Air Force info?

[rgraham666]

In my favourite book, Voltaire's Bastards, the authour spends several pages showing how Mr. MacNamara was the modern, unreasonable, 'Man of Reason'. So smart he couldn't do anything with out it turning to shit.

You should look up what a mess he created with The World Bank.

 

[dreampilot79]

Kind of an off-topic PS: Why don't more small private planes have radar altimeters?

Mostly it's a cost issue. Remember that every nut and bolt has to be approved (and tested) by the FAA before it can be used. This process is expensive.

The cheapest radar altimiter I ever saw was about $5,000... and that is no longer made (the company went out of business)

The most popular one is made by King and costs over $20,000.

I'm not familiar with the small plane radar altimiters but in addition to cost all airplanes are very very sensitive to weight and drag the radar unit and the display would add some weight (I'm not sure how much) and the antennea would add drag.

In any event they don't show altitudes over 3,000 feet above ground level so they are only useful on instrument approaches. You still need the $300 barro altimiter.

I am well aware of some military systems that can determine altitude up to and including from space. Those however are big, expensive and heavy.

 

[Weird Harold]

I'm not familiar with the small plane radar altimiters but in addition to cost all airplanes are very very sensitive to weight and drag the radar unit and the display would add some weight (I'm not sure how much) and the antenna would add drag.

The only Radar altimeter sytem I'm really familiar with is the one on the F-4 Phantom because part of he system I worked on was mounted behind the RT unit for the RA. The whole thing weighed about ten pounds and included everything except the two cockpit indicators and the wiring. It mounted flush in forward fuselage so the additional drag was minimal. That was with 1960's analog servo and transistor technology so it was a LOT bulkier than any modern solid state integrate circuit system would be.

I can understand the cost escalation because of FA certification, but someone is missing a big opportunity to turn a $29.95 laser rangefinder into a workable terrain avoidanc warning system -- AKA radar altimeter.

In any event they don't show altitudes over 3,000 feet above ground level so they are only useful on instrument approaches. You still need the $300 barro altimiter.

Military aircraft have radar altimiters mostly for Terrain avoidance warning so they don't need to work more than about 3000 feet AGL. But then, Military aircraft tend to fly closer to the ground more often than civil aviation pilots do and have to worry about terrain avoidance more. I'm sure that civil aviation types that do work close to the ground, like crop dusters, would spend the money for more reliable and accurate AGL information.

I am well aware of some military systems that can determine altitude up to and including from space. Those however are big, expensive and heavy.

Actually, I suspect that newer military (and large commercial) aircraft use GPS for reliable altitude indications and digital terrain maps to compute AGL indications. Again, there is hand-held technology that can provide much the same information to a small civil aviation pilot, which could be built-in to the plane without much of a weight penalty and for very little real cost.

I'm not sure what kind of terrain following capability the F-22 might have, but I am sure that it has some sort of terrain avoidance warning system -- like a radar altimeter -- which might well come into play in an airshow display. (just to bring the tread back on topic.)

 

[dreampilot79]

I'm not sure what kind of terrain following capability the F-22 might have, but I am sure that it has some sort of terrain avoidance warning system -- like a radar altimeter -- which might well come into play in an airshow display. (just to bring the tread back on topic.)

There are terrain warning displays that use GPS but the military has degraded the civilian version of GPS so that altitude data is suspect. These systems actually get their altitude info from the encoding barro altimiters (Mode C transponder data) and not the GPS.



There are very few civilian aircraft GPS systems which are capable of recieving WAAS (wide area GPS augmentation system) signals which put back the precision of military GPS and can be disabled in the event of war.. These can be used for precision appraoches. Regular GPS equipment is considered "non-precision". Hand held GPS's are not prohibited but MAY not be used for navigation. (yeah right). Translation... you have to pretend to use VOR's while reading your hand held GPS.. and you can't fly direct using a hand held GPS (but you can with approved pannel mounted units).

 

[dreampilot79]

Correction to myself... if you're VFR.... you do your own navigation... so get there direct any way ya want.... dead reconing..... hand held GPS.... follow the highway...

stop for directions at every airport along the way... any way ya can do it.

 

[rgraham666]

It's called dead reckoning because if you reckon wrong, you're dead.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

No, no active f22 squadron yet. But there are a lot of them flying out of the Lockheed plant in Marietta, Ga. on flight trainning. They don't always come back to Dobbins either, they may land a Warner Robbins AFB down in Augusta, GA. where there is an F15 Wing stationed.

Right, so you can keep your pilot out of the war because he's flying a plane that is not yet in regular service, but will be in a couple years or so.

 

[zeb1094]

Just found this...it appears that there is an active duty squadron using the F22.

"The 27th Fighter Squadron is the oldest fighter squadron in the U.S. Air Force. As one of three fighter squadrons of the 1st Fighter Wing, the 27th Fighter Squadron is tasked to provide air superiority for United States or allied forces by engaging and destroying enemy forces, equipment, defenses or installations for global deployment. The unit is equipped with the F/A-22 Raptor, the new air-dominance fighter."

But they are not yet being deployed to any warzone.

 

[rgraham666]

At $110 million a plane, I suspect the Pentagon is a bit leary about deploying them where they might actually be shot at.

 

[Weird Harold]

At $110 million a plane, I suspect the Pentagon is a bit leary about deploying them where they might actually be shot at.

Nah, I the cost would tend to make them want to prove it's worth the money, there just isn't any conflict going on at the moment that requires and "air dominance" fighter.

One other point -- It takes roughly one year per/squadron to transition to a completely new aircraft and return to a "combat ready" certification. The new aircraft have to be acquired, individual pilots have to be retrianed to fly them, and then they have to learn to work together and practice. Then each squadron has to pass an IG (Inspector General) evaluation to show that they're combat capable.

 

[dreampilot79]

The very name of the category of aircraft shows us a total change of expectation of the US air force.

We used to have "air superiority" fighters... we don't expect superiority any more.. we believe that we can toatlly dominate the airspace over any battlefield.... over any place we so desire.

the fear of that mentality is that the other guy isn't totally stupid. Sooner or later someone will come up with an off the shelf weapon that will shake our belief system.

Somewhere as we speak.... someone is cooking up a $7.95 bottle rocket that will take out our $110 million airplanes.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Enlisted men are called airmen, until they reach the rank of Sergeant (a rank that my dad held in the Air Force). That rank is actually more equivalent to Corporal in other services. They are also listed in classes, such as "Airman First Class".

 

[Weird Harold]

Enlisted men are called airmen, until they reach the rank of Sergeant (a rank that my dad held in the Air Force). That rank is actually more equivalent to Corporal in other services. They are also listed in classes, such as "Airman First Class".

Shortly after Vietnam ended, the Airforce added the rank of "Senior Airman" because the Army & Marines objected to allowing E4's into their NCO Clubs.

"Senior Airman" is the same pay grade as a Sergeant but isn't considered an NCO. a year after making Senior Airman an individual is elgible to be promoted to Sergeant and gain the status and perogatives of an NCO. I's somehat similar to the Army's division of "Specialist" grades and NCO grades.

 

[zeb1094]

Nevermind.