Ace

For John, BLUF:  The Air Force Academy Class of 1964 graduated into the middle of the Viet-nam War.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Today is Ace Day for Steve “Cinco” Ritchie

Here is the sub-headline:

Fifth Aerial Victory, 28 August 1972

From Class of 1964.

Here is the lede:

Ritchie was flying his usual MiG Combat Air Patrol as Buick Flight.  He was told by Red Crown and Disco (the forerunners of AWACS-type information) that MiGs were threatening the Strike Force.  His weapons systems operator, Captain DeBellevue, picked the Bandits up on radar and Ritchie made a climbing turn to convert from the front quarter to the rear.  The MiGs were high, about 15,000 feet above Buick.  From max range in the turn, he fired two missiles, which failed to track.  The MiGs were subsonic due to fuel, and Ritchie was in full afterburner at about 1.2 Mach.  The overtake resulted in an “in-range” light in the cockpit, and Steve fired the last two Sparrows.  The lead MiG went into a thin overcast, and when he came out, one missile streaked by on his left, apparently causing the MiG to break right, which solved the radar solution for the last Sparrow.  “SPLASH! I got ‘im! SPLASH!”  It was a much different situation than any of Ritchie’s other kills; at a higher altitude and greater range.

Not much to add.  Good show!

Regards  —  Cliff

Dead Reckoning

For John, BLUF:  Sometimes the news is a little off and sometimes it might lead us to wrong conclusions.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Downed Russian fighter jets are being found with basic GPS 'taped to the dashboards,' UK defense minister says

From Business Insider, by Reporter Bill Bostock, 10 May 2022, 5:40 AM.

Here is the lede:

Wrecked Russian fighter jets are being found with rudimentary GPS receivers "taped to the dashboards" in Ukraine because their inbuilt navigation systems are so bad, the UK's defense secretary, Ben Wallace, said.

I am willing to grant that Russian fighter aircraft may not have high quality aids to navigation and that they may not be well maintained♠  but, I wonder about the ability of Russian pilots to do basic dead reckoning navigation.  Deadreckoning is fundamental to navigation.  When your Dead Reckoning position and the electronic position differ, don't automatically go with the answer from your electronic aids to navigation.

This appears to be a possible indictment of Russian Air Force training.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff
♠  It reminds me of my days as an F-4 Back Seater.  If was a rare sortie that I didn't have a "Write Up" on the air-to-air radar or the navigation systems.

The Spruce Goose

For John, BLUF:  Not actually made of spruce, but rather birch.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The First and Last Flight of the Spruce Goose

From Warfare History Network, by Mr Allyn Vannoy, 31 December 2018.

This is the story of Howard Hughes' flying boat and its flight inside the breakwater of Long Beach, California.

It is also the story of imagination and of bureaucratic efforts to accomplish things.  And the power of Congressional hearings.

Hat tip to my Brother, Lance.

Regards  —  Cliff

Today is Inventors’ Day in Argentina

For John, BLUF:  And a boon to aviation it was.  No longer the need to carry wooden pencils and pocket knives.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Instapundit, by Professor Gail Heriot, 29 September 2018.

Here is most of the Blog Post:

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, LÁSZLÓ BÍRÓ, THE INVENTOR OF THE FIRST COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL BALLPOINT PEN, WAS BORN:  Journalists aren’t usually great inventors, but the Hungarian-born Bíró was an exception.  He noticed that the ink used on newsprint dried quickly and smudge-free, so he started working on pen that could use that ink.  He patented an early design for a ballpoint pen in Paris in 1938.

As Nazism enveloped Europe, Bíró, who was Jewish, made his way to Argentina.  While there, he filed another patent, this time in the United States, in the name of Bíró Pens of Argentina.  The invention caught the attention of F.G. Miles, who secured a license to manufacture the pens for the Royal Air Force.  The pens were economical and, unlike fountain pens, could write upside down.

After the war, Marcel Bich bought the patent. For the purpose of marketing the pen, Bich shortened his name to “Bic” so that it wouldn’t be confused by English speakers with you-know-what.

There is the whole question of why the German Government thought that it would be better off with all those Jews dead or driven off?  Did they not understand the wealth of creativity they were destroying?  There is a lesson in there.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Pranked

For John, BLUF:  I can see tired and frustrated airline passengers not doing well in this situation, but that is when a sense of humor is most important.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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People Are Understandably Distressed About This Diabolical Airport Power Outlet Prank

From Time Magazine, by Ms Megan McCluskey, 9 August 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

Basically anyone who has ever been to an airport knows that finding an open power outlet can be one of the most stress-inducing aspects of flying.  So it should come as no surprise that people are freaking out over this power outlet sticker prank.

