I have often thought that you have the perfect situation. You have your own plane and you are in thr Air Force. Are you a pilot in the nAir Force? Do you get to take an F35 home with you at night? (just kidding)
I have often thought that you have the perfect situation. You have your own plane and you are in thr Air Force. Are you a pilot in the nAir Force? Do you get to take an F35 home with you at night? (just kidding)
Mike's Air Force rank is high enough that he might be able to take his "work plane" home, but the AC-130 Hercules [youtube.com]is a little too big for his garage, and it's armed with some big guns. That might alarm the local police.
I was in the USAF for 27 years, then retired from active duty, and now I'm in the Army for the last 15 years as a Department of the Army Civilian. 42 years total....
It was a career OF a lifetime but not FOR a lifetime so I am nearing retirement soon...
I have owned my Cessna 150 for 28 years! Eleven years while on Air Force active duty and the rest while a Dept of the Army Civilian.
The challenge of ownership on active duty was the moving to new bases, some overseas, and all the wars we deployed to for lengthy periods....I would often go for long stretches leaving the plane. Flying the Cessna got more steady after the Air Force...
The USAF flying was both exhilarating and at times terrifying. The totality of the experience was something I'd never change, bad times and all. Well, maybe a few of the bad times....
I was in C-130s like Mark Buchner, doing airdrop and then most of my time was in the AC-130s for close air support and troops in contact fires.
Also did time as a logistician, mishap investigator, forward air controller (TACP) on the ground, a commander a few times, a base opening specialist (in contested and austere conditions), Air Force One Advance Team, and a professor at National Defense University and now at the Army War College.
Accomplished nothing remarkable or of significance but made a lot of good friends in bad places.
My luck bad is now empty but my judgement bag is full.
"Fighter pilots make movies....Attack aviators make history."
Joking of course but deepest respect! A guy I'm now working with just finished commanding the Aggressor Squadron at Nellis AFB...their mission in F-16's is to humble everyone else and they do a pretty good job!
The F-16 is the (free) world's most popular fighter...along with the F-15 and now the F-35 is replacing them slowly but steadily.
The AC-130 has been around since Vietnam and continues to be popular with ground parties as it has long loiter time, lots of ammo, can fire very close to friendlies, has all weather capability, and can talk to multiple ground and air elements simultaneously. It's basically flying artillery and does well in complex urban areas as well as out in the country...
The down sides are obvious...it's vulnerable to ever evolving advanced missiles....the air environment is rapidly becoming unsurvivable for older aircraft...thus our unpopular but necessary retirement of the A-10, another beautifully ugly killer.