Jug

It is a balance equation at all times. $28 million dollar jet, $29 million warm body........jettison the jet! If you ever get to thinking about this expensive jet, you just made a smokin' hole. Glad my Portuguese aviator still has the equation right.

Vista

I still have this bad boy for the PC.

Wonder what happened to "Wild Bill"Steeley?

Speaking of nuclear fun and games, has anyone modeled a SIOP strike (single integrated operations plan - cold war ops plan to nuke Russia back to the stone age) using the B-52G or H or the FB-111. Across the pole, multiple air refueling, low level entry to the former Soviet Union across Scandinavia, kiss a few Soviet airbases and cities with a SRAM and leave a few delayed fuse B61s laying on top of a few silos, motor out of Soviet hospitality zone to recover in Turkey. Since the heavyweight missiles will have already arrived or are in the process of arriving during the flight and the Russkies will probably be turned out with all they have (missiles, guns and planes, oh my), it should make for a lengthy white knuckle mission. Not only that, but survivors will not ever need flashlights (its that inner glow) for the rest of their lives (that's the good news - bad news is that their lives will be really short due to radiation poisioning). I sat on B-52G alert with a similar mission from Loring AFB, ME, during the cold war years (75-79) and could help someone that is a better mission modder than I am.

Only problem with using the F-80C cockpit in the Marut is that the P-80 has one engine and the Marut has two. I guess I get real sticky about that since I have always leaned toward "one engine, one seat, and one heart". I can distinctly remember getting razzed out of the bar for calling "throttles up" over the radio while flying a U-2 (single engine). You have to admit that it makes the emergency procedures easy to remember. Engine shutdown, engine restart, aircraft jettison.

Boys and girls, in my opinion, it is all about numbers. If we can buy 10 tweaked F-15s instead of 1 F-22, that is a good thing. If the Danes can buy 10 Gripins vs 1 F-35, that is a good thing. I can assure you in a war of attrition my F-15s will take losses, but I'll still be shooting when the other guy is out picking up the pieces. If you will remember that was the idea of the F-16. Low cost small fighter where you could buy lots of them. Speaking of numbers, how many tweaked Su-27s could the US buy for every F-22 or F-35. Judging from the reliability of missiles in combat and from what I have seen in the confines of this game, drag the F-4s out of the boneyard and load em up with gun pods. Real low tech stuff, point the nose and pull the trigger - everything in front of you dissappears. If I can put 50 up against your super-fighter, you're toast.

My fav is the one that was banned. New style gludius maximus opener. "hey barkeeep, twenty more!"

Ditto. Press on!

Somebody has to support the gentle Giants, so I pick them as a surprise winner 35-31 over the Pats. Thence Football season comes to a close and we all enter the doldrums of that period known as "Waiting for football season". Good thing we have CA on which to focus our time and efforts!

Anybody remember the Microprose company? F-15 Strike Eagle?

Ditto. Well Done!

In my opinion it is a good choice. What's the big deal? Ask Brazil about their spare parts deal with France to sustain a fleet of some 19 MirageIIEs in the later part of the last century. Spares are an issue, but you learn to cope. I, for one, would take a hard look at the Chinese offerings (if they are for sale). Lottsa countries making some nifty aircraft out there today. Russian aircraft have a reputation of being simple to maintain. I think Israel set the bar for procuring foreign made aircraft and becoming real good at adapting their industry to wean spare parts links that became politically untenable. Brings a bunch of bucks home in the balance of trade and presses hard your internal fledgling aeronautical industry. I've even said and I say again, the US could use a couple of SU-27 Squadrons. After all, I could put three or four Su-27s into the fight for each F-22 I can afford. We could contract our own defense industry to do the spare parts thing. Might want to trade in the motors for a couple of good Pratt & Whitneys, and what would a good set of US avionics do for the capability of the Flanker? Makes me drool in my sleep.

A small note here. The Tu-22 Blinder has a crew of three, pilot, offensive systems operator, and defensive system operator. They are in tandem, three in line astern. The F-4E cockpit is more appropriate than the F-111 cockpit. Two engines and one pilot.

You point to the only irritation that I have from this forum. I, too, am a bit put off by the rivit counters and just want all modders to know that you are creative artists. You are the leading edge of our community and the genious behind what makes this sim and forum so much fun. All the rest of us are greatly appreciative REMFs (Rear Echelon Mother F*****s). About the best we can do is applaud a wonderful effort since we don't have the tools, time or ability to do it ourselves. It pains me no end to read a BnM (bitch and moan) note from anyone and in some, sadly, I see just jealousy. I hope that our modders will continue to realize that we have to put up with camp followers along with the good troops. Please, don't be offended by the toads, just consider the source.

Me three!

Congratulations. It is the pinnicle of the profession, right!

Happy Birthday and many happy returns!

As I recall the T-37B had Cessna centrifigual flow compressor engines that were low thrust, but very loud. It only has to haul around an IP and a student. What else do you need? There's no burner either. Now the T-37C and the A-37 were the same airframe, but with a wing with three hardpoints each and two GE J-85 axial flow engines (same engine as the T=38). Still no afterburner. It did have retractable FOD screens over the engine intakes that operated in conjunction with the landing gear that (when retracted) seemed like the kick of an afterburner because of the increased airflow. Needless to say the power is extremely different between the models. (1100 Hrs in the tweet and 3.7 Hrs in the super tweet thanks to then Capt, now Lt Gen Wally Moorehead)

Big watch, small equipment, and looking for an ATM.

The name of the game is anticipation. Try to focus on your control inputs and the anticipated reaction you expect to see as a result of them. My refueling time was snuggling a BUFF up under a tanker. Sorta like driving two barns real close together and it is easier to do in reality than in a sim. Don't have any fighter refueling time, but it has to be easier. Typical offload for a Buff was around 100,000 lbs so a 3,000 lbs offload sounds trivial. Contact time must be measured in seconds for a successful offload. That's why fighter pilots have girl children. Not enough contact time to pass the right chromosones.

USAFMTL you good lookin' dog, don't you ever die! Well Done!

Sweet! Well Done!

It might be the travel pod. T-38s used something similar. Cockpits are small (only room for a dop kit) and if you need to give a briefing, it is how you carry your dress blues and briefing material.

Not sure I am qualified to even join in this discussion, but I couldn't agree more that India is the region's most stable and responsible government. The US, when we have parted political or diplomatic company with India, has failed to acknowledge that India is not necessarily on the western side or eastern side, they are merely on their own side. It is the right of every nation to exercise their foreign policy to meet their own internal needs and objectives. Israel is quite famous for doing the same thing without the diplomatic backlash from the US that India has had to deal with. China with its overpopulation and associated problems does sit right next door to India with its overpopulation and associated problems. This is a geographic fact and the situation could become critical in a very short period over events. Both nations must tread lightly. It is in India's strategic best interests to nurture their relationship with the US for that reason alone, especially with the self-destruction of the Soviet Union. Pakistan sees a creature in the closet every time India wants to purchase weapons, but that appears to be a political twist to the true fact that China is of more concern than Pakistan to India. Most of their arms purchases are to address that situation and most of the political maneuvering is looking for allies for the same scenario. Since this is a flight sim forum, wouldn't an imaginary conflict between India and China be fun.