Another off topic thread or is it?

[butchlambert]

ButchL -

Howdy !

Yeh, the used light aircraft like you mentioned; in Vietnam. But, they could not/did not haul any large amount of ordnance, or were capable of deploying a wide assortment of weapons… certainly not a large size canon like the GAU-8/A on the A-10.


Ebb - Howdy to you, too !

I didn’t forget the A-37. I worked on T-37s for a bit @ Sheppard AFB, TX. The “Dragonfly”
also faced its own weapons carriage limits, just as all combat aircraft do. One wonders what limitations the US MIL will accept on the potentially new “ attack “ plane. ?

With regards,
357Mag

357 Mag, I think they were used as spotters only. I lived several years at Sheppard. My youngest Son did his schooling there after basic and was a U2 crewchief for 23 years.

 

[357Mag]

357 Mag, I think they were used as spotters only. I lived several years at Sheppard. My youngest Son did his schooling there after basic and was a U2 crewchief for 23 years.

Buckley -

Howdy !

Just outta curiosity, where all did your Son crew chief U-2s at ?

I went to two different tech schools @ Sheppard AFB, and others @ Chanute AFB; and Luke AFB.


With regards,
357Mag

 

[butchlambert]

Buckley -

Howdy !

Just outta curiosity, where all did your Son crew chief U-2s at ?

I went to two different tech schools @ Sheppard AFB, and others @ Chanute AFB; and Luke AFB.


With regards,
357Mag

His permanent base was Beale AFB, but most of his time was overseas, Korea, UK, Cyprus, Sicily, and ???? His final gig was at Plant 42 in Palmdale as the head of QC for the Lockheed U2 rebuild facility. His wife was also former Air Force. She was a linguist and spoke it with a coonass accent. She is a southern Louisiana gal. She was secretary for the base commander. Dad was stationed 2 times at Williams Field after WW2. His first school after Basic was at Chanute Field in 1941. He served in the Pacific Theater during WW2 as a crewchief. After WW2 he got out for a couple months and did the "feather merchant" job at Tinker Field. He went back to the Airforce until he retired.

 

[357Mag]

His permanent base was Beale AFB, but most of his time was overseas, Korea, UK, Cyprus, Sicily, and ???? His final gig was at Plant 42 in Palmdale as the head of QC for the Lockheed U2 rebuild facility. His wife was also former Air Force. She was a linguist and spoke it with a coonass accent. She is a southern Louisiana gal. She was secretary for the base commander. Dad was stationed 2 times at Williams Field after WW2. His first school after Basic was at Chanute Field in 1941. He served in the Pacific Theater during WW2 as a crewchief. After WW2 he got out for a couple months and did the "feather merchant" job at Tinker Field. He went back to the Airforce until he retired.

Butch L -

Thanx Butch, for the info.

Apologies if I stepped on this post !


With regards,
357Mag

 

[butchlambert]

Butch L -

Thanx Butch, for the info.

Apologies if I stepped on this post !


With regards,
357Mag

You're good.

 

[357Mag]

You're good.

ButchL-

Howdy, again !

I was a MIL member of the 122nd Fighter Wing Indiana Air National Guard for 37yr, and
for 35yr I served as a Civil Service “ technician “ . I started out as a “ weekender “ in the Aircraft Fuel Systems Shop. I mostly served as a Shop Chief in my Civilian work status for
Aircraft Environmental, Electrical, and lastly Hydraulic Shops….before I retired in 2009.

Over the years, I worked on F-84F, F-100D/F, F-4C/E, F-16C/D, T-29 and C-131
aircraft. I had incidental jobs on T-33, F-105, B-52; and C-130 aircraft.

While I did not go on every last possible OCONUS deployment offered, I still managed to make it over to England, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar; and Iraq ( the last 3 places 2X each ) while assigned to the “ Enroute Support Team “ to fix jets that had to land early due to maintenance needs, I got to stop and work in places like Moron AB, Terhune AB, and Rota Spain; not to mention simply flying through other locations.

For me, it was a great job!

My Dad was a B-25 Command Pilot in WWII, and he flew 70 combat missions out of Corsica. He was awarded the “ Distinguished Flying Cross “ and 7 awards of the
“ Air Medal “ ; amongst other decorations. His service is what got me interested in joining the ANG in the first place !!


With regards,
357Mag

 

[Doug Casner]

When I was a kid. I was flagging for a spray plane spraying soybeans. I didnt know you were supposed to take off when he got lined out. I got sprayed all afternoon. Killed my root system. Doug

 

[butchlambert]

ButchL-

Howdy, again !

I was a MIL member of the 122nd Fighter Wing Indiana Air National Guard for 37yr, and
for 35yr I served as a Civil Service “ technician “ . I started out as a “ weekender “ in the Aircraft Fuel Systems Shop. I mostly served as a Shop Chief in my Civilian work status for
Aircraft Environmental, Electrical, and lastly Hydraulic Shops….before I retired in 2009.

Over the years, I worked on F-84F, F-100D/F, F-4C/E, F-16C/D, T-29 and C-131
aircraft. I had incidental jobs on T-33, F-105, B-52; and C-130 aircraft.

