buddhafabio Posted April 29, 2007 Posted April 29, 2007 i would have assumed price tag. considering the Aussies havent bought any f-15s when they got the f-18s or later gone for any f-15e based f15s
Fit For Natalie Posted April 29, 2007 Posted April 29, 2007 Yeah, price, and I presume that since we have a small military (and thus) a small military budget, we'd want something that would last us quite a long time like the F-111s did.
David Hingtgen Posted April 29, 2007 Author Posted April 29, 2007 F-15E/K/X isn't much cheaper than the F-22 at this point. The F-22 is a much better bargain. Anyways---the last Flanker! Su-35BM. Super Duper Flanker? http://www.aviapedia.com/fighters/su-35bmt...he-last-flanker Also--which one doesn't belong? http://www.acc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb...F-6701P-001.jpg
HoveringCheesecake Posted April 29, 2007 Posted April 29, 2007 Nice Thunderbirds picture! I was going to post that nice Su-35 picture. It's sexy.
David Hingtgen Posted April 29, 2007 Author Posted April 29, 2007 It's a CG though, since the Su-35BM doesn't exist yet.
Fit For Natalie Posted April 29, 2007 Posted April 29, 2007 Hmm... that Raptor has an orange canopy.... ZOMG *kablam*
HoveringCheesecake Posted April 29, 2007 Posted April 29, 2007 It's a CG though, since the Su-35BM doesn't exist yet. CRAP! You just blew my mind.
F-ZeroOne Posted April 29, 2007 Posted April 29, 2007 F-15E/K/X isn't much cheaper than the F-22 at this point. The F-22 is a much better bargain. Anyways---the last Flanker! Su-35BM. Super Duper Flanker? http://www.aviapedia.com/fighters/su-35bmt...he-last-flanker Also--which one doesn't belong? http://www.acc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb...F-6701P-001.jpg Theres a '03 Twingo car parked in the lot, which is unusual as this image was shot in the US.
David Hingtgen Posted April 29, 2007 Author Posted April 29, 2007 All F-22's have orange canopies---it just doesn't always show up. It's VERY "angle of the sun" dependent, just like the orange-canopied F-16's.
Fit For Natalie Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 I was joking, because you know, that big robot guy who blows up such planes while assuming their form...
Warmaker Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 Tyrannosaurs in Tomcats. Cower in fear Not a CG doctored image! For realz!
David Hingtgen Posted April 30, 2007 Author Posted April 30, 2007 Coincidently, I just saw that image recently, even though it's been probably 10 years since I read a Calvin comic.
HoveringCheesecake Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 It's some guys avatar over at SomethingAwful.
Warmaker Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 I first saw the picture on a book talking about the Tomcats' history and its extensive Hollywood-level of publicity. But the image shown on my previous reply was from another forum I frequent. The same forum that gave us this!
David Hingtgen Posted April 30, 2007 Author Posted April 30, 2007 I was going to post links to the latest Raptor demo, but it wasn't anything new really. They just got approval yesterday, so they're probably going to expand the demo week-by-week. Still won't see a full demo until 2008 yet. Anyways---a Gripen commercial! No, not the SAAB car one with Gripens, a new commercial FOR Gripens. It's kinda like if Top Gun had Gripens instead of Tomcats. Pretty cool, and they're C and D model Gripens. Can't wait to see the new ones with Super Hornet engines--those will really kick ass. (If I had a military, I would buy so many Gripens---cheap, small, easy to maintain, very effective and modern) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwuhtYHQLnc
Retracting Head Ter Ter Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 On the subject of Gripens. I still have not received that SAAB book! Has any of you (besides David who got it first and posted the link) gotten it?
VF-19 Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 On the subject of Gripens. I still have not received that SAAB book! Has any of you (besides David who got it first and posted the link) gotten it? Nope. Which really dissapoints me...
