by "Chris Clarke" (shiftsandgiggles)
Published 11/03/2017 at 13:30
by "Chris Clarke" (shiftsandgiggles)
Published 11/03/2017 at 13:30
Tags: F-35
; Air Force
; jet
; afterburner
; planelopnik
STARS: 2
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
US Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets from Hill Air Force Base have arrived in Okinawa ahead of Trump’s trip to Asia. Two of 12 aircraft have already landed with the remaining scheduled to arrive anytime.
According to the USAF, the group is schedule to remain in the region for six months. This is a major move of combat ready F-35 airframes that now join a trio of B-2 bombers. The deployment comes amid growing nuclear tensions with North Korea.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
11/03/2017 at 13:33, STARS: 0
I’ve been seeing these jets fly over for a little while now being just down the road from hill. Its been interesting.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
11/03/2017 at 13:34, STARS: 0
I didn’t know they had Taco Bell in Japan.
"user314" (user314)
11/03/2017 at 13:40, STARS: 1
Taco Bell nothing, someone had the Dangerous Super Habanero Chicken or Explosive Ramen.
#2 on the list was the Dangerous Super Habanero Chicken from Red Chili Restaurant. The show featured their spiciest level 5 wings. After they are fried, the wings are coated with Habanero powder, habanero paste and just for the heck of it, shreded habanero.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
11/03/2017 at 13:42, STARS: 0
I’m gonna say Nashville Hot Chicken is up there haha.
"Shamoononon drives like a farmer" (shamoononon)
11/03/2017 at 14:13, STARS: 2
Looks like they’re giving Kim Jong Un the goatse.
"Chris Clarke" (shiftsandgiggles)
11/03/2017 at 14:26, STARS: 1
Hill phased out their F-16s and is now home to the Air Force’s first operational F-35 combat fleet. Lot’s of lightning II activity in their future.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
11/03/2017 at 14:49, STARS: 6
I had a long conversation with an F-35A pilot at the Fort Worth air show last weekend. I was surprised to learn that there is not a single steam gauge inside the aircraft. Not even an artificial horizon. In the case of complete electrical failure, they have one small screen powered by a Li-ion battery that will last just long enough to power an electronic AH and the control surfaces until the pilot finds a place to set it down. I don’t think it was any more than 10 minutes tops.
The F-35 driver was quiet, thoughtful, even cerebral. We talked about his aircraft, government policy, the future of the A-10, world wars (past and future), military history. He talked about how his aircraft takes in and processes data in ways that actually helps reduce pilot workload rather than add to it, unlike the F-16s he flew for 15 years. I asked him if the younger pilots coming in today have an advantage with the time they spend on electronic devices and he said absolutely. He also said that he wished he had more bullets. The one question I wished I had asked was if he thinks the F-35 will be the last manned fighter.
Contrast that guy to the F-22 driver parked next to him. This guy was self-assured to the point of cockiness or even arrogance. He was convinced beyond any question that his aircraft was the best fighter in the world. He also said that we should have 4x as many as we do. I didn’t get to speak to him for very long, but he was such a contrast in personality to the F-35 driver. This guy was a fighter jock, pure and simple, while the F-35 driver was much more thoughtful, though I’m certain no less of a pilot.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
11/03/2017 at 15:07, STARS: 0
yup, I’ve got friends on base up there, some of them working on transitioning to the F35 from years of F16 service. Radar work and so on.
"Chris Clarke" (shiftsandgiggles)
11/03/2017 at 15:12, STARS: 0
Fantastic interview.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
11/03/2017 at 15:26, STARS: 1
It really was, and I wish I had recorded it. I could have talked to him for hours. I would like to think that he enjoyed our conversation as well, after what was no doubt a day filled with questions like, “How fast does it go?” “How many bombs can you carry?” My first question was, “This is your plane? Do you like it?” His answer was an enthusiastic yes, with a big grin on his face. “Why?” And then he just started talking. I asked him to compare it to the F-22, and his answer was that the two aircraft are both extremely capable, but perform completely different missions. The F-22 is purely an air superiority fighter, built to zoom to altitude and take on the bad guys. The F-35's role is more synthesis of the battle space, identifying targets, striking them, and directing other assets to the target. Clearly, it is a thinking man’s aircraft.