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    Thirdwire Sneak Peaks
    Fates
    By Fates,
    >>>>>>>>>>>> CLICK ME HARD <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

    A Modder’s Diary:
    Dave
    By Dave,
    http://www.simhq.com/_air11/air_364a.html   Outstanding article for sure sums up what a lot of us have been doing for the last 5 years.....and why some of us hate that terrain editor. Good job P!

    Subscription Plans NOW Available
    Erik
    By Erik,
    Hello Everyone;   I'd like to take a few moments to announce some new opportunities and features here at CombatACE.com.   Before I talk about the new features, it is important to outline some history and facts. Just a short year and half ago when MK2 decided to step up and provide for this community, our membership hovered around 3,000. Today it is nearing 30,000. In the early days of our community it was common for us to provide five to six hundred Gigabytes (GB) of data transfer each month. Currently, in line with our continuing growth in the community, our consumption demands have grown exponentially and are now measured not in GB but in Tera bytes (TB) (1TB = 1000GB) each month. We're pleased with the growth of the community and the popularity of all the available downloads and site wide features and assets. We would like to continue that forward momentum with an idea geared toward member support that will work seamlessly with the daily download limits currently in use.   As I mentioned, CombatACE has been solely supported by a single benefactor, MK2, for over a year and half. Our monthly expenses average roughly 500.00 USD and in total over $11,000.00 USD have been invested toward the continuation of the community. That said, it should be no secret that the major expense here at CombatACE is the bandwidth and physical demand incurred by our download section. The download section itself is stocked with releases from the modding community and have a combined download count over 2.5 million transfers.   With that in mind, please take a moment to sign our thank you thread for MK2 ::LINK TO POST::   In the past we provided ad space which in theory should have covered the expenses, but the reality is quite another picture. Internet advertisers, even for the biggest sites, like to barter away exposure instead of paying for it. There are some exceptions but they are far and few between. For this reason our ability to offset costs with revenue generated from ads simply hasn't happened. More recent and for the past few months I'm sure you've all seen ads on the site for American Express, CompUSA, Match.com, and more. Those ads were part of our link share program we tried out as a way to generate some revenue. The basic design of this program allows for advertisers like those mentioned above to pay for actual sales instead of ad space. Using our site as an example we cluttered up the user space with banners in the expectation members would find the content interesting enough to click through to the advertiser's site and buy whatever they were selling. During our attempt at generating revenue through link share we gave away over a hundred million unique impressions, had 9,329 click throughs to advertisers, but $0.00 in sales which generated $0.00 in revenue. We've since discontinued our advertising link share program.   When we rolled out the daily download limits they met with some stern objections from our members. We knew then that as a temporary solution to limiting our exposure we'd need to come up with a plan to allow members the option to upgrade their individual accounts. Our new member subscriptions fill that need nicely in an affordable way to not only give you unlimited access to downloads but provide you with an opportunity to show support for your community.   Subscription Plans offer:   Unlimited access to downloads
    Larger storage limits for onsite images and files
    More flexible member benefits for posting and board access
    More profile features
    Member badges and identification identifying you as a proud contributor and supporter
    Today's new release of member subscription accounts won't affect our non-subscriber accounts. Everyone who has joined or will join our community starts with a free non-subscriber account, and those free accounts will retain the download limits. On top of this, we will now offer paid subscription accounts that will lift all the download restrictions. The new subscription accounts are easy to purchase and are handled through PayPal for secure, private, and convenient access.   Member subscriptions are available in 1 month, 6 month, and 1 year plans. Designed to allow our members access to more site features, more storage, and more downloads it's a perfect fit for the CombatACE in you. Click the banner below to go to your subscription area and sign up for a plan today.   Support the community that supports you!       UNLOCK YOUR DOWNLOADS CLICK HERE

    An Interview with Ezlead
    Fates
    By Fates,
