Would you duck?

Quote: Nareed

As I understand it, the Air Force calls all fighting planes "fighters" and gives them the "F-" designation. The Navy divides planes into Fighters "F-" and Attack "A-" I've no idea how the A-10 got its "A-"

"A" for "AWESOME!!1!", obviously =)

From what I remember, names are read from the "-" outwards. So the letters are read right to left, the numbers left to right. The first letter is the mission type. "F" for fighter, for instance. In the case of fighters, there is no second letter as the aircraft is obvious (it's a jet plane) =p Same goes for the "A" in A-10. The SR-71 Blackbird is a R.econnaissance S.paceplane. The RM-1 Predator is M.ultimission R.econnaissance. The P-52 was a P.ursuit aircraft. "K" is always a tanker (think K.erosene), "C" is always transport (think C.argo), "Z" is always lighter-than-air (think Z.eppelin). B is B.omber, O is O.bservation, X is eXperimental, easy peasy.

But then they flip the script and do what they want. AH-64, for example. Based on the above, this should be a medical unit and not the A.ttack H.elicopter that it is. And pre-Vietnam? Don't dare try to decipher that, otherwise you'll be calling the Flying Fortress an attack fighter =p

Guess Wiz isn't the only one with pointless obsessions ;) And now that I've put everyone asleep, I'll provide some p0rn as an apology.



(For the fighter geeks like myself, what is wrong in the picture above? ^^^)

Quote: rxwine

I'd say they got their money's worth on this flyover.

People falling on the ground, pretty funny.
They duck under helo blades, even though the
blades are 8 feet off the ground.

Quote: Face

"A" for "AWESOME!!1!", obviously =)

I do so tend to overlook the obvious....

BTW I read somehwere that the Army should take charge of the A-10 and the Air Force of AA defenses, both at the front.

Quote: Face

But then they flip the script and do what they want. AH-64, for example. Based on the above, this should be a medical unit and not the A.ttack H.elicopter that it is. [..]

Guess Wiz isn't the only one with pointless obsessions ;) And now that I've put everyone asleep, I'll provide some p0rn as an apology.

I missed this (hey, that was a nice attack plane), but if you're going to have a pointless obsession, at elast be obsessive about the details. The reason the AH-64 doens't correspond to Air Force nomenclature is that it is an Army bird.

Quote: Nareed

I missed this (hey, that was a nice attack plane), but if you're going to have a pointless obsession, at elast be obsessive about the details. The reason the AH-64 doens't correspond to Air Force nomenclature is that it is an Army bird.

I'd argue this point with you. That's why I said don't look pre-Vietnam, because it was back then when there were separate designations depending upon branch. Sometime around Vietnam they were all unified under one code. Hence, all should follow the same procedure despite branch.

Perhaps I'm just reading it wrong. Maybe there is no first letter (like F or S) because it is not a standard aircraft, so they skip this "first letter". Maybe the "A" designation, while first in order, is actually the second spot. Then, since the first was skipped, you then have to identify why, which would be the "third" spot, H.

Hey, it's good enough for me =p

And since no one is likely to play my game above (=p), you have an A-10 making a banked turn and popping flares, likely for an airshow. But its gear is also down. You can't fly fast with gear down due to stability and drag issues; you're liable to damage the gear, or rip it right off, or lose control. So he's gotta be flying slow, yet he's making a 2+G turn with no maneuvering flaps engaged.

I suppose he knows better than this armchair pilot, but it looks off to me =p

Quote: Face

Sometime around Vietnam they were all unified under one code. Hence, all should follow the same procedure despite branch.

Maybe. But the Army still resents having lost its air corps.

Quote:

So he's gotta be flying slow, yet he's making a 2+G turn with no maneuvering flaps engaged.

My book on the A-10 states she has a tighter turning radius than even the F-16. I don't know how many Gs she can pull, but she can maneuver better than almost anyone.

Quote: Nareed

But the Army still resents having lost its air corps.

Thus the Air Cavalry!