Fightersweep

Precision “The precision of a measurement system, related to reproducibility and repeatability, is the degree to which repeated measurements under unchanged conditions show the same results.” – Wikipedia  The cockpit of an aircraft is a wall of precision dials, gauges, meters and displays. Each one with a specific purpose. Measuring fuel quantity, altitude, airspeed, rate of climb, bank angle, etc. […]

On April 12th, 1961, a Russian man named Yuri Gagarin made history aboard a Soviet Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft. For years, the United States and Soviet Union had been using the barrier between our world and beyond as a benchmark to test each nation’s greatest technological and engineering advances, and on that day, Gagarin achieved an […]

Editor’s note: This article was written by Matthew Gardner in 2014 and is being republished on the 10th anniversary of this tragic incident. I began October of 2009 as I had many other months of the preceding few years…beginning a 60 day rotation in Afghanistan, flying the MH-47G for special operations forces across the country. […]

Although it was introduced way back in 1966, and retired from service a whopping eighteen years ago, the SR-71 Blackbird remains among the most popular military aircraft of all time — and for good reason. Despite its relative old age when compared to modern feats of aviation ingenuity like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or […]

From Reggie: Some tales you just shouldn’t tell your mother about, especially if you are a pilot and there’s a chance you’ll have to face the same demons the next day. If you have a child in flight school, best to just ignore this article and move on so you will continue to sleep well […]

If the term “blue-collar” could describe any aircraft since the dawn of flight, it is certainly apropos of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Tagged with such affectionate nicknames as “Double Ugly” and the “Rhino,” there are very few aircraft in history that have played so many crucial roles as successfully as the F-4. From air-to-air and […]

An F-105 Thunderchief avionics technician remembers writes what it was like to work on the jet and live in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. I’ll be writing from memory after 48 years and it grows dimmer with the passage of time and the aging process. But during this revisit to my time in the […]

Tullia continued to unload and accelerate, watching the missiles as they closed on his aircraft. As he reefed his Viper into yet another series of gut-wrenching turns, one missile passed so close that Tullia heard the roar of the rocket motor as it went by.

So far in our examination of Air Force commissioning sources we’ve looked at the U.S Air Force Academy and Air Force ROTC. Both of these provide an excellent path for an individual to complete their Bachelors Degree while earning their commission. But what do you do if you already have your degree and want to […]

Depending on who you ask, the response to uttering the words “Iron Maiden” bring about very different emotions. Ask any fan of rock music and chances are the reaction is the sign of the horns. Ask any Naval Aviator, however, and the response is almost certainly dread. The trouble starts seemingly as a result of […]

“Not a bad start to the day !” That’s what Blue Angels Lead Solo Ryan Chamberlain posted on his Instagram account along with an awesome video of this low transition. This video give us an awesome perspective of what a Blue Angel #6 low transition looks like, particularly from the end of the runway. The […]

Jay flew the F-14D Tomcat and F/A-18 C/D/Fs in the Navy. After leaving the service he has become an emerging figure in the rarified world of unlimited air racing. We take a few moments today to get to know Jay, his new ride Czech Mate, and the fascinating spectacle of the National Championship Air Races. […]