A need to vent..

[Conure]

Please sympathise with me DCS community...A friend of mine joined the RAF 24 months ago or so, and is currently studying to start flying his new aircraft having completed training in the Hawk...

 

Next week he goes up in this:

 

 

 

I'm not usually a jealous person, but knowing he'll be flying this whils the fastest thing I ever fly will probably be a cessna...It makes me feel sick!

 

I am so, so jealous of all you fighter pilots!

 

Random and pointless post out. Being a simmer sucks when people get to do the real thing!

 

Con

Edited January 24, 2011 by Conure

[S77th-konkussion]

I know for me- it makes the concept of a "rewind" button for life all the more appealing..

[Conure]

I know for me- it makes the concept of a "rewind" button for life all the more appealing..

 

If only...Even then I don't believe flying these things is a career one can just get if it's their dream. I've looked into civil aviation and maybe in the future when I can afford it but...The RAF (and I'd presume USAF) won't accept people below a certain standard of eyesight, and mine, whilst good, isn't perfect like they require. Can't do anything about genetics!

 

For some reason having laser eye surgery to perfect vision doesn't count, can't really understand why but...It means I'll never see the inside of one of these things!

 

Man, what I'd do to fly ...any fighter from the spitfire onward!

Edited January 24, 2011 by Conure

[Boberro]

I have also from time to time many thinks about rewind button... If I had had opportunity to do that my current life would have looked differently. But there is no that button, so everyone must accept that what can't be changed and must stay "as is". Just life, nothing less nothing more.

 

@Concure - why don't they count in laser surgery? Even if you had do you have to talk about that or it is somewhere written in country patient's personal catalogue?

Edited January 24, 2011 by Boberro

[Conure]

Yup it'd be on your medical record which, upon joining, would be fully disclosed! :cry:

[RIPTIDE]

aww. I wanted to be a fighter pilot when I was younger. Then I was told I was colour blind. So rewind button has less of an appeal for me :) Now, I just want a pony. and I don't care which colour. :D

[Jinro]

Rewind wouldn't help me at all. I currently have 2 medical conditions that automatically disqualify me from any military service whatsoever :(

[walker450]

I know how ya feel... My old best friend from grade school is now in the USAF. The last time I talked to him he was flying the Texan II turboprop trainer. Not sure what he's in now...

[GGTharos]

Because when you are testing the 300 peeps who do NOT have any medical issues in the slightest for a single fighter slot and you're throwing out the ones who couldn't correctly remember the PUNCTUATION on their boldface, you don't need people who had 'corrective' anything.

 

I know how you feel.

 

For some reason having laser eye surgery to perfect vision doesn't count, can't really understand why but...It means I'll never see the inside of one of these things!

[EtherealN]

Hey, it's just not speed. G-forces is where it's at, and you can do that even with gliders. Some Aerobatic gliders are rated up to 9G positive, which you're not going to sustain for long even in a fighter.

 

Save up some money and get some hours in an Extra 300 or something like that and you'll be cured of your envy. You can do things in that that your friend can only dream about. :)

[asparagin]

Because when you are testing the 300 peeps who do NOT have any medical issues in the slightest for a single fighter slot and you're throwing out the ones who couldn't correctly remember the PUNCTUATION on their boldface, you don't need people who had 'corrective' anything.

 

I know how you feel.

 

Reminds me of Gattaca.

[S77th-konkussion]

Remember the series "Year in the Life- Blue Angels"? One of the pilots, A Marine- a GORILLA of a Marine- turned out that he was simply unable to cope with the Gforces without fast pants.

 

He made it through the hellish gauntlet of all the pre-requisite flight training- acheived his dream- made it to the freakin Blue Angels (another hellish evaluation process)... and had to leave due to the sickness caused by G's.

 

I wonder if the Marines put him through the wringer after the fact- Addt'l centrifuge time, etc. to make sure he was fit to fly.. Seemed like a helluva great guy.

[airea]

Guys, try paragliding...

 

I am really admiring those guys flying real jets but my medical condition is not ok for being a jet fighter pilot.

 

But I am into paragliding for quite some time. Of course it is not like being in a jet cockpit but believe me you really feel that you are flying... Climbing thousands of feet thru thermals with a motorless aircraft is amazing... So far, I believe that paragliding is the simplest, easiest and most practical way of flying...

 

Check these videos, and see what you can do in paragliding...

 

 

 

[EtherealN]

Not sure I agree about the "practical" bit regarding paragliding. Too much equipment work for each flight - although strapping on a motor backpack running on standard 95 octane and going cross-country is pretty cool. Need fuel? Just find any gas station and you're good. :P

 

Gliders would reduce the work involved in preparing each flight - especially if you use winch launches instead of tows. Land, line up, and launch again. :)

 

 

TMGs are also a cheap alternative for those wanting more cross-country flying. Cheap to maintain and run, but does get you the ability to cruise on a motor. Unfortunately you're not going to pull many G's with those, though. :/

[joey45]

Laser eye surgery effects your natural night vision and other things, unless they have corrected all that.

[airea]

Not sure I agree about the "practical" bit regarding paragliding. Too much equipment work for each flight - although strapping on a motor backpack running on standard 95 octane and going cross-country is pretty cool. Need fuel? Just find any gas station and you're good. :P

 

Gliders would reduce the work involved in preparing each flight - especially if you use winch launches instead of tows. Land, line up, and launch again. :)

 

 

TMGs are also a cheap alternative for those wanting more cross-country flying. Cheap to maintain and run, but does get you the ability to cruise on a motor. Unfortunately you're not going to pull many G's with those, though. :/

 

If your talking about paramotoring, it is not that practical, you are right.

 

But for pure paragliding (the one with no motor backback), I cannot think of any simpler way to fly. Just the wing, the harness and your helmet is what you need.

 

And for pulling G's, believe me there are a lot of high G maneuvers. But , covering miles riding on the thermals is like nothing else...

[kaiserb_uk]

While I'm very jealous of all who fly, it's tempered by the fact that I cannot fly without throwing up! I've flown in commercial jets (as a passenger, obviously), a Grumman Cheetah and a K13 glider (that was back in April) and up-chucked in all of them.

 

At least I can get massively drunk in relative comfort flying the DCS A10 and K50 :D (and keep my dinner down)

[kam]

Good luck to him!

 

When he is fully trained I want to see lots of low level passes through Dunmail Raise please! (a wave will be optional)

[hassata]

USAF