Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

[gmiller46]

Originally Posted by FL420

Have you seen this Air Force video?
https://youtu.be/kc7SDfhPU50
[emoji40]

Shame the first guy didn't know how Captain's bars went on a uniform

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by FL420

This NVAF MiG-17 Fresco is standing guard outside the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, GA WNW of Savannah, GA.
On the first pic you can see the three aerodynamic wing fences. Unlike the smaller MiG-15 which had a straight candy bar shaped wing with two wing fences the Fresco wing was swept back 45° at the fuselage but curved forward to 42° sweep at the wingtip.
On the second pic you can see the gun port (gun not installed) of the single 37mm cannon at the 6:30 position below the engine intake. At the 11:30 position above the intake is the radar for the radar ranging gunsight in the cockpit. At the 5:30 position below the intake are the gun ports for the two stacked and staggered 23mm cannons.
Like most of us I shot down every one I ever saw in Vietnam. Five more and I woulda made Ace.[emoji6]
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Those always make me think of one of these...

[fbuckwalter]

Originally Posted by T-n-T

In the early days of my career, I heard a lot about William Tell where Weapons Load Crews and Fighter Pilots pitted their skills against other load crews and pilots from around the AF, ANG, and AFR, into the early 2000s.... at least for air-to-air engagements. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to attend... never got the cool TDYs.

I spent 1 1/2 years at Eglin. At the time we had 104's and B-47s set up for radio control. Time marches on. It was interesting to watch the 104s start their roll with no pilot.

[T-n-T]

Originally Posted by fbuckwalter

I spent 1 1/2 years at Eglin. At the time we had 104's and B-47s set up for radio control. Time marches on. It was interesting to watch the 104s start their roll with no pilot.

I had that same feeling the first time I saw F-16s with no pilot...

[skypilot_1]

When snowbirding at Tyndall I would get a little tense when the drone F-4's came over Famcamp low slow and dirty on final.

[oldretiredafguy]

Originally Posted by skypilot_1

When snowbirding at Tyndall I would get a little tense when the drone F-4's came over Famcamp low slow and dirty on final.

Tyndall has 2 parallel runways for normal aircraft operations (14/32 L&R). There is a separate drone runway about 3NM SSE of the base, that has water on both approach ends. Unmanned QF aircraft are only allowed to use the drone runway. If an unmanned drone has a control problem and is unsafe to land on the drone runway, it is flown out into the gulf and destroyed over open water.




P.S. The last QF-4 aircraft sortie was flown on 21 Dec, 2015 at Holloman AFB. The remaining 13 aircraft were to be towed out to the White Sands Bombing range and used as ground targets.

[FL420]

It hurts.[emoji27]

[F4Gary]

My F4, F-4E 74-1041 last flight was from that runway. It never returned...

[FL420]

Here's a video of a USAF F-4 flying inverted next to a Soviet TU-95 Bear turboprop bomber with counter-rotating propellers. Apparently he also did a barrel roll around the Bear.
https://youtu.be/PHLEuKH2ak4
Below is a previous post about two of us intercepting a Soviet TU-16 Badger out of Vladivostok over the Sea of Japan. I might have flown inverted next to the Badger but never would have considered doing a barrel roll around him. The words International Incident might have crossed my mind but being the wingman of another squadron's XO I barely knew whose RIO had a camera definitely crossed my mind. I liked my job and wanted to keep it.
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f64/what-did-you-do-that-no-one-else-here-has-348059-post4053368.html
[emoji40]

[FastEagle]

I served with VF-151 aboard the USS Midway from 1970 – 1973. During some of that time ADM Zumwalt was CNO. Back then, his “Z-Grams” were as popular as Twitter is today.

[FL420]

Originally Posted by FastEagle

I served with VF-151 aboard the USS Midway from 1970 – 1973. During some of that time ADM Zumwalt was CNO. Back then, his “Z-Grams” were as popular as Twitter is today.

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Thanks for posting those pics FastEagle. That may have been me in the front seat. Brings back fond memories. You guys were flying F-4Ns the next cruise I believe.
I had forgotten the Air Wing got the MUC. Did that certificate come with a medal? I haven't seen that stuff in years. It's in storage somewhere.
[emoji40]

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by FL420

I had forgotten the Air Wing got the MUC. Did that certificate come with a medal? I haven't seen that stuff in years. It's in storage somewhere.
[emoji40]

The Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation comes with a unique service ribbon, which is worn on the recipient's uniform in situations where the full medal is not worn.



About 6 years before I retired from the USN my father-in-law Passed away. He was in the USN during WWII and had a military funeral. To honor him and his service I wore full dress blues to the funeral. In the photo you can see that citations without medals are worn above the right breast pocket.

[fbuckwalter]

Originally Posted by FastEagle

I served with VF-151 aboard the USS Midway from 1970 – 1973. During some of that time ADM Zumwalt was CNO. Back then, his “Z-Grams” were as popular as Twitter is today.

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On a recent cross country trip we stopped by the Air Force Museum at Eglin All the stuff I worked on was in the museum! When we hit San Diego we went to the Midway Museum, we spent two days!
Time flys.

[J Birder]

Here's a different sort of military aircraft. These are shots of the outside and inside of my ride home from Viet Nam.


Joel