MigBuster

Version of a Beach Boys classic done for children in need - a few faces you might recognise

Back to Op Pulsator (Beirut 1983). Between trips to the Lebanon, we did a lot of excellent training flying, taking advantage of the glorious weather in Cyprus. It is worth mentioning a fight that my nav and I got into one glorious and cloudless Friday afternoon on a training sortie there. Not a fight as in fisticuffs, the more gentlemanly pursuit of aerial jousting; Air Combat Training. Although it was not all that uncommon to practice 1 v 1, 2 v 2 and (occasionally) 4 v 4, three element fights were more unusual; in this case 1 v 1 v 1. Three aircraft each on his own side trying to 'kill' the other two and attempting to avoid being shot by either. Perhaps I should explain how this works. All three players start at the same point and split outwards, at 120° intervals, to a pre-nominated range (say, 10 or 15 miles from the start point (This is known as the 'Mercedes Split' - think of the Merc symbol and it will all make sense). Then they are allowed to turn in and may take shots on either or both the other players. The training advantage of this is that it stops crews from getting involved in a lengthy, 1 v 1 fight as the third aircraft can enter the fray at any moment and engage the other two players. The idea, as I saw it, was to force the other two to get tied-up and be the third jet, the one who gets to kill everyone else. So, on the Friday in question, I had a brilliant game plan; so brilliant that it couldn't possibly fail. We split, to set up the fight, with us heading southeast. As we extended out towards 15 miles from the centre point, I started a climb to get as high as we could whilst explaining to my nav what my wily scheme entailed. We would not rush into the fight; we would take our time, gain as much altitude as possible and let the other two get tied up together and, hopefully, lose sight of us. Then we could swoop down on them from the heavens like a silent avenger from the Gods, unseen and unopposed, heroically to shoot them both while they were too busy even to see where we came from. Then we would roll in behind them and take a few yards of gun camera film with which to taunt the other players later. He seemed reasonably impressed with this. Oh, yes, one other thing, I was not going to get caught slow, I would have 'fighting speed' (at least 450 knots)all the time. Everything went swimmingly. Our powerful F-4K FG.1 made it to over 50,000 feet and still at a respectable speed. Nobody would ever see us up here. And, even better, the other two were engaged in a 'knife fight in a phone booth' directly below us, highlighted beautifully against the shiny Mediterranean. Rolling my mighty Phantom on her back and leaving both throttles parked up by the firewall (full burner), I pulled the nose down to point at our unsuspecting prey. Now in a vertical dive, God's own gravity combined with the potent thrust of the Phantom's two Rolls Royce Speys in full burner to accelerate us dazzlingly quickly toward the gleaming sea. In the time it took me to position the sight on each of our opponents in turn and to unleash terrible destruction upon them, we were too. Upon them..............I mean, not only upon them but straight through the middle of the now defunct fight, still accelerating. I heaved on the stick, planted it firmly in my lap in a vain effort to level out from this screaming dive. At such high speeds the F-4 Phantom was not over-blessed with what we call 'nose authority'; the ability to point the nose of the aircraft where desired - in this case, above the horizon. Now I was no longer battling to enter the fight with unarguable advantage, I was battling to recover from this self-induced, high speed, high angle, death dive in the distance remaining between the sea and us. 'Calmly' I closed both throttles, opened the speed brakes and pulled like a bastard, remarking 'casually' to my back-seater 'I think we've blown this', to which he replied, 'What do you mean, “We”?' from Paul Courtnage ex RAF

Thought you had changed jobs for a second there that is funny thou

Cool

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/learjet-collided-with-german-eurofighter-during-hard-404523/ The two-man crew of a Bombardier Learjet 35A died when their aircraft was in collision with a German air force Eurofighter after a quick reaction alert training exercise went wrong, Germany’s BFU accident investigation board has concluded, in an interim report into the 23 June accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTheyLIvRc

You looking to pick up an older card from eBay - or a newer mid end card? If new what about this: http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/nvidiageforcegraphicscards/nvidiagtx750tiseries/n750titf2gd5oc.html http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-750-ti Basically if you run games with high requirements the card heats up so big fans mean better cooling and very quiet compared to basic reference cards. It has a very good cooling system and runs lower temps than the older 700 series cards - because its a newer Maxwell chip Fubar runs this Twin Frozr card with SF2 and says it works great - comes with an MSI app where you can change it to game/OC/quiet mode with one click.

