Aircraft Super Thread Mk.VII

[AN/ALQ128]

3 hours ago, renegadeleader1 said:

They lost their public affairs officer in the crash, but the pilot managed to eject with non life threating injuries.

Those Tutors have been in dire straits for years. Another tragedy due to successive decades of the government playing hot potato with the defence budget.

[AN/ALQ128]

https://thepostmillennial.com/trudeau-government-cancelled-replacement-of-60-year-old-snowbird-planes-in-2018

"Internal government reports revealed concerns over the aircraft's safety for some time. In 2003, for example, "escalating technical, safety and financial risks" caused civil servants to request that the Snowbird planes should be replaced "immediately."

[kajnrig]

I frickin' love this channel.

 

[M'Kyuun]

Great video. I've never had the opportunity to fly in a fighter, and although I think it'd be cool, the reality of the physics involved is daunting. I'm not sure I could handle all those Gs. It's neat to live the experience vicariously like this, though, and I appreciate the host's humility. Like he said, you can conceptualize all day, but when you're actually there and your head feels like an 80 pound weight and your vision is narrowing down to a pinpoint, seconds away from passing out, the reality of it kinda sucks. It's been my understanding that most people who get incentive rides get sick from the motion before they even have an opportunity to really get into the high G maneuvers. I always feel sympathy for the poor Life Support folks who have to clean the equipment.

I'd like to know who that guy paid off to get a ride in a Thunderbird, let alone a regular F-16 at a fighter base. They're the rock stars of the Air Force, and , AFAIK, they don't really do incentive rides; that's for the lesser mortals. Flack was very cool, though.

[derex3592]

Cool video indeed!  Mace is cute AF, AND she's a Thunderbird pilot!  Wow...her BF/hubby hit the jackpot! 

[Dobber]

I absolutely LOVE that gyroscopic camera footage the T-Birds use in their flights. That is so cool!

Chris

[renegadeleader1]

On 5/18/2020 at 9:25 PM, M'Kyuun said:

I'd like to know who that guy paid off to get a ride in a Thunderbird, let alone a regular F-16 at a fighter base. They're the rock stars of the Air Force, and , AFAIK, they don't really do incentive rides; that's for the lesser mortals. Flack was very cool, though.

How does one get an incentive ride period let alone a fighter jet? Hell I'd take one on a C-130 or a C-5 if I could get it. 

[M'Kyuun]

Incentive rides are awarded to folks for doing a notably good job. In my twenty years in aircraft maintenance, I've only known one guy who got one; he was an aircraft Electro/Environmental troop with whom I worked who had done something of note at his previous base and received an incentive flight in a B-1. I don't recall what he did to earn it, but I assume it impressed his commander, or a commander, who would have the authority to authorize it. That would be a sweet ride, too.  I know he enjoyed it.

I always wanted one in a helicopter; we have a Search and Rescue Squadron that flies old Hueys out of Fairchild, and I would have loved to have gone for a spin in one. Never happened though. The other aircraft that I'd love to get a flight in is the Osprey. Just a neat aircraft- it'd be a sweet experience, as long as we didn't have a reason to have to autorotate, which it doesn't do well. To go up in a jet would be neat, but honestly, I don't know how I'd fare between the motion and the G forces. It'd be neat to say I broke Mach, though.

I've flown in C-130s and C-5s. The former is loud and a little shaky, but I love 'em all the same. I always get a hoot out of movies/tv shows where the actors are in a Herc just speaking in normal tones. Yeah, right.  On my first TDY, we went out to Cali to check up on another of our Hercs that was undergoing depot maintenance. On the way back, we did high speed low level intercepts with a couple of F-15s, and that was one rockin' and rollin' ride trying to avoid their lock-ons. I was standing by the left paratroop door near the ramp; there's a little porthole in the door, and another in the right side, so I could look across the cargo bay and see the yellow divider lines in the road below as we did hard rolls. We were blasting off chaff and flare, and I was perfectly positioned to watch it go. The whole experience was awesome, something I'll never forget.  One of our young  jet mechs didn't think so- he tossed his cookies. 

The C-5 is one of the smoothest rides I've ever had. It takes a lot of effort to get one of those beasts in the air, as they're notoriously high maintenance aircraft, and true to form, our flight was delayed by a day or two. Once we were wheels up, she was a sweet ride. I've flown any number of times in KC-135s, and while the ride is pretty smooth, the environmental system leaves somewhat to be desired. There's no floor heat, since it's unwise to put heat ducts next to fuel tanks, so all the heat comes from ceiling ducts. During the flight, your upper body swelters and from the waist down you freeze. literally; I've seen bottles of water on the floor start to freeze. It's miserable, so once we're wheels up on a deployment, everyone scrambles for the high ground- tops of bins or on top of baggage pallets- just close to the heat so you can sleep/ watch movies/play games (on your portable devices) in relative comfort for the long trip.