Apollo Leader Posted April 30, 2007 Posted April 30, 2007 Offutt Air Show this weekend! As was to be expected, the Blue Angels had to cancel due to the loss of one of their pilots and Hornets a little over a week ago. Still have the F-16 demo to look forward to and Randy Ball's MiG-17. Another site reports that a B-2 will be doing a flyby of the show. If I got some time, I'll post a few pictures. Hard to believe it's been almost 21 years ago, August 1986, when I attended my first air show here at Offutt. The Blue Angels performed that weekend and it was one of the last shows with their A-4 Skyhawks.
Nied Posted May 1, 2007 Posted May 1, 2007 It's a pity that the Blues wont be able to make it out there. I wonder if they'll be able to rebound in time for Fleet week here this year (I honestly can not think of a better way to watch the Blue Angels perform than over the San Francisco bay).
Evil Porkchop Posted May 1, 2007 Posted May 1, 2007 On the subject of a Top Gun sequel. The reason one was never made according to some DVD extras on the Top Gun S.E. is that all the air-to-air footage that was usable, was used in the first movie. From what the interview said is that Paramount wanted to make a sequal with whatever air-to-air footage wasn't used in the first one, and when they found out that it was all used, the execs decided it would be too expensive to pay to rent out Tomcats for a Top Gun 2.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted May 1, 2007 Posted May 1, 2007 I went to the Langley Air Show this past weekend. Sadly no F-104 nor F-4 this time. =(. (The F-104 did an unscheduled demo last year since another plane that was set to fly, was not able to fly). The F-22 was the highlight, it impressed my friends a lot who've never seen it flying in person. It performed a kulbit. I liked its demo better than the Thunderbirds demonstration. The Thunderbirds had a nice show but I am partial to the Blue Angels. Now what would improve the Thunderbirds show would be the music. Just leave it with the traditional theme they've had, no need to hear U2, with Limp Bizkit, then Saliva, and have a song alternate every 5 minutes, songs that have been played to death on the radio for the past 5-10 years. They did not have as many planes in the static display this year, so that was dissapointing as well. Other than that, it was a good end to a long weekend. The F-22 was very impressive, and each time I looked at it, I kept wondering:"If only they had the helmet mounted sight to cue their AIM-9X's, then this plane would be truly the best thing we've got". I mean as of now it is the best we have, but it lacks the helmet sight that the Super Bug, AESA F-15C, and some F-16's have. That and I had just unlocked the F-22 in OverG the night before, so I was itching to see it again.
Apollo Leader Posted May 1, 2007 Posted May 1, 2007 The National Museum of the Air Force gets a preproduction F-22. I wonder what they'll do with their YF-22? For the awesomeness that is the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH, they have a very nasty habit of when they get hold of two of any one aircraft (especially something big like the B-1, B-36, etc.) they'll end up getting rid of the older, rarer, more historic example of the aircraft that they have doubles of. Since they have both a YF-12 and SR-71 in their collection, here's hoping that they'll keep both Raptors... then again, they are more then welcomed to send their YF-22 to the Strategic Air and Space Museum here in Nebraska like what they did with their B-1A #4!
David Hingtgen Posted May 1, 2007 Author Posted May 1, 2007 You have B-1A #4? That's one's almost a B-1B...
Apollo Leader Posted May 3, 2007 Posted May 3, 2007 You have B-1A #4? That's one's almost a B-1B... Yep. It was at the Air Force Museum since the late 80's, but when they got a B-1B a few years ago, they sent B-1A #4 to us. Unfortunately our museum decided to repaint the aircraft in the camo job it last had before it was sent to the Air Force Museum... I liked the white and black trim finish much better. Also it supposedly may end up mounted on a large pylon out in front of the museum. Of course B-1A #4 is unique in that it was the only B-1A that had ejection seats, but that it was built to production standards; if Carter hadn't cancelled the program, production B-1A's would have been identical to this one.
Apollo Leader Posted May 3, 2007 Posted May 3, 2007 (edited) Aerospace related: Mercury Astronaut Wally Schirra dead at 84. THis now leaves John Glenn and Scott Carpenter as the last two. (I got to see Scott Carpenter in person last spring). Edited May 3, 2007 by Apollo Leader
Coota0 Posted May 4, 2007 Posted May 4, 2007 Do we need a chopper expert? I found out today that I've been accepted by the Army for flight school.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted May 4, 2007 Posted May 4, 2007 Do we need a chopper expert? I found out today that I've been accepted by the Army for flight school. CONGRATULATIONS man! Chopper talk would be cool. Which helicopter are you hoping to fly?
