WT Forums

Hello all,

First off, thank you very much for checking my post, second of all i need your assistance. Im a High school student, and im doing a project on my future career. The Career that ive chosen, is that of a Warthog Pilot of the future. Plus for personal reasons im gathering info for the day i can sign up for the military. As of now i plan to go to the ANG, but may choose AF. Anyway, what i need is, info about your experiances as pilots/ mechanics or whatever with the A-10, memories of the A-10, from Vietnam to tomorrow. Ill take any, id also like personal stories. Maybe you served and Nam and was just married, plz tell me about it. Any info you can give will help in some way or another. I also will need one of you to interview for this Essay i have to write. Id like to Interiew a pilot of today. If interested plz notify me ASAP

thank so very much for your time,stories or info you post.


*Future*
Major Kenneth T. Armer Jr.

Don't bank on hearing from any Nam Hog Pilots.....

heheh, *cartman voice* this 1 time i was in nam... <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

first i'd go get some decent history on the Hog b4 spouting about the hog in nam <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle> it wasn't until 1970 that 6 companies got to put in their tender for the A-X Programme. it never got to see any action in that particualar event because it was quite a few years later before they started producing them..<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

didn't the A-1E Skyrider prove to be the most useful CAS aircraft in Nam?

Yeah, the A-1 did a good FAC job.
Its probably better remembered for its 'Sandy' role in locating downed pilots and covering the helos when they went to pluck the pilots out of the jungle.
It is a role which the A-10 performs brilliantly to this day, with the Hogs even using the same 'sandy' callsign on those missions.

[quote]


didn't the A-1E Skyrider prove to be the most useful CAS aircraft in Nam?
-------------

Old Spad did a stellar job in Nam. Navy pulled them off the boats around 68 and many Spad pilots went into A-7s. Air Force picked up it's Spads from the Navy.

Spad had the endurance, carried lots of ordnance, and could take some battle damage, including finding out that it could suck up MANPADs.

Regarding the Military. Ensure you get it in writing before signing up. If your thinking of going the pilot route, get a flight physical.

Always remember it's the needs of the service branch. As some in the Army and other branches found out with their latest stop loss.

Jack

Man I guess that's your first lession, if you want to talk to a bunch of pilots and maintainers about the aircraft they fly and work..know what you're talking about. <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

Don't take it hard I known someone here will give you a story or two, Like the first time I saw an A-10....

HMFIC

…was a hot day in 1982 driving down the flightline on Clark AB Philippines. I was working the F-4E Phantom II at the time and the first thought I had was… DAMN that’s one ugly airplane!

We stopped to talk to the Crew Chief for a few minutes and ask some questions. We got the full run-down on the Hog but keep looking at each other with little smiles on our faces and winks passed behind the Crew Chiefs back.

As we got back in the truck to go to EOR (we were the EOR crew for the day) we broke-out in laughter, no radar, pods, or anything! Crap we will be in a world of hurt the day we need that jet! I also remember when my shift was over driving back by the A-10 and noticing there was no one there! Didn't those aircraft just land an hour ago? Where the heck is everyone. Little did I known at the time the advantages of not having radar, pods, or anything.

I saw the A-10 around in the next 10 but never thought I would one day work on that ugly beast… but then that’s another story!


HMFIC

yea leave it to me that when it says was "built to replace the A-1E" i thought it had logged airtime in nam, especially since a couple of the main pods purpose was napalm. My mistake, but thanks for correcting me, she didnt roll of the flight line till 76 and even then knowing in the AF probably took em three years to show her off. Being of the "new generation, and future of pilots" *hopefully* i just wanna say that these new jets with so much special junk in them there forgetting only a sink and a back scratcher that nothing beats the nam birds. The F-4 is still one of the best, and many countires still use it. I think the Us finally got rid of it, but im not sure. The B-52 is still the best, the A-10, was to be replaced by the F-16 but i guess the AF realised ugly is better. Thx Dice for the story, ill find some way to add it into my essay.

*Future*
Major Kenneth T. Armer Jr.

Ken,
If you're as interested as you apparently are, check out Dice's site, The Warthog Pen, http://www.warthogpen.com/. History, photo's, nose & door art, lots of good stuff and well worth your time.

Good luck.

"I take back all the bad things I've ever said about the A-10. I love them. They're saving our asses."

-- Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner
Air Force Commander
Operation Desert Storm

Ahhh, The 'Nam. That was the shit!

Coach

The only F-4s being "flown" by the US are drones. I believe the last manned version were F-4G Wild Weasels out of Nellis, I remember seeing them during RED FLAG 96.

