Check Six

By lex, on May 23rd, 2011

The Navy’s F-35C variant made its first air show appearance at Andrews AFB this weekend, prior to heading for the test range:

Today

By lex, on February 28th, 2012

It has been a remarkably mild winter, in Sandy Eggo.

Fallon, Nevada, we are reminded, is not Sandy Eggo.

Also! I’ve a 0515 brief this morning, followed by a 0700 launch. Two flights today, the second lands at 1600 or so.

I remembered something of a love/hate relationship with the halls of the (prestigious) Navy Fighter Weapons School.

This morning at 1415 0415 (only this crewe would critique an error made at 0430), I began to remember why.

Back To The Index

Rain Seal

By lex, on February 29th, 2012

I am an admittedly early riser (and am often late to bed), having been broken of that comfortable junior officer habit of sleeping on both ears until the noontime bell some years ago. “Eight hours sleep per day,” we used to say on deployment, adding that, “whatever you get at night is gravy.” To which some wag would inevitably respond that, if you could sleep twelve hours a day, it was only a three-month cruise.

Paean to the Ordies

By lex, on January 26th, 2012

Out of the pages of the NYT, of all places:

Night and Day

By lex, on January 24th, 2012

So, your host flew a night hop last night and a day sortie today. The difference between the two was, well: Look at the title.

We’d missed some sorties for weather. Gotten kicked out of the brawl when the training rules limited the number of fighters and bandits that could contest the same airspace. No hard feelings, it all made sense. When you’ve got Hornets, or Super Hornets, or F-16s with radars and night vision devices zorching around at one another at high fractions of the number, it makes sense to pad your chances.

Twice is a Trend

By lex, on December 21st, 2011

Last week in Wired.com’s Danger Room, David Axe gave a USAF mishap investigation team a harrowing over their report of an Elmendorf-based F-22 crash. The mishap report itself seemed to me fair, factual and rational. Mr. Axe’s response, less so. This week he has the Marine Corps MV-22 in his cross-hairs in a post entitled “Controversial Marine Tiltrotor Fights Its First Gun Battle.”

We’re Off

By lex, on October 23rd, 2009

Heading out in an hour or so with Son Number One on that long drive to Pensacola, Florida – the cradle of naval aviation. No intention to post over the next few days, so you’re welcome to talk among yourselves. Here or over on the other side.* Which, by the way – and I know that an “off the air notice” is a bad time to rattle the cup – but what with the server spikes we’ve been enduring the tip jar has been drained, and it’s out of pocket, I am, keeping this place humming. If anyone felt inclined to throw a fin in the jar, that’d be taken as a kindness.