attacks. A coordinated attack has to be perfect, not only for your own bombs but for the others in the flight to be both effective, accurate and safe for egress. The plan is sound, now it is up to us to perform. The jets are starting to look mean in the Air to Ground role. No longer the in the sleek low drag, high G, AA configuration they now have two 2500# drop tanks on the inner wings, 2 TER, Triple Ejector Racks for stores on the outer wings, a Heater and an AAMRAAM on the tips, a LANTERN targeting pod on the right chin station and a 510 round clip in the gun. A dozen bright red streamers hang from all the stores to safe them up on the ground - they'll all be removed just prior to takeoff. I've got the weight and price of a few Ferrari Enzo's on each wing and I can't wait to drop em off. The Viper has the ability to fight it's way in, deliver it's ordinance, and fight it's way out, unescorted and unafraid. Even though we planned for the 2000 pounders, those things get a little pricey and there are only a few ranges that can actually handle explosions of that magnitude so today we're laden with 6 of his little blue cousins. The Blue Death. The BDU 33. The BDU was developed to mimic the flight characteristics of it's larger cousins without the hefty price tag or the risk of fragging yourself while training. We usually configure for 9 of the little fellas allowing 9 passes but today we just have 6 with a ripple two 75 foot allowing 3 passes. A 24 pound slick iron case houses a hollow tube containing a small pyrotechnic that explodes into a small puff of smoke upon impact. The ranger can then triangulate the point from his tower and give you a score in range and azimuth from the target you were trying to hit. These scores are then faxed back to the debrief so the winner can be paid. It is a huge set of rules but basically each bomb you get the best score on you get a little money from the rest of the flight. Have a bad day and your out a few bucks, ditto on the strafe passes so it encourages you to both take it seriously and hone your craft. Giving up money because you suck blows. I was in one of the last classes to Manual Bomb BDU's in IFF using an iron sight and Kentucky windage. All but one other in my class flew the T38C equipped with the latest in glass HUD technology, INS and GPS to find the target and a random number generator to determine if you hit. It is an absolute shame to have a computer decide your bomb score because you really have no idea how well your doing without dropping real, cold, hard, Pittsburgh Iron from the jet. Computers will be helping today but they definitely won't be deciding how close we got. The weather today is broken around 4000 feet over the field so we opt for a 20" AB RATD. there will be 20 seconds between us using afterburner on a radar trail departure. this allows lead to fly the departure and the wingies to take a radar lock and form a line through the clouds with 2 miles between each jet. What seems simple, locking the guy in front of you, has occasionally proven a nightmare and even killed a few people. Locking the wrong blip on the screen can prove to be disastrous. The Thunderbirds locked up an airliner out of DC busting all kinds of restricted airspace, people have joined on corporate jets and even cars on the highway but today it goes just fine. We break out at about 8000 feet to a clear blue sky on a white sheet of puffies. Out in the distance a green square breaks out on the radar in front of us, lead locks him up and we're off for the rejoin. The tanker is there right on time, exactly where he is supposed to be. We don't need the gas today but these guys have been lifesavers for more than one shot up bird in their day. Pretty much every IP who has been to war has a story of a tanker that saved their bacon. Low on gas, leaking fuel, using too much AB dodging SAMs, tankers have often crossed into enemy territory to help our boys out and bail a wounded bird out of trouble. Often under appreciated and under recognized, their mission is vital to the operations we run today. Off in the distance a menacing gray KC-135 StratoTanker emerges from the blue. Originally dubbed the Boeing 707 the military got a hold of a few, ripped out the seats and filled it with fuel. This one is the upgraded R model with 4 enormous engines, each one able to swallow the fuselage of the Viper whole. The 4 turbofans each produce 22,000 pounds af thrust and can propel the 322,000 pound behemoth near the speed of sound. There are only two windows I notice down the sides of the fuselage, and the cabin up front looks like chopped 32 Deuce with 6 skinny plates of plexi wrapping around the cockpit. A black nose cone is the only differing color adding to the angry look of the plane. For a heavy, this is probably the best looking of the bunch, mainly because of it's precious cargo. 