A-10 Because make the beast with two backs YEAH!

[ZLTFUL]

Did BCT at Ft Leonard Wood, MO.
The A-10s from Scott AFB in IL would come over and use the ranges...they also got to take part in FTXs as part of the OpFor dropping flares and burping throughout the night.

The Warthog will be one of those special planes that always has a special place in history.

[Monsterlover]

The Warthog will be one of those special planes that always has a special place in history.

Surely.

It's the apex of destruction.  How could we not love it?

[IZ]

Fairchild is building a Hypermotard?  

My dad was at Davis-Monthan when they first brought in the A-10 back in '76.  He was a weapons loader and instructor for the plane.  We're heading over to Tucson next week. The A-10s fly over his house daily.   Hate to see them go.  Watching those things fly over the valley is one of the only reasons I like going back to "the old pueblo".   I was already planning on taking my son over to the airplane graveyard.  We'll definitely have to go on base now to see the A-10s up close before they all end up in that field.


Thanks for the heads up on the Warthog book too J!




http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-usafs-rationale-for-retiring-the-a-10-warthog-is-bu-1562789528

[Triple J]

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-usafs-rationale-for-retiring-the-a-10-warthog-is-bu-1562789528

Good article. The book I referenced also talks about how at the end of the 1st Gulf War the USAF had a lot of the A-10s taken out of service. No one (except the pilots and ground troops) have ever liked the A-10...until they see 1st hand what it can do. The missions it was sent on in the 1st Gulf war were far outside of it's designed mission, yet it performed great.

It is sickening IMO that the military is trending towards bloated, overly expensive multi-role fighters, like the F-22 and F-35. Fighters so expensive that the country can only afford to buy a few, and can't afford to lose hardly any in battle. Planes that are good at a lot of things, but not great at anything.

Another great book on the subject:
http://smile.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-Pilot-Who-Changed-ebook/dp/B000FA5UEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416503542&sr=8-1&keywords=boyd

[ducpainter]

All done.