Thanks to one beleaguered traveler’s commitment to exposing this diabolical trick to the world, a photo of one of the fake sockets has gone viral. “Whoever put up this fake sticker of an open outlet at the airport, you are now my enemy for life,” Twitter user Brandon Ewing captioned a photoset of himself discovering the ruse.

"Basically," if you can't take a joke, life is going to be very hard.

The up side of this is that it might prompt various airport managers to do some rewiring.

As a note, the video at the top of the story has nothing to do with the story.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Missile Alert

For John, BLUF:  We are just a little too on edgy these days.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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‘Missile’ that caused concern near White House isn’t a missile but at least libs haven’t blamed the NRA… yet

From Twitchy, on 1 March 2018, by Doug P..

A bunch of pictures and comments.

Do you think this is a Sergeant Fletcher or a Royal Jet Missile?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Three Times the Speed of Sound

For John, BLUF:  There were some real technical wonders back in the 1950s and 60s.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Vietnam, the CIA, and the World's Fastest Aircraft

The sub-headline:

As the SR-71 went public, these pilots flew its lookalike in secret.

David Freed Air & Space Magazine October 2017.

This is the story of the Lockheed Skunk Works A-12 OXCART. Here is the lede plus three:

During the selection process for pilots to fly a top-secret mission, Ken Collins was told to report to an apartment in Philadelphia, then locked in a room for six hours in complete darkness.  A loudspeaker would periodically order him not to doze off. He didn't.  "I can only assume that I must have passed," Collins says.

Collins, 88, a retired Air Force colonel, was among six hand-picked Air Force fighter jocks who overflew North Vietnam at Mach 3 on high-altitude photo-reconnaissance missions for the Central Intelligence Agency.  He flew a spy plane so hush-hush its operations remained classified for decades.  The top-secret project for which Collins had volunteered was code-named Operation Black Shield, and it was based in the Nevada desert.  Deceptively nicknamed "Oxcart," the supersonic Lockheed A-12 aircraft he piloted was the single-seat predecessor of its ultimately more famous, two-man virtual twin, the SR-71 Blackbird.

The A-12 made its first flight in 1962.  Lockheed's Kelly Johnson hadn't designed the A-12 for Vietnam, but Vietnam was the war it was born into.  Johnson had created the airplane in response to the CIA's need for something that could fly faster and higher than its subsonic U-2, another Johnson-designed reconnaissance airplane, which the agency had relied on since the mid-1950s to provide high-altitude photography.  The A-12 was unlike anything anyone had ever seen.

"You didn't wear it like you did a fighter," says another pilot who flew Black Shield missions, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Francis J. "Frank" Murray, 86, of Gardnerville, Nevada.  "You were stuck way up in the nose, with a monster behind you."

One of the names mentioned in the article was Mele Vojvodich Jr., who was my wing commander in the early part of my second tour in Southeast Asia.  He commanded the 388th at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base.  But, before that, after flying in the Korean War, he was "sheep dipped" into the CIA to fly the A-12.

Regards  —  Cliff

Why Fighters Need Guns

For John, BLUF:  been there in the "missiles don't work" scenario.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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How did a 30 year-old Su-22 defeat a modern AIM-9X?

This is from Combat Aircraft, 23 June 2017.

At approximately 18.43hrs local time on June 18, a US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet operating over Syria shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) Su-22M4 ‘Fitter’ fighter-bomber near Tabqah, Syria.

The F/A-18E (reported as BuNo 168914/AJ304) was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87 ‘Golden Warriors’ (also known as ‘War Party’), which is assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8.

Its pilot engaged the ‘Fitter’ and initially fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder close-range heat-seeking missile from a range of about half a mile, which was defeated by flares launched by the Su-22 pilot. The Super Hornet then re-engaged and fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile), which hit the ‘Fitter’ despite being fired from relatively close range.

. . .

However, the engagement poses some interesting questions, not least; how was a 1980s-era ‘Fitter’ able to defeat a cutting-edge US air-to-air heat-seeking missile?

Yes it does.

By the way, the "age difference" is a distractor.  The F-18 is an airframe that descends from the Northrop P-530 program, from back in 1971.

