EvilEagle
Pattern Altitude
Same for down here in on the gulf coast. Got to be in the warning areas to go boom down here.
MOAs out West
- Thread starter SoCal RV Flyer
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Same for down here in on the gulf coast. Got to be in the warning areas to go boom down here.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
This happened a few years ago. Presidential TFR up around Seattle. Someone busts it NORDO. F15 scrambled out of PDX. Pilot asks departures to go supersonic. Controller says at pilots discretion. There was some damage on the ground enroute. The controller got in trouble for letting him do it by saying at pilots discretion.
EvilEagle
Pattern Altitude
The full story is a little different. ATC can say what ever they want but we have to have permission from the people scrambling us (in that case WADS) to go super near land. The guys had it but there was some speculation about the need.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
Ah. The controller didn't get in much trouble, just told don't say that again. I always thought why did the pilot even "ask." It was a for real scramble.
EvilEagle
Pattern Altitude
It's pretty busy when we scramble. I know the guy that did that intercept. I believe he just keyed the mike in the wrong direction. It happens - as you can imagine the radios are both going crazy when we are on an active scramble.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
Makes sense. I don't know for sure he supposedly "asked." The controller may just have heard him say "supersonic" and responded with at pilots discretion. I got the story from a controller who was working that day but wasn't plugged in listening to it.
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Pilawt
I was at my hangar at Pearson Field, just NW of KPDX, when that happened. Very unusual for the F-15s to launch from KPDX 28L and immediately turn north as they did on that occasion, and the silencers were definitely turned off. I heard the NORDO was a seaplane heading home to Lake Washington, while POTUS happened to be at the Convention Center.
35 AoA
Pattern Altitude
Yeah, FRTC was def different living. But same same for oceana. I doubt even the "I love jet noise" bumper sticker crowd would appreciate a boom into the front window of their homes.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
How do you "switch over?" Do guys do it the other way, AF to Navy?
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Velocity173
Interservice transfer. Bunch of friends jumped ship from the Army to go fly for the AF and CG. Living the good life now. 
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luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
Do they literally "transfer?" Or finish their enlistment or whatever it's called for officers, and then 'enlist' in the new service?Interservice transfer. Bunch of friends jumped ship from the Army to go fly for the AF and CG. Living the good life now.
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Velocity173
They transfer during their current obligation. They call it "Green to Blue." The applicant gets approval through the Army by a conditional release. If they're picked up, the other service sends the orders over and coordinates the transfer.
I think ANG & Reserves tailor the flight school based on the candidate. Obviously they applied to a specific unit so they know what aircraft they'll be flying. I know a couple of guys who went Active AF and I believe they had to do the full OCS & flight school.
The ones who went CG went through an abbreviated OCS and flight school. They call it Direct Commisioned Aviator program.
Sometimes they even go on to fly for the Thunderbirds.
http://www.military.com/video/speci...eet-thunderbird-4-nick-krajicek/4805327447001
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Cooter
Ejection Handle Pulled
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The way it's most often done that I've seen is Navy/MC to Air Force Guard or Reserves. There are more options for the reserves on the Air Force side. In most cases you have to finish your obligation with the Navy or else lots of guys would be jumping ship prior to their dissociated sea tour(a 2 yr non-flying tour usually).
You have to put in a package that goes before a board so that your training and qualifications will be recognized by the Air Force. If I remember right there's actually 2 boards, 1 for your commission and 1 for your aeronautical rating. It takes a while, mine took about 6 months, others have waited longer from what I've heard. BaseOps.net has the process documented pretty well.
BillTIZ
Final Approach
IR routes do have a published floor, normal is 200ft AGL, I've seen stretches of 500 or 1000. Periodically we would get NOTAMS restricting us to higher or the IFR altitude because it was calving season.
SoCal RV Flyer
En-Route
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SoCal RV Flyer
I had a great flight from the L.A. basin (Cable) to Mammoth yesterday. Nice tailwinds, so 200-204 mph ground speed there...but you pay the piper on the way back, with ground speeds in the 145-160 range.
