So the Army has been kinda busy......

[PHall]

Here at Lackland AFB, there always seems to be a C-5 flying in circles.  My guess is they can only get one of the 7 or so birds to fly at a time so they take turns behind the wheel. 

I remember standing by for take off out of Indonesia when a C-5 came in over us bringing in relief supplies for the tsunami.  We were in a G-4 and I felt like a toy airplane next to the real deal.

Growing up in a navy town and 2 or 3 miles from an ARNG blackhawk and apache unit, it never got old seeing those bad boys fly over my house.  Just makes you feel good.

The C-5 School House is at Lackland, so yeah, you might see just a couple FRED's in the pattern.

[PHall]

From everything Ive heard the Globemaster has the most computerized controls of almost any airframe (save maybe the new Raptor)

The thing is really good at SF work.

It's SOLL II capabilities are no better then the C-141B's it replaced.
It can just carry more and was built for use with NVG's from day one.

It doesn't have TFR or anything. It just flies low level with the pilots using the ol' Mark I eyeball.

[SAR-EMT1]

I must be mistaken then... I was under the impression that it had a computerized terrain following system for LOW level flight, (under 500 AGL) with radar avoidance in mind for SF team entry via parachute.
-- that begs a question: whats the absolute lowest altitude required for a military parachutist to deploy his chute and land without killing himself? --

I was also under the impression that the plane could run an entire mission - taxi, takeoff, flight, landing, taxi to hanger; totally on autopilot, and that the only reason human pilots were aboard was to handle the mid-air refueling.

I must have been mistaken.
... It seems Ive been awfully gullible lately.

[CadetProgramGuy]

You mean this? No folks, this isn't modified. It's a flight of 15 Globemaster IIIs fromn Charleston AFB, SC over the city of Charleston, SC for a training exercise.

That picture is screams awesome.  Isn't there a wake turbulence issue though?

Notice the horizontal and vertical separations between the aircraft. (It's not a visual illusion.)
There are set vertical and horizontal separations for aircraft in formation. (AFI 11-17 Vol III)
With Station Keeping Equipment (SKE) you can do this in IFR conditions and even at night.

Wake turbulence falls downward from the wingtips as well.

[Gunner C]

I must be mistaken then... I was under the impression that it had a computerized terrain following system for LOW level flight, (under 500 AGL) with radar avoidance in mind for SF team entry via parachute.
-- that begs a question: whats the absolute lowest altitude required for a military parachutist to deploy his chute and land without killing himself? --

I was also under the impression that the plane could run an entire mission - taxi, takeoff, flight, landing, taxi to hanger; totally on autopilot, and that the only reason human pilots were aboard was to handle the mid-air refueling.

I must have been mistaken.
... It seems Ive been awfully gullible lately.

Unless things have changed 500' is the combat minimum.  The aircraft of choice is the MC-130 Combat Talon.  It has some capabilities that the "conventional herks" don't have.  Plus they have the standard of plus or minus 30 seconds over the dz - that's a huge advantage.

The C-17 has a computerized paradrop system.  My experience was that it is too conservative on it's computed air release point (CARP) and the high altitude release point (HARP).  It puts you too close in the air to the desired impact point (DIP).  The jumpmasters' calculation puts the jumper farther away so he doesn't have to hold against the wind the whole time he's in the air.

GC

[bricktonfire]

the other day i sew five OH-58D Kiowa Warrior  and one Blackhawk fly low going to Fort Drum

[mikeylikey]

the other day i sew five OH-58D Kiowa Warrior  and one Blackhawk fly low going to Fort Drum

Fort Drum = worst year in the Army for Mikey.  How can anyone live in that cold of an environment.  Not to mention, when the snow pile fell off the overhang into the PX onto me and two others.  I thought that place should be closed.  Heck the BOQ's were old WWII barracks.  Officers DO NOT subject themselves to that type of misery.  Only good thing......Canada was so fun.  However, I am sick of Maple flavored anything      

[Tubacap]

^So you've never been to FTIG???  You should be used to the T-#### barracks.  Lead paint is apparently tastey as well as the lead lined water from the water fountains.

[mikeylikey]

^ Fort Indiantown Gap PA, is a death trap.  I hope this year at Encampment they get the Cadets into those new Battalion Barracks buildings they were building.  I am sure it is a long shot, but someone in PAWG needs to press for that.  Aren't you the Chief TAC or training guru?? 

Indiantown GAP, saw the most lives lost to fires in those old WWII buildings than any other Post in the Continental United States (from 1954-1999).  They were supposed to tear them ALL down by 2005 (as per DOD Directive), but I guess our funding for National Guard facilities was "appropriated" to other DOD activities like paying civilian contractors billions for work that should be done by Enlisted personell overseas.   

I hugely digress.  Anyway, I wish you good luck at Indiantown Gap this summer, I read the fire dept on Post was cut down from 7 full-time guys to 4.  That may factor into response time.  But then again, those Old temporary barracks will completely burn in under 2 minutes, so the Fire Dept is really only for show.

(Heck, for Ranger challenge this year, the Battalion Commander decided that we would not subject our ROTC cadets to Indiantown Gaps living arrangements.  We all stayed at Carlisle Barracks in buildings that were supposedly designed by George Washington for his Officers.  Let me say, if you can ever get out there Carlisle Barracks is a real step back in time.  It is one of the finest Army installations in World.  Plus, there are like 1000 Colonels and 100 Generals walking around the place).   

[cap235629]

On the UH-60 thing, I remember scraping up a general off a mountain in the ROK.  It was the same year that the entire chain of command for the LRS unit there was relieved after they killed a KATUSA and another soldier on a jump.  Both guys landed in a river and there was no water team on the ground.

I've been in two Blackhawk "incidents."  Fortunately noone was injured in either case but very disturbing to me.  I wouldn't bee too upset to never have to fly in one ever again....

When I was an Active Duty Army MP we called the UH-60 the "Crash Hawk".  In a 2 year period we had 3 Black Hawks go down on Fort Chaffee,  2 with multiple fatalities. The worst one was in 1990 when a bird from the 10th Special Forces went down and killed 5, caused by a 65 cent washer in the tail rotor. That was a long couple of days.  We had to hike in to the sight and cut an LZ to bring in medical personnel. The crash was so severe that I could touch the top of the engine cowling while standing up and putting my hand directly in front of me.  I hated flying on the Crash Hawk so much I once took a butt chewing and a counseling statement for "forgetting" my dogtags and missing a days worth of flight ops.

[Fireball]

You mean this? No folks, this isn't modified. It's a flight of 15 Globemaster IIIs fromn Charleston AFB, SC over the city of Charleston, SC for a training exercise.

Yup, except my vantage point was from below and behind. As they flew away you could see the separation between aircraft, beautifully done.

Tags - MIKE