And, when you read the whole thing you will realize why every fighter needs a gun.

Hat tip to my friend Richard Byrd.

Regards  —  Cliff

Phantom Pharewell

For John, BLUF:  Those were the days.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Versatile F-4 Phantoms making 'final flight' for U.S. military

This is an Associated Press story, by Mr Paul Davenport, picked up by Military Times.  The Dateline is 19 December, but the event is Wednesday, 21 December 2016. Here is the key part of the story:

The last of thousands of F-4 Phantom jets that have been a workhorse for the U.S. military over five decades are being put to pasture to serve as ground targets for strikes by newer aircraft.

But first some well-earned honors.

The Air Force will hold a "final flight" retirement ceremony Wednesday at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where the last F-4s are still flying for the U.S. military.  The ceremony will celebrate the airplane's rich military history as the jet was a mainstay during the Vietnam War and used for decades for reconnaissance missions and anti-missile electronic jamming.

So, the Phantom NoLo flights are over and the aircraft is heading for the boneyard or some bombing range somewhere.

Farewell oh good and trusty stead.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  NoLo is No Live Operator, as opposed to when the aircraft was being flown by a pilot for the pilot's familiarization or for a maintenance check.

A Strange Glow

For John, BLUF:  You won't see this with a helo flying over Lowell.

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How a Combat Photographer Named a Phenomenon to Honor Soldiers

The Kopp-Etchells Effect.

Michael Yon.

The photos at the link are pretty neat, but I am not reproducing them due to unknown copyright rules.  That is, are they in the public domain or do they belong to Michael, or to someone to whom Michael sold the rights?

Regards  —  Cliff

Doing Good With Bad Results

For John, BLUF:  How is it for cruise ships?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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TSA Increasing the risk to travelers?

A gaggle of Economists have calculated that the intrusive nature of TSA screening at airports puts off enough people that the increase in highway traffic results in 500 more deaths each year.

Yes, 500 isn't much, and spread over a year is probably not noticeable, but it is the equivalent of a couple of shuttles between Boston and DC.

This idea that travelers avoid airports seems real to me.  A few years back our company was teamed with a company out of King of Prussia, PA, and I was the representative for our firm.  I commuted to King of Prussia from Lowell, Massachusetts every week.  Did it once by air and once by car and from then on did it by train. Not that much longer and a lot less hassle.  A lot less TSA security theater.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

A New Cold War

For John, BLUF:  "Stay calm and carry on".  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"RUSSIAN JET FIGHTER DID BARREL ROLL OVER U.S. RECONNAISSANCE PLANE – CNN".

Barrel Roll?

This is based on a Reuters report with reporting by David Alexander and Idrees Ali; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and James Dalgleish.

World | Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:47pm BST

A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 jet fighter did a barrel roll over [around?] a U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace, CNN said on Friday, citing two U.S. defence officials in the Baltic Sea region.

The U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane was flying a routine route in international airspace when it was intercepted by the Russian SU-27 fighter, the Pentagon said, in the latest in a series of similar incidents between the U.S. and Russian militaries.

The Russian fighter came within about 100 feet (30 meters) of the American plane as it performed the dangerous, high-speed maneuver, CNN reported, citing two U.S. defense officials in the Baltic Sea region.

First off, can we agree that while both aircraft were traveling at (relatively) high speed, the relative speed between the two aircraft was probably less than the speed of a car on Andover Street, here in Lowell, Mass?

Second, approaching within 100 feet is not like the Su-27 was flying wing tip formation off of the RC-135. Can there be untoward events?  Absolutely.  See this mid-air collision between an F-104 and one of two XB-70s, back in 1966.  Then there is the Chinese pilot who let his aircraft drift into a US Navy EP-3, with unfortunate results for the Chinese pilot.  You can watch the moments before the accident here.

Have we discussed the attitude of the Chinese recently?  Yes, here.

Aircrews have been doing this for decades.  I remember stories out of Keflavik, Iceland, about us intercepting Soviet BEAR Bombers penetrating the GIUK Gap and the guy in the bomber side scanner blister holding up the latest Playboy foldout, which the Soviet Washington, DC, Embassy had sent back by courier before the Boys in Blue in Iceland got their copies.  All good clean fun, except for the nudity part.

Here is a picture of a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon F2 from Number XI Squadron at RAF Coningsby escorting a Russian Bear-H aircraft over the North Atlantic Ocean.