I've been happily retired for over eight years now, but I look back on the opportunities and experiences I had, mostly fondly.  I wish I'd had the opportunity to see more of the various countries I've been to. Most of the time, though, I was stuck at work. C'est la vie in aircraft maintenance. 

[Shadow]

11 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I've flown in C-130s and C-5s. The former is loud and a little shaky, but I love 'em all the same. I always get a hoot out of movies/tv shows where the actors are in a Herc just speaking in normal tones. Yeah, right.  On my first TDY, we went out to Cali to check up on another of our Hercs that was undergoing depot maintenance. On the way back, we did high speed low level intercepts with a couple of F-15s, and that was one rockin' and rollin' ride trying to avoid their lock-ons. I was standing by the left paratroop door near the ramp; there's a little porthole in the door, and another in the right side, so I could look across the cargo bay and see the yellow divider lines in the road below as we did hard rolls. We were blasting off chaff and flare, and I was perfectly positioned to watch it go. The whole experience was awesome, something I'll never forget.  One of our young  jet mechs didn't think so- he tossed his cookies. 

I'm going to assume you rode on the C-130H. My dad flew the C-130H-2 along with the E model Herc for 30 years. Got very accustomed growing up to the noise of Allison turboprop. I'd be curious if the C-130J rides any smoother.

 

Also, this just released.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Shadow

[Knight26]

Jeez, DCS is getting insanely detailed.  I love it, but they kind of need a more entry level or casual version/mode as well.  I'd love to fly around in it, but don't have the time to have a full manual next to me.  Plus, does it even have single player campaigns anymore?

[slide]

2 hours ago, Knight26 said:

Jeez, DCS is getting insanely detailed.  I love it, but they kind of need a more entry level or casual version/mode as well.  I'd love to fly around in it, but don't have the time to have a full manual next to me.  Plus, does it even have single player campaigns anymore?

you can purchase the F-15, Su-25, Su-27, Su-33, Mig-29 [3 variants, depending on how you count them] and A-10A for not alot and they are not full-fidelity models.

no flight manuals needed, and they're perfectly viable for some online PVP if you ever wish.

you may wish to make a kneeboard with your controls layout and some simple checklists though... 

 

some modules come with missions and such. some campaigns can be purchased, and other missions/campaigns made by the community can be downloaded for free.

skins [liveries] and mods like the A-4E, MB-339 are community-made and free [they're not perfect, but they're still fun as heck]

 

I was daunted at first, but they've got me hooked!

Edited May 21, 2020 by slide

[M'Kyuun]

Quote

I'm going to assume you rode on the C-130H. My dad flew the C-130H-2 along with the E model Herc for 30 years. Got very accustomed growing up to the noise of Allison turboprop. I'd be curious if the C-130J rides any smoother.

I worked on and flew in MC-130E aircraft, which were then assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Fld. Our birds were modified with the old Fulton Recovery System and aerial refueling pods on the wings for refueling helicopters. Our brother flight, the 15th, had H models (Talon II). The Talon IIs were still shiny and new when I was there, and our birds, the Talon I, were old and crusty, but still did the job. I never got a chance to ride in a J, so I couldn't tell ya. Probably still a lot of vibration; it's just part and parcel to turboprop aircraft. I used to love sitting in on max power engine runs; fortunately on the runs I was involved in, we never jumped chocks, but the plane felt barely constrained by the brakes, and it shook all around from the force of the props. It was incredible.

I  think they need to find someone with a deeper, more melodramatic delivery for DCS. Seriously, though, if that's a sample of how the gameplay is going to look, it's rather impressive for its realism.

 

[Lexomatic]

On 5/18/2020 at 9:25 PM, M'Kyuun said:

I've never had the opportunity to fly in a fighter, and although I think it'd be cool, the reality of the physics involved is daunting. I'm not sure I could handle all those Gs.

"Sky Combat Ace" is an aviation-thrill operator in Las Vegas and nearby cities. One of the three models they fly is the aerobatic Extra 330LC, which is a prop plane capable of +/- 10 G ... although you're not obligated to push its envelope  per their FAQ, "Will I get airsick?" (FWIW, that aircraft-specs page drives me batty. Parallel tables, but with different specs, one in metric and the other imperial; and their third model, the Citabria, isn't even listed.)

