FastCargo

So sitting around on a Thursday in Memphis, I've been doing some musings... First, you ever had a completely unexpected event happen, so unexpected that it takes you a few seconds to process what you are seeing? Or better yet, you react, then you analyze what you just saw? We live in typical suburbia, just like you'd think of. Have a 2 story, 2 car garage (not a carport) where only one car can fit in with the other side full of stuff. Anyway, the family and I are heading out. While the wife puts on the kid's shoes, I go to open the door the leads to the garage. And find myself 5 feet from a 6 point buck! I don't know who was surprised more...me or the deer. I could swear we stared at each other for at least 2 to 3 seconds. My wife said it was more like 1/2 a second...at which point I jumped back and shut the door...and then figured out what I saw. While I heard a couple of 'crashes' from the garage as it bounded out. I suspect what happened is that when I shut the garage door last night, I didn't monitor it's closure completely, and it got 'caught' on something and automatically opened back up and stayed open all night. Where upon the deer came in the morning and went toward where we keep bags of salt for the water softener. Second, finally watched the second disk of the 2-DVD set of 'The Final Countdown'. Some interesting extras...including interviews with the original VF-84 pilots. What was really cool was that I know a few of those guys, and flew with one on them here at FedEx! Emery Brown, at the time the CO of VF-84 during the making of 'The Final Countdown'. Hell, I knew he had been one of the USNs test pilots for the F-14 back in the day...but he didn't tell me about the movie stuff. Neat stuff...supposedly all of the actors and film people were pretty cool...with one notable exception - Katherine Ross. A shame really... Oh, and they used a B-25 for a lot of the air to air shots! Third, I really wish someone would make a portable HOTAS for laptops owners...this Saitek ST90 folding joystick is okay...but it's not the same as when I used my full set... FastCargo

Isn't that neat when you find stuff like that? My dad gave me a couple of patches back when he was enlisted. Found out about 5 years ago that both squadrons still exist...one of them at Randolph AFB as a IFF squadron no less. Neat stuff. I could spend all day at an aircraft muesum...and spend even more money on books I buy at the aircraft muesums...:). FastCargo

Square footage of F-14 wings = 565 sq feet Square footage of Su-27 wings = 667 sq feet Both fuselages are 'lifting bodies', that's where you get 1008 square feet. Lifting square footage of F-14 = 1008 sq feet (your numbers) Lifting square footage of Su-27 = 1000 sq feet (conservative estimate based on the size of the LERXs) Total combat weight of F-14 = 55440 lbs (your numbers) Total combat weight of Su-27 = 50690 lbs Weight over lifting footage of F-14 = 55 lb per sq foot Weight over lifting footage of Su-27 = 51 lb per sq foot Thrust to weight of F-14D = 55600 lbs thrust / 55440 lbs = 1.003 T/W Thrust to weight of Su-27 = 55200 lbs thrust / 50690 lbs = 1.089 T/W My numbers show the Su-27 having an advantage in both wing loading and thrust/weight. In a sustained rate fight, assuming combat loads, the F-14 is showing a disadvantage. Typhoid, any thoughts? FastCargo

I wouldn't think so. The Su-27 has a superior thrust to weight ratio at typical loadouts. More importantly though, it only has 2/3s of the wing loading an F-14 does, critical for sustained turn performance and can easily pull as many Gs as any modern fighter. I'd be curious as to what Typhoid thinks. FastCargo

No, it isn't fair. But you can't dismiss it out of hand either. Folks, as people who have worked with nukes will tell you, positive control is EVERYTHING! It is a Big F*****g Deal everytime a nuke is moved, and the paperwork is miles long. An example: During an exercise (mind you, just an exercise), once the aircraft had weapons loaded, the area around it became a 'no lone zone', ie no one was ever suppposed to be alone inside that area. It was guarded by a single SF person. Unfortunately, one of the guys guarding fell asleep. He wasn't chewed out by his supervisor. He didn't get a letter of reprimand. He didn't get an Article 15 (administrative punishment). He was court marshalled! For an exercise. That is how serious we take positive control. FastCargo

You do realize that the problem isn't the fact that the B-52 flew with nukes...it's the fact that no one figured that out until AFTER it landed. FastCargo

Okay, That's what I wanted to know...not 'rare', but not what I would call common either. FastCargo

Define 'rare'. How many aircraft in WWI had 4 blade props vs total number of aircraft types? Do you have that info there Dutch? I'd like to know. FastCargo

6GB????? Dude, all my F-111 variants with the cockpit don't even take up a gig...that must be some ultra detailed cockpit! :) FastCargo

Craig, Outstanding work! Take your time...we'll all be here when you're ready! FastCargo

Gentlemen, Limited, sane, political discussions are okay on a case by case basis. This thread has so far been very productive. Barely legible rants are not okay. Keep it civil. FastCargo