And the A-10 could never, EVER, <b>EVER</b> be replaced by the A-16!

Maj M2



Edited by - majormadmax on Jan 16 2004 06:54 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Ahhh, The 'Nam. That was the shit!

Coach


<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

This one time at 'Nam Camp...

...There I was with my lily white kidney whiper, Foreskin Flapen in the Breeze flying FAC Reece, supporting a SOG mission along the Ho Chi Min Trail........ Migs so thick you could cut them out of the sky with a Tin Snips............ 30MM's buzzen like skeeters at cajun barbeque...Naval Intruders raining down like meteor showers from the formidibal defenses of Bolt action Moisan Nagant equipped agriculural Specialists...... AO was so hot even the Dinks were throwing Smoke!
I thought i had seen it all..I allready had a 100 missions across the shit river under my harness..it was the infamous LBFM HAwgBacker Raid 1975.... Oh the whorers...The whorers....It was at that time ..I knew i had Arrived......

So i got on the horn, and the fighters checked right in, gunfighters 2x2... low on gas and tankers overdue... They asked the Fac to mark just where the farmers was parked .............

So...I..Rolled right in..with my smoke to mark...Exactly where that fucken Farmer was parked!...and the rest is in doubt...cause i never pulled out...hummmm hummmm hummmmm

Dear mom your son is Dead....he bought the Farm today..he crashed his ov10 on Ho Chi Min's Highway.....it was a rocket pass!, he then busted his asss!...humm hummmmm hummmmm

Him! Him! Not him!

How did he go?

Straight in!

what was he doing?

169...

.. indicated?

Yeahhh


Serious as a Flak attack!



"The power to Destroy the planet, is insignifigant to the power of the Air Force----Mudd Vader

Edited by - mrmudd on Jan 16 2004 08:58 AM

LOL!

<img src="http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/sigs/snipersig.jpg " border=0>

<img src=newicons/tard.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/tard.gif border=0 align=middle>

HMFIC

Will someone with flying experiance, either past or present of the A-10 plz let me know, im running out of time for this project and i really need to find sumone to interview. Otherwise, if im not able to find sumone, Would you allow me to interview you Dice?

*Future*
Major Kenneth T. Armer Jr.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Will someone with flying experiance, either past or present of the A-10 plz let me know, im running out of time for this project and i really need to find sumone to interview. Otherwise, if im not able to find sumone, Would you allow me to interview you Dice?

*Future*
Major Kenneth T. Armer Jr.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Well I guess if none of the pilots want to help and you are willing to step-down to the maintainer (my) level I would be glad to help! <img src=newicons/bounce.gif border=0 align=middle>

HMFIC

Dice..I thought you were taller in person <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

"The power to Destroy the planet, is insignifigant to the power of the Air Force----Mudd Vader

A pilot not talk? what is this world comming to?<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

get muddy

Hey there Mr Future Hog.

Contact me at tinygiant@earthlink.net and we'll see what we can work out.

Thanks TG, the young man hung in there even with the slight "abuse" he recived for posting some wrong info, sounds like a person who might fit right in with the Hog community!

HMFIC

Glad I could help. We'll see when and if he actually writes me.

just wanted to say i was just slapped in the face by the ANG, saying they wont even disclose info about jobs, such as requirements because i dont have prior military experiance. Thats a load of horse crap. Just because i knwo due to my eyesight, and grades id never make it in the Af, so i persue the ANG, and im kicked in the ass. I truly hope Americas Armed Forces treat the future then what ive seen so far. Or Americas next "vietnam or korea" will be worse then the draft. I guess this is my very angered opinion after the treatment ive just recieved, hopefully you guys find my attitude justified. I guess quals on being an ANG A-10 pilot is too much to ask for

*Future*
Major Kenneth T. Armer Jr.

Who, in general, did you ask? You should be able to make a call to any base and find out what is required of you to apply. I would say that only about 10% of the people that we interview have prior military experience. Are you sure you asked the right question(s) and the right person? Or maybe that unit only accepts previously enlisted personnel (although I doubt this).

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
and grades id never make it in the Af, so i persue the ANG,
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

it's never too late, Colleges love to see kids who picked it up at the end! that shows them you know how to work and succed so pick up those grades, don't give up, don't stop.

<img src="http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b5/b62-7.jpg" border=0>
overthere? naw, we'll kill 'em from here.

I found out a load of info about pilot requirements from the MDANG website, obviously I wouldnt be able to apply being from the UK but I was just curious because we have no reserve/guard set-up here.
I was just dreaming.
I can't believe they would have that kind of obstructive attitude to prospective Guard candidates, try a few more websites.