(Since Vegas will soon be tentatively re-opening, but the news coverage has focused on hotels and restaurants, out of curiousity I spent some time checking the pandemic-hygiene policies for the various thrill-companies that have supercars, earth-movers, observation wheels, helicopters, parabolic 727s and hot-air balloons, and SCA came up.)

Edited May 22, 2020 by Lexomatic
Gripe about SCA's aircraft-specs table.

[M'Kyuun]

I didn't realize half of that stuff existed as recreational activities, especially the parabolic 727 (I thought NASA were the only ones privy to a Vomit Comet).  I have no plans to visit Vegas ; I've been there five times, seen the sights, don't drink or gamble, so, other than the shows, it holds no real appeal for me. But cool for those who go.

[David Hingtgen]

How much is the parabolic 727?  Probably too much, but I'd love one last 727 flight...   May have to settle for driving a Lambo or something...

[Lexomatic]

10 hours ago, David Hingtgen said:

How much is the parabolic 727?  Probably too much, but I'd love one last 727 flight...   May have to settle for driving a Lambo or something...

Operated by Space Adventures, the "ZERO-G Experience(R)" of 15 parabolic maneuvers aboard G-Force One(tm), a modified B727-200, is $5,400 plus tax, as seen here; here's the city-by-city schedule on the east and west coasts. So among expensive vehicular adventures (cars, submarines, earthmovers, submarines, etc.) this is up at the top. (Whenever I entertain a fantasy of winning the lottery, there's the "few hundred dollars experience", the "several million in a space capsule" experience, and then it takes some effort to find a price in the middle.)

[Shadow]

21 hours ago, Knight26 said:

Jeez, DCS is getting insanely detailed.  I love it, but they kind of need a more entry level or casual version/mode as well.  I'd love to fly around in it, but don't have the time to have a full manual next to me.  Plus, does it even have single player campaigns anymore?

You can buy Flaming Cliffs 3 which gives you multiple aircraft like what was listed already or buy those jets individually. They're not high-fidelity modules like the Tomcat, Hornet and Falcon. There are single player campaigns.

Other carrier-based modules I know that are in the works are the F-14A, A-7E, F-8J and (for now) an AI version of the A-6E & KA-6D. You'll pretty much be able to recreate the launch scenes from The Final Countdown movie.

[M'Kyuun]

2 hours ago, Lexomatic said:

Operated by Space Adventures, the "ZERO-G Experience(R)" of 15 parabolic maneuvers aboard G-Force One(tm), a modified B727-200, is $5,400 plus tax, as seen here; here's the city-by-city schedule on the east and west coasts. So among expensive vehicular adventures (cars, submarines, earthmovers, submarines, etc.) this is up at the top. (Whenever I entertain a fantasy of winning the lottery, there's the "few hundred dollars experience", the "several million in a space capsule" experience, and then it takes some effort to find a price in the middle.)

Wow, over five grand to experience weightlessness and most likely barf until you dry heave seems a bit much. I realize operating costs for an aircraft are high, and the pilots have to be specially trained to perform those maneuvers safely, but wow.  If you've got the money and the gastrointestinal fortitude, go for it. I'll stick to vicarious experience. 

[Chronocidal]

21 hours ago, slide said:

you can purchase the F-15, Su-25, Su-27, Su-33, Mig-29 [3 variants, depending on how you count them] and A-10A for not alot and they are not full-fidelity models.

no flight manuals needed, and they're perfectly viable for some online PVP if you ever wish.

you may wish to make a kneeboard with your controls layout and some simple checklists though... 

 

some modules come with missions and such. some campaigns can be purchased, and other missions/campaigns made by the community can be downloaded for free.

skins [liveries] and mods like the A-4E, MB-339 are community-made and free [they're not perfect, but they're still fun as heck]

 

I was daunted at first, but they've got me hooked!

I was due for a PC upgrade this year (old system is nearing 10 years old), so I decided to take the plunge, and I'm finally getting the pieces in motion to put together a basic VR-based cockpit.  Will be starting out simple, with just a wooden framework to mount my stick, throttle, and pedals, and maybe a few major things like gear and hook levers.  

I'll probably slowly fill out the panels with controls over time, but right now, VR is the most practical and cost-effective display option for me, because I don't have the space or funds for a multi-projector setup.  VR tech is getting fancier all the time though, so maybe in a few years we'll finally hit a point with true mixed reality, where you can sit in a physical cockpit, with real-time replacement of the exterior around it.

If I ever get a handle of making DCS mods myself, I might very well throw together a simple VF-1 or VF-19 simulation module.  The options for free mods are limited though, since the more involved functions of the sim require purchasing a development kit.

