They still have the A-10 assigned to the Selfridge Air National Guard base in Michigan. Used to live in the area and overflights of the Warthog were common. Also had my boat in the bay off of Selfridge for an annual Air Show and had the pleasure of watching the Blue Angels do a flyby and saw one of the last JATO assisted takeoffs of the C130.

That started with the loudest roaring I've ever heard followed by the C130 breaking over the treetops with the nose of the jet only 10 or 15 degrees off vertical and it appeared to be flying in slow motion. After achieving an altitude of perhaps 300 feet it then rolled to horizontal and really started moving. All in all probably one of the most spectacular takeoffs of an aircraft I've ever seen. IMO it's a real shame they discontinued the JATO program but I guess we just don't need a short field capability for our transport aircraft anymore.

I've told this story before, but it's worth repeating. Back in the early mid 1980's I worked a couple of summers at a BSA camp called Read Reservation. It was about 45 minutes north of Lake George, with a mountain at the nort end, and a lake on it's west side.

The A-10's would use the adirondacks as a training area to practice NOE flying on their way to the gunnery ranges at Plattsburgh AFB and Ft. Drum. They would fly in pairs over the camp using the terrain to mask their signiture.

Their route was to fly north over the camps, making a westward 180 turn while flying below the peak of the mountain. The southern leg of their route took them over the lake, where they would drop below tree top height to the point of causing the surface of the lake to show visable distortions. They would then stand on their right wing while making a hard right bank around an island in the lake, ending the show by hugging the terrain and bunny hopping over the next ridge and dissapearing from sight. It was quite the show.

When our local airbase, about a mile from where we live, had A-10s on board, every weekend saw the perimeter fences lined with gricers, hoping to get them taking of, or landing, or just flying around. Over in The Wash, location of Holbeach Gunnery Ranges, the same would happen - gunnery range closures happened at different days than bombing, and the locals and anybody else was assured of a great show. One old boy of my acquaintance used to call the characteristic BBBBBRRRRRRRR the 'Fart of Mars'.

Interesting snippet, although I'm sure that an audience like this already knew about it.

When I arrived in Germany in 1977 to take up my new posting, we'd already noted that all the NVA [East German Army] T-72 MTS had their cupola-mounted HMGs pointed to the rear. This was 'coincident' with the arrival of the first squadrons of A-10s on the Forward Area. Later on, when I was operating in DDR/East Germany, it was of some interest to note how both the Ossies and the Sovs practiced the tactical transits with their tanks moving from side to side of the tac routes rather more than was strictly necessitated by the terrain. Basically, the A-10 scared them fartless, and rightly so.

My brothers first plane out of the AF academy was the A10. He was based in England. He said Clancy's book "Red Storm Rising" mentioned his squadron and the exact area of Germany that they patrolled.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
Funny video! Some of those desert scenes remind me of the time we got buzzed by two A-10 skimming intestate 15 between Vegas and St George. Pretty startling but reassuring at the same time.

We had the same experience just south of Mesquite, gave me chills.

The A-10 is the Pig in the sky. The Air Farce hates it, because it's not Sexy. It does only a couple of things well. But it does them better then ANY possible replacement that the Air Farce has in plans or in inventory. And it's 1/4 the price of operations of it's competitors, while being a proven airframe that is 1/10 the cost of it's competitors.

It would probably fare far better if it was transferred to the Marines, because the Marines understand Close Attack. And the Army is prohibited from owning fixed wing aircraft. (Else the air Farce would not have a reason to exist)

quote:

Originally posted by Jjmcd:


It would probably fare far better if it was transferred to the Marines, because the Marines understand Close Attack. And the Army is prohibited from owning fixed wing aircraft. (Else the air Farce would not have a reason to exist)

The US Army is not prohibited from owning fixed wing aircraft, and indeed, does operate fixed wing aircraft.

Acquisition and operation is not based on "sexy."

quote:

Originally posted by Jjmcd:

the Army is prohibited from owning fixed wing aircraft.

I thought that the Army has some light aircraft for observation, recon, artillery coordination, that sort of thing.

A lifetime ago I was a Maintenance Officer in the 23rd TFW (Flying Tigers) at England AFB, LA, with A-10s. Got out a couple of years before Desert Storm. I remember seeing a lot of my former planes and squadron mates during CNN broadcasts of that conflict.

quote:

Originally posted by dgshooter:
Seeing the results of that burst of fire, I decided the only way to survive one of these monsters is to see him before he sees you, then get as far away from your vehicle as you can.

I was talking to a radar truck operator and he said EXACTLY that: “Our A10 drill was to unass the vehicle and RUN LIKE HELL if one was spotted.”

Why would a radar operator run away from an A10? Generally one feels better when air support is present.

Was this an enemy radar operator?