While I did not go on every last possible OCONUS deployment offered, I still managed to make it over to England, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar; and Iraq ( the last 3 places 2X each ) while assigned to the “ Enroute Support Team “ to fix jets that had to land early due to maintenance needs, I got to stop and work in places like Moron AB, Terhune AB, and Rota Spain; not to mention simply flying through other locations.

For me, it was a great job!

My Dad was a B-25 Command Pilot in WWII, and he flew 70 combat missions out of Corsica. He was awarded the “ Distinguished Flying Cross “ and 7 awards of the
“ Air Medal “ ; amongst other decorations. His service is what got me interested in joining the ANG in the first place !!


With regards,
357Mag

You have good genes! In Az. we had the T33 and F80. They were still flying the T-6 at that time.
In the middle 50s in Alaska we had F89C and F89Ds. Dad was able to get this 11tyr old on a C119 for a short ride. Noisiest planes ever I thought. F102 and F104s did cold weather testing then. This was before they were produced for sale.

 

[butchlambert]

My Son served a tour in Afghanistan also. Since the U2 wasn't based there, he crewed the A10.

 

[357Mag]

My Son served a tour in Afghanistan also. Since the U2 wasn't based there, he crewed the A10.

ButchL -

Howdy, again !

I forgot to mention….

The year after I retired from the 122nd FW, the converted to the A-10.
That was the conversion aircraft, because there was not going to be enough F-35s available soon enough; to satisfy the needs of the many F-16 ‘Guard units that would have to retire their F-16 fleets due to flight hours. I can’t remember what Block number the Ft. Wayne F-16s were when they converted, but the did have the GE engine.

The 122nd Fighter Wing / 163rd Fighter Squadron and State of Indiana were far sighted enough to fore see the limited aircraft conversions available to F-16 units; and basically self-advocated to be given A-10. Our sister unit at Terre Haute ( for whatever reasons )
became the 181st Intelligence Wing, and no longer flies Fighter jets.

As it turned out, the 122nd FW / 163rd FS was deployed w/ their A-10s to Southwest Asia, when they were called upon to be the first U.S. Air Force unit to attack ISIS forces in Syria. “ Tip of the spear “.

In all the varying dynamics of recent years, the 122nd has actually converted back flying F-16s; again ! The 122nd Fighter Wing 163 Fighter Squadron have been generating fighter/attack missions for nearly 80 years.

“ The 122nd Fighter Wing…..
When it absolutely / positively has to be destroyed overnight ! “


With regards,
357Mag

 

[ebb]

My uncle worked as a mechanic for the Navy and after he retired at Pensacola NAS. He had a lot of friends due to his WW2 status, and several were officers that needed to keep up night time hours and they also had family in West Palm Beach FL. They would leave Pensacola NAS at about dark fly over the Gulf of America until midnight and land a PBIA. Mom and I would go pick him up at the airport and we would bass fish all weekend long and retune to PBIA at dark and they would get night hours over the Gulf till midnight and land in Pensacola. everyone had a good time and a pilot got his hours to stay qualified. I think he always flew in a T6. It seemed powerful enough to carry the 2 of them, looked to me as it had at least 9 cylinders maybe 18?

 

[butchlambert]

My uncle worked as a mechanic for the Navy and after he retired at Pensacola NAS. He had a lot of friends due to his WW2 status, and several were officers that needed to keep up night time hours and they also had family in West Palm Beach FL. They would leave Pensacola NAS at about dark fly over the Gulf of America until midnight and land a PBIA. Mom and I would go pick him up at the airport and we would bass fish all weekend long and retune to PBIA at dark and they would get night hours over the Gulf till midnight and land in Pensacola. everyone had a good time and a pilot got his hours to stay qualified. I think he always flew in a T6. It seemed powerful enough to carry the 2 of them, looked to me as it had at least 9 cylinders maybe 18?

The Texan had 9 cylinders.

 

[SEM]

What I heard is you can take of and land in a suburban neighborhood, hmmm

I still would rather have an A-10, But could do with a AT-80

 

[butchlambert]

What I heard is you can take of and land in a suburban neighborhood, hmmm

I still would rather have an A-10, But could do with a AT-80

I like the AT-80 with floats

 

[ggshoots]

The Sky Warden would be an awesome plane along the border to take out cartel and support our guys down there. The 6hr loitering time and low cost maintenance is pretty nice. On a side note though, I always loved watching the A10 work!

 

[centerlineseal]

The Sky Warden would be an awesome plane along the border to take out cartel and support our guys down there. The 6hr loitering time and low cost maintenance is pretty nice. On a side note though, I always loved watching the A10 work!

On a coyote cruise in S-S/W Idaho, had an A-10 make two runs on us in our pickup. Cool as hell, ...but the first run was a bit un-nerving!

 

[Webster]

Sir, it must have been another plane as the F22 didn't appear until around 1999 I think.

I forget the model it was 59 years ago. I was an infantry guy (1st. infantry Div).