Sure, there is always the chance someone will do something stupid (either side), but our current reaction, it seems to me, if not tamping down anything, but is helping puff up President Putin's chest.  I worry that a new US President, after 20 January next, will over react, so as not to appear weak, and then we will have problems.

If I was the designated advisor I would advise we calm down.

Hat tip to the Fortuna's Corner.

Regards  —  Cliff

Plastic Bag Attacks British Airways Jet

For John, BLUF:  Keep on droning.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"'Drone' that hit British Airways jet was likely a plastic bag".

Here is the sub-headline:

British transport minister says fear of drone was "overreaction."

The source is Ars Technica and the reporter is Mr Sean Gallagher.

I worry that over reaction will kill the golden goose of technology.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

On the Deck

For John, BLUF:  The thing is, you have to train for both.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the web magazine War on the Rocks we have Air Force Colonel Mike Pietrucha and "REDISCOVERING LOW ALTITUDE:  GETTING PAST THE AIR FORCE’S OVERCOMMITMENT TO STEALTH".

Ah, the never ending argument.  My Staff College classmate,♠ Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Trevor Osman♥ summed it up.  "You fly over the SAMs and around the Army formations."  Why?  Guns.  Or as I would kid my Royal Air Force classmates, you like low level because the UK has gun control and you have never learned to fear guns.

Mostly I am posting this article so that Mr John McDonough can read the tail number♦ on this Wolf Pack♣ F-16C at low altitude, with the afterburner burning, mostly likely over the Republic of Korea.

Lots of charts and hanger flying in this article.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Royal Air Force Staff College, Bracknell, Class 64.
♥  Now a retired Air Marshall (3 twinkie), Trevor Osman was a fighter pilot while on active duty.
♦  McD is big on Tail Numbers, sometimes called Bort Numbers.
♣  8th Fighter Wing

The Lone Eagle Goes Isolationist

For John, BLUF:  Not all our heroes were right all the time.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This article by Mr Michael E. Ruane, with a dateline of 21 January, reminds us that on this date (23 January) "75 years ago, Charles Lindbergh urged Congress to stay out of WWII".

It was Jan. 23, 1941 — 75 years ago Saturday — and the American mega-celebrity was about to tell Congress that the country’s entry into the war raging in Europe would have little effect on the outcome, and would be a disaster for the country.

I think that Colonel Lindbergh was saying what he thought was our best foreign policy.  I also think that he was wrong.  And, notwithstanding President Franklin D Roosevelt forbidding him from going on active duty, he did support our war effort, including going to the Southwest Pacific, helping pilots learn how to get more out of their P-38s.

Regards  —  Cliff

Accident Investigation

For John, BLUF:  It is still too soon to tell.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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At this blog post I speculated on what might have brought down the Russian Airliner out of Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt.  Here is some additional thoughts, from Maram Mazen and Nour Youssef of the Associated Press: "Noise in last second of Russian plane's cockpit recording".

To reprise, a 31 October flight out of the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh came apart at 30,000 feet and provided a debris field stretched over 8 miles.  There were 224 souls on board (SOBs), most of them Russian tourists.  The aircraft was an Airbus A321-200.

Here is an important paragraph out of the article:

"All scenarios are being considered ... it could be lithium batteries in the luggage of one of the passengers, it could be an explosion in the fuel tank, it could be fatigue in the body of the aircraft, it could be the explosion of something," said [Ayman] El-Muqadem, who is Egyptian and leading the investigation committee that includes experts from Russia, France, Germany and Ireland, where the plane was registered.  El-Muqadem appeared alone at the news conference in Cairo.

While we await the findings, TSA is going to be trying to tighten up.  Some action will be effective and some won't.

UPDATE:  A friend who monitors Russian media noted this AM that "One of the early speculations in the Russian media was the plane broke up during evasive maneuver to avoid colliding with a Western fighter jet."

Regards  —  Cliff

What Brought Down The Russian Tourist Airliner

For John, BLUF:  At this point it is all speculation, and someone will guess right.  Luck.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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On City Life this AM someone asked what brought down the Russian Airliner.  There are strong indications the aircraft broke up in flight and fell to earth.  That part seems pretty sure.

In this Boston Globe article is a picture of the tail section of the Airbus A321-200 that came apart over Sinai.  "Cause of jetliner crash remains uncertain".

But what caused the breakup in flight?

