Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
Boeing will be building the MQ-25 "Stingray"
Boeing was awarded a $805 million Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development contract to, in the words of the Naval Air Systems Command, “design, development, fabrication, test, delivery, and support of four MQ-25A unmanned air vehicles, including integration into the carrier air wing for an initial operational capability by 2024.” Ultimately the Navy will probably buy somewhere around 100 of the drones to outfit all eleven Nimitz and Ford-class supercarriers.
I know that there were a couple dive bombers in WWII that would automaticly pull out of the dive should the pilot pass out.
But given that computers took up a whole room on a battleship, and the overall lack of sophisticated electronics like an altimiter....
How was this done?
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
If memory serves in the Stuka it was triggered by G forces and if the pilot didn't pull a little red tab to indicate he was still conscious the brakes and flaps would open up and end the dive by themselves.
Oh really when?
It didn’t work on tabs or G force. The pilot preset the pull-up altitude before the dive, and then at that altitude there was a trigger on the altimeter that worked the stick back and retracted the dive brakes. The pilot could take manual control of the aircraft at any time if he didn’t black out, though.
Don’t forget that even though they didn’t have computers they had some pretty complex analog electronics. An altimeter is also a very simple piece of technology, you don’t need any electronics at all for one. They’d been around since the 1920’s.
Edited by archonspeaks on Sep 5th 2018 at 3:37:36 AM
They should have sent a poet.
Wikipedia also seems to imply that there was a button on the stick that would trigger the automatic pullout as well.
"Yup. That tasted purple."
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Pull up altitude was set via a gauge, once it was set and the dive was executed it would happen automatically without any need for input.
The two red tabs were on each wing near the control surfaces and were a visual indicator for the system.
They should have sent a poet.
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
This came through my FB feed.
Stores Separation Failures or as I like to call them, Brown Trouser Moments on Weapon Release.
Okay, honest question, why do all of them come back up and hit the airplane, when they don't during a normal weapons release?
Also is there any kind of self destruct feature, are the bombs carried unarmed? Or is some one on the ground going to be having a really bad day.
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
After the bombs are released from the craft they basically gain some lift and push the munition around.
IIRC these days they use a device which uses some electrically activated cartridges that not only pop the clamps but activate a plunger system that kicks the munition off of the mount with a good bit of force.
This is also in part why various weapons have certain deployment envelopes to help avoid the issue.
Edited by TuefelHundenIV on Sep 10th 2018 at 4:24:28 AM
Who watches the watchmen?
rollin' on dubs
Yes the A-4 pilot bailed out
rollin' on dubs
Army is Paying Out $35,000 Bonuses to Reduce Apache Pilot Shortage
The head of the Army aviation today said that the service is about six years away from reversing its shortage of pilots for the AH-64 Apache and other rotary-wing aircraft.
"We are short pilots ... we are under our authorization for aviators, most predominantly seen in the AH-64 community," Maj. Gen. William Gayler, commanding general of the Army's Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, Alabama, told an audience at the Association of the United States Army's Sept. 5 Aviation Hot Topic event.
"We under-accessed, based on financial limitations, to bring in the number of aviators that we were required to meet an operational requirement from Forces Command."
Between 2008 and 2016, the Army fell short in accessions of aviators, creating a shortage of 731 slots, Gayler told Military.com.
Since then, the service has reduced the shortage to about 400 through increased accessions of new aviators and paying retention bonuses of up to $35,000 each to seasoned pilots, Gayler said, adding that he didn't have an exact number of the number of Apache pilots the Army is short.
x-post from the Military Thread...
All night at the computer, cuz people ain't that great. I keep to myself so I won't be on The First 48
The law in the night
Urges to move to the US and enlist on the Army while I have the time increasing...
Inter arma enim silent leges
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
Lol. If only you were an Apache driver.
Who watches the watchmen?
The law in the night
Well, not yet.
But seriously, those drives to make being a career military in the US is making enlisting for the long term a really attractive option.
Inter arma enim silent leges
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
I spoke to a Marine Cobra pilot at an air show once. He said that the Army uses their attack helicopters differently from the Marines in that they deploy them as "forward maneuver element" that often don't require the assistance of ground forces or something like that.
Meanwhile, he took the time to brag how them Marine Cobra pilots trained intensively to support ground forces and hit targets only 30 meters away. So there definitely was some bias in that statement. 
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
Fluffy: Some but they training part is accurate and so is the USMC view on rotary wing gunships like the Cobra. They have usually been considered a fire support element first.
The Apaches are sometimes forward deployed in a somewhat similar fashion separate from the infantry but they also have to have freedom of movement to hunt armored vehicles which is one of their primary roles. They have no problems pulling fire support duty though.
Who watches the watchmen?
Apache aircrew also have a distinct lack of acrophobia. Marines don't like to fly high for some reason. Maybe they're scared.
Night Clerk of the Apacalypse.
They have no problem flying high but getting low lets you hide from most SHORAD and makes it a lot easier to deliver concentrated gun and rocket fire on target. I don't how much the corps has jumped on the guided rocket stuff but I know they were experimenting.
Edited by TuefelHundenIV on Sep 11th 2018 at 5:32:43 AM
Who watches the watchmen?
rollin' on dubs
'So you wanna fly? Air Force pilots can apply to new aviation-only program'
If all you want is to fly in the Air Force, a new program might be for you.
Eligible mobility pilots can apply for Air Mobility Command’s new Aviator Technical Track that cuts out non-flying-related duties and lets you stay in the cockpit longer.
“This fulfills a promise to our airmen that we listened to them and wanted to implement their ideas,” Gen. Carlton Everhart, head of AMC, told Air Force Times.
In April 2017, Everhart reached out to airmen via email and social media to solicit ideas on how the Air Force can better retain talent as it deals with pilot shortages. The Air Force is down about 2,000 pilots, with about 1,600 mobility pilots eligible to separate in the next four years.
The four-star received more than 700 responses from airmen, and one of the top suggestions was a flying-only career track.
Everhart said he’s seeking a small cadre of active-duty mobility pilots who are majors or major-selects with 11 to 13 years of commissioned service.
Edited by TairaMai on Sep 11th 2018 at 12:52:46 AM
All night at the computer, cuz people ain't that great. I keep to myself so I won't be on The First 48
I don't think I shared this yet:
A neat article about the Civil Air Patrol's risk-management system.
CAP has a very good record for safety, especially given the size of its fleet (with over 600 aircraft, CAP operates the largest fleet of civil aircraft in the United States). The philosophy basically boils down to the fact that we can't help others in emergencies if we need help ourselves.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Included in House FAA bill: Minimum size for airline seats
Those and other passenger-related provisions were included in a bill to authorize Federal Aviation Administration programs for five years. The House approved the measure by a 398-23 vote, sending it to the Senate, which faces a Sunday deadline.
The FAA bill is also notable for what is not included.
Lawmakers abandoned a plan backed by airlines to privatize the nation's air-traffic-control system. And congressional negotiators dropped a proposal to crack down on "unreasonable" airline fees.
The bill includes several provisions backed by consumer groups. Among them:
— It gives the FAA one year to set minimum measurements for airline seats and the distance between rows. Provision sponsors said cramped planes are a safety issue during emergencies such as fires.
"People are getting larger, the seats are getting smaller, and it's just obvious that you can't evacuate the planes in the requisite time," Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., said in an interview.
— It bars airlines from removing passengers from overbooked flights once the passenger has boarded the plane. The issue gained attention after airport officers dragged a 69-year-old man off a United Express plane last year to make room for an airline employee. Airlines could still bump people before boarding begins.
— Directs the Transportation Department to set rules for service and emotional-support animals on planes including "reasonable measures to ensure pets are not claimed as service animals." Airlines have taken modest steps to crack down on support animals, which they say are surging in numbers and leading to incidents of biting and defecating on planes.
— Prohibits putting a live animal in an overhead bin. A French bulldog puppy died in the overhead bin of a United Airlines plane in March.
— When a computer outage causes widespread delays and cancellations, the airline must say on its website whether it will help stranded customers with hotel rooms, meals, or seats on another carrier.
— Bars passengers from making cell phone calls during airline flights.
— Creates a committee to advise the FAA on how to prevent consumers from being hit with huge and unexpected bills from air-ambulance companies.
Last year, a Senate committee approved a provision directing the Transportation Department to crack down on "unreasonable" airline fees for things like changing a reservation. But airlines and the industry's major trade group, Airlines for America, lobbied fiercely against the proposal, which they said amounted to reregulating airline prices for the first time in 40 years. The issue was dropped last week during final negotiations.
Before that, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., gave up an attempt to weaken a regulation requiring that pilots have at least 1,500 hours of flying time before they can fly for an airline. Safety advocates had objected.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Penn., backed away from a plan to shift control of the nation's air-traffic-control system from the FAA to a private corporation. Shuster acknowledged that he didn't have the votes to pass the airline-backed provision.
The FAA's current authority expires Sunday, but Congress could pass a brief extension to give the Senate more time to consider the House-passed bill.
It's but a bill, but the House passed a bill with minimum seat sizes among other things and left off the whole 'privatize the FAA' idea.
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
If that passes it simplifies a piece of legislation I had planned for the future. I call it TRABOR or Traveler's Bill of Rights.
The very first provision would have been "one ticket, one seat", an end to the practice of overbooking on any travel service be it rail, sea, air or whatever. The second provision is passengers cannot be removed from a paid seat if they are not breaking a law or endangering other passengers. Law enforcement in that capacity would be rated a last resort. A third provision would entail that airlines, cruise ship agencies and what not are on the hook for delays, cancellations, modifications (for example, different plane than planned) and other activities that would prevent timely and prompt travel schedules. This would mean that if for example your flight is delayed or cancelled, they must compensate you the paid traveler for wasting your time be it meals, accommodations, or rebooking the flight if necessary. (At their expense.)
A seating size minimum and similar measurements would've been included. But if the bill passes, I have no reason to include that part.
The F-35 has completed its first combat action.
College or $70,000 a year? Aviation industry scrambles for mechanics as retirements loom
The aviation industry needs to hire thousands of more people like Thomas Maharis.
Maharis, recent high school graduate who lives with his family in the Howard Beach section of Queens, is earning $25 an hour as an entry-level aircraft technician. In four overnight shifts a week at nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport, Maharis, 19, repairs aircraft cabins after planes are done flying for the day for Delta Air Lines, where he started working in June.
One recent task: Cutting out a fabric eye mask that got stuck in a seat track. His assignments vary, depending on what breaks, or how rough passengers are with the aircraft. "There's plenty of stuff people do to the vents," he said.
Airlines, manufacturers of airplanes like Boeing and aircraft engine-makers such as General Electric, are racing to ensure a pipeline of technicians to fix and maintain their aircraft as a wave of current employees approach retirement.