    Continuing our series of interviews here at CA, USAFMTL received an opportunity to interview Ezlead. Another great read.     1. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I was always interested in flying ever since I was about 7 years old. My uncle had an old J-3 cub and he took me up a few times. I just loved it. I went to college at Northern Illinois Univ. for 2 years and then enlisted in the Marines. After boot,ITR,OCS,Basic School and flight school I was stationed at MCAS Cherry Point,N.C.. I was trained in the A-6a and EA-6a. I went overseas in Nov. 1971 to Iwakuni,Japan. In April 1972 I was transferred to 3rd Marine Division as a FAC. I was with 2nd Bn, 9th Marine Regt. We went to Vietnam in late May as BLT2/9. We were off the coast of Danang in case we had to be landed. I asked my Bn C.O. if I could go TAD to my old outfit(VMCJ-1) and he approved it. For the next 4 months,I flew about 40 combat missions over the North and a few over South Vietnam. I got out of the Marines in Jun 1973 with about 1000 hrs flt time. For the next 9 years I flew as a charter pilot and flight instructor. I then went to work in the construction business for a friend of mine for the next 20 years (the money was a lot better).   2. What all aircraft did you fly and how many hours have you accumulated? I have about 4500 hours total flt time in many different aircraft. I have flown the A-6a,EA-6a,RF-4b,TA-4J and C-117(Super DC-3) in the Marines. I have flown almost everything from a J-3 Cub to an Aerostar as a civilian. I looked in my old logbooks and counted 23 different aircraft,military and civilian.   3. What was one of your hairest moments? I was on station just off of Haiphong Harbor. The strike was just about completed when all of a sudden an F-8 Crusader went screaming by,straight up,about 200 ft away on the right side. I instinctively hollared "Sh--" and banked left. About a second later another F-8 went by on the left side,straight up,about 200 ft away. I hollared "Sh--" again and leveled the wings. My ECM officer(a CWO4) sat back from the scope and said"What the he-- was that all about". I told him what had happened and he said "It's a good thing I have this oxygen mask on,cause you probably did Sh--!!" After that about every 5 minutes he would ask if anything was coming and"Don't forget to look down." We got to giggling about it and laughed our butts off the whole rest of the flight.   4. What was your favorite aircraft and why? I really enjoyed every aircraft I ever flew. They were all special in their own way. My favorite would have to be the F-4 Phantom. I called it my Hot Rod. Our McDonnell Tech Rep said that it proved a basic theory of Aerodynamics. "A brick will fly if you put big enough engines on it." The F-4 had big enough engines on it to get you out of most problems. It was big,heavy and fast,yet it had an unbelievable light touch to the controls. I believe that it was the first true fighter/bomber.   In the A-6a coming out of Danang on a hot day,fully loaded,you would roll at full power about 5000-6000 ft and then rotate. Once airborne you would accelerate to 300 kts and then climb out. In July 1972 there were NVA all over down south,so we would switch to strike freq. and a FAC would give us an assignment. When we had a target we would go in low and fast(500 ft AGL and about 420 kts). We carried 14 500 lb Mk82s and 14 500 lb napalms. We would drop at least 1/2 the load the first time over and save the rest in case we had to go in again(usually we did). 2 passes max,cause the NVA were pretty good shots.   In the EA-6a we would take off from Danang in time to get on station for the Navy Alpha Strike(usually a full carrier air group,sometimes more) We would fly a 20 mile leg holding pattern at about 28000 ft. The right seaters(ECMO's) would be on the scopes jamming all types of enemy radars and enemy communications. The Marines have perfected pinpoint jamming all the way back to the Korean War. Our coverage was so good in Vietnam, the Strike Commanders(CAGS) would not go "Feet Dry" until we were on station and operating.   5. What was one of your most humorous moments? I can't remember if it was August or September 1972. We were briefed that intel thought that the Soviets had given the North Vietnamese the home on jam capability for the Fansong radar(the SA-2 SAM radar). We(my ECMO and I) were on station off of Haiphong. We were about half way through the mission when my ECMO sat back in his seat and said "It's home-on-jam!" He hit all 5 kill switches for the jammers. I rolled the airplane over on its back and we picked up the SAM visually. I pulled back on the stick into a split-s manuever. We went right at the missile until we were about 1000 ft away from it. We then did a high "G" barrel roll around the missile and it went on past us. IT zig-zagged looking for a new target for about 3 seconds and then exploded. In the meantime I continued barrel rolling. When I looked out the front window all I could see was the Gulf of Tonkin. I leveled the wings and did a 6 "G" pull-out. We leveled off at about 3000 feet(we started at 25000 ft) heading south. Mike(my CWO-4 ECMO) said "Well, let's get back up there". I said "To hell with this,we're going home!" Mike said "You know ,we have to finish the mission." After I thought about it I said "Yeah,you're right". I turned back north and climbed back up to 25000. We got shot at 2 more times that same mission. I got pretty good at barrel rolling that heavily loaded EA-6 that day! The next day the Squadron CO called us both into his office. We were wondering what we had done wrong now. He told us that he had gotten a message from the CAG(the strike leader) from the previous days mission. The CAG said that he had watched the whole thing from his BARCAP position. He said that when we climbed back up the first time,he thought we were pretty gutsy. When we climbed back up the second time,we were nuts. When we climbed back up the third time,he thought our CO should have us committed to the looney bin. Anyway,he put us in for a DFC. Our CO said he highly concurred and forwarded the recommendation with his approval. Long story short we got the DFC. The ECMO's got together and came up with a procedure on the ECM gear so that you didn't have to split-s to get away from a SAM again. Something about sliding ---------- and --------- while still maintaining the jam. (It still might be secret.) Looking back,I totally enjoyed my 6 years in the Corps. I served with some of the finest people that one could ever meet. The civilian aviation business back in the 70's was very hectic but not very profitable. I truly loved flying all sorts of aircraft and missions.    

