(unedited) Transcript: G’day DCS folks. It’s Eran from fightson.net here. I thought I’d drop in and talk a little bit about this new map that’s been announced. That’s got everyone all caught decide if it’s excited or aggro, possibly both. There’s some interesting comments on it, mostly from people who hate the idea and think…
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This is an “interesting” question, because the truth of the matter is that there are NOT 2 pilots in an F-14 Tomcat. In fact, there is only 1 pilot in the Tomcat, and that’s the person sitting in the front seat of the 2 seat cockpit (aka the pointy end!) The person in the rear…
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I asked Bio a question some months ago about the biggest myth about the Tomcat, and he managed to record a video for all of us to watch. Note: This video is the first in a series of new videos that Bio is recording, with flying stories & thoughts like this topic. If you enjoy…
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By now, most of you would know that Snort has sadly passed away due to an aviation accident. Not only has the F-14 Tomcat community lost one of its best, but Naval Aviation (and aviation in general) have also lost a superstar. If you don’t know much about Snort and what made him famous, then…
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This video is an almost-perfect reproduction of a BFM engagement between 2 VFC-13 F5E Tiger II’s from Paco Chierici’s “Speed & Angels” documentary. It is amazingly lifelike! A huge thank you to Adrián Caparzo for creating it for us! Want More Military Aviation Goodness? Join us in our private Facebook group where you can enjoy…
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By Mitchell BolingAdapted from his book, “Leadership: A View From The Middle”Copyright (C) 2019. Reprinted with Permission. I had a very exciting experience early in my career while stationed with the 36th Fighter Squadron “Flying Fiends” at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. As a U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant and fledgling leader/supervisor, I had…
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This video is an interview I did with famous aviation photographer Kedar Karmarkar back in July 2020. You can enjoy the video above and also read the transcript below. Each bullet point is a switch between speakers. Sorry, but I don’t have time to swap those bullets for a name, but I’m confident you’ll find…
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At the completion of my tour as a Topgun instructor, I went through a short refresher course in the F-14 training squadron and then reported to Fighter Squadron 2 (VF-2). When I joined the Bounty Hunters (squadron nickname) in June 1987, our Tomcats wore the letter “E” on the forward fuselage in recognition of winning…
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During my career as a RIO I was in three different fleet squadrons and I’ve seen two different methods for assigning names on the canopy rails. Before I get to them, here are rules that I think are common to all NAVY squadrons / carrier air wings. Each squadron is assigned a number series (100,…
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During the 1987 deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61), the battle group spent several months in the northwest portion of the Indian Ocean, known as the North Arabian Sea, supporting oil tanker escort under Operation Earnest Will [note 1]. The actual tanker escort was carried out by US Navy surface combatants such as…
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