Fightersweep

This week’s edition of Burner Friday is brought to you courtesy of the United States Navy’s Electronic Attack squadrons from NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. VAQ-132, otherwise known as the “Scorpions”, borrowed a VAQ-139 “Cougars” jet for the trek up to Alaska for Red Flag in August 2013. Both squadrons in recent years have transitioned into […]

I, like many of my friends, was bit by the flying bug thanks to the United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron–the Thunderbirds. In my case, I was three years old and it was my first airshow. A hot day on the ramp at what is now Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. It was […]

Donald ‘Don’ Edward Sheldon might not be widely known in the lower 48, yet he’s a household name when it comes to Alaskan bush flying.

I was born in the ’70s in Arizona, so I have been a dedicated American aircraft homer my entire life. It was difficult not to be, growing up around F-16s, A-10s, F-15s, and AV-8Bs. It was so easy to gain an appreciation for smooth lines and also brute force. As I have grown, so has my […]

Just one of the many controversial defense acquisition programs in recent years, the United States Air Force’s KC-X tanker replacement program made headway last week out of Boeing’s Everett, Washington production facility. Barely squeaking in before the end of 2014, Boeing launched the maiden flight of the KC-46 Pegasus tanker program at 9:29AM on December 28, and thus successfully […]

…and so it was that the mysterious force of gravity was revealed to Isaac Newton and the human mind for the first time. Then came the fighter pilot and the Newton’s force was soon exploited for its tactical advantage.

Soldiers like the A-10. They can see it, they can hear it, they have confidence in it. And that’s the one thing that we have to account for as we move forward.

I believe it was William Lear who once said “If it looks good, it will fly good.” This is something that can definitely stated for the Dassault Rafale. Although it took her nearly 15 years to become operational, Rafale was definitely worth the wait. Take a delta wing planform, add a canard, mix in over 30,000 […]

Back in August, over half of the Lockheed-Martin F-16Ds in the USAF inventory were removed from flight after cracks were identified along the canopy sill longeron. This particular longeron in located between the front and back seat of the Viper. Longeron fatigue cracks are always a concern because of their relationship to the structural integrity […]

Watch a short video made by Wingnut for the 2013 Hornet Ball, an annual event for West coast F-18 Hornet and Super Hornet squadrons.

As Paco says, “It’s a Navy thing. More, it’s a CV thing, ‘CV’ being the code for carrier, the kind of carrier that has cross-deck pendants and planes with hooks. The Sh!t Hot Break: if you know what it is, you’re smiling already.” Although the days of The Big Fighter annihilating the break are sadly […]

If you’re on a VFR flight plan in American airspace, cloud-surfing is big no-no in the eyes of the FAA. But since we’re talking about F/A-18F Super Hornets on deployment, those rules don’t apply.