    WOI Review By Spectre_USA
    Dave
    By Dave,
    Spec and I have known each other for a long long time. I asked him to review WOI for Combatace because I know he would tell you what you need to know and what you didn't. So check out his review by reading the link below. It is an excellent read.   http://combatace.com/index.php?categoryid=...p2_articleid=70

    An Interview With Wagsled
    Dave
    By Dave,
    Continuing our series of interviews here at CA I got an opportunity to interview Wagsled. A great read.     1. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Born at the very end of WWII to a Marine fighter pilot from Kansas and a mother from the Deep South. My dad saw action at Okinawa flying Hellcats with VMF(N)-543 and after the war ended went into China with his squadron. He left active duty after the war, but was recalled to serve as a Corsair pilot during the Korean conflict. I grew up all over the US east coast and eventually went to Auburn University where I graduated in 1967 with a degree in Aero Engineering.   I entered the USAF that same year, attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Randolph AFB, TX and finished with 210 hours in the T-41, T-37, and T-38. I received assignment to F-4 training at MacDill AFB. After roughly 60 flight-hours in Phantoms (and several survival schools), I was assigned to the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, where I immediately began flying combat missions. I served 13 months with the Triple Nickel and had the honor to fly with some of the best fighter pilots the USAF had. Missions included everything from MiGCap to recce escort to strike flights on targets in N. Vietnam, S. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I flew MiGCap for the Son Tay Raid and felt miserable when I learned that we had failed to rescue of any of our POWs.   My second tour in Southeast Asia was with the 335th Chiefs deployed out of Seymour Johnson AFB to Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. Again, I flew with some really fine pilots and WSOs. Our missions were the same as my first tour with the exception that many of them were up North and we were tasked with flying “chaff missions” – laying down corridors of chaff in the air so the strike flights coming in behind us wouldn’t get shot down by SAMs or radar-controlled AAA. Those flights really sucked and we lost a lot of crews performing those missions.   I finished my second tour with 295 total combat missions, about 750 hours combat time, 4 DFCs, 18 AMs, and a Congressional Commendation for Heroism. All of which – along with a dollar – would, at the time, get me a cup of coffee. Don’t misunderstand, I’m proud of my war record and especially of the guys I flew with – I just wish the powers that be had let us win the damn war!   2. What all aircraft did you fly and how many hours have you accumulated? Well, I’ve mentioned the trainers and the F-4 Phantom – and I think I’ve flown almost every model of the F-4 Phantom the US ever operated – but I also had the chance to fly a lot of other types during my test pilot training and during exchange duty. I have 4,600+ hours PIC in roughly 40 different types of aircraft, mostly fighters – birds like the F-4, F-105, F-16, F-15, F-14, A-7, A-4, Mirage F3, F-5A, etc. I also flew the C-7A, C-130, and P-3B multi-engine a/c along with the CH-46 and Huey helicopters.   3. You were in USAF and then switched to the USMC; can you tell us what it was like then and the differences between the 2 as far as the flying goes? After the Vietnam War ended, the USAF had far too many fighter-pilots for the peacetime Air Force. Some bright bulb probably made general with the idea of sending two tour fighter pilots to ground jobs for three year assignments to make room for all the new graduate pilots who had been guaranteed four years in the cockpit to get them to sign up. They called the program “Rated Supplement” and it sucked…along with about 30 other pilots at Seymour Johnson, I resigned and went into the Air Force Reserve. I quickly decided I didn’t like civilian life and went to the USMC recruiter. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was one of only two selected from 400 inter-service transfers or requests to return to active duty that year.   I reported to MCAS Beaufort, SC as a USMC Captain in 1975 and absolutely loved the Marine Corps. As for the difference between the two organizations, I can best sum it up this way. In both the USAF and the USMC we had a book about 1/4” thick…in the USAF it told you what you could do, anything else was prohibited…in the Marine Corps it told you what you couldn’t do, everything else was okay. We just had far fewer rules and regs to follow. Discipline was tougher in the Corps, but the flying and the fun were as good as it got in peacetime. And believe me, carrier landings are a real differentiator, especially at night!   