Combat Aviation Advisors: A Day in the Life

Combat Aviation Advisors: A Day in the Life

Combat Aviation Advisors all call the 6TH Special Operations Squadron home; it is the only Combat Aviation Advisory Organization in the Air Force. Though its mission is Foreign Internal Defense (FID) and Combat Foreign Internal Defense (CFID), those aren’t the preferred AFSOC catchwords. They use phrases like “combat aviation advisory unit” and “non-standard aircraft squadron” […]

Fighter Pilot Traditions: Jeremiah Weed

Fighter Pilot Traditions: Jeremiah Weed

In the back of my freezer resides a bottle of a chilled bourbon liqueur called ‘Jeremiah Weed,’ a potent elixir revered in Fighter Pilot Culture, known as much for its razor blade taste as for the stories and traditions it embodies.

From The Cockpit: Lake Powell Low Level

From The Cockpit: Lake Powell Low Level

In this video, we illustrate what it’s like to conduct a low-level, visual flight rules (VFR) sortie along a Military Training Route, or MTR.

A Day in the Life of a Fighter Pilot  –  Part I

A Day in the Life of a Fighter Pilot – Part I

By Nate S. Jaros I am often asked what it is like to be a fighter pilot. Sure, we boast about how fast we fly, how to shoot missiles, drop bombs, and generally scorch around the sky in our hot jets. But honestly, there is a lot more to it than that, including an air […]

Here’s what we know about the SR-72, Lockheed’s Mach 6 Blackbird successor

Here’s what we know about the SR-72, Lockheed’s Mach 6 Blackbird successor

The SR-71 Blackbird has had an almost immeasurable effect on the world we live in today. Its record as the fastest aircraft ever to take to the skies speaks to the incredible engineering and problem solving employed by Lockheed Martin in the 1960s, and the reconnaissance missions it carried out over the Soviet Union and […]

Hornet vs Viper Part One

Hornet vs Viper Part One

Which is better: the F/A-18 or the F-16? In this series, I’m going to give my perspective from an operator’s point of view and take a look at the basic differences in piloting America’s lightweight strike fighters.

Catch-22 Comes Close But Doesn’t Quite Stick the Landing

Catch-22 Comes Close But Doesn’t Quite Stick the Landing

George Clooney takes on Joseph Heller’s dark, satirical novel that he penned in 1961, starring in it, directing two of the series six episodes and producing it as well. Trying to reproduce Catch-22 is no easy feat although the insanity of war and the weird characters that war produces lend itself well to the insanity […]

Ceasefire Reached After Rockets, Airstrikes Produce Bloody Weekend in Gaza

Ceasefire Reached After Rockets, Airstrikes Produce Bloody Weekend in Gaza

Op-Ed: Hamas wanted to send a message to Israel and in two days, they launched nearly 700 rockets into Israeli territory. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and moved armor up to the border area in the latest outbreak of violence. When the smoke cleared, 24 Palestinians were dead with hundreds wounded and 4 Israelis were […]