[slide]

On 5/22/2020 at 12:37 PM, Chronocidal said:

I was due for a PC upgrade this year (old system is nearing 10 years old), so I decided to take the plunge, and I'm finally getting the pieces in motion to put together a basic VR-based cockpit.  Will be starting out simple, with just a wooden framework to mount my stick, throttle, and pedals, and maybe a few major things like gear and hook levers.  

I'll probably slowly fill out the panels with controls over time, but right now, VR is the most practical and cost-effective display option for me, because I don't have the space or funds for a multi-projector setup.  VR tech is getting fancier all the time though, so maybe in a few years we'll finally hit a point with true mixed reality, where you can sit in a physical cockpit, with real-time replacement of the exterior around it.

If I ever get a handle of making DCS mods myself, I might very well throw together a simple VF-1 or VF-19 simulation module.  The options for free mods are limited though, since the more involved functions of the sim require purchasing a development kit.

I'm not sure how much I'd pay for a VF-1 of YF-19 in DCS, but it would be more than nothing! lol.

now a VF-4 would be irresistible...

Edited May 23, 2020 by slide

[Chronocidal]

You wouldn't have to pay anything, just by nature of the licensing.  DCS World itself is free, and comes with a couple of old stock aircraft that I think are based on the old LOMAC (Lock On: Modern Air Combat) sim.  They're very low fidelity models, without clickable cockpits, and such.  

Any free mods would probably be of a similar quality level, just by nature of the limited tools available to the developers.  

I really haven't researched the details yet of what would be involved though, and chances are, if the limitations on free mods to DCS are too stringent, you'd probably be better off sticking with MS Flight Sim.

Edited May 23, 2020 by Chronocidal

[electric indigo]

Turns out ejecting co-pilots are not a privilege of l'Armée de l'air, and you don't even need a civilian passenger:

Emergency, my RIO just ejected

[slide]

On 5/23/2020 at 2:11 PM, Chronocidal said:

You wouldn't have to pay anything, just by nature of the licensing.  DCS World itself is free, and comes with a couple of old stock aircraft that I think are based on the old LOMAC (Lock On: Modern Air Combat) sim.  They're very low fidelity models, without clickable cockpits, and such.  

Any free mods would probably be of a similar quality level, just by nature of the limited tools available to the developers.  

I really haven't researched the details yet of what would be involved though, and chances are, if the limitations on free mods to DCS are too stringent, you'd probably be better off sticking with MS Flight Sim.

the TF-51 and SU-25T have been upgraded to the same standard the FC3 aircraft were, AFAIK.

most of the free mods are based off of FC3, thus it is required for them to function.

[sh9000]

 

[Dobber]

55 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

 

Whoa cool!

Chris

[F-ZeroOne]

I think we've all seen this anime:

https://www.engadget.com/the-air-force-will-pit-an-autonomous-fighter-drone-against-a-pilot-121526011.html

[slide]

2 hours ago, F-ZeroOne said:

I think we've all seen this anime:

https://www.engadget.com/the-air-force-will-pit-an-autonomous-fighter-drone-against-a-pilot-121526011.html

that crap needs to be outlawed, post-haste!

the second we can just "unleash the robots" at somebody, we're all F'd...

 

and if they were going to do it anyway, you gotta keep that BS so classified that people "randomly pass away" after even considering talking about it...

Edited June 8, 2020 by slide

[F-ZeroOne]

We'll be fine, we just need a maverick pilot to save us with the power of ex-girlfriends and thumping J-pop.

[Thom]

Where's Eddie and Ray when we need them..?

Edited June 8, 2020 by Thom

[Shadow]

Okay. Well done on this.

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by Shadow

[Dobber]

That was awesome! I forgot how much I loved the opening sequence and music for TopGun. 
 

Chris

[F-ZeroOne]

Where I live in the UK, back during the Cold War, it wasn't unusual to see military aircraft passing overhead most days - some RAF, some USAAF. But I haven't seen USAAF aircraft for quite some time, until today when what I think were two F-15Es screamed past at fairly low level. (I didn't have a great viewpoint, but they appeared to have twin tails and seemed to be painted dark green). Took me right back to the time when all we had to worry about was the risk of imminent nuclear annihilation...

Edited June 22, 2020 by F-ZeroOne

[Dobber]

Just so you know, the USAAF means United States Army Air Forces. It was disbanded in 1947. That may be why you haven’t seen their aircraft in a while. 

The Air Force is just USAF. 

Chris

[F-ZeroOne]

Yes, sorry, typo I managed to make twice! I guess we're even now for when someone here called the British Army "The Royal Army" a while back... 

[electric indigo]

I live near a (now abandoned) RAF airfield near the Durch border, so in my youth F-4s and Starfighters passed overhead on a regular basis. The noise was devastating.