Bad Day at Yuma

Posted By lex, on February 23rd, 2012

This sucks:

Seven U.S. Marines were killed when two helicopters collided Wednesday night during training in a remote area of far southeastern Imperial County, near the California-Arizona border. Six were from Camp Pendleton and another was from the Marine air station at Yuma, Ariz.

There were no survivors aboard the aircraft, the Marines said. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The mid-air crash between the AH-1W Cobra and a UH-1Y Huey was reported about 8 p.m. near sand dunes about a mile outside the military’s Yuma Training Range Complex, on federal Bureau of Land Management property.

It’s a dangerous business even in peacetime training, but you never quite grow used to this sort of thing.

Prayers for their families, if you’re the praying sort.

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Helos

Posted By lex, on February 25th, 2012

Honestly, I never gave the whirly-gigs that much thought, back before my son opted to fly them.

Now I find that they’re on my mind pretty much all the time.

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Micropost

Posted by lex, on December 1st, 2011

Up at 0400 this morning, for to take in the 0500 brief. The flight was cancelled in the end, the forecast crosswinds being out of limits.

Briefed another go at 1245, the winds howling around outside. Launched anyway, shot my first Super Hornet, headed home to land.

Flew a surveillance approach in blowing dust, broke out at 1.5 miles with the runway in sight, was waved off: Tower hadn’t given landing clearance.

Tried again, got a precision ground controlled approach that time, was a little high, a little lined up right at decision height, didn’t see the runway, started to get concerned. Asked tower for a weather update at Reno: Clear and unlimited. Huzzah.

Was told on downwind that the field had gone below minimums. The fuel state being low, canceled IFR and went direct to Reno, landing at around 1640, just as the sun was setting. It’s a place I’ve only landed at there once, and that was ten years ago. Landed uneventfully nonetheless, was met in time by maintenance personnel, will ferry the jet back to Fallon tomorrow, inshallah.

First ever contractor kill against an FA-18. First ever weather divert from the field I planned to land at. One first too many.

Stopped off a the O’Club for a shot of Jameson’s followed by a pint of Guinness. For strength.

More tomorrow, if I’ve got the time.

I’m whipped, just now.

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Very Light Attack

Posted By lex, on September 21st, 2011

The Navy – of all the services – appears ready to commit nearly significant resources to a propeller-driven light attack aircraft ** in support of deep overland NSW missions in Afghanistan:

Lockheed Martin and Hawker-Beechcraft are considering pitching its AT-6B light-attack counterinsurgency plane for the upcoming Navy-led Combat Dragon II program, according to sources familiar with the effort.

The Navy recently shifted over $17 million into the Combat Dragon II program, designed to prove that a small, turboprop-driven aircraft can be used for “high end/special aviation” missions in Afghanistan.

The program was driven by the need coming out of from Central Command to have aircraft do close air support missions that larger fighters and bombers could not do, specifically in support of Naval Special Warfare units.

The Navy tried to fill that requirement through the Imminent Fury program, using the Brazilian-built Embraer Super Tucano. But that program fizzled out shortly before the planes headed out to Afghanistan for operational tests.

What I found really interesting was the cited quote from USAF Chief-of-Staff Norman Schwarz that the junior service has no intention of fielding a COIN-tailored light attack aircraft of its own, despite the stated requirement from the JROC and JRB.

Which they call them “requirements” for a reason, and talk about not getting it…

** 03-11-21 New link found – Ed.

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The Appeal of Flight

I can remember exactly what I was doing when I decided I couldn’t be flying anymore.

Among the airplanes I rented was a Beechcraft Skipper.

They only made about 300 of these little Skippers for training purposes but even that plane was about $130 an hour to rent.

And that’s back in the 80s.

It weighed all of about 1300 pounds with an engine a little over 100 hp.

Pilot Fatigue

Posted by lex, on September 10, 2010

The FAA is proposing new constraints on domestic and international airline operations of US flag carriers, by re-writing the length-of-day and turnaround rules:

The iCub

Posted by lex, on June 30, 2010

I guess you had to know this was coming:

As the name hints, the iCub brings together an updated version of the classic airplane design, with an Apple iPad front and center in the cockpit that can be used for navigation, checking the weather, or … well, the list goes on…

With the iPad on board, the pilot will be able to enjoy much of what is offered in expensive aviation GPS units for a fraction of the cost. And after arriving at your destination, you have an iPad that you can pop out of the panel (picture below) and enjoy watching movies, reading a book or whatever you think the iPad is best at doing.

Groovy.

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PTO

Posted by lex, on July 2, 2010

The new gig – I’ve been at it two years, and still think of it that way – is comparatively ungenerous in the article of paid time off, at least as contrasted to the Navy, which offered 30 days of leave per year and six month cruises to ensure your can’t use much of it. As a consulting gig, PTO is doubly expensive, since 1) you still get paid for it (hence the “paid” bit) and, 2) the company doesn’t get to charge on your hours worked. So it’s fifteen days a year plus federal holidays (10), but the good news is that – unlike the Navy – you only charge against the hours you actually avoid.

For example, if a naval officer wanted to take a Friday off, followed by the upcoming Monday, that’d be charged as four days of leave, since technically you’re never off duty. In the civilian world on the other hand, you’re only charged the 16 hours for Friday and Monday.

This Monday being a holiday, I decided to take Friday off and get a four-dayer. Which I spent flying. And golfing.

Pretty much perfect.

Or nearly: Used to be that clearance to taxi to a runway was implicit clearance to taxi across all other intersecting runways. In the name of safety, the FAA has amended ATC procedures (pdf) such that crossing other runways – even off-duty runways – requires explicit clearance from ATC:

Close to Home

Posted by lex, on December 8, 2008

Terrible news about the mishap off Miramar today. Three people dead, one missing, a neighborhood aflame.  It’s bad enough to stack every chip you’ve ever learned on a bet and lose your own life. Far worse to walk away and leave a hole in your wake. It’s every pilot’s nightmare, one of those things you don’t admit even to yourself.

I’d hate to have to live with that.

Not Buying It

Posted by lex, on October 30, 2008

A couple of occasional readers have sent along this clip:

And one has even provided an interview * with the “pilot.”