• Highly Unlikely:  It is possible that it was hit by a missile.  It was over the Sinai, which is controlled by Egyptian Rebels.  But, no man portable surface to air missile did this and the chances the rebels have a real surface to air missile are very slim.
• Highly Unlikely:  The pilot performing some whifferdill that causes the aircraft to exceed its structural limits.  Maybe because he was mad at the airline, or his wife.  The likelihood is low because the flight controls may not have the authority to maneuver the aircraft outside of tested and approved flight limits.
• Low Probability:  The aircraft is over a decade old and a defect in design or manufacture, aided and accommodated by poor maintenance practices, could have caused some of the skin to rip off, causing major structural failure.  That would bring the aircraft down.
• Medium Probability:  A bomb could have caused this, but whose bomb?
• Small Possibility:  A disgruntled airline employee, looking for revenge.
• Some Possibility:  A person rejected in love, striking back.
• Some Possibility:  A person looking to ice an inheritance.
• Good Possibility:  A Russian home-grown insurgency found an opportunity to strike back.
• Strong Possibility:  Daesh, upset with Russian intervention in Syria, strikes back.
• Possible, But Highly Unlikely:  Something we haven't yet thought of.

At this point we just don't know.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Russians Are Coming

For John, BLUF:  There are things to get excited about, but this is not one of them.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From CNN, a question, by Ms Laura Smith-Spark, "Why is Russia sending bombers close to U.S. airspace?".

Here is the lede:

Two Russian bombers intercepted by U.S. fighter jets off the California coast on July Fourth could be seen as having raised a metaphorical middle finger to the United States.

"Good morning, American pilots.  We are here to greet you on your Fourth of July Independence Day," they said, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The "metaphorical middle finger" is just purple prose.

The passing of a message is nothing new.  Back during the Cold War the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC, would get the new edition of Playboy, put it in a diplomatic pouch and dispatch it to Moscow, where it would be rerouted to a Soviet Bomber Base.  A large Tu-95 bomber would then launch on a reconnaissance mission and when the USAF interceptors from Naval Air Station Keflavík (Iceland) flew up along side the bomber the Soviet aircrew would open up and show the Playboy centerfold, the one the American aviators hadn't seen yet.  All good clean fun.

As for why the flights, the aircrews need the flight hours for their flight pay.  Long over-water flights are a good professional challenge and a way to burnish skills.  Do they gather intelligence during the flight?  Yes, but so do we when we fly the same kinds of profiles against Russia and China.

This is NOT a big deal.

Regards  —  Cliff

Battle of Britain

For John, BLUF:  "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the Royal Air Force we have this web post announcing the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Britain.  Here is the key paragraph:

The Battle of Britain began on 10 July 1940 with a series of Luftwaffe attacks on shipping convoys off England’s south-east coast.  On that day, the RAF shot down 14 enemy aircraft and severely damaged 23 more, according to the then Air Ministry. Some 200 patrols were flown involving 641 aircraft.

Here is one of the flybys.

Here is the last paragraph of the article:

The battle ranks alongside the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo as one of the most significant in British history.  It was the first major battle in history fought entirely in the air and was the first significant strategic defeat for the Nazis during World War II.

And here is the "enhanced" Changing of the Guard at Buck House.

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Incidentally, this is also the anniversary of the birth of one of my Front Seaters, when I was an F-4 Back Seater in the Big 22, Bitburg AB, Germany.  We used to deploy to North Africa for weapons training and my Front Seater and I did Functional Check Flights (FCF) on aircraft that had undergone major maintenance, like engine changes.  Because our Wing had Fish Call Signs (like "Trout") for the dozen aircraft deployed to Libya, we flew FCFs as WHALE TEST.  This the tactical call sign for this chap of "Whale".  About four years later I was leading a flight of F-4s from Korat RTAFB onto a Tanker (for air refueling), over Cambodia,a when I heard WHALE check in his flight, from Udorn RTAFB to also refuel.  I mashed the mic button and said "Whale?"  The immediate response was "Flowers?" (a nickname I had picked up at Da Nang seven years earlier.  Incidentally, WHALE had been my wife's late husband's roommate during a deployment to Okinawa, where he died in an aircraft accident.  That was before I knew my wife or the WHALE.

Regards  —  Cliff

Software Testing is Important

For John, BLUF:  This isn't good news.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"Airbus confirms software configuration error caused plane crash".

Airbus A400M flight recorder data confirms "quality issue" in setup caused failure.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff