ST0RM

Last Sunday, our crew set out on what was planned for a 1 week trip dragging some German F-4 Phantoms into the Mid East for an exercise. After a 10 hour flight from Kansas into Sigonella, we had enough time for a couple of beers and off to bed. The next day we flew into Souda, Crete. Upon landing we discovered that one of our hydraulic pumps had died, so we were pretty much broke. This pump is essential for air refueling and since that is our mission, everything was on hold. Wahooo 3 days in Crete. My liver is still hurting. After the 3 days in Crete, we took off and flew out to pick up our 3 Phantoms and refueled them along the way to the Mid East. Another night there with some of our deployed squadron mates and friends. So on Saturday (yesterday) we took off and flew into RAF Mildenhall. Again, we partied it up with some more of our friends (more liver pain). However this morning as we arrived at our -135, it has an oxygen leak so we are most likely staying another 24 hours. Ahh the life of a tanker guy. I'll post some pics of the Phantoms when I get home. ??? Thought I'd share. Cheers!

Aesthetically, the DSI intake is awesome looking. I loved the F-16 that was tested with it fitted. The Chinese are really coming along with their J-10.

Hawker-Beech is taking their time developing the AT-6B, while the various services want a COIN platform now. It's no wonder that they are looking elsewhere. While this might be just a little hint to H/B to get their program moving faster, it's still good to see another very capable aircraft being considered. And the shark-mouth is a must!

As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name If you want to save your soul from Hell a-riding on our range

Made it home last night around 1730. The damn jet leaked out all of the oxygen again from the primary system during the flight across the pond, so we had to go to the auxiliary system. Luckily it held pressure. I'll post some photos sometime today. -Jeff

The queston now is what shot it down? A Viper?

Human Beer tanker. Hmmm, I like that. Any of our UK based friends near Mildenhall? My plans got cancelled for the night so maybe a beer at the Bird in Hand? Anyone?? Here's a quick shot from the Phantom drag. Jeff

Still broke here at the 'Hall with an O2 leak. This morning, I was trying to get out to the approach at Lakenheath to catch some Strike Eagle photos, but couldnt get a ride or the taxi driver didnt know where to go specifically. This blows!! I think we are going to hit up the Green King brewery tour though. More liver pain... Cheers! P.S. Broke in Hawaii? Not us, but it as our squadron guys on their way to Australia. And honestly, these have all been real breaks, not gaming the system.

Excellent work. The Harrier is one of my favorite aircraft to fly in this sim. I can't master the V/STOL yet, so I keep coming back for more.

Finally got to D/L-ing the Fencer and have now added your lights and the new K-36 seat. Thanks Jug!

Early Warning radar or some other Space Command doohicky?

It's operative, but you need a Java script or some add-on for the side menus to work correctly. It hasn't been updated in a long while though.

Did you guys hose the bandwidth with all of the D/Ls?

Haven't seen Paul Nortness here is ages. I know he's active on a scale modeling site. Maybe he gave up on simming.

I've been holding off on getting YAP2 as I remember hearing that it was a real hard on the average machine. Looking over the website, I did not see any system requirements. I'm running a 3Ghz CPU w/2Ghz RAM and a 512Mb video card, with XP as my OS. I get low-20s with the OpDS mod on med-high settings at 1440x900 res. Think I'll do ok? I'd love to get my hands on the H-53 and KC-135. -S

I've done the same thing to my WoI install, clear back to 1948.

As was said, vertical take-offs are a rarity for Harriers due to the heavy fuel load and the limitation of cooling water carried onboard. A Short-Takeoff is more likely starting with the nozzle full aft to get rolling, then dropping them to 60 degrees-ish to pop up. Vertical landings are the toughest of all. -S

I know this is going to sound scetchy, but this is my only option right now. Ok here it goes. I've got the FSX w/acceleration expansion set. But my good gaming comp's DVD drive is Tango Uniform, so I only have the standard CD-Rom working. Can I install FSX onto my laptop, then copy it over to an external HD, for transfer to my gaming comp? I know you guys are saying, why bother, but I dont have the cash right now to get a new DVD drive. What all do I need to copy over? Both computers are XP, so the file placement is the same. Thanks in advance!

If anything, I think the CAF Hornet drivers would welcome the chance to run an intercept on an actual Russian bomber. Many of these guys are young and were not in during the Cold War, so this opportunity would be a nice break from sitting alert only. Maybe it's just me?

I've got a legal boxing with key. I'm curious as I've heard of guys keeping a vanilla install as backup so this, theoretically, should work.

Understood! And the more I think about it, I do still usesome visual landmarks (roads and rivers) to line up certain targets. Thanks for the memory jog Eric.

The only real use for having all of the rivers or lakes, etc would be for VFR navigation. Il-2 was good for that and I could navigate as necessary. With the modern sims, this isnt such a requirement. It's nice to have a detailed map/terrain, but dont kill yourself over it. -S

As was said, his iconic voice on the radio will be missed.

Never hurts to show appreciation for time spent and excellent work released, regardless if it is always of the finest quality. Thanks MF!

Emergency