4. You stated you were a test pilot? Can you elaborate on that? After a three-year tour as an Advanced Jet Instructor at Navy Chase Field, I requested Navy Test Pilot School. It took me three tries, but on the 3rd I was accepted and attended USNTPS Class 81 at NATC Patuxent River, MD. Following graduation in 1981, I was assigned to run the final acceptance trials on the F/A-18 and eventually became the F/A-18 Hornet Flight Test Program Manager. I flew some of the high-alpha testing on the Hornet, asymmetric load envelope expansion, the g-limiter development and flight test, ski-jump takeoff evaluation, and several other test programs. I retired as a LtColonel in 1986 and then spent five years in Singapore as Chief Test Pilot for their A-4 Super Skyhawk re-engine and avionics upgrade program. I stopped flying professionally in 1991.   5. What was one of your most humorous moments? There have been many of them…it’s hard to pick one. This happened to my wingman, but I watched it from my bird and then heard all about it when we got back to Ubon RTAFB. Our four-ship flight was getting ready to hit the post-strike tanker after a mission up North. My wingman, Tom B., was #4 and being lowest on fuel was first to hit the tanker. When he finished, he slid off to the right wing of the KC-135 as was standard procedure. Less standard, but not uncommon, was to let your WSO (in the back seat) fly the a/c on the tanker’s wing. (Most of us had taught our regular WSOs how to fly well enough to do that without difficulty.) Well, Tom told Pete S. in the rear seat to take the stick because he was going to use his “piddle pack” to relieve himself. The “piddle pack” was a soft plastic bottle (like a small hot water bottle) with a spring top that you squeezed open. I’m sure you can get the rest of the picture.   Well, Tom was busy taking the pressure off his bladder when Pete suddenly pushed forward on the stick. The resulting negative-g put what had been in the piddle pack up in the air in front of Tom. Pete then pulled back on the stick and the previous contents dropped into Tom’s lap. Needless to say, Tom was unhappy. Instead of just cursing Pete over the intercom – and he did plenty of that! – Tom proceeded to completely un-strap and, being somewhat small of stature, was able to turn completely around in this seat. Tom pulled his service revolver out of his survival vest and stuck it around the back of his ejection seat (although the F-4 has two canopies, there are open areas between the front and rear cockpits). Tom pointed his .38 right into Pete’s face and told him he was “going to blow his f-ing head off”.   By this time, Pete was laughing so hard he couldn’t fly very well and was bouncing up and down like a yo-yo on the tanker’s wing. Our squadron CO was the flight lead for our four-ship and he calmly asked over the radio, “Four, are you having a problem.” All I could see was my wingman’s Phantom doing an imitation of a roller coaster while Tom was turned around in his seat pointing his pistol at his WSO. Needless to say, we all had a great laugh as that story was told over and over again at the bar that night. Obviously, Tom didn’t shoot Pete.   6. What was your favorite aircraft and why? I can’t really give you only one. While I love the F/A-18 and, if I had returned to combat for some reason, would have picked it above all others – I could tell you why, but this is already way too long – I have to say that the Phantom was special to me. It really couldn’t do any particular mission better than any other fighter, but it did all types of missions pretty darn well. It also brought me home every time…even when I wasn’t sure that was going to happen. It was a good old bird and it bothers me to see them on pedestals instead of flying…worse yet, I hate to see them sitting in a long line in the desert at the Davis-Monthan AFB bone-yard.   7. What was one of your hairiest moments? I’ve already bored everyone reading this, so let’s just say that those hairy moments were relatively few considering how long I flew and – for me – generally ended pretty well. For some of the great guys I flew with though, both in war and peace, that wasn’t always the case. For those who sacrificed it all, I am eternally grateful that at one time I was privileged to walk among them.

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