Brit Hertitage Flight

Nice shot of a Spitfire and a Typhoon making a Heritage flight pass.

CH-53K

With the ongoing dilemma in the USAF for a replacement helicopter for Special Operations, you have to ask yourself why don’t they just piggyback on the USMC/Sikorsky CH-53K program. According to a recent press release from Sikorsky y
“The CH-53K helicopter will maintain virtually the same footprint as the CH-53E aircraft, but will nearly triple the payload to 27,000 pounds over 110 nautical miles under “hot high” ambient conditions. The CH-53K helicopter’s maximum gross weight (MGW) with internal loads is 74,000 pounds compared to 69,750 pounds for the CH-53E aircraft. The CH-53K’s MGW with external loads is 88,000 pounds as compared to 73,500 for the CH-53E helicopter.
Features of the CH-53K helicopter include: a joint interoperable glass cockpit; fly-by-wire flight controls; fourth generation rotor blades with anhedral tips; a low-maintenance elastomeric rotor head; upgraded engines; a locking cargo rail system; external cargo handling improvements; survivability enhancements; and reduced operation and support costs.
The CH-53K helicopter team has successfully completed several risk reduction initiatives on two critical technologies, the split torque main gear box and the advanced main rotor blade, and is preparing for Technology Readiness Assessment in early 2010. The program conducted a successful Preliminary Design Review in September 2008, and is tracking toward a Critical Design Review in 2010 with an Initial Operational Capability milestone scheduled in early 2016.”With these advancements in the primary systems how hard would it be for Sikorsky and the USAF to install upgraded PAVE LOW avionics in the bird and presto you have a new long range SAR and Special Operations helicopter Sort of a Super PAVE LOW, without all the drawbacks that were pointed out with the MC-47. But since a but of USAF airframes could reduce everyone’s costs and Sikorsky know how to integrate the avionics to make a new PAVE LOW and we know how to maintain and support a 53 series helicopter and still have the basic infrastructure to make it happen it probably won’t as the Air Staff is seemingly blind to common sense.

Artwork photo Sikorsky

Haiti Airport

The Haiti earthquake and its aftermath is a terrible thing, but what amazes me are the complaints of the French and other about how the airfield is being operated.
The day after the earthquake two MC-130H Combat Talon II and one MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft from the USAF 1st Special Operations Wing landed at the heavily damaged airport. These aircraft brought in Combat Control, Pararescue, Security Forces, and communication specialist airmen and allowed the airport according to Col Buck Elton to begin receiving aircraft 28 minutes after their arrival. Since then over 600 relief flight have been handled at a facility the was averaging only three flights a day.
Instead of complaining maybe the MSM should do an in-depth story on these Airman and their ability to bring stability out of chaos to bring the relief to the people who are suffering.

787 Inital Airwortiness Milestone Met

Much to my great relief the Boeing 787 test program is soldiering on and earlier this week has met its initial airworthiness milestone. These initial tests in 15 flights over 60 flight hours have seen the 787 do its stalls, fly at 30000 feet and cruise at .65 mach. By reaching this initial goal flight going forward will go to 40000 feet and up to .85 mach as the test team expands the operating envelope. The 787 will change air travel as we know it by offering a more comfortable cabin with new efficiency for the airlines.

Photos Boeing

Skydive Key West

I had a great experience with these guys down at Skydive Key West. AN unbelievable rush, I had jumped 6 times before all on static line deployment, the feeling in free fall is great and the view is breathtaking of the Keys from altitude. Try it you'll like it.

Pic Of The Day

A nice shot of maintenance guys getting it done on the ramp.
Photo USAF

Back in gear

No posting in over a month, had to get through the holidays and the drama at work with more drama coming probably this week. But now it's time to get going again especially with the the Democrat party still not getting a clue card after the Brown when in lefty Mass.

Cadet Has Right Idea

A West Point Cadet has the right idea reading a good book while the one pontificates.
This Cadet is not like the rest with his decorations including the Comabat Ifantrymans Badge he has been there and done that already as an enlisted man.
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Dean Obama - Victor Davis Hanson - The Corner on National Review Online

Dean Obama - Victor Davis Hanson - The Corner on National Review Online

Pic Of The Day

U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, from the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, flies to a mission objective in eastern Afghanistan,.The 335th is deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller)

Honduras Votes For Democracy

According to the Wall Street Journal Hondurans turned out in record numbers Sunday to elect their new conservative president Porfirio Lobo. This is great news and hopefully a lesson learned for both the State Department and the Obama administration. It shows that people want freedom not leftist socialism
From the WSJ

Neither of the two men claiming to be president during the past five months – Mr. Zelaya and interim President Roberto Micheletti – were on the ballot. Instead, Hondurans picked between Mr. Lobo of the conservative National Party and Elvin Santos of the Liberal Party – to which both Mr. Zelaya and Mr. Micheletti belong.
Voters were expected to punish the Liberal Party for the crisis and hand power to Mr. Lobo, who was narrowly beat by Mr. Zelaya four years ago.
“It’s going to be Pepe this time,” said Higenio Garcia Ponce, 74, an agricultural laborer who said he had just voted for Mr. Lobo. “There was a rupture in the Liberal Party over what happened with Zelaya.”

Pic Of The Day

I've been super busy the last two weeks lots of OT so here is what I like best fast jets. This is a shot of Luftwaffe F-4 Phantom returning from the last patrol from the recent Baltic Quick Reaction Alert deployment.

(Photo: Luftwaffe)

Happy Birthday USMC

On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name Marine. In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our Corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall' . . .

Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall' . . .
Ronald Reagan

Obama To Sit Out Berlin Wall Anniversary

When I was stationed in the Netherlands at Soesterberg AB during the late 80’s we used to practice and train constantly for what we thought was inevitable, the Warsaw Pact coming west. I for one was riveted by the scenes streaming into my Dutch home of the Berlin wall coming down. My then High School aged daughter made a class trip to Berlin and has a chunk of this monstrosity. I guess it’s too much to ask the President of the United States the world’s light of freedom to attend the ceremony. I’m sure its because he wants us to have a society like the paradise the East Germans had, what a joke and parody this administration is.

Via Fox News

President Obama squeezed in a trip to Copenhagen last month to lobby, unsuccessfully, for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. He plans to travel to Oslo next month to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award that even Obama has said he does not deserve. And this coming week, he sets out on a weeklong tour of Asia.
But the president does not plan to travel to Germany to attend the 20th anniversary celebration Monday of the fall of the Berlin Wall, drawing heated criticism from those who say he's ignoring a shining triumph of American-inspired democracy. Click the title for the full article