Heck, I just checked and my merged SFP1/WOV/WOE install with mods is at 19GB! Plus my FE install is at a paltry 2.6GB. I've already made a DVD-R with SFP1, WOV, WOE, and Full Merged installs (all stock and fully patched) for backup. I'm thinking maybe I should do the same thing for a modded SFP1/WOV/WOE install. Have a 'basic' modded merged install for things like enviromental and weapons mods. But then have the campaigns, aircraft, ground objects, and terrain be 'era/theatre' specific. That way if I feel like BoB campaign, just loadup the WWII DVD...for Korea area, a Korea DVD, etc. Sure would save some HD space... FastCargo

Brainless, Man, you should have been here about a year ago when I showed up! Because thats what I did too. So I actually built screens for the Korean Air War mod that were compatible (and looked decent) with WOE! But I long since got rid of them when I learned how to make campaigns fully compatible with my merged install.... Sorry man... FastCargo

That's very unusual...I've never even heard of such a problem. I'd recommend the TW forums as well... FastCargo

Well, we fly home, but the very NEXT day, I have to drive 3 hours to Del Rio, TX for re-blue. What's that you say? Well, I'm a T-38C Instructor Pilot (IP). But, I don't train Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) students. I train pilots (in Pilot Instructor Training - PIT) to become T-38C IPs who then teach UPT students. Anyway, after doing this for 3 years, the command mandates that you travel to a UPT base (in this case, Laughlin AFB, TX) to spend a week down there and fly with UPT students. Basically, it refocuses your 'picture' to make sure you are giving your students (ie future T-38C IPs) good info so they can be more effective instructors. So I spend a week on the line. First thing that hits me is I've forgotten how tiring 3 sorties a day is...I was a hunk o' junk by Wednesday night. Definitely was a lot easier when I was younger... A few pics: T-6A solo student in the overhead. T-38Cs up initial for the break. A IFF (Intro to Fighter Fundamentals - post UPT course for future fighter pilots) T-38C taxiing in. The USAF has decided to split IFF among all the UPT bases and break up Moody AFB, where it was all consolidated. This of course, was after all the IFF training was consolidated at Moody AFB 5 years ago. Who's running this railroad? Oh, and don't let the paint job fool ya...it's the same exact aircraft I fly now, they just use it differently. Ahhh...memories. This bird is my old tail number from when I was an active duty T-38A UPT IP at Laughlin AFB in 96-99. We even have our wedding day pictures by this bird...my buds from the squadron flew a 4 ship down to Tampa to attend, and this jet was one of the birds they used. So we got permission from MacDill AFB Base Ops to run out to the flight line to get wedding day photos. Of course, back then it was an 'A' model in white, not the 2-tone grey 'C' model it is now. I tell ya, if you ever want to get a real idea of how much we (the USAF) train...visit a UPT base. Planes fly from sunup to sundown, all 3 runways get a constant workout. An average UPT base will have more aircraft movement than ANY (and I mean ANY) major airport. It's sort of an intangible 'This is why I'm here' kind of feeling at a UPT base. After that, I drove back Friday night to San Antonio...and caught a jumpseat to Memphis Saturday to operate a A300 to Manchester, NH. Did I mention I'm tired? :) Okay, I'm done for now... FastCargo

Spent the last couple of days in Seattle, hit the Science Fiction Hall of Fame Museum, Museum of Flight, and the Pacific Science Center. Pacific Science Center was cool for the kid...recognize this shot? I was lying on the grass, looking up to take this pic (the sun was directly behind the needle) when the munchkin decided to check on me...made for a funny pic at the beginning of the thread. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Museum was okay, but they wouldn't let us take pics in there...kind of a bummer. I'm always surprised how bad props actually look up close. They had displays of actual costumes of some various shows, mostly Star Trek. Had one of Jeri Ryan's jumpsuits...either she's really small, or that thing was TIGHT. She's quoted as saying she couldn't wear panties or a bra because the lines would show through. I'm just not going there... Anyway, they had a BSG (new) flight suit...I know what I want for Christmas... Hit the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field. Flown into Boeing Field plenty of times, but never had the chance to check out the Museum. They were offering biplane rides that day...I was REALLY, REALLY tempted... 10 points to whoever recognizes the cockpit! :) Yep, the Concorde...definitely smaller inside than I thought it would be. Just can't stop being an instructor pilot..."Right stick, RIGHT STICK!...woahhhhhh!" 747 number 1 - undergoing renovation. Air Force 1 - based on the 707. 737 number 1. F-5 number 1, actually called N-156. Note the vertical tail is differently shaped than production F-5s. Also, it had dual sets of navigation lights on the wings...and a HUGE landing light. For you Sag! License built F-86. And for you Paul. Sorry about the vertical poles...couldn't find a way to take a better pic without them in the way. Lockheed A-12 with D-21 drone. Personal jet powered pulpit anyone? ALCM. Yep, the REAL flying car. Speaking of which...it's the 21st century, where are my flying cars? I was promised flying cars! Noticed this odd Learjet taking off. Had a pod slung underneath a wing...a pod that looked a LOT like the early USN version of LANTIRN. On closer inspection of the picture, it looked like the pod was carrying a small, finned object...like a towed target. Caproni (sp?) Ca20. According to the description, this may have been the very first fighter plane EVER. Anyone smart on WWI aviation can confirm or deny? Would be fascinating if true. More to come...