200,000# of Jet A hiding in the belly. This is only my second time seeing one of these up close but we'll carry a close relationship the rest of my career dragging me across oceans and continents closer to the wars I'll be fighting. Lead pulls up to the boom, 2 to the left wing, 3 and myself on the right. This is the picture that calendars are made of. A four ship of Vipers hooked up to a 135 on a clear blue sky over a broken puffy cloud deck. It does not get any better than this moment. I'm flying a loose route off my lead who is level with the giant tail peering off the other wing to keep proper spacing. The habits we build in clear day sky will help when I have to join up at night in the weather, going lost wing man when you desperately need gas can be fatal and it starts with discipline even when everything is easy. I'm the last to fuel, when 2 leaves the boom I move aft and down about 50 feet behind the tanker. "Viper 4 Pre Contact, Stable Ready." "Cleared Contact" During war this will all be silent but today it's nice to have a little instruction. Looking up a few small windows bulge from the rear belly of the jet housing the 3rd member of the team. There the boomer lays on his belly with a couple of joysticks to control the boom. Unlike the Navy who uses a probe and basket approach, the boom actually has 2 small wings that the operator uses to fly the boom to our jet. It has a fairly wide range of motion and can move in and out as well, the limits of which I'll probably test out this flight. A few months ago another stud in my class did a few hundred grand in damages when the boom didn't disconnect fast enough. That looms in the back of all our minds and even though I have a bunch of time flying in formation I can feel my heart speeding up and my fingers clinching tighter to the stick. Wiggle the toes. Relax. I slowly inch up to within 10 feet of the boom lined up with a bright yellow line painted down the belly of the craft. 2 light bars just under the cockpit begin to blink telling me to move forward and down. Those lights will guide the rest of my movements, sometimes blinking and others steady, inching me up and down to the median height off the boom. As I move forward, the tip of the boom starts to fly around my bubble canopy, inches from my nugget, to the receptacle just behind my seat. I can't help but wonder what it would do to the canopy with a smack and would I be able to duck far enough if it did come through. This is the one time I wish my visibility was a little worse, knowing what I cant see shouldn't hurt me. The old ostrich approach definitely won't work here with the best bubble canopy on the planet. I can see every uncomfortable inch of the probe as it slowly moves around and aft. A small thunk and the boom plugs in. "How's it goin?" What in the heck is that. God just plugged into my mike. I'm breathing hard, tense as a rubber band and breathing heavy doing all I can to stay connected and completely forgot about the boomer, probably bored out of his mind, who now has a direct connection to my show. "Uhhh, Hey dude what's up, got a lot goin on down here." Before we got too much further I topped off only taking on a few thousand pounds of gas, disconnected and rejoined back to the right wing completely blowing off the guy in the tail. Soon enough I'll have a little less on my plate and we'll chat politics and supermodels but today I'm ecstatic I didn't fall off the boom and have to reconnect. "Thanks for the gas fellas" Lead calls to the tanker and we peel off for the rest of our flight. Those guys turn back towards home, maybe done for the day, maybe for a few hours of touch and goes but my day is just getting started. I'm already worn out and we haven't even started yet. the real excitement is just ahead. The four of us peel off the tanker and are cleared to a fighting wing. This fluid position allows us freedom in the vertical and horizontal to swing back and forth while lead maneuvers. "There's the hole, hang on" and the four of us roll quickly inverted, pull down 45 degrees and then upright chasing each other through a hole in the clouds. We break out to the desert terrain of Arizona below keeping our left hand forward raging on the low level. We do two turns in holding waiting for our push time. The computer in the Viper runs a carrot down the airspeed tape in the HUD giving us the precise speed we need to fly to hit the target on time. Back in UPT we used the Clock to Map to Ground method, hacking my timex over a pre planned spot on the ground and then adjusting speed according to update points along the way. This is the same method they've been using for years and can often times get you on a target a few hundred miles away within a few seconds. It is much simpler now with HAL doing all the work. Our bombs will be delivered to the second. Important for the Army to know when to quit shelling as their 100 millimeters go well above the 500 feet we are flying today. The power of the GE at low altitude is indescribable. The thick air allows the wings to dig in, sustaining a 9 g turn is no problem down here but the stores we are carrying limit us to less than that. Our speed limit however is a measly 500 knots just 500 feet off the deck. I am line abreast with lead about a mile apart raging through the agave filled cactus desert. Low altitude gives us the ability to sneak in under enemy radar's, undetected and unafraid. The dry air gives us a hundred miles of visibility, the heat swirling dust devils 4 times our altitude. Dozens of little tornadoes dot the desolate landscape, flinging sand and gila monsters in miniature twisters a thousand feet high. A large one splits the formation as it curls around our jets unaware of the destruction we are about to