US Fighter Pilots on Speed

yeah its pretty well known they have been using that stuff for a long time.

 

Gives new meaning to

"I feel the need--the need for speed!" - Maverick from Top Gun.

 

The pilots had not been told the Canadians would be conducting a night live-fire training exercise in the area, even though the Canadians had properly informed the U.S. military.

I think the idiots who did not inform the pilots should be charged. Why do the Admin dodos always get off, and the guys putting their asses on the line get charged?



And, BTW, Special Patrol Group, I think your little ditty is most disrespectful to our Canadian friends. Very tacky.

 

My understanding is that this was a live fire training facility used by all the coalition forces, and that it was located very near the Kandahar airport, perhaps the most secure place in Afghanistan. It was just bad luck for the Canadians that it was their turn to practice that night. Yes, these guys should have been informed, but how on earth could someone be that trigger happy when they see ground fire deep within coalition territory?! My understanding is that these were light weapon ground exercises and that nothing was being fired that could possibly be a threat a F-16, yet the pilot said he thought he was being fired at!? How out of it do you have to be to make the decision to drop a bomb without at least questioning whether these were friendly forces that weren’t firing at him at all? These guys have to be responsible for having some common sense. This is where the "speed" defence comes in, I suspect. I’m sure there are a lot of details we don’t know, however, so it’s hard to comment on exactly where the blame should lie. I am glad that the US military seems to be taking this seriously, and I hope for everyone’s sake that something can be learned that will help prevent this kind of thing from happening again.

 

Has the Air Force not been told about the existence of caffiene?

 

They like to post on the BBS at 4 in the morning
A serious question is it true that fighter pilots are required/ preferred to be under 5' 8" so they won't get hung up if they have to eject. I was told I was to tall at 6' 2" but I didn't really believe the guy who told me (I think he was on speed).

 

Any Air Force fighter pilots out there who can answer the height requirments question? The speed issue as well...Germany started the whole use of speed as a military advantage during WWII correct?

 

I'm not in the military, but I was intrested and pulled these newsgroup quotes from www.deja.com:

and

and finally,

 

I remember reading a story about Joe Dimaggio who was I believe 6' 3", he landed his damaged fighter rather than eject because his knees would have been destroyed. This was a Korean War era jet and i'm sure the rules were bent for Joe D. I grew up around T-38's they are tiny little jets, I guess the pilots are about like F1 or indy drivers. No wonder they cast Tom Cruise in Top Gun they were striving for authenticity.

 

Wouldn't a shorter body reduce the effects of G force causing blood to pool in the pilots legs/head? I know they wear inflatable pants to constrict the circulation. Maybe the speed keeps the blood pumping at maximum efficency...