Okay folks, picture time! I'm going to use thumbnails you can click on so I don't bog everyone down. At the beginning of August, we went on a vacation (if you can call it that) for 3 weeks. Starting in California to attend a wedding: Clean up pretty good I'd say... Partial view from the house a few of us rented...couldn't get the panoramic to post. Anyway, awesome view...great place to get together. If it hadn't been so hectic, it would have been a perfect place just to hang out, grill stuff and drink beer. Pool table, bocce court, pool, hot tub, wireless internet, etc. After California, we then flew up to Vancouver, BC, Canada (actually, flew to Seattle, then drove) to visit the in laws, relatives and friends. Included hanging out at a park just off the runway of Vancouver Intl Airport. My son running around looking at the FedEx ramp at the airport. 747 owned by Oasis Airlines of Hong Kong. Airbus A310 owned by FedEx. Boeing 727 painted by FedEx but flown by Canadian aircrew. You'll notice it actually has a Canadian tail number. That's because foreign airlines can't fly within Canada (ie FedEx can't fly from Toronto to Vancouver directly), but if the aircraft is actually owned and flown by a Canadian company... We have similar rules in the US...most countries do. Mostly for job protection. In fact, DHL uses this rule to fly in the US. If you looked really closely at a DHL aircraft, you would see the text 'Operated by ABX Air'. Saw this while visiting Point Roberts, Washington state. Basically, it's a small part of the US, that you can't get to any other part of the US except by a boat or driving through Canada. We are thinking about buying some land up there. Anyway, this was caused by a Virgin Airways 747 right at the cloud level...cool eh? This plane was driving me NUTS! I was in my inlaws back yard, watching the kid play around, and I keep hearing what sounds like an airliner high overhead. But all I see is this plane doing a slow banked turn...several times orbiting something. But, damn it, it SOUNDS like a turbine powered airliner. I finally decide to take pictures of it so I can read the tail number (had the long lens nearby). It had it on the wing as well, so I looked it up. C-FDGM is a basic Cessna converted to turboprop power, owned and operated by the RCMP...hmmm. Recon, anyone? I think what was happening is that there were some condos nearby, and the sound was bouncing in such a way that the 'prop' part of the sound was getting canceled out, leaving only the 'jet' noise. Drove down to Seattle, and passed by the Peace Arch. Because the line at the border is so long, there's usually time to get out and run around, perfect for the kid (big arch ain't it kiddo)! Continued...

Peter, Just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work in this section. You're doing an awesome job. Also, I want to thank everyone for offering constructive critques...this is how a community should act to get a better experience for everyone. FastCargo

Like Marc said, Venezuela isn't by itself an issue...but the idea of building an 'anti-Northern' alliance could be a concern. However, I also think some are starting to figure out Venezuela's democracy is being turned into a dictatorship...one that isn't looking so benevolent. Witness the shutting down of an opposition radio station, and now pushing a 'no term limits' change to their constitution... After all the various dictatorships that used to exist in Latin America, I would hope people would be leery of such a change to reoccur. FastCargo

The AI has been a topic of discussion for a while. Most folks play on 'Hard' setting, which still can result in inconsistent AI. There are also levels of AI within the general 'Hard' setting...just tends to change the distribution amount. FastCargo

The search engine is your friend: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showt...mpaign+aircraft FastCargo

The game/sim would have to be built to take specific advantage of the card because it uses specific drivers. Physics cards are already starting to fall out of consideration because of multi core CPUs showing up. It's just as productive to task a CPU with physics problems when you have multiple ones to choose from. Save your money. FastCargo

Correct. Click on the XF designations (and the F-110) for more info. F-100 Super Sabre F-101 Voodoo F-102 Delta Dagger XF-103 - Proposed Republic Mach 3+ interceptor F-104 Starfighter F-105 Thunderchief F-106 Delta Dart F-107 Ultra Sabre (the funny looking intake) XF-108 Rapier - Proposed Long Range Interceptor with 2 XB-70 engines...looked similar to CF-105 Avro Arrow with F-15 intakes XF-109 - Proposed supersonic VTOL fighter with 8 (!!) engines built by Bell F-110 - Original designation of what became the F-4 FastCargo

Hey guys, pics are going to have to wait for a bit. I'm stuck in the Laughlin AFB TLF...and they don't have high speed...DOH! And, I'm just damn tired...down at Laughlin for re-blue. I'm too friggin old to trip turn sorties... I'll tell ya later. FastCargo

No ailerons, upper wing, or wheels...landed safely at home plate! No right gear, flaps or aileron...dead stick...on a hill! A HILL on a hill... FastCargo