unleash. The barren flat desert out here gives way to jagged red mountains, cut from the earth to ominous peaks thousands of feet high. The average civilian scared to death as their Cessnas have no ability to out climb the Martian landscape, but the Viper scoffs such obstacles. As a ridge line approaches we each pick a saddle across the rocky peak to keep from unnecessary exposure above the mountain. As the rocky face approaches I fight the urge to pull up too early. "Hold it ....Hold it.... and now!" A slight tug on the stick pulls me 45 degrees nose high to the apex of the mountain, rising 3000 feet as do the rocks below. Over the top, 135 degrees inverted and down the back side keeping the terrain never further than 500 feet away. The jagged mountain fills the canopy as I cross the ridge greasy side up, keeping a slight pull to plant me firmly in the seat. I get a glimpse of lead out the opposite side now rolling upright so I follow suit. That mountain marked the FEBA and almost instantly my flight lead begins a violent maneuver up and away from me. React and then talk is what we are taught and the words soon follow. "Viper 3, Triple A south, defending 290!" His voice is excited, not unexpected since he is now inverted a thousand feet over the desert, heading down hill, less than 3 seconds from hitting the dirt. A whiskey bottle nudged from the kitchen counter wouldn't shatter any faster. An imaginary ZSU sends an arc of lead his way as the turret spins on axis to keep up with his jet. Bullets aren't guided yet so theoretically all you need to do is be unpredictable for the time of flight of that single golden BB. That theory, while sound, has still lead to the greatest nemesis to aviation, and rightfully so, I move my jet too. "Viper 4 Supporting." My job is to call out additional threats that might be heading his way and more importantly stay out of the way of rounds that are missing him. Since this is a training flight I know I am next, so shortly after, that Gainful we were briefed about lobbed a few Surface to Air Missiles in my direction. "Viper 4 Sam launch your left 7 o'clock!" At least he was nice enough to let me know. My jet twists and turns skyward, if this was real I would give serious consideration to ditching my tanks for a little more maneuverability but instead I use the terrain to my advantage and duck behind a ridge line with the knowledge that granite will defeat the SA6 every time. "Snipe 6 Magnum" Another voice breaks the radio as a block 40 flying cover armed with anti-radiation missiles locked on to the enemy radar site and rendered it useless. Iraqis quickly learned that turning on their radar was suicide, since shortly after a missile used that beam as a homing beacon to destruction. Many of my buddies will be learning the art of SEAD, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses when they go to Block 40 school in a few months. As I briefly dwell on my buddies future endeavors, a canyon quickly approaches forcing me back to a wedge behind lead. I'm free to maneuver in a 60 degree cone from 3000-6000 feet behind lead leaving me plenty of room to avoid the cumulo-granite and him the freedom to yank and bank without worrying about scraping paint. What unfolds in front of us is the scene I've been dreaming about since I was a kid. A panoramic imax picture brings two peaks into view with a mile wide canyon in between. About a mile inwards, a jagged precipus towers alone into the clear blue Arizona sky leaving a scene for the Discovery High Def channel. From a few miles out these 3 mountains line up to form something similar to the gun sight on my H&K 40 caliber handgun, and justly so , this is nicknamed the Gunsight Pass. We **** our jets and unleash through the pass, undoubtedly causing the wild Chupacabras to look up from the jackrabbits they are feasting upon for brunch. I collapse just in time, moving quickly from a mile off his left side to 45 degrees off his right just as his jet carves left around the first mountain. I quickly follow suit rolling up knife edge as the far right mountain passes beneath my belly, the canopy filled up with the red rocks of the peak to the left. I am now well below the peaks of both mountains, swallowed up by the pass with my throttle hand in full mil loving every minute. We quickly roll back to knife edge right carving a hook turn around that giant pillar in the middle. I can imagine a rock climber's excitement, not hearing a sound for days being invaded by the sneak pass at the Thunderbird show as he looks down on the top of my jet as I rifle past faster than a bullet. Before he even has time to think what happened, we are gone behind the next set of rocks, a loud memory of dreams left behind in high school. Our little 4 ship is a scene from Iron Eagle, the only thing missing is the camera ship and a tape deck blaring Bon Jovi on my right Knee. Otherwise this is the scene that movies are made of and I am living things I could never dream of. Just after the pass lies our IP, the initial point of our attack. From here on out it is an almost familiar scene, the mountains to both sides exact copies of the satellite imagery I have studied the last few days. "Snakeye, Viper 1 IP inbound." Snakeye is a ground FAC, a Special Forces Forward Air Controller nestled in camouflage