Fates

I feel I've been around since the down of Personal Computers. It was with luck that our High School started a Computers Class my Sophomore year and I soaked it all up. Started on old CP/M machines learning CP/M, Assembly Language and other programs my first year. I remember 8" Floppy Drives. We were so bored by our Senior Year that when the instructor said he didn't have anything more for us to learn (Software wise), we started repairing all the failed PC's, Printers, and other hardware from around the whole school district. We wrote the Attendance Program the schools was using and had our own BBS. Yes, sorta dating myself. But for graduation I built my own computer. Took it off to College in 1987, and remember hooking it up to a 46" Sony TV playing Jet 2.0. Loved it.

All good sims, some I forgot ages ago. From the 80's, 90's, 00's, to today, The evolution of the flight sim, and Combat Flight Sim has changed drastically on not just the graphics end but in their complexity of realism as well. I've been out of flight sims so awhile due to work and just not having enough machine to really run a modern day DCS. I've recently solved that "machine" side of things and slowly piecing things back together to get back in the game.

Thanks Erik!

Post 'em up! Here's a few of mine and ones I've done for some friends. And Mine.... Now I gotta find some more airshow pics.

OK.... Let's here about it. Do you plan to upgrade? The official release is 7/29 and Microsoft is planning to upgrade 4 Billion Systems..... 4 Billion. Wow. I'm excited about the Xbox/PC interface and being able to play against consul users. Let's here your thoughts, opinions, disgusts, etc...... I haven't upgraded yet, and likely won't until it's been out for a few months.

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.

Here's my daily driver in the Summer: And my New Project. 1968 Dodge Travco Camper

Have you ever wanted to experience being a fighter pilot and experiencing the thrill of aerial combat, other than sitting at your desk playing a sim, then get out to Sky Combat Ace, based out of Henderson Airport, Las Vegas (KHND), just a short hop from the Vegas strip. I had the recent opportunity to sit front seat with one of the country’s best Combat Flying Experiences, Sky Combat Ace. They will be happy to pick you up and bring you back from your hotel. On the ride over to KHND, I reached over and turned up the TOOL song playing on the radio. We both loved the metal bands, and I had just met Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden at the NBAA Convention, so the conversation was great. Once we arrived, I was greeted by everyone and they were more then happy to answer any of my questions, but more importantly, they took the time to learn more about me, my past experiences, and you simply felt at home with everyone there. Sky Combat Ace offers many different packages, between the Extra 330, and the Waco. The full list of experiences can be found here: Packages. There are 4 packages in the Extra 330 that will take you from a basic Air Show experience of Loops, Aileron Rolls, and non-stop Spins, to a longer ride that will include many of the same aerobatics thrills, this time with you controlling the stick! The Sky Combat Experience is just the start for those seeking a Combat Thrill of Dog-Fighting in the sky. You will take the class room as the Combat Instructors will teach you the basic maneuvers you will be performing in the air. You will be dog-fighting against friends, family, or enjoying the chance to yell "Jetser's Dead!", as you take on another Combat Flight Instructor in air-to-air combat. If this thrill isn't enough, then take on the Adernaline Rush which will take on all the aerobatics capabilities of the aircraft and propel you into the rush of a life-time. After the dog-fighting is over you will execute loops, rolls, cuban 8's, hammerheads, tail slides, spins, and Lomcevak (tumble)....and then it's all capped off with a low level surface attack against an SA-5 Simulated ground target! On this adventure, most would choose the quick, sleek, highly maneuverable Extra 330. These aircraft are nimble and offer an incredible sense of speed as you fly low. They also offer a great full canopy view of your environment. What every fighter pilot wants is visibility, and this aircraft offers all of that and more. But for me, I was looking for something completely different. I wanted to step back in time when our fighting aces had open cockpits and multiple wings. Sky Combat Ace offered just such an opportunity to step into a Waco YMF. The Waco F-Series, best known by sporting pilots of the 1930’s to 1940’s did have some military use. A few Waco Cabin Aircraft originally sold as civilian, were put into military service in World War II and designated the Waco C-72. These were typically light transport aircraft. Although many of you may recognize the Waco F-Series, you may also recognize the Waco Glider, CG-4, used by the US Army Air Force, US Navy, Royal Air Force during the WWII Invasion of Sicily, Normandy, and Operation Market Garden. I sat down with my pilot, Whip, and we discussed a few items prior to flight. I wasn’t in for any aerobatics, even though this aircraft is fully capable of just about anything. There was a quick pre-fight of the aircraft and I strapped in the front seat for the ride. I took myself back to those early years of Combat Aviation, WWI, and the dawn of Air Superiority. I’ve been in Corporate Aviation for a long time, and have had the privilege of working and flying on just about anything out there. However, sitting in an open cockpit bi-plane was a something that I had never done, and this ride was going to be one that took me back in time and experience the early years of Combat Aviation. We strapped in, checked our headsets and fired up the 300Hp Jacobs R-755. The sound of the Radial engine is unmatched in aviation, but feeling the cylinders fire was even a better experience. We had a short taxi out to 35L and held short to warm up the engine. Once the oil temp was up, we were cleared for departure. Hearing the engine come up to power was great. Although this is no modern jet fighter, and didn’t set you back in your seat when you released the brakes, it was still incredible to feel the power of the aircraft as you departed the earth’s surface. It was only to be a nice, slow ride out to the Hoover Dam. Whip allowed me to take the controls, and it was then that I released that this beast was very agile, and just wanted to climb and climb. Two wings are much better than one with regards to producing lift. I was constantly on the stick with forward pressure, even after trimming it out quite a bit. No electric trim here, just your basic stick and rudder piloting. Trying to keep the aircraft level at altitude was somewhat tiring on the wrist, I can only imagine the golden days of pilots spending lengthy missions in similar aircraft and how exhausted they might feel after a few hours in the air. A short ride later we were over the Hoover Dam doing several steep S- Turns. I pictured myself in a Sopwith and Fokkers on an early 1900’s reconnaissance mission somewhere in Europe. Things were much slower back then compared to the speed of aerial combat today. After several steep turns, we pointed the nose back to base and began to head home. You could definitely feel the aircraft react to the local thermals produced by the small mountainous areas. The aircraft was more than capable of loops, aileron and barrel rolls, so if your ready to for a full on combat experience, these guys can surely deliver. http://youtu.be/AVyE_KSiVuM We turned to final for 35R, and enjoyed smooth landing and rollout. As we taxied back to the hangar, I couldn’t help but long for going back in time and learning more about those that defined aerial combat. Sky Combat Ace was a great experience and I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to the Las Vegas area. I will be returning in a couple years for my next NBAA convention out that way, and I definitely be looking them up for another ride. It may be in the Extra 330 as we experience more modern aerial combat techniques. Either way put these guys on your bucket list and enjoy everything they have to offer. Please visit their website and check out the many options from scenic tours to full throttle combat experiences, you will enjoy every moment. Notes and References: http://www.skycombatace.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WACO_Classic_Aircraft