1st Hand Experience

Hey everyone I just had a quick questions for you all.

How many of you have any first hand experience with the military, especially military aviation? There seems to be a whole lot of discussion, but I am just curious how much of it is from experience and how much of it is from other web pages.
-ElRoy

What? No takers?
How about any Aero Engineers?
That seems like a pretty important questions considering I hear alot of "oh that won't work, it isnt stealthy and will get shot down right away," kinda crap. I think that it should be said that many of the posters here have very little if any real knowledge that is useful. My 9 yr old nephew would fit in great here, I see him speculating and pretending he knows what is talking about too... hell he knows how to use google too. Hmm...
Think about it
-ElRoy

give people a few hours to reply bud.

My only experaince is as a Cessna pilot, going to many airshows, and knowing alot about aviation history

As a Cadet, i flew powerd gliders, (bgt + agt) at RAF Benson, uk.
my "little blue book" got plenty of hours in it.

spent the last xx years with the reserves here in the UK, (Infantry)
For those that have ever ridden helicopters, isn't a low level chinook the best ever ride? but i agree, the lynx is small and nippy...
I am an avid aviaton enthusiats, and have a number of friends serving in the military, both army and Air force, and i hope to join back into the Army regular after i finish Uni.

Thats who i am. mad Grimbo

5 years as an F-15/A-10/U-2 Avionics Specialist....all 5 spent - and currently, on the F-15C, at Eglin AFB, and here at Kadena AB - Moving to NC to work with A-10s this summer.

26 years in the Raf as an Aircraft Electrical/Weapon's Engineer working mostly on fast jets, Tornado, Hawk, Harrier, jag and have just left last year. I still like to keep up with the latest cutting edge and beyond technology!!!!

Have seen a lot of strange stuff over the years but nothing really secret - couldn't tell you about it anyway as would I have to kill you

During the fall of 1957, I was stationed at Larson AFB, Wash, at Moses Lake, Wash. One evening I went into my commander's office to use his speaker phone to make a call to a girl friend, and saw an envelope on his desk marked Top Secret - EYES ONLY. Curiosity came over me so I opened the unsealed envelope to make sure I needed to call the commander to come in and lock up the envelope. It contained official US photos of 4 various flying saucers. There were 6 photos in all, but 2 were different views of the same craft. On the back, and I cannot remember exactly, but it said something about a joint US-Canadian project and the name of a base in Montana. I wish I could remember the base name, but I cannot. I did call the commander to come in and lock the envelope up, and when he asked if I had opened the envelope, I lied. He said OK and locked it up. That's the only time I ever saw those type photos, but I did see a UFO in 1962 over Terre Haute, Indiana for just a few seconds, headed north.

Originally posted by elroy
Hey everyone I just had a quick questions for you all.

How many of you have any first hand experience with the military, especially military aviation? There seems to be a whole lot of discussion, but I am just curious how much of it is from experience and how much of it is from other web pages.
-ElRoy

My dad worked on the B-2 at Northrup. He loves to talk about it. Its not really first hand but I was just sharing.

[edit on 20-2-2005 by Event Horizon]

Originally posted by harvey56
One evening I went into my commander's office to use his speaker phone to make a call to a girl friend, and saw an envelope on his desk marked Top Secret - EYES ONLY. Curiosity came over me so I opened the unsealed envelope to make sure I needed to call the commander to come in and lock up the envelope. It contained official US photos of 4 various flying saucers. There were 6 photos in all, but 2 were different views of the same craft. On the back, and I cannot remember exactly, but it said something about a joint US-Canadian project and the name of a base in Montana. I wish I could remember the base name, but I cannot. I did call the commander to come in and lock the envelope up, and when he asked if I had opened the envelope, I lied. He said OK and locked it up.