on one of the peaks between us and the target. Several dudes fresh from IRAQ flew out here just to help out with our Close Air Support training. From the ground they'll guide our aircraft and even lase our bombs to enemy positions danger close to our own troops. FACs are providing the meat of the missions over in the desert right now with time sensitive targeting to specific windows housing terrorists. Their ability to talk a Viper on to an enemy position has saved countless lives in fire fights on the ground. Hogs own this close air arena but we can definitely hold our own. They authenticate, we pass the secret handshake and they validate the E-Mail we received earlier on the flight. We now have the ability to get instant messaged on real time targets through the HUD. A dialogue box appears providing target coordinates, descriptions, and position of friendlies with no communications required. Since this is a live range, we back it up with the dudes on the ground and are cleared in for the attack. I am now off the right side of my lead at a mile point five, about 20 degrees aft when we hit the action point five miles from the target. Lead checks into me and lights the wick hoping to keep every bit of that 500 knots on our ascent. I follow suit, rotating the throttle and slamming it forward over the stop putting that General Electric to work, then simultaneously we pitch to 60 nose high, afterburner at full tilt. This is not a stairway to heaven, rather a rocket ship on an unrestricted climb to 17,000 feet covering that distance faster than Ben Johnson on the 100 yard dash. Looking over my shoulder on the reclined seat gives me a vertical view of lead now collapsing the distance into me. The ground now getting rapidly smaller below reveals the target we are to hit. HE Hill is a moonlike surface on the otherwise nondescript Arizona Desert. This is where Mad Max fought the big war, and is designated as one of the live drop sites on the range. Millions of tons of iron have slammed into and around this area over the years leaving a black charred, crater laden hill that makes an asteroid surface look smooth. John Glenn would have an awesome time in the rover on that terrain for sure. By this time, the distance between lead and myself has diminished to a close formation all while maneuvering in the vertical. I wouldn't have believed this was going to work if I didn't see it with my own two beads but here I am looking now through the canopy of his jet stacked slightly lower than me at the target I'm about to unleash on. "Viper 1, Target in sight!" "Cleared Hot One!" The FAC's undoubtedly as excited as we are to see 4000 pounds of tritinol explosives go off in their vicinity. "Viper 2, target in sight!" I get the same response and we are off. From seventeen thousand three hundred feet we pull a Pappy Peel down to the wire. In all the WWII footage on TV you'll see the Corsairs "peeling" off one at a time, a move made famous by the Black Sheep Squadron commander, Pappy Boynton. Lead rolls inverted pulling 4g's away from me looking for that perfect 45 degree dive bomb, a small vapor cloud forming where the wings meet the fuselage. A split second later I peel off behind ending up in the chute together. The idea is to release my 82's before his explode, leaving a clear path to place my pipper. If I wait too long, the smoke from his weapons will leave a fog of war too thick to put my bombs accurately on target. It is an odd feeling dropping literally on top of him but today we are traveling much faster than gravity and there is no chance he will be hit. As I roll in a green square forms in the HUD off the pre planned coordinates indicating this is the proper target. With my right index, I button sideways selecting a CCIP delivery, changing the symbology to a long line with a circle and dot making a bulls eye at the end. The squirrels in my jet starting to run overtime with millions of new calculations of altitudes, pressures, winds and velocities slaved to the ballistics of 4 Mk 82's with a 75 foot interval - the two middle bombs bracketing the target at 32.5 feet each side rendering me a Continuously Computed Impact Point at the dot of that pipper. Bombing simply put -- Put the Thing on the Thing. I love the F-16. And with the thing on the thing, "Viper 2, Weapons away!!" I mash down the pickle button with my right thumb and the jet quickly rocks from side to side as the iron ripples off my jet alternating between each wing. Dink, Dink, Dink, Dink in quick succession, then 5 g's to get separation from the weapons in case of a midair explosion, and burner to get my knots back. Off target, at slow speed with my pants down is a bad place to be with a bunch of ticked off bad guys woken up by the noise. Off target, I weave for triple A veering off my shoulder for any Sams launched my way. 17 seconds after release the fires erupt. A chain of explosions 300 feet long produce 4 huge fireballs erupted from leads bombs followed shortly after by my own in close proximity. The fire, thousands of degrees, churning and bubbling with a hundred shades of orange and red, is clearly visible from the air. The FMU 139 fuse set off a reaction on impact instantaneously lighting off the tritinol inside. The scored innards of the iron separated into thousands of fragments