« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave  (Read 525 times)

Offline rpm

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 15661
Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« on: February 23, 2015, 02:13:11 PM »
Last week, for the first time ever, the Air Force had to un-retire a 54-year-old B-52H, to replace one lost in a fire to satisfy an arms treaty.  Even though it spent seven years baking in the desert, it didn’t’ take much to get her back up and running, mainly replacing things like the fuel lines, seals, and tires.  It sounded like the cockpit was a bit dated which might have been a challenge for the pilots, “We had none of the traditional navigation equipment we’re used to, the inertial navigation system, GPS, so I challenged my navigator, to do ‘dead reckoning.’ Basically he had a radar system and a doppler, so he could ground map with his radar system.“

Logged
My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.
Stay thirsty my friends.

Offline Saxman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 9155
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2015, 02:38:47 PM »
Quote from: rpm on February 23, 2015, 02:13:11 PM
Last week, for the first time ever, the Air Force had to un-retire a 54-year-old B-52H, to replace one lost in a fire to satisfy an arms treaty.

And yet the Air Force is bound and determined to retire some 20-30 year-old A10s...
Logged
Ron White says you can't fix stupid. I beg to differ. Stupid will usually sort itself out, it's just a matter of making sure you're not close enough to become collateral damage.

Offline XxDaSTaRxx

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1219
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2015, 02:43:00 PM »
....

Saxman, the A-10As have also undergone upgrades to turn them into the newer A-10C variants, and rather recently.


Why would they upgrade them, and then immediately turn around and attempt to sentence them to the same fate as these aircraft?



I just don't get it.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2015, 02:46:55 PM by XxDaSTaRxx »
Logged
Quote from: Latrobe
Do not run.
Face your opponent with all you have.
If you die you have something to learn.

Offline Ack-Ack

  • Radioactive Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 25260
      • FlameWarriors
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2015, 02:57:13 PM »
Quote from: XxDaSTaRxx on February 23, 2015, 02:43:00 PM
Why would they upgrade them, and then immediately turn around and attempt to sentence them to the same fate as these aircraft?

The Air Force wants to retire the A-10 so they can use the money for the F-35.

Quote
I just don't get it.

It's the government, whenever had they made any sense?
Logged
"If Jesus came back as an airplane, he would be a P-38." - WW2 P-38 pilot
Elite Top Aces +1 Mexican Official Squadron Song

Offline Saxman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 9155
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2015, 05:01:58 PM »
Quote from: XxDaSTaRxx on February 23, 2015, 02:43:00 PM
....

Saxman, the A-10As have also undergone upgrades to turn them into the newer A-10C variants, and rather recently.


Why would they upgrade them, and then immediately turn around and attempt to sentence them to the same fate as these aircraft?

(Image removed from quote.)

I just don't get it.

Air Force brass has NEVER been a fan of the A-10. Even from its inception the brass hated it, because it's an inexpensive, ugly, slow machine that just plain does its job better than any of the costly, sleek, supersonic fighterbombers they have wet dreams over could ever HOPE to do. Despite being the best aircraft in the world at what it does, it's a complete anathema to their vision of what the Air Force is supposed to be, and they've been trying to kill it for DECADES to ram more projects like the F-35 down the taxpayers' throats.
Logged
Ron White says you can't fix stupid. I beg to differ. Stupid will usually sort itself out, it's just a matter of making sure you're not close enough to become collateral damage.

Offline Gman

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3748
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2015, 05:35:09 PM »
^^ True, and yet whenever the subject is brought up to give the CAS mission to the Army, since it's Army troops being closely supported, the USAF brass and the secretary of the AF and so on all trip out, circle wagons, and defend that particular patch of theirs. 

They don't like slow a/c or the CAS mission - SecDef should strip it from them and give it to the Army.  The Army already uses helos for the CAS mission, integrating/training to the use the A10 shouldn't be rocket science for them, that's the AF's entire argument isn't it, that it's too simple and slow?  Army and Army guard units would take the A10 platform, I'd bet on it.
Logged

Offline Bodhi

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 8698
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2015, 05:52:35 PM »
The best thing that could ever happen for the US would be to strip the power of the little fiefdoms every service has created for itself and instead have one unified command with input as to the specific needs of each branch.  Then the overall needs of the DoD could be assessed and that would be that. 
Logged
I regret doing business with TD Computer Systems.

Offline rpm

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 15661
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2015, 06:50:37 PM »
A salute to Lady Gaga and The Oscars
Logged
My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.
Stay thirsty my friends.

Offline Saxman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 9155
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2015, 08:12:52 PM »
Quote from: Bodhi on February 23, 2015, 05:52:35 PM
The best thing that could ever happen for the US would be to strip the power of the little fiefdoms every service has created for itself and instead have one unified command with input as to the specific needs of each branch.  Then the overall needs of the DoD could be assessed and that would be that.

We can't have that, it would make too much sense. I mean they'd have killed the JSF concept from the START because the DOD would have realized that the needs of each service are TOO DIFFERENT for one aircraft to meet them all.
Logged
Ron White says you can't fix stupid. I beg to differ. Stupid will usually sort itself out, it's just a matter of making sure you're not close enough to become collateral damage.

Offline XxDaSTaRxx

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1219
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2015, 08:47:27 PM »
Quote from: rpm on February 23, 2015, 06:50:37 PM
A salute to Lady Gaga and The Oscars
(Image removed from quote.)
Hah, that came from an intro to one of Ralfi's videos. Ralfi is a DCS YouTuber, probably one of the most popular ones.
Logged
Quote from: Latrobe
Do not run.
Face your opponent with all you have.
If you die you have something to learn.

Offline Gray

  • Copper Member
  • **
  • Posts: 100
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2015, 10:02:10 PM »
A-10s must still work OK.  Two weeks ago 12 were sent to Germany as a show of force over this Ukraine thing.
Logged

Offline Gray

  • Copper Member
  • **
  • Posts: 100
Re: Ghost Rider has risen from the grave
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2015, 10:05:13 PM »
nbcnews.com.     7 days ago.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »