Tag Archives: Aircraft

Movie Review: Fighter Pilot Operation Red Flag

Image Entertainment, 2005.
Topic: Military Fighter Pilot

Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag is a documentary originally produced for IMAX.  It has a nominal plot, following a single F-15 fighter pilot as he participates in Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nevada.  The primary officer is Captain John Stratton, who also narrates as he plans, flies, and acts as a simulated evader during combat exercises in the Nevada desert.

The film has some almost comical flaws (or theatrical necessities, depending on how you view them).  For example, Read more

Naval Academy Graduates to be Non-Volunteered to Subs

There is frequently a heated debate over which are better: Air Force or Navy pilots, with the corollary comparison of whether the US Air Force Academy or the Naval Academy is the better place to go to become a pilot.

There are legitimate arguments for each side, of course.  One of the main points for those seeking to be fighter pilots is the obvious fact of numbers; there are simply more fighter aircraft in the Air Force than there are in the Navy.

Now there’s a new point: at least the Air Force doesn’t force its new officers into submarine duty.  Read more

Navy Officer is Pilot, Commander, Religious Leader

A unique and positive article by Alison Buckholtz covers the hardships associated with a US Navy pilot and the separation he must face from his family as he deploys overseas.  As is the case for many servicemembers, he is an aviator but is deploying to a ground job in support of the Army.

Interestingly titled “Onward Jewish Soldiers,” it celebrates the role of the Jewish faith, and Jewish servicemembers, in the US armed forces.  It also highlights the Read more

Navy Identifies Fallen Pilot

The US Navy has identified the body of the pilot found after his T-34C went missing off the coast of Texas.  Lt. Bret Travis Miller was found in the Gulf following the disappearance of his aircraft.  Lt. John Joseph Houston remains missing, as does the aircraft.

At this point, there is still no information as to why the aircraft dropped off radar.  The T-34 does not have an ejection seat; pilots must bail out manually.  The Navy Times called both pilots instructors in the aircraft, which is used for primary training in the Navy.

Communities Vie for, Oppose Hosting F-35

When it was first constructed, Luke Air Force Base was well outside of the small town that would eventually become bustling Phoenix, Arizona.  Now Luke suffers from a severe case of encroachment, with occupied houses literally right off the end of the runway.  That encroachment, reflected at many bases across the country, has led to noise complaints and community actions that have impacted the flight operations at major military bases.

Now the Tucson community, just south of Luke, is one among several that is weighing the pros and cons of trying to become host to a major F-35 training base.  Tucson hosts Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the current location of A-10 training.  The good part of the F-35: Such a training base would likely be a boon to the local economy.  The problem: Read more

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