Not to sound like a complete jerk, because that's not the intention...but...I can't help but LoL. If anyone truly believes that any even slightly 'secret' info/intel within the USAF isn't assigned exact protocols and lockdown procedures, then please get a reality check. Furthermore what 'need-to-know' would any simple squadron or section commander(over direct troops) have? I don't know what USAF you served in, but since when do you just use the 'Man's' phone to make personal calls? You don't even go near that office unless you are specifically ordered to, or are one of his direct staff, and let alone just give him a personal phone call..."sir I found this stuff on your desk, when I just popped in to use your phone, sorry..." Let alone the extensive debrief by Special Investigations that would ensue...

Just 2 cents...but not any more that that, because the story was rather uninspired

Yeah, no offense harvey56, but that story sounds awfully, awfully fake to me. No one leaves "top secret" stuff out on their desk. And if they did, you'd have been debriefed most definitely for possibly seeing it.

I have no first hand experience however I worked a number of years for a national news organization and my job was researching and making contact with Pentagon and DOD representatives.
I still have many friends and contacts there.

Other ATS members I know of who have first hand experience are "Off the Street" who I think works for Boeing, "Intelgurl" who works on UAV's out at Indian Springs for Raytheon and "Valhall" who worked for NASA and is an aerospace engineer.





[edit on 21-2-2005 by Mo0se]

While not particularly Aviation. I have spent 10 years conducting Marine Releated R and D in the Uk and am just finishing my PhD on advanced coatings for marine propellers. I know quite a lot of the techies and boffins in the uk MoD, Bae Systems, BMT defence services etc so know a fair bit about what is going on within the RN. (eg. the new carriers). I also hear a fair amount about whats going on in other departments, tho it is not firsthand.

I am ex-military, although not aviation related (I was a sub sailor).

However, I have worked in aerospace/defense for most of my 35-year career, and am a proposal manager at The Boeing Company now.

I had a student pilot's license which included 17 hours of solo, including solo XC (all in either a Cessna 150 or 172), but that certainly doen't make me a "pilot".

I do think I'm pretty knowledgeable about military helicopters, though, as well as competitive international procurements. And I have a BS degree in logistics engineering, but I don't do much engineering now; I'm just an old bureaucrat.

Finally, I used to have SECRET and COMSEC clearances, but haven't had one for about ten years or so.

[edit on 21-2-2005 by Off_The_Street]

Originally posted by elroy
Hey everyone I just had a quick questions for you all.

How many of you have any first hand experience with the military, especially military aviation? There seems to be a whole lot of discussion, but I am just curious how much of it is from experience and how much of it is from other web pages.
-ElRoy

Elroy;

Are you looking for an answer to a speciific aviation/aircraft related question? Or are you just trying to determine the general level of experience of the posters here?

I have 25 years of flying experience including General Aviation, Military, and airline; and approximately 10,000 flight hours.

Edited for spelling

[edit on 21-2-2005 by Freedom_for_sum]

I did 5 years as an Aviation Machinist Mate in the US Navy made several deployments on Aircraft Carriers. Then spent anothe 10 years in the aerospace industry.

Those who do will not reply.

I guess you could say ive had a fairly long/stable relationship with someone named F-15C and we had some fights but we always made up afterwards. She was a mean one. Beat the hell outta me and anything that crossed her path.

HA....I'll probably never make up with her

Since Moose already took it upon himself to tell what I do I thought I'd be more specific.

I am a certified instructor of Raytheon sensing, processing, and dissemination technologies.

* Raytheon Instructor Cert., Integrated Sensor Suites (ISS) - (Avionics Div.)
* SAIC/Raytheon Cert., ISR Software GUI Navigation and Ergonomics Philosophies
* Raytheon Cert., Advanced ISR Methodologies for UAV Platforms

Currently assigned to a F2T2EA initiative, peripheral to a UCAV development program at Indian Springs Auxilary Air Force Base, Nevada.

I dont comment much because..I only comment on what I know...
whats the use of taking up space w/ useless knowledge...
but not trying to be a b**** i see alot of that here sometimes.

My father through has his PhD in aerospace engineering and works for the big B...
I can talk to him for days!
Im also a pilot in training..but there is still so much unknown to me....

thats just my 2 cents....