Category Archives: Fighter Pilot

STOVL F-35B Goes Supersonic, but Not First

The Military Times recently pronounced that the F-35 became “first US STOVL aircraft” to go supersonic.

They were, of course, wrong.

In 2001, Lockheed Martin’s ineptly designated X-35B — the prototype of the STOVL F-35 — not only achieved supersonic flight, but it did so on the same sortie that it achieved a short field take off and vertical landing.  This was a first not only for a US aircraft, but a first in history.

An article by Marine Major Arthur Tomassetti, the test pilot on one of the sorties, describes the event.  (Interestingly, he notes that the sortie had to work around a memorial service at Edwards Air Force Base.  Test pilot Major Aaron “C-Dot” George and civilian flight photographer Judson Brohmer were killed just 3 days prior during a test sortie.)

Gorgon Set to Fly Over Afghanistan

The Gorgon Stare is a 1,000 pound sensor that will enable a wide area to be monitored across a variety of spectrums, day or night, likely including both visual and infrared.  It is currently set to be deployed to Afghanistan on the MQ-9 Reaper.  Rather than having a single operator operate a single camera pointed at an area just a few miles (or feet) across (as, say, the Predator), the idea is that this sensor will capture a huge area, and users can simply choose that which they want to see.  Think of it as “Google Earth” — only live.

The ARGUS may eventually supersede Gorgon Stare with, as its namesake implies, far more — and more detailed — “eyes.”

Think “religious freedom” advocate Michael Weinstein will consider this an endorsement of Greek mythology by the US military, and a “propaganda tool” for American adversaries?  Given Weinstein’s selective outrage to date, it’s probably unlikely, though the fact it fits so well into his dogmatic rants demonstrates how ludicrous his claims actually are.

Air Force Announces Dedicated UAV Pilot Training

After some early experiments, the Air Force announced that it is establishing an official, dedicated “undergraduate RPA training (URT)” pipeline.  The first class is slated to begin in October 2010.

According to the release, RPA (UAV) pilots will be part of the 18X career field, which is a rated field equivalent to traditional aviators.  They will receive aviation incentive pay, and incur a 6 year active duty service commitment.

Alternate Career Path: Truck Driver. Or Trucking Chaplain.

A running joke in military pilot training is that if it gets too difficult, you can always quit and become a truck driver.  In fact, the phone number for truck driving schools is often posted on the flight bulletin boards.  While perhaps a little insensitive to those in the truck driving profession, it makes a valid point: no one is making you do this.  It’s your choice: do your best, or quit.

If nothing else, should a pilot training student decide to Read more

Cheating Officer: Everybody Does It

Former US Marine 2nd Lieutenant Adam Ballard has given his excuse for his lapse in integrity, in which he cheated on a land navigation test:  everybody’s doing it, and it was the school’s fault:

Ballard admits his actions were wrong but said they were facilitated by “inordinately lax procedures at [the basic officer school]…”

Over half of the three hundred Marines in our company possessed the same information that I had and that those numbers were comparable, if not more, in all the other training companies past and present…

As noted here often, neither a “culture” that seems to encourage cheating, nor a tangible disadvantage for not cheating are excuses for making the “easier” wrong choice.

“There are No Fighter Pilots in the Navy…”

The old marching tune that “there are no fighter pilots in [any of the services but the Air Force]” isn’t entirely true (though the Navy calls theirs “aviators,” since “pilots” drive the boat).  However, in the short term, the Navy is having some issues creating pilots:

With hundreds of newly commissioned officers waiting to start flight training in Pensacola, Fla., the Navy is urging potential aviators to transfer into other communities or take temporary internships in Washington.

Apparently, aircraft issues (maintenance) have reduced the number of available aircraft, thus reducing the size of the Navy’s flight school pipeline.  But that’s not the only Read more

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