ST0RM

Partially correct Sir. The 40mm and 105mm have always been trainable to an extent, while the twin 20mm and 7.62mm's were not. The AC-130U does have the 25mm, as you mentioned, and is flexible. The left-hand orbit is still necessary though, to bring the weapons onto the target and the guns will then be slaved to what the Sensor Operators see via IR or TV. -S

CL, The photo you posted looks like the area very near Sembach AB, Germany. Interesting times ahead for the COIN procurement. -S

I think we've seen from the number of donations versus the actual number of people here at CA who download, this proposal wouldnt net very much. Is it the responsibility of the same die-hard 200-300 to foot the bill for the top 5 most wanted features? Just my$.02 -S

What sucks is that I've never seen the USAF version that TK did a few years back. None of the recruiters I know have either. I wonder where it went and what became of it. -S

I guess my reply came off wrong. I meant that calling one a warrior, doesn't make you one (I sound like Yoda). The AFN commercial with the airman reciting the Arman's creed is more what I was referring to. I know my place in the pecking order, and I'm fine with it. I'm not a shooter, but sure as hell have seen combat. More people need to understand their place and not be pumped full of BS.

The Dreamlifter just flew in again. Now that would be a piece of modeling! Nice work Ed. Any thoughts on an A300? Would love to chase FC around the skies! Jeff

Yeah, just read his thread over in the Mod section. I'm stupid...

Kout, can you elaborate more on what enhancements are on this aircraft/model? Thanks!

That is a pretty cool find. Sucks that the country went to crap. The team's original leader/builder was put to death during the "Revolution", as were several Western trained pilots. In the 1969 photo, the guy in the very front looks like a red-headed white guy. Funny. -S

The Israelis tested a probe config on their Vipers, similar to the one they had on the Kurnass. Maybe that is what we'll see. -S

My point was simply that not everyone does ground combat that is over there. When I cross the fence, it's in a 50 year old airplane without RHAW gear (so I dont know if we are getting a MANPAD or SA-whatever shot at me), nor defenses to counter it. The two times that I know for a fact I was shot at, was because I saw it while refueling two Super Hornets on the first one. Called the breakaway and got them away from us in case we went up in flames. I believe the SH's ended up dropping on the gun position later that night. There are several other stories that I've had happen and a few from others crews who had things get a lot closer. But this isn't the right place for that. I hold the door kickers/shooters across all services in the highest regard, don't get me wrong. Especially those that have been injured or killed. Just don't buy into the BS "combat" or "warrior" titles. It only gives someone a big head and a false sense of importance. Nearly every job has it's time and place to be at the pointy end of the stick. It depends on the mission and situation. The rest of the time... you're just another dude/dudette waiting for the alarm to go off.

Right there with ya. Got to play in the warm-up, Desert Thunder earlier that year too.

Ahh, the Zipper. Man, what a beautiful aircraft. I remember one mission in Italy. We landed at Gioia Del Colle AB in our MC-130E. It was one of the Fulton nose birds, so it looked cosmic to those that had never seen it before. At that time, the AMI was still flying the -104s there, along with the leased Tornados. We all wanted to see the F-104s as much as the Italians wanted to look at the Talon. So we deployed the spokes and gave an impromptu brief on the capabilities of our aircraft and a tour. After that, we spent 2 hours around their -104s. They kept trying to bring us over to their "Star", the Tornado. But we kept close to the Starfighter. I was on hand at Kleine Brogel for the last flight of an AMI Starfighter (outside of Italy) back in 2004. What a sight and sound. Great pics. Thank you for sharing. -Jeff

Hmmm... Ok, so what you are eluding to is that unless you are infantry of some sort, then you aren't a warrior. I agree that the AF has given the "Blunties" (those at the blunt end of the pointed spear, aka REMFs, or my personal favorite, shoeclerks) an ego boost by prefacing jobs/programs with "combat" or calling them warriors. True, I do not think much of most of the 9-3 office dwellers. Most have more than enough free time in their day to bother me with emails about volunteering or bettering the community, than actually doing their primary job. For 14 years, I was on the sidelines and watch from a very short distance as my crews (and close PJ/CCT bros) flew off on numerous CSAR or Spec ops missions. Finally in 2005, I did something about it and became one of them, instead of bitching about those "aircrew a$$holes who don't do real work", as I've been called. The Air Force has an identity crisis, in that they want to have heritage, but only remember the ones that they choose to meet their purpose. Dredging up the SAC emblem for use in a non-combat "command" is a slap in the face to all former SAC warriors who sat 24/7 alerts and flew countless missions, guarding against a nuclear threat that was just around the corner. And yes, I called them warriors. They knew their jobs and the price of leaving behind their families if the Klaxon went off and the missiles were inbound. Most were on a one way mission. But they did it anyway. But hey, what do I know?

Guess I'd have to grab one of our MPRS jets, so I could keep the boom and have drogues in the pods. You guys get the ship and fighters, I'll see what I can do for a tanker.

Well, I wouldn't say that there isn't a use for all helos. There is a use for attack helos for the CAS mission and even in Armed Recon. The problem being is that the only helicopter mod that flies like a helicopter is Marcello's Mil-8. But it's FM is way complex and I haven't heard of anyone replicating it for a dedicated AH. Also, most of the Allied airfields are located far from the FEBA so using Alt-N is almost a must when flying any helicopter. -Storm

I've got A-to-A pics of them if you want one for the loading screen. And a few F-model units too. -Jeff

Eric, Hard to tell from the photos as they are dark, but I see you've got the Buddy pod lights to work. That is awesome. When does the green light come on and vs when the red lights? Love the work you guys have put into this. It's coming along nicely. -Jeff

What if you guys gave the flaps more settings and made the first few correspond with the wing sweep, then progressively to the flaps themselves?

Great idea Kevin. Kind of reminds me of the island map in Il-2 where there are only a few fields and you fight it out in the middle. -Jeff

It wasn't that we didn't have the need for another bomb dropper. It was that Air Force wanted to give the Eagle another job in order to justify upgrades to a jet that can only do one thing, instead of getting nix'd.

TA-4J was a no-show. Ended up eating some pizza with my family and taking the dogs and kids for a walk. Cake a ice cream in a little bit. Anybody want to come over? We've got plenty. Cheers, Jeff

Thank you. I didnt get the day off though. I'm stuck in a 2 hour briefing this morning. And I'm having to wear Blues because it's Monday But on a brighter note, we've got a TA-4J stopping in at noon, so I'll be out getting some photos of it . -Jeff

What about the Doritos snowglobe commercial? That was pretty good! I agree with #1. It was funny. -Jeff

Pretty much the same story. I've known Dave for a long time, so when he told me about CA, I joined up. It just took a long time to get real involved as I did alot of skins/mods for myself. -S