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I saw an Air Force Thunderbirds show last year and get to see the Navy Blue Angels this October. All that raw power up close is euphoric.
maybe do a little research before attempting to be an air defense expert.
• Newer-generation aircraft like the F-22 and F-35 are obscenely expensive, but they're also enormously more capable.
• Meanwhile, modernized versions of a single mainstream aircraft like the F-15E or the F-16C Block 40/50 CCIP with Sniper pod can hit targets in one pass in the dark from standoff ranges, outside the envelope of enemy defenses. That once required specialized aircraft, like the F-111F, and even that had limited standoff capability with the Pave Tack pod.
• Other aircraft with specialized missions -- like the EF-111A, the F-4G and the F-117A -- are long gone and weren't replaced.
• And now, a single F-35 can do what once required an entire squadron of F-16s, partly because it doesn't need SEAD or EW support.
• On the Navy side, a carrier air wing used to comprise 58 fighter/strike aircraft: 24 F-14A/D, 24 F/A-18A/C and 10 A-6E. The wing of the near future will have only 44 multi-role: 24 F/A-18E/F and 20 F-35C.
It's all for the same reason: Now we can do more (a lot more) with fewer aircraft. (During all this, they've sacrificed range, but that's a separate topic.)
The Shop
His name is Mike Conrad, and it just so happens that his day job is a fighter pilot from the 142nd Fighter Wing Oregon Air National Guard. The 142nd is based at PDX, so they are nearby. Both Mike and his son are avid local racers and have spun plenty of laps at Washougal.
And yes, Mike was one of the two pilots who were flying on Saturday, and flew over the track at about 1000' (probably less). It was a big honor to have him (and his wingman) give such a good show. He told the crew that it took something like 5+ years to get approval from the Air National Guard to do this particular event.
On a related sidenote, getting a flyover approved and organized is very, very hard. Even when the Air Force was a paying series sponsor, they were not willing to provide and never allowed one to happen. The amount of politics and red tape to get one is huge.
Thus, the Washougal flyover was 100% made possible by Mr. Conrad and his superiors, and it was really special! Hopefully he can do it again next year, but it is never guarantied.
Made me think of this.
https://youtu.be/p3uXCP9B9BY
Pit Row
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