Originally posted by Kyle325is
I don't know about now, but I do remember reading that a lot of U.S. Air Force pilots, pre-9/11, were leaving due to the fact that they weren't
flying enough; who wants to be a jet fighter pilot, and only fly 8 hours a month. A lot of the pilots said they hated that, and also, they didn't
feel competent as fighter pilots, as their training was too cut. This shortage of U.S. Air Force pilots has been fixed some, post-9/11, as more people
have joined up, I don't know if they have upped the ante for the training though."
Where do you get your data on USAF training sortie hours, pre, or post 9/11?? Believe you me, if you have ever been around an F-15C base, more than
ample, in fact, in my opinion, sometimes excessive time(hours) are spent on pilot training/exercise sorties. Maybe in the ANG, pilots were getting
only 8 hours of training per month, but on the average, active C-model pilots have been getting upwards of 8-11 hours per week, both pre and
post-9/11.
[edit on 17-1-2005 by Kyle325is]
Well that is good to know; the source can be questionable, so I won't make out like it is set in stone; sorry if that was how it sounded.
Also, one thing, I don't think the U.S. pilots had the actual use of their missiles either; they didn't use the AMRAAM (or simulated AMRAAM) and the
missiles they were using had their range cut a good deal.
Of course the F-15 has a flawless record against inferior aircraft; if it had a flawless record against equal or superior aircraft, then you wouldn't
take a whole lot of pride in the plane, you talk about how great the pilots are; the fact that the F-15 has a flawless record though stands as a
testament to how good an aircraft it is.
Also, avionics and tactics were what mattered a good deal in this exercise, not the aircraft themselves. The Indians could have been flying the F-15s
and the Americans the Su's, it doesn't matter; it was pilot tactics and avionics that amttered in this exercise. No one said the Su-aircraft
outmaneuvered the F-15s, they said the Indian pilots used very good tactics.
As for the Su plane being better, I wouldn't go that far yet; it is a very good plane, but give it some time like the F-15, then say if it is truly
great or not. Just because it can maneuver very well doesn't mean it is the better aircraft necessarily (though assuming it is put together with
quality, it probably is).
[edit on 17-1-2005 by Broadsword20068]
fact.
