Steve Davies

Jimmy The information you need to get an answer to your question is not classified. What you need are the 'energy maneuverability' or performance charts for the F-15C and F-16D, and these are contained in the aircrafts' flight manuals. If you want the F-15C and F-16D flight manuals, then you can buy them from eFlight Manuals. Their prices are extortionate, but you'll have the answer you want. It's all a question of how much you want the answer to your question! Good luck.

Is there any truth to the story that in the T-38 you can have fun by wedging your right elbow between the cockpit wall and the stick, dialing in full right trim, and then giving control of the jet to the guy in the back/front? Apparently, when you take your arm away the trim knocks the stick out of the other guy's hand, and the jet rolls rapidly to the right - a manouver you're prepared for but he's not. I heard that many moos ago there were a couple of Sled drivers at Beale who used to like to pull this prank on unsuspecting bros.

Not my pranks, but... In the 1980s a small group of Air Force, Marine and Navy pilots 'assigned' to the Aggressors at Nellis flew MiGs with the 4477th TES Red Eagles out of Tonopah. Each day, they'd board a Cessna and fly up from Nellis to the Tonopah site first thing each morning. One of them, a Navy pilot, would sleep on the flight. Whenever he did, which was by all accounts nearly always, the others invariably played tricks on him. The best was to carefully dislodge the Navy pilot's brief case from his sleepy clutch, break the code to it and then steal the special Tonopah ID badge that the Navy pilot would need to show on arrival (this badge could only be worn at the site, and had to be removed from sight at all other times). As a twist to add to the entertainment, they would change the combination to the brief case, close it, lock it and then replace it in the Navy pilot's lap. Sometimes they would also tie his shoe laces. Whatever, this hapless man was always targeted. Anyway... ...On arrival at Tonopah, the guys would disembarked the Cessna and show their IDs to the awaiting security detail. All, that is, except the Navy pilot who would struggling to open his case. With the security detail becoming concerned and the Navy pilot becoming increasingly irate, he would have no choice but to resort to smashing open his case. Of course, he'd find that there was no pass in there anyway and would be arrested quickly by the security forces and held until the squadron commander arrived to approve his release. Later that morning, an anonymous voice would come over the tannoy to announce that the Navy pilot's ID badge had been 'found'. Usually, it had been found taped to a urinal in the restroom, but it is said that occasionally it would be located in one of the stools perched ontop of something altogether less pleasant. There are a load of similar stories I have been told while researching this squadron, but one of the best/worst (depending on your perspective) was one pilot who stuffed a carefully snipped bunch of his own pubic hair into one of the other pilot's small snuff tins (this other pilot being a good friend of his). Best thing is that he only told him about it when the entire squadron (only 10 or so guys) was in the crew room, and the victim had just wedged a pinch of his 'snuff' behind his bottom lip. Cue raucous laughter. Then there was the maintainer known universally as Weird Harold, who would show new pilots his 'box of baby chickens'; take a seat next to the squadron commander at the shared bar at Tonopah wearing a flowery dress, lipstick and a blonde wig; and greet visiting Generals and Admirals wearing nothing more than a tin helmet, a belt and his boots... There are many, many brilliant stories to come out of that place!

Login I am ashamed to admit that despite living in Cambridge for all of my adult life, I have never been. 130 brews you say? I'll be there this year!

I hate to be the alcohol equivalent of the internet grammar and spelling police, but can you guys stop calling stouts, bitters and lagers by that most useless of names, 'beer'?! This ain't wine, granted, but a little respect for something like Guinness (it's an Irish stout, not a beer!), would be appreciated.

Wow. All that talent around them and the two blokes still end up humping each other at the end. What a waste.

Sounds good, M2. Is the guy in the Day-Glo green tee shirt sporting the mullet also essential to the enjoyment of this particular brew?

Beaver, you may be right. Incredible that the AFT is acting as her promotions management team and agent all rolled into one!

It's known by the same name over here. Never heard of Bischoff. Will keep an eye out for it.

Lager: Stella Artois Staropramen Carlsberg Bitter: Old Speckled Hen Stout: Caffreys

Any of the A-10 guys care to explain how you get new guys ready for their first flight in the Hog? Is it a pretty docile ride? Is the simulator very accurate to help them prepare? Do you guys fly chase for them? If so, do you do a formation take off (you following them) or get airborne ahead of them seperately? I am just curious - this isn't for work. Cheers Steve

Brilliant!

I thought much the same. All I saw was two guys moving lots of windows around. I can do that with my mouse, and maintain an eye-safe distance from my monitor, for only £30.

Reread my post. I said, 'in combat'. If flying MX guys in combat is going to help the world at large understand war in the same way that Larry Burrows and counltess others did in Vietnam, then by all means, go for it. As for peacetime ops, Brabus summed it up perfectly.

Apologies for the dull question. Why don't you KC-135 guys leave your pubs on the jet when you're done flying? Seems like an awful lot of luggage to wheel around with you for every flight:

My source is "Dozer". He told me during an interview that they are permitted to exceed 50k', that they spent 'a lot of time' up in the bozosphere, and that they are not required to wear the partial pressure suit.

That and the fact that 'up there' is where the F-22 does its business. It's a risk vs. benefit thang...

Could the diaper have been some sort of clever device that she could later use to help make a plea of dimished responsibility (or, insanity)? If she was smart enough to be an astronaut, then she must have been smart enough to consider the possibility that she would be caught. Or, maybe she really is plain old nuts.

Not in the F-22. They are not subject to the standard 50k' rule.

I'm not sure if I should admit it, but I found your post fascinating, C-21 Pilot. There must be some great stories to be told about flying in Africa.

Back seat rides into combat for journos and photogs, a la SEA.

Lol. Maybe Bendy's moved onto the meths?

Bendy The failing 'remember me' function is probably either something to do with your computer storing cookies, or an anomaly related to your browser's storeage of cookies (if you see wha I am saying). I use Mac OSX and I often have this problem because my web browser (Safari) handles cookies differently. What I do when that happens is switch to Firefox, which seems to work fine. On a scale of 1-10, how interesting was this post? Cheers Steve

In keeping with the recent spate of threads about flight flight suit pockets and the like, I thought I'd take it to the next level and post this little gem from Flight International: So, spill the beans. What are you guys finding in your MWS that you're throwing out the door?