A number of bits and pieces worth another List on a rainy cool day in San Diego today.
Regards,
Skip
Thanks to Dutch
Wonderous
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Thanks to Micro
THE COOLEST THANK-YOU NOTE
As we get older we think differently, don't we? This letter was sent to the principal's office after the school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly. An elderly lady received a new radio at the lunch as a prize and was writing to say thank you. This story is a credit to all humankind ....especially if you are familiar with the elderly and their ways. Forward to anyone you know who might need a lift today.
Dear Lincoln Elementary,
God bless you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent Senior Citizens luncheon. I am 84 years old and live at the Springer Home for the Aged. All of my family has passed away. I am all alone now and it's nice to know that someone is thinking of me. God bless you for your kindness to an old forgotten lady.
My roommate is 95 and has always had her own radio, but before I received one, she would never let me listen to hers, even when she was napping. The other day her radio fell off the night stand and broke into a lot of pieces. It was awful and she was in tears.
Her distress over the broken radio touched me and I knew this was God's way of answering my prayers. She asked me if she could listen to mine, and I told her to kiss my ass.
Thank you for that opportunity.
Sincerely,
Agnes
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Thanks to Tom who found the url
One of the best clips ever, and more relevant now than ever
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thanks to BahamaJim and others and Dutch
- You gotta be shi-tin' me!!!!
America is officially over when the Secretary of Defense degrades military citations for bravery.
Military hero's did not get ribbons for serving in many of the most fierce battles of WW II. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan but are receiving them for " protecting the Capital" for 20 days.
We have wounded Warriors with double arm and leg amputations without ribbons.
Not one National Guard member has been fired upon, in " defense of Joe Biden" yet are receiving military ribbons for their 20 day "deployment"
Next the Secretary of Defense will be awarding military ribbons for nicely shaped haircuts, sharp pant creases, having a shiny belt buckle, tight sleeping bunks and bras that fit.
This is DNC " wok" culture of giving every kid who joins a sport or activity a most valuable player award.
I think I should get a hero medal also… I suffered thru hours and hours of extremely stressful television coverage!!!
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Thanks to Chuck
Beirut Blast: The explosion that stole a nation's hope | Four Corners – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20iB09b7Ycc
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Maiden of Maiden flights: Clara Adams
Thanks to Ken … What a brute!!
If you skip this presentation of the Dornier DOX, you will miss a great aviation story about Clara Adams. Click on each photo to advance. I don't get blown away on much, but this was exceptional.
I noted PAA Capt. Musik in one photo. I flew with Musik's son on the B-720 and his grandson flew with me on the Electra.
Tailwinds,
Steve
The slideshow:
https://www.slideshare.net/kennethcmartin/the-maidenof-maiden-flights
Maiden of Maiden flights: Clara Adams
The YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0UGjKelKy8
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thanks to Doctor Rich
Thanks to Shadow (read bottom first), and then Burt's response …
On Jan 7, 2021, at 9:25 AM, Burt wrote:
Excellent summary for this morning, Shadow.
I, however have a near completely opposite forecast in mind:
Its called the Pendulum Effect - generally a pendulum swings slowly - left then right then left then right…
However when it is forced to an extreme Left position, it is posed to swing back FAST and with HUGE FORCE. When that happens it does not end up just slightly beyond center but so far to the Right that the promotors of Left will be not just defeated but destroyed.
Keep the faith my friend. The next 2 to 4 years will reveal to all, even the young who are poisoned by our schools, that the move to Socialism was a huge mistake.
Burt
What Have We Become? Where Do We Go From here?
, Shadow wrote:
Friends,
Yesterday was a disappointment to most of us… and I venture to say that is an understatement. This morning… as I scanned my emails and Facebook… things got decidedly worse for me. And then two things brought me to an almost burning rage, for which I had to get ahold of myself to keep from throwing something at my computer.
I'm a bit different both in thought and life experience, mainly because my life involved two very different influential experiences and at times I've felt I've lived in two different worlds. I guess I should probably say three as I had a third and maybe even a fourth life, when I went into business for myself and was involved in the "Black" world with various government agencies for a couple of decades. But it was the first two lives that have left an indelible impact on my life and thought processes. Some of you know, but most of you don't… I was a "Grunt"… a "Mud Marine"… before I was an Aviator. I was enlisted before I was an officer. Both experiences had very little in common, other than we wore the same uniform. I had a full ground tour in Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines up in I-Corps, during some of the heaviest fighting of the war, before I went to Flight Training. As aviators… we tended to be extroverts, optimistic, with a somewhat fine tuned, possibly inflated sense of self; we lived a somewhat glamorous and exciting life. We felt and in reality knew… we were special.