Reported as an F-15D on combat training - glad all was okay

dont remember this - lots of swearing included

Sad news - may he RIP

In Greek mythology, Heracles, or Hercules, the son of Zeus, performed 12 labours: a dozen incredibly difficult and highly dangerous tasks. But slaying the Neamean lion or battling the Lernaean hydra must have been a walk in the park, compared to what Vladimir Putin has had to deal with. At least, that's the impression you get from this bizarre exhibition. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29513589

Remember flying it off a B-52 in this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Prey_(video_game) Not much of game otherwise IMO

The US mission in the Middle East is without a code name. How do you choose a title for a military campaign, asks Jon Kelly. There is no "Operation Inherent Resolve". The code name was suggested for the latest US mission in the Middle East by US military strategists, according to reports. But it was rejected, apparently because it was judged to be "kind of bleh". Coming up with a title for a military mission is a delicate task. There have been many memorable ones - Desert Storm, Overlord, Rolling Thunder.Others have attracted attention for the wrong reasons. Operation Killer, a US Korean war counter-offensive, was widely criticised for being distasteful. Operation Masher, an American campaign in Vietnam, was considered so ill-judged it was re-named. The US build-up in Afghanistan after 2001 was initially code-named Infinite Justice. But after it was pointed out that the name was considered offensive to the Islamic faith, it was changed to Enduring Freedom. The practice appears to have begun with the German high command during World War One, according to Gregory C Sieminisky's seminal article on The Art of Naming Operations. The Kaiser's forces borrowed religious and mythical titles - Archangel, Mars, Achilles. During World War Two, Winston Churchill was aghast to learn an attack on Romanian oil fields was to be code-named Soapsuds. Names of missions should never be frivolous, he said - he did not want "some widow or mother to say that her son was killed in an operation called 'Bunnyhug' or 'Ballyhoo'". But he also believed they should not be "boastful or overconfident". He recommended references to Greek and Roman mythology, the stars and constellations, famous racehorses and British and US war heroes. Operations Market Garden, Mincemeat and Bodyguard are all names from WWII that have lived on in the popular imagination. Churchill came up with Overlord himself. Today the US military, like other forces around the world, has protocols for naming operations. The tone for modern titles was set by the 1989 American invasion of Panama - initially titled Blue Spoon, but eventually christened Just Cause because, according to Gen Colin Powell at the time, "even our severest critics, when attacking us, will have to say 'just cause'." In its wake there was Allied Force (Nato's bombing campaign in the former Yugoslavia) and Neptune Spear (the killing of Osama Bin Laden). Desert Storm is the apotheosis of this kind of operation name, says James Dawes, professor of American literature at Macalester College and author of The Language of War. It is "grandiloquent without sounding too grandiloquent". It references the theatre of action and implies a sense of inevitability. By contrast, not having a name at all conveys a "sense of indecision". But for the Pentagon it's an improvement on Operation Bleh. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-29482455

It's nothing out of the ordinary - at certain slower speeds and with the wings extended it should be a lot better when it comes to turning compared to a higher wing sweep and speed - same as any variable geometry aircraft e.g. F-14 / 111 / Su-24.

http://airheadsfly.com/2014/10/03/overview-air-assets-deployed-against-isis/ LATEST UPDATE 5 OCTOBER 2014 | Feeding of wide-spread instability in Iraq after the departure of US forces and in Syria after armed groups took up a large-scale fight with the government forces loyal to president Assad, so-called Islamic State forces – numbering as many as 30,000 – have taken control over parts of Syria and Iraq. The forces known in short as ISIS or ISIL pushed local populations to flee by the hundreds of thousands. ISIS also assassinated several Western journalists and other nationals, causing furious reactions in those countries.

