Re: jets?

From: chance <chance_at_unix.infoserve.net>
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1996 06:48:50 -0700

>But I thought that there wasn't a Royal Canadian Air force any more,
>but just that "Canadian Forces" business?

It's a bit of an in-joke actually. We went the "unification" route in the late
sixties and early seventies (remember our VC-coloured work-dress?), now
we're back to square one with the branch-distinct uniforms again. The "in-joke"
comes into play when you realize that the cut and colour of our air-force tunics
(with wings) looks strikingly similar to the WWII outfits of the RAF and RCAF.


>Canada flies the F-18 also, as an "air force" aircraft, as do
>Australia, Spain, and several other nations. Not as successful an
>export as the F-16, but quite successful anyway.

Ehh...we dismissed the F-16 because of early teething problems and some
kind of engine concerns (as I recall), and the F-14, F-15 and Panavia
Tornado for various reasons including "too much plane for two people
to handle". So we went with F-18's instead, and grounded the lot because
of cracked vertical tail-planes shortly thereafter. All fixed now. Too bad
we can't afford to fly them, and CFIT them when we do. Gravity poisoning
gets pretty expensive after awhile. Two of 'em flew in when I was at Malmstrom
AFB in Great Falls, MO. Turns out that the pilots do their "foreign airspace training"
to Malmstrom to gamble and drink cheap beer. ("Cheap beer"? They sure
weren't hitting the places WE were...)


>>AFRES and the Guard often fly other models yet again (though I'd *hope*
>>every F-4 variant outside the Wild Weasel is well past stand-down by 1996!).
>
>The Wild Weasels are gone too, but the mighty Phantom still serves
>in other Air Forces around the world.

Hmm. Saw two F-4G's at Abbotsford Int'l Airshow last year. Guess they
must've been put out to pasture since. Great plane, but airframes can go through
just so many life-extensions before they're all in. (Razor will never get the TK to
that point - they've replaced it *how* many times in two years?? The rivets don't
even have a chance to oxidize.)

(That's my off-topic rant for the month).


Received on Tue Jul 02 1996 - 10:38:46 PDT