Military Photograph Advances Stereotype
A picture on the US military’s DoD Live website recently highlighted a fascinating, if often misconstrued, photo of flight:
The caption:
An F/A-18C Hornet…breaks the sound barrier Read more
Category Archives: Fighter Pilot
The Changing Culture of the Military and Society
An Air Force public affairs article described an officer’s deployment in support of mortuary affairs at Dover, a somber and honorable duty.
The article inadvertently touched on another historical tradition of the US Air Force (or, more accurately, the US Army Air Forces). The author published a photo of her grandfather with his A-20 Havoc in World War II:
A close up Read more
Air Force vs Naval Academy: Best for Becoming a Fighter Pilot
One question asked repeatedly is whether it’s better to go Air Force or Navy if one wants to fly or be a fighter pilot. The FAQ of this site answers this question (as well as many others), but there’s interesting and relevant information from the graduation of the class of 2011 that just occurred.
USNA:
Class Size: 1035
Pilot Training (incl. “Marine Air”): 305 (30%)
Naval Flight Officer: 75 (7%)
Navy Changes Pilot Bonus Structure
Like the Air Force, the US Navy pays its aviators a monetary bonus to encourage retention (though it doesn’t always work, as the Air Force acceptance rate showed).
This year, due to high retention levels, the Navy altered its bonus plan; as stated now, the only aviators who will get the previous years’ $25K bonus per year are F/A-18 Hornet pilots. All others will get a bonus specific to their airframe: Read more
F-16 Crashes, Pilot Ejects in Wisconsin
The US Air Force reported an F-16C crashed in Wisconsin. The pilot is safe after ejection and is being “medically evaluated.” The aircraft belonged to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing in Madison.
As is common, the Air Force will investigate the mishap and report the results some months from now.
Fired Enterprise CO Seeks Support
The Navy Times notes US Navy CAPT Owen Honors, relieved of his command of the carrier USS Enterprise, has started a website requesting statements of support.
The site indicates he will face a board of inquiry to determine his future in the Navy — or under what circumstances he will leave the service.
On a related note, and without a hint of irony, the Washington Times published an article noting the US Navy has become “too politically correct for ‘old salts’.” Of course, it also makes reference to a recent patch circulating among the “young” salts after Read more
Navy Blue Angels Commander Resigns over Incident
As previously noted, a lower-than-planned incident at a Blue Angel’s event caused the team to end that show early and cancel multiple other shows — including those associated with the US Naval Academy graduation.
The commander of the Blue Angels, who was the lead aircraft in the “incident,” requested he be relieved.
Cmdr. Dave Koss requested that Rear Adm. Bill Sizemore relieve him of his command following a lower-than-normal maneuver during the team’s last performance at the Lynchburg Regional Air Show May 22.
Koss indicated there may have been other “instances” of note: Read more
General Says Do Less with Less, Pilots Cite Heaviest Workloads
The mantra for many years in the military has been how to do “more with less.” Presumably an indicator of efficiency, it soon became a cliché that did little to salve the workloads of military servicemembers who found themselves with more missions to accomplish — and yet fewer people and funds than in prior years.
General Raymond Odierno said it was time to avoid that “trap:”
“We must avoid the trap of doing more with less, which is a recipe for creating a hollow force,” General Odierno, the commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, said…
General Odierno also said Read more