On the other hand… I'm here to tell you… there was absolutely nothing glamorous about being a "Grunt". It was a dirty, down to the nitty gritty, existence. My life as an aviator was filled with incredible scenes and inspirational views of God's Green Earth… fond memories of being one with a machine… the excitement of the cat shot, burner climbs into a morning rising sun… or you and your wingman… flying into the giant globe of a harvest moon. All of you know what I'm talking about, we could go on for hours sharing what we experienced and saw. Yes, we were the chosen few.
As a Grunt in combat… it was almost a primordial existence. A world of dirt, exhaustion, pain and caution. As I said; not a damn thing glamorous about it at all. It was life of deprivation... and when you got right down to it… we were hunters… and we were also the hunted! Unlike the Big Game hunters who just thought they were real men when they killed an elephant or lion… our big game could shoot back... and in many cases he was more adapted to the primal existence than we were… and just as dogmatic in pursuit of us, as we were of them. Now the memories of both experiences are vivid, but one we relish, while the other we mostly keep in a dark place. Don't want to go there most of the time. The one thing they have in common for me… is that I made lifetime friends that I cherish, from both experiences.
This morning I received an email from a former "Grunt" friend… it went something like this: "Roy, I can't help but reflect that decades ago, when we were sent to a far away land to fight and die... to try to stop Communism in the name of Freedom… and now, decades later our fellow citizens have elected a bunch of Communists to run our own country… Go Figure"? And I thought to myself… he's so right… Go figure!
And then the next thing I saw was the killing (murder)… of the woman protestor in the capitol Building. She was unarmed, surrounded by both fellow protestors and police in the hallway… yet some trigger happy POS Government worker, decides to shoot and kill her as if she was an eminent threat to the life and limb of some elected official not even present! My simple mind could not help but reflect about what a juxtaposition this situation was to the reticence of police all over this country of not using force when the mobs were engaged in burning, destroying and killing in this past summer of rage! Why?
Like many of you, I am saddened about where we are today. I have spent a lifetime in service to my nation in one fashion or another. I have opposed totalitarians in what ever form they exist… from religious fanatics, dictators, socialists or communists, et al... I have seen first hand the misery they have brought to the table of mankind. And I am beside myself to see it happening in my country. Even more so I am enraged that it has come about through institutions we once saw as defenders of all we believed in and vaunted in our past. The freedom of thought, religion, a free press, the freedom of speech and individual rights, self determination and more. And who were the destroyers of that way of life? The very people we chose to lead us and a complicit and conspiring national media. And they did it through deceit, conspiracy, lies, cheating and hysteria… day after day, after day. That's a sad statement, but true. I believe it with all my heart.
Now, where do we go from here? Well, most of us are of an age that the "New Totalitarians" will not basically change our lives. As we are in the twilight of our existence. But our kids and grandkids are in for a tough time. Unless… there is a strong national movement to undo this horrible mistake. The only real hope is the next Congressional election two years from now. We need to generate a movement just as dogmatic and unyielding as the Left. WE need to become adamant that the Republican Party supports leadership that is as hard-nosed and dedicated as the enemy from within. We need to purge the RINO's from the Party. From leadership down to the local officials. No more Republican Lites. Get rid of the Romney's and others like him that only use the "R" behind their names to win elections. Unseat the likes of Murkowski, Collins, Romney, Rubio, Sasse and any other faux conservative in the House or Senate. We need to embrace the mantra of the left… the time for compromise is over. You're either with us or against us… no more fence straddling! And we need to hammer home as stridently as the Left does. We need to emphasize the fact that the party they represent, are as corrupt and evil as anything in Beijing or Moscow! We have just elected a career criminal as the new President. His whole family has fed at the trough of political corruption. And while I'm at it, I must admit we have some of those bottom dwellers in our ranks too and they need to be weeded out as well. I'm always amazed at the personal fortunes of elected officials who supposedly earn only a modest, but comfortable income. I think the answer to that may finally be a limit on terms served... in Congress and the Senate. We have enough trouble with lifetime Judicial appointments… seems more and more that these marplots, once elected, are almost impossible to get rid of.