dissipating a half mile in all directions. The over pressure compressing the air into a shock wave strong enough to topple cement buildings and bend palm trees to the ground. Anyone within a mile wouldn't be able to hear for a few days from the concussion of sound that 8 bombs left behind.... BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! followed shortly by four more. Thick black smoke bellowed a few thousand feet skyward leaving an ominous cloud full of scrap metal and rock propelled buy the tremendous explosions. For a full minute after shrapnel will rain down fodding out the engine of any aircraft foolish enough to fly through it. From the ground the sights and sounds and smells of the explosions were tremendous as evident from the FACs on the ground. "Good Hits Both of You!!! That was Awesome!!!" You could hear the excitement in their voices at the fireworks show we just displayed. From the air...... silence. A silence only interrupted by a few words and the steady breathing on my inter phone. You can see everything, the bombs impacting, the fireballs, the black smoke and the movement of the earth but there is no noise - not even a whisper. All hell can be breaking loose on the ground with marines taking fire from mortars and machine guns, frantically calling on the radio for air support to an enemy close enough to distinguish facial features, and somehow we are insulated from that in our air conditioned bubble canopy, insulated from the havoc and the chaos below. I never really thought about it until that moment. Many fighter pilots have a story about dropping bombs in combat, a few who witnessed them from the ground. A good buddy of mine in UPT was an Army Ranger on the front, in the thick of it in Afghanistan. They would call in strikes, watch the scene unfold as I just told and then watch the planes leave, the pilots back to a warm shower and sometimes a cold beer while they slept in the mud for a couple more weeks. "That was the motivation for me to get my degree." he said and now he's flying hogs, eventually helping out the grunts he once fought beside. Those thoughts were quickly interrupted by our FACs. "Viper 1, we have marines taking fire on the air field 10 miles to the north and need suppressing fire!" "Viper one contact the air field." We high tailed it to the airfield to the north. The ranges in Arizona have several mock targets, including entire airfields with buildings, support vehicles and even old aircraft hidden behind revetments made of sand. The training ranges have bridges and structures of every sort for us to learn on. Overhead the field we set up a wheel, a five mile circle from which to gain a tally on our target. I am in a loose formation to the outside. "Viper one, use the runway as one unit of measure. At the midpoint of that runway is an intersecting taxi way. I want you to move 2 units south from that point and tell me what you see." "Viper one contact two large hangers with silver roofs." "Viper one, to the northwest of those hangers are two trucks oriented east/west with mounted machine guns. Do you see those trucks?" "Viper one, contact trucks." "Viper one, take those trucks out. Friendlies are one click north, I need an east west run in - how copy?" "Viper one copies all, two do you see the trucks?" The whole time I have had my targeting pod called up on the display over my left knee, following along with his directions with the cursor on my left thumb. Big to small, finding the airfield first, then the runway all the way down to the trucks. From five miles I have a clear infrared image of the vehicles below zoomed in enough to clearly see the outlines of doors and windows. With an LGB Laser Guided Bomb I could lase one right through the bed but fortunately today I'm only left with my gun. All these tools are great, but to be sure I verified with my Mark One Eyeball. "Two's contact." "All right two, I'll take the north one and you take the south." "Two" "Viper one's in." "Cleared Hot one!" He rolled in alone with me flying cover. If there is any movement or missiles launched his way it is for me to call out. Dirt flies as he nails the truck and rejoins the wheel. Another half circle around and it is my turn. "Viper two's in!" "Cleared Hot two!" Like the outlaw Jessie James I'm off to unleash my cannon. Off my right shoulder is housed the M1A 20 millimeter gatling gun. Six barrels unleash 2000 rounds a minute of twenty mike mike armour piercing HEI (High Incendiary) rounds, each one about the size of a 6oz coke bottle. These little fellas leave the jet faster than sound and upon impact a shaped charge turns molten metal into an ice pick capable of penetrating steel. Once inside they bounce around and start fires rendering electrical components useless, many a burnt shell littering the deserts of Iraq. Rolling in I call up the gun, with a giant pipper and a range scale forming in the HUD. "The trick is to set the flight path marker just above the target and walk the death dot to it. You want to see the whites of their eyes before you shoot, and when you do smoothly pull the trigger to the stop. I don't want that stick to jerk at all. Don't let me see any mile long shots even though the gun is more than capable, I want you pressing the foul line every time." The foul line is 2000 feet at home, a