Joshua controllers were super nice and helpful through the MOAs. On the way back (heading south), there was a Cessna Caravan tailing me from Bishop past Lone Pine, and he got to within a mile, roughly 500 feet above me. I could see him on EFIS, but no visual contact because he was directly behind me. He didn't have my plane in sight, and the controller was suggesting that he change course (which he didn't). The controller had me descend, but the Caravan seemed to descend at the same rate. A weird feeling, but he landed at Inyokern and was no longer an issue.
My biggest fear was turbulence in the Owens Valley, but staying in the center of the valley at 9500' there was only mild chop, with occasional moderate pockets that had me reaching to reduce throttle.
Joshua controllers were super nice and helpful through the MOAs. On the way back (heading south), there was a Cessna Caravan tailing me from Bishop past Lone Pine, and he got to within a mile, roughly 500 feet above me. I could see him on EFIS, but no visual contact because he was directly behind me. He didn't have my plane in sight, and the controller was suggesting that he change course (which he didn't). The controller had me descend, but the Caravan seemed to descend at the same rate. A weird feeling, but he landed at Inyokern and was no longer an issue.
My biggest fear was turbulence in the Owens Valley, but staying in the center of the valley at 9500' there was only mild chop, with occasional moderate pockets that had me reaching to reduce throttle.
EvilEagle
Pattern Altitude
No one flies the F-4 anymore (in the US). The ANG has changed significantly from the days of a bunch of old guys that fly for the airlines trying to still have a boys flying club. The ANG carries more experience and combat capability than the active duty counterparts in the experience levels but also still has a significant amount of young guys. My squadron has 7 wingmen that are captains or lieutenants. We only have a handful of active airline guys - and believe me (unfortunately) none of us are up there "playing".
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
Didn't mean to imply they were being reckless Evil, but they were tree top low. This was in the mid 80s. Once TDY to Volk (AF Advisor w/ ANG) saw an F4E on the deck from the south buzz the tower. Loved it myself. A few days later that same ANG unit departed Volk taking off to the west, forming up while turning around for a "low approach" to runway 9. On final they turned a bit and the gaggle buzzed the tower. The ATC Officer went nuts!
I was at Eglin and knew a few Eagle drivers. Great guys. I knew them (from the tower). I'm retired from the AF and have the utmost respect for you warriors.
EvilEagle
Pattern Altitude
No harm done/offense taken. There's a reason the stigma exists. I just try to change it when I can.
JimNtexas
Pattern Altitude
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Jim - In Texas!
I can see how Army to Air Force would be pretty painless.
I sorta did the reverse, spending my last 2 years as an Air Force Liaison Officer at Fort Hood. From that experience I think USAF -> Army is a little bit painful. At least Fort Hood is mechanized, so I didn't have to spend weeks walking around with a backpack full of batteries, like the poor schmucks who were assigned to that Infantry division in Hawaii.
I flew a fair amount with a former Navy pilot who went into USAF EF-111's. He didn't have any problems except sometimes he'd call the floor 'the deck' and would mention something called 'starboard' occasionally.
If for some insane reason one went USAF -> Navy do they send you to some kind of school to learn how to speak boat and learn marlinspike seamanship?
I sorta did the reverse, spending my last 2 years as an Air Force Liaison Officer at Fort Hood. From that experience I think USAF -> Army is a little bit painful. At least Fort Hood is mechanized, so I didn't have to spend weeks walking around with a backpack full of batteries, like the poor schmucks who were assigned to that Infantry division in Hawaii.
I flew a fair amount with a former Navy pilot who went into USAF EF-111's. He didn't have any problems except sometimes he'd call the floor 'the deck' and would mention something called 'starboard' occasionally.
If for some insane reason one went USAF -> Navy do they send you to some kind of school to learn how to speak boat and learn marlinspike seamanship?
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Lindberg
Final Approach
I guess they were in a super hurry to shoot down that Cub.
35 AoA
Pattern Altitude
Have only known one permanent USAF -> USN (reserves) transfer, but have known quite a few AF pilots on exchange, and aside from a lot of good natured ribbing, they generally figure it out pretty quickly. Kinda like Tina Fey said in 30 rock....."why everything is just a little different here?"
