Breckey

There was a blog post on SIPR about it. Needless to say it was more complicated than being reliant on missiles.

I've only met him during dog and pony shows so I don't know the guy but close formation landings are a primary skill in helos. The Huey and Pavelow he flew regularly perform them in far worse conditions than a runway. He may not have a frame of reference for tactical jets but he has definitely has a frame of reference for the practical application of the maneuvers.

Guard and Reserve units can afford to be selective with whom they hire for UPT. The masses of pilot candidates coming from ascension programs may have no idea (better or worse) what they are getting into when they sign 10 years of their life away. The Air Force also looses flexibility with a T-6 track. RW pilots would have to have a FWQ course in order to transition to other airframes that don't have spinny wings. Finally its way harder for post-AF flying jobs when you don't have a FW track to get the civilian licenses.

The Army is 95% RW so having a RW only track makes sense. The AF and Navy are the opposite. T-6s are a great time to find what you want. Many a pilot realized they didn't like instruments and wanted to be down in the weeds in T-6s. Assigning this prior to T-6s would be like assigning heavies or fighter before you ever stepped foot in a aircraft.

Bones has a good story of downing a Raptor that did exactly that.

You also have "Chopper Popper" on a stick at the Zoo. https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/the-chopper-popper-scored-the-a-10s-first-air-to-air-kill-against-an-iraqi-helicopter

Here's a pic of the "gun" used. It was a test rig on the cargo hook of a Huey. They had a Stinger setup on the rocket pod attachment as well. Fun fact: J-CATCH was how the 20th and later the 6th SOS Huey's got their leopard camouflage pattern. It was designed to replicate the Hinds they were simulating.

There's a test case going through Rucker this summer. They've been trying to kill T-6s for helos for at least two years now. Nobody thinks it's a good idea but that extra T-6 capacity is precious I guess.

Except for Helos. Gotta save those 75 annual T-6 slots for the fixed wing track that is already overloaded.

Did you fly in the U-2 that's on the stick?

They did the same thing with CSAR-X. They gave bonus points for hot high performance above the KPP and as a result the H-47 looked better than the medium lift helicopters they were really wanting. Other shenanigans happened as well but that was the one that sustained the initial protest.

I don't think he means the SOCOM TFs. Nearly every Army unit is a TF now.

We've had government try and reign in the heart disease/obesity numbers by instituting things like the sugar-tax and the healthy school lunch programs but instead Americans just complain and say it's their right to drink a big gulp with their hot dog and get diabetes.

And a jump platform!

Bet the Navy is sad that Top Gun II was delayed right about now.

A Mx troop ejected sitting in parking. The A-37 didn't have a 0-0 seat.

The BUFF guys in Guam had already been extended three months before this newest order came down.

It's because people have some measure/feeling of control over driving that they don't with a virus. Motorcycles are riskier than a Volvo sedan but I have control over what vehicle I drive. Granted some highway deaths are unavoidable and seemingly random but human psychology is weird. I think it links to some of the panic buying as well. These people have no control over the virus but they do have control over their purchase of 5 years worth of toilet paper.

The problem with that is that we as a country are not okay with letting 20-30k people die of a respiratory disease in this day-and-age. Granted the majority of people that are most at risk do not contribute that much to the overall economy, the thought of keeping calm and carrying on for the benefit of the economy is a thought that many do not want to have. Look how much we spend on end of life and hospice care, this is no different. This is the trolley dilemma but on a massive scale. Do we accept the fact that those people will die to make it easier for the other 330 million people?

Our squadron is doing something similar with a cleaning party on Friday to try and cleanse the surfaces prior to the next ground arriving. It helps to have a bunch of airman waiting to start flying to be a work party.

The Pathfinder program seems to produce personnel that are competent at being a general's aide.

There are no dedicated EWOs on those aircraft.

Ahem, us helo guys would beg to differ.

I'd say it's a bit higher than T-0.