If you have FC3 then this is a free update for you DUXFORD, UK, October 6th, 2014 – Su-27 for DCS World is now available for pre-purchase! This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 700x1000. The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics are pleased to announce that Su-27 for DCS World is now available as a pre-purchase from the DCS e-shop at: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/. The pre-purchase provides both a 20% discount off the retail price and access to the Open Beta coming later on November 15th, 2014. In addition to the 20% purchase discount, pre-purchasers will receive a 20% full-price value in bonus points for future purchases! http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.co...q/bonus_rules/ The Su-27, NATO codename Flanker, is one of the pillars of modern-day Russian combat aviation. Built to counter the American F-15 Eagle, the Flanker is a twin-engine, supersonic, highly manoeuvrable air superiority fighter. The Flanker is equally capable of engaging targets well beyond visual range as it is in a dogfight given its amazing slow speed and high angle attack manoeuvrability. Using its radar and stealthy infrared search and track system, the Flanker can employ a wide array of radar and infrared guided missiles. The Flanker also includes a helmet-mounted sight that allows you to simply look at a target to lock it up! In addition to its powerful air-to-air capabilities, the Flanker can also be armed with bombs and unguided rockets to fulfil a secondary ground attack role. Su-27 for DCS World focuses on ease of use without complicated cockpit interaction, significantly reducing the learning curve. As such, Su-27 for DCS World features keyboard and joystick cockpit commands with a focus on the most mission critical of cockpit systems. Su-27 for DCS World will sell for $9.99 at November 15th. Pre Purchase now for $7.99 and save 20%! Note: This will be a free update to owners of Flaming Cliffs 3! Key Features of the Su-27 for DCS World: A professional level flight model provides unmatched flight physics that allow you to truly feel what it's like to fly this amazing aircraft. A true model of the Su-27 flight control system that allows you to perform the “cobra” and other “out of the envelope” manoeuvres. Updated Head Down Display (HDD) with more realistic data link and navigation modes. Highly detailed, six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) cockpit. Accurate Su-27 Flanker model, squadron markings, and weapons. New instant action, single missions and interactive training missions. Battle the F-15C in head-to-head. ABOUT DCS WORLD Digital Combat Simulator World (DCS World) is a free-to-play digital battlefield game, focusing on a military aircraft simulation. It includes a FREE TF-P1D Mustang and a Su-25T attack aircraft. DCS World includes a vast mission area of the Caucasus region that encompasses much of Georgia - the location of the 2008 conflict. Further maps will be available in 2014. Additionally, DCS World includes: • Powerful mission and campaign editors • Multiplayer • Massive inventory of air, land and sea combat units and weapons • Advanced AI • Fast mission generator • Dynamic weather and seasons • Training missions • Mission replay system • Pilot log book This all allows the creation of engaging, real-world combat missions in this flashpoint region. DCS is a true "sandbox" simulation that can and will cover multiple time periods covering many types of combat and civilian units. DCS World allows both realistic game play and more relaxed game play to suit the player. Download DCS World for free from: www.dcs-world.com New Su-27 HDD indication. Nav and BVR modes. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=131959

The images in this post were shot on Sept. 30, at around 11.00AM, from Brainwash Butte. Although much distorted by the high temperature and distance, they clearly show an F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jet operating at the Tonopah Test Range, in Nevada. The aircraft reportedly flew on both Sept. 29 and 30. Even though flights of the Black Jets have been documented a few times on video past its official retirement in 2008, these are the first images that prove the stealth plane, most probably two of them, since, according to the contributor who sent us the blurry images he shot from the hills east of TTR, the plane that flew on the 29th was in a different barn than the one flew on the 30th. Interestingly, the aircraft flew on Sept. 29 using radio callsign “Knight 12″. Why some F-117s were kept in flying conditions and still operate in secrecy (although during daylight…) more than 6 years after their official retirement remains a mystery. There are several possibilities, among them, the most plausible, is that the aircraft is used to test some other technology: radar or Infra Red Search and Track systems, SAM (surface to air missiles) batteries, 6th generation fighter planes, next generation AEW (Airborne Early Warning) platforms or UAVs (unmanned Aerial Vehicles). There is someone who speculates the aircraft may be actually “unmanned” and used as fast, combat capable, stealth UCAVs. http://theaviationist.com/2014/10/03/photo-f117-still-flying/

Good article: It flew at nearly Mach 7, seven times the speed of sound and twice the speed of a rifle bullet. The speed record it set 47 years ago today still stands today. It flew so high its pilots earned Air Force astronaut wings: 280,500 feet or 53.1 miles above the earth. http://alert5.net/2014/10/02/47-years-ago-today-the-fastest-manned-aircraft-flight-ever/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6iWlLJm3v9s

Yep looks like I might avoid 8 all together now thankfully

HD Video: http://video.defence.gov.au?mediaId=ee1468fe-1024-45f0-ae3b-2a880237c0ce The first of Australia’s Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) successfully taking flight from Fort Worth, Texas on Monday 29 September. The first two of 72 F-35A JSF’s for Australia were rolled out of the Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas on 24 July 2014. The F-35As will replace the RAAF’s current fleet of ageing F/A-18A/B Hornets.