line you should not shoot once across. This keeps pilots from being fixated on the target, more than one has driven right into the ground, spearing the target with the nose so intent on getting good bullets. Everything else falls out of the check, altitude, airspeed, and attitude are sometimes totally disregarded - the foul line helps bring those back into check. An old parachute is strung between two boards rigged with acoustic sound sensors measuring how many times the speed of sound is broken as the bullets tear through the chute. this gives a score out of how many bullets you have and a means to bet money with the others in your flight. Today there is no such foul line, no high tech scoring system, and no ranger to tell us if we are unsafe. Just a truck. We either hit is or we don't. My gunnery was taught by a consistent top gun and his technique will most likely be the only one I ever use. As I roll in I put the pipper about a thousand feet shy of the target and let it slowly rise in the hud. A little forward pressure keeps the jet true, my breathing calm like Vacilli Sightsiev of Enemy at the Gate. With the range counting down from 12000 feet I move the pipper over the truck and wait. As the range encroaches around 4000 feet I hammer down and unleash the fury from my jet. "WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPP!!!" The jet shakes violently as the gun spins up over my shoulder. Bullets whiz past my head at an amazing rate, the hud shaking so much it is difficult to read. Track, shoot, track. Just like hunting dove, you continue to track the bird even after you squeeze the trigger. 2 seconds fly past and the gun winds down. 108 bullets that probably took 15 minutes to load are expended in a heartbeat riddling the truck with holes in front of me. Sand and metal and even some bullets ricochet into the air, small spires of dust ripple up just as water would upon impact. I pull 5g's and back up to join lead just a few hundred feet from the deck, my jet wash undoubtedly stirring the dust below. "Good hits 2, good work today and ya'll have a safe RTB." "Thanks for the work today fellas, Vipers push 10" And with that we were done. No lives were saved today, but I'm confident we could have if they were actually at stake. Our ability to work with ground crews to provide successful coordinated attacks is paralleled by no other Air Force in the world. Those guys on the ground definitely earned my respect this week, as we are finding out these past few years a war can definitely not be won by Airpower alone. Kudos to them. I'm no fighter pilot yet but I know a few on the ground who could be. Don't settle for anything less than your dreams... [ 17. May 2006, 21:35: Message edited by: GreasySideUp ]

Chuck Norris is military aviation. Anyone who doubts that has their account locked, and then they are flogged by Chuck Norris for their insulence. After one month they can return only after Chuck Norris spits on their public apology.

Almost done with the training and looking to by a house. Don't know really anything about it. VA loan looks attractive but there are some fees, might be able to come up with some cash for a down payment but my big question is what can I comfortably afford on a 1 LT salary, no kids and no other expenses. Any of you have 250K houses and still have some beer cash left over? Also is there any hidden money out there for military members that yall have found? Govt grants for defending freedom or anything like that? Love to hear some tips and some gotchas and especially some free money. Thanks, j

If you want to fly Hercs, do something on the herc, if you want to fly eagles do something with the eagles. Vastly different missions. You'll go places as a load, you'll sleep at home more with the other jobs but both are rewarding. both of those positions are excellent for face time with the pilots if a pilot position is ultimately what you are after. If that is the case figure out which one you like best and stick with that one - it will give you a better shot later on. Good luck -j

We roof stomped about a dozen and a half times during UPT from unsuspecting civilians (That is an interesting apology) to Lt Col's. After a night at Tobys while waiting for a cab home it always seemed like a great idea. The drivers were always eager to drop us off early. Sometimes we would do 2 a night, occasionally on the wrong house. My roomate and I roof stomped our new neighbours to welcome them to the neighbourhood. One evening we even had a shot gun pulled on us by a Captain. Interesting seeing 10 dudes drop to their face on a 30 degree slant as the flight cc, blinded by his own auto security lighting, waived a gun around. Needless to say, we never gave notice, never took a ladder, and never left hungry or thirsty. The single dudes are always a sure bet although we had our way with a few groggy wives too. Some of my best memories and bloodiest scars came from the roof stomp and any UPT experience will not be complete without a few. Have fun, and take a camera. -j

Hit the boom for the first time yesterday (10 JAN) and wanted to give ya'll props, especially the boomer for risking life and limb with a B course stud so close to his property. Might catch some ribbing but the 135 looks sweet against a clear blue sky! Thanks again, -j