Coota0 Posted May 5, 2007 Posted May 5, 2007 CONGRATULATIONS man! Chopper talk would be cool. Which helicopter are you hoping to fly? First choice is the OH-58D Kiowa, everything else is about equal to me.
kalvasflam Posted May 5, 2007 Posted May 5, 2007 (edited) First choice is the OH-58D Kiowa, everything else is about equal to me. Good choice, it'll be a nice scout chopper to fly. Not the threat that everyone thinks of in terms of firepower like the AH-64. But still quite dangerous given what it is armed with. Edited May 5, 2007 by kalvasflam
Coota0 Posted May 5, 2007 Posted May 5, 2007 I agree Kalv and strictly from a piloting point of view it has a lot of mission variance. With a -64 you're always a gun bunny, with -60 you're always doing lift (after reading some books by Vietnam Huey pilots lift scares the poo outta me) -47 is very similar to the -60 you just move bigger stuff or more people. -58 gets some gun time, some scouting, some convoy escort, some CAS, even the occasional VIP lift mission, much more varied and therefore less chance to get bored.
Apollo Leader Posted May 7, 2007 Posted May 7, 2007 I got about 115 pictures at the Offutt air show yesterday. Saturday it got cancelled because of I believe the high winds and the threat of severe weather though it rememained dry from about 10 up to 6:00 in the evening. Oh well, at least I was able to get the lawn mowed! Sunday started the same with the majority of rain and storms moving out of the area arounf 9:00-10:00. Since the weather was almost identical to Saturday's, I assume it was straight out cancelled so I went to church as usual and was heading out to have lunch with friends. I decided to play it safe and called someone up who would know for sure, and it turned out the show was on after all! I got down there right while the Commemorative Air Force was performing. Right while I was waiting to go through the security line, Randy Ball took his MiG-17 into the air... only got a few distant shots of that. Since it looked like rain was coming up from the south I quickly went around getting a few pictures. Then the F-16 demo took place. Part of the way into it, a few rain drops started coming down; by the time most of the demo had been done, the rain really started coming down. Probably 95% of the spectators left. Since I had an umbrella, I decided to stick around to see if things would improve. Got a B-52 shirt from the B-52 guys while waiting... I'm not leaving an air show with out a shirt! Finally the rain quit and a little bit of sun light came through... with most everyone gone, now's the best time to get pictures of the aircraft! During the time I was there, I ran into a number of friends and aquaintences including one from Offutt that was working security detail for the show. I hope this shows to those running Offutt's show NOT to schedule an event like this during the middle of severe weather season here in south eastern Nebraska (August is a much calmer month), but still I managed to have a good time anyway. I'll try to post a few pictures in the next few days. (Sorry, David, no Airbus's or cvilian airliners or civilian cargo planes this year! ).
Apollo Leader Posted May 7, 2007 Posted May 7, 2007 I agree Kalv and strictly from a piloting point of view it has a lot of mission variance. With a -64 you're always a gun bunny, with -60 you're always doing lift (after reading some books by Vietnam Huey pilots lift scares the poo outta me) -47 is very similar to the -60 you just move bigger stuff or more people. -58 gets some gun time, some scouting, some convoy escort, some CAS, even the occasional VIP lift mission, much more varied and therefore less chance to get bored. Ever see Nicloas Cage's "Firebirds"? "I am the greatest! I am the greatest!" Might as well ask, if the RAH-66 Commanche had gone into service, would you have picked that over the OH-58?
Coota0 Posted May 7, 2007 Posted May 7, 2007 Got Firebirds on DVD. (I think it's like TOPGUN, corny but you take what you got) Don't know if I would have gone Comanche if it had happened. It was meant to replace the -58, but as expensive as it was I don't think it would have replaced all of them, so I guess I just don't know.
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