Gonna end this for today… gonna stop and listen to some good music for a while and then go play 18 holes and take out my frustrations on a little white ball! I'll have more to say tomorrow.
Shadow
P.S.
BTW… I like "words" that can condense things... and I'm sure some of you from time to time, have noticed that I have used the word "marplot". Not a common word, I first came across it when reading a letter that Roosevelt had written to Churchill in WW II. In the letter Roosevelt cautioned Churchill to not share the contents of the letter with DeGaulle; whom he described as a "Marplot of the first order"! Now that was absolutely the first time I had ever seen or heard of the word, had no idea what it meant… so I did as my dad always told me to do when confronted with a word I didn't know the meaning of... "Go look it up in the dictionary". I pulled out my old tattered 1950's version of Websters' and I found it. Basically it is the description of someone who is a meddler… a busybody… or in Marine parlance… someone who could "F" up a wet dream! Just thought you should know it really is a word and not something I made up.
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Thanks to Mugs
Climate vs Military
We're Doomed: Climate Change Named a National Security Threat, Biden Executive Order Forces This Policy on the US Military
By C. Douglas Golden
Published March 14, 2021
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Thanks to Shadow
I really hope you can download this... it's da Truuf!
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thanks to Shadow
FYI… Shadow
My letter to the Editor of our local rag.
Begin forwarded message:
Subject: Boogey Man Nonsense
Date: March 9, 2021 at 4:50:47 PM EST
Letter to the Editor
I just have to respond to Stephan Leimberg's diatribe; it should not be allowed to go unchallenged. Right off the bat he embraces the buzz word of the day… "Fascism"... to denigrate those of opposing views. Stephan, do you realize there is no country in this world today that is fascist? Not since Benito Mussolini has anyone tried on that hat. Now the world still has its' dictators, despots and Kingdoms… even a benign form of socialism in some countries. But there also exists a more radical extension of fascism and socialism that still exists in this world... and that is Communism.
What's the difference between Socialism and Communism? Well, think of it this way… both claim to want to create a more equal society. But the big difference is that socialist "claim" they believe in democracy and liberty; while Communists strive to create an equal society through an authoritative state, which denies basic liberties and freedoms. In Communism, there is no such thing as private property or individual rights… think there'll be freedom of the press; not happening, news is only presented with government approval. Freedom of individual rights… doesn't exist. Freedom to worship your God or religion… that doesn't exist either. Freedom to pursue your passions in life… not a chance. Want to have a nice home or car… you're only allowed what the government says you can have. In reality, it's a pretty miserable existence. If you don't believe me, ask the average citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Russia or China. In practical application, the end result of Communism is instead of raising the masses, it actually reduces the population to the lowest common denominator. Everyone suffers… except for the ruling political class.
I'm sure Stephan and his like minded fellow travelers are aghast that I would suggest they are really "Closet Communists". Well, in a way I am… in that they either really are; or just useful tools. We are witnessing a dramatic change in our society today… with the advent of "Political Correctness" and the even greater threat of the emerging "Woke Culture" rising in this country today… it's just a small step away from full blown Communism. If you don't toe the party line, you are to be condemned, denigrated, shunned and ostracized … you will be considered unworthy. In the final solution… eliminated. Hyperbole on my part? Not really.
Now let's look at some of his specific charges… he claims our charges of "Fake News" is ridiculous. Really? Well lets look at the lies we saw played out by the MSM and the Democratic Party over these last four years… it was Russia, Russia, Russia! Non stop, 24/7! Trump was aided and conspired with the Russian Government and Putin to win the presidency. Highly paid talking heads on the networks and heralded leaders of the Democratic Party claimed they had undeniable "proof" that such a conspiracy existed; day after day. It was just a matter of time before they would share it with the American people. I'm still waiting… still waiting… seems like I'll have to wait until hell freezes over… because it was all a lie. The only real collusion with Russians was between the Hillary Campaign, the DNC and Russian operatives.
The reality is that the whole farce was the brainchild of the Democratic Party and the Hillary campaign, under the guise of "Opposition Research"… to slander Trump in order to take the heat off of Hillary's unlawful use of a private email server in her basement. Even Obama's Director of the CIA, John Brennan, acknowledged this early on and he even warned the FBI about it! Now tell me again, who it is that tells a lie, time after time... until fools believe it? It was your party and your so called free and open press that sold those lies over a four year period. Hell, the vaunted New York Times even received a Pulitzer Prize for spreading such lies on an almost daily basis. Not surprising when you consider the Times track record of efficacy and honesty in reporting over the last decade. Time after time they have had to admit its' reporters and columnists have made up stories out of whole cloth. They initially printed those stories because it fit their political agenda… while there wasn't a grain of truth in any of them. Sounds good, let's just run with it! That's not journalism, that's propaganda. So tell me again why our charges of "Fake News" is without confirmation?
He then charges those of us with differing views refuse to compromise. Really? Like Obama, Pelosi, Schumer and all the President's men and women on the left, have reached out in a spirit of compromise over the last four years? Give me a break… just another damn lie! While Trump was trying to get the economy back on track, stop the flow of illegal immigration, make us energy independent… get European nations to fund their fair share for NATO… create a new alignment in the Middle East that brought Israel and moderate Muslim nations together… removing our troops from endless wars and also removing us from the ridiculously unfair "Paris Accords". Your side attacked him every step of the way. Compromise, you have to be kidding me!
Then he claims we have no right to challenge a fair and open election process. Well, let me count the ways… Never, Never... in our history until this last election, have we had an election where mail in ballots were counted without confirmation of citizenship, or open to challenge as to signature or even proof of existence. Yet that is what happened. And your side also embraced a thing called "Voter Harvesting". A situation where someone can walk in off the street and drop in thousands of votes, claiming they went out and gathered these voters up and they allowed him to cast their votes for them! Talk about voter fraud! Your side stacked the deck and you know it! Stephan, as that great American troubadour, Bob Dylan once said, "You don't have to be a weather man; to know which way the wind blows". It's common sense!
Then Stephan makes the claim that "armed" insurrectionists attacked the very heart of our democracy, the Capitol Building as our elected representatives cowered inside. For the record via Christopher Wray of FBI fame… not one gun or lethal weapon was confiscated or displayed by any of the rioters. In fact the only person killed in the supposed insurrection was an unarmed female, shot dead by a trigger happy Capitol Police Officer. Granted, she did a stupid thing by trying to enter through the broken window (broken by an BLM Agent Provocateur; by admission by the way)… but did she deserve to die for that? If you look at the video, you will see Capitol Police on both sides of that entry… not one was brave enough to confront this woman physically and say… "Miss, you can't do that. I'm gonna have to arrest you"… instead the Officers on her side did nothing, while the guy on the other side chose to shoot and kill her! Let's talk about Police Brutality, eh?
I'm gonna conclude this by saying the following… I'm an old man now. Have led a full and complicated life. At times I have been an eye witness to history… and at all times since reaching adult hood… I've been a student of history. Ergo, I look at life and events from a far different prism than the likes of Stephan. He is either naive, gullible or ignorant of real history. Stephan and his ilk would want you to believe the events of January were an all out assault by insurrectionist on our Democracy! They portray it as an event of unprecedented proportions. Well Stephan, let me educate on what real insurrection looks like… Lets look at the "Weather Underground" headed by Obama's buddy Bill Ayers in the 1960's and his wife Bernadette Dorn… They not only attacked the Capitol Building… they bombed it! Plus, they bombed the Pentagon, the State Department… various police stations, the California Attorney General's Office… causing the deaths of innocents and police along they way… they also took out a few banks along the way as well and there were other targets. Then we had the Marxist radical M-19 movement that bombed the Senate. An off-shoot of the Weather Underground that surfaced in the 1980's. They bombed the Senate! By the way, Obama pardoned Ayres and the leader of M-19 and she is now a leader of the BLM movement. Go figure? Each group was comprised of radical Marxists. And to this day, all of them are unrepentant. And between Clinton and Obama, most of them have had their sentences either commuted or pardoned. Except poor Bernadette, who was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor in a plea bargain orchestrated by her wealthy parents. Again, go figure? Stephan, that's what real insurrection looks like… and the payoff for their treacherous acts… well they were released, and were immediately accepted with open arms by a corrupt academia… became founders of political action groups, community activists and managers of Trust Funds and think tanks. They became friends of Presidents and move freely about in the lofty circles of politics and the Democratic Party. I found it amazing that a radical right movement once proclaimed… "Treason doth not prosper… for what reason… for when it prospers... none dare call it treason". Catchy slogan, but history tells us that isn't exactly true when it comes to the radical Marxists on the left.
I had my first inkling of how this thing was gonna play out, way back in my college days. I watched as the famous "Free Speech Movement" at U.C. Berkeley… as it morphed into the "We believe in free speech only when we agree with what's being said Movement" (think Political Correctness). Then we saw the supposed Anti-War movement… morph into the violent Marxist, Weather Underground, who bombed maimed and killed while prosecuting their agenda. So much for "Give Peace a chance". What the hell, that's just a sophomoric slogan anyway. Apologists (Liars) might say they waged war on war. How's that for an oxymoron?
As a veteran of the Vietnam War… I was appalled how our Congress aided the Communist take over of South Vietnam where we'd expended so much American blood trying to save them, by cutting off all funding for the South Vietnamese Military and Government. As a military pilot, I witnessed first hand, as day after day, Air Force cargo airplanes landed at my base in Southern California at all hours… full of poor refugees fleeing the totalitarians from the North. And then I watched the Anti-War types sit on their butts in muted silence, as the killing fields of Cambodia and Vietnam started to unfold. Where millions upon millions of human beings were slaughtered and even more millions were forced into re-education camps. So much for the benefits of Marxism.
Stephan… I'm gonna give you the benefit of doubt and assume you're just plain ignorant of history. But I also have to say… you seemed to have embraced the hyperbolic mendacity of your party's talking heads. I think you need to look inside and think about what you are espousing… and what the real results will be if you and your kind fully succeed. A world of drabness; no hope for a better life, no freedom of thought or speech. No intellectual debate and you'll only be allowed fealty to the all powerful State. Sorry, not for me… I trust my God more than a bunch or weirdo's and marplots that we see in Washington today. The end result will be… you'll all be trapped in lives of quiet desperation. Ain't gonna happen to me… I'm too old.
Last thought… I truly believe that Black Lives Matter… in reality, all lives matter… but I also believe… behavior matters as well. Think about that.
We're in for some tough times.
Roy Stafford
Jacksonville/Former Fernandina Beach resident
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Interesting CAS discussion from the Bubbas
thanks to The Bubbas
So well put. I completely agree. Wish that I had written it.
I remember the many AvWeek articles from the late 60's and on into the 70's about what airplane was best/needed. No one ever came up with the best answer for "needed" - we need them all. Is it really that hard to support more than one type of airplane? Certainly not if you keep them simple, effective and less costly.
The mil/industrial complex makes decisions and the end user winds up with it and has to make it work. During the Middle East conflicts, the Marines dug out some M-14's. There was a host of Marines that wanted their 14's back in Vietnam. Maybe the "new best thing" isn't. The AF completely nixed a proposal to purchase A-4's and F-5's in large quantities as it would give them more bang for the buck and more effectively meet their mission requirements at the time.
Another mistake was not going ahead with the A7F. Stretched A-7 and bigger wing with many improvements, bigger engine, burner. 1.5 dash speed, longer loiter time. Just about everything you'd want. Decision - NO. They wanted the pointier nose of the F-16.
I think that all of the presentations and evaluations for some of these weapons boils down to an "Emperor's New Clothes" (Hans Christian Anderson) - don't pay any attention to what you think of it and totally disregard that "THE KING IS NAKED." Or sort of like the Wizard of Oz. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
In the end, the end user is the one that is screwed. So the question is, "Where do we get such men?" I don't know but I do know that each of you is one of those men. Thanks.
Thanks to Shadow
I was an "End User" in Vietnam, with the First Battalion, Fourth Marines... all in I-Corps... and came away with a very opinionated idea/concept of CAS based on actual experience. First, adequate and flexible ordinance load (that means more than two damn bombs). Just as important, loiter time on target! Just the presence of fixed wing assets overhead was a deterrent. And when all the bombs are gone... a gun was almost as intimidating as the bombs to the bad guys. I worked both F-8 and A-4 gun runs... liked the F-8 better than the A-4 because of the flexible gun barrels in the Scooter. F-8 had a tighter grouping. To me it is criminal to have a supposed CAS aircraft without an internal gun. Never worked any F-4's with gun pods. And wouldn't have worked them in close... when the pods did work... shit went all over the place. True CAS... is very different from bombing fixed place assets. We worked A-4's well within 100 meters from time to time... but with the knowledge that it had to be a life or death situation.
I will admit, I have always been a critic of the VTOL/VSTOVL concept as well as the true value of stealth. I have always felt the penalty in actual cost and in performance was not worth the advantage either system promised. I'd prefer to go the jammer route. The AV-8A was a disaster as far as I was concerned... as someone mentioned, great air show performer... sucked as a CAS aircraft... AV-8B was an improvement (a safer platform in flight characteristics, but not much of an improvement for the mission). And basically, the highly touted "Expeditionary" concept was a fraud. You can call it Expeditionary all you want... but with the exception of a few (very few) small decks... they needed and used the same land based airfields the non VTOL aircraft did. BTW, the Harrier had the highest loss per sortie rate of any F/A aircraft in Desert Storm and Shield.
The F-35B is not and as far as I can tell... will never be... "Expeditionary". The maintenance requirements and support assets required to maintain the stealth coatings and gee whiz electronics, preclude anything other than shipboard or full up airfield assets to maintain the beast! Clean rooms, curing rooms, exotic adhesives, electrical requirements, test equipment, etc. I could go on and on.
I was adamantly against the F-35... and got roundly criticized for it by friends still on active duty... "We have to support the F-35 or it could be the end of Marine TacAir" they'd say... my response was it was so complicated and expensive it might possibly bankrupt the Marine TacAir program. That remains to be seen, but I don't like what I'm hearing and seeing... coming from CMC or the Pentagon.
The Marine Corps existed for decades because they held fast to the "KISS" principal. My father's version was... just because you can do something, doesn't necessarily mean you should. There are consequences.
And frankly I'll go so far as to say... I see no need for stealth other than for strategic bombers... for any conceivable combat in our nation's future. If there ever is another World War or a real conflict with Russia/China vs the U.S.; it will be over in hours or days.
It is my opinion that The Skunk Works could come up with a world beater CAS aircraft at a fraction of the cost of an F-35... and a guy like Burt Rutan could do it for a fraction of that. The military/industrial complex cabal... is still alive and well.
Shadow
Thanks to Litning
Once in 1972 coming back from dropping 2 Mk84s near An Loc (No Shit; we did bomb for 1 line period in VF24 F8s), a FAC on guard got our attention "looking for guns" south of Phan Rang. We contacted him and he was screaming for guns to shoot out the 2nd story of a 2 story command building. He was talking to our guys on the ground floor! I never learned how that situation occurred to begin with.
I told the FAC we were good, but that was really improbable, like; what's the mil setting for something like that? He came back 30 seconds later and told us the troops said just "DO IT"! The inside stairway was on the right side of the building, so I told them to bunch up on the left (ground floor) side and we'd try it! Smooth 10 degree dive, 450 ? KTS, piper on best-guess sight point on the right side of the building, fire out, pull up slowly, don't kick the rudders. Note: tracers help with strafing, but you've already fired 100+ rounds before you see where they are hitting! Regardless, I never felt comfortable nor perfectly confident on that run, and I never would have tried it if those guys on the bottom floor hadn't demanded it!
BUT, Proving once again that it's better to be lucky than good, the FAC was screaming "Shit Hot, Shit Hot, Shit Hot"!
That certainly made my day!
Litning
VF 24
From: John Souders
CAS is dependent on the action the grunts are involved in and how close. I don't know the parameters for GPS or laser drops but I'll guess at 500 meters when it is hitting the fan and 1000 at all other times. I've asked an expert from the war fighting lab. He'll know. The Hellfire's capabilities are still limited by the proximity of troops.
One thing that is unique to Marine air support is the FAC. There is a 1/Lt. or Captain assigned to the grunts on a company level. He is in the weeds with the grunts. There are several incidents where the platoon and company officers were put out of action and the aviator filled in. There is a bond between Marines that makes the CAS even more effective. Most guys I know that hit the tanker below 500#, and WAY below in some cases, were low because they were supporting troops.
As far as strafing, I'll bet that will always be in the repertoire. That is exactly what the helicopters are doing at times. I might have mentioned before how people tend to stop shooting or any form of attack when someone is shooting at them. I would pull the trigger in the bombing run and the flashes and tracers would stop.
Strafing is also a great morale booster. Many a grunt has mentioned how it really changed the situation for the better and gave them a boost when the jet came over shooting bullets. You can get very close to the troops in contact when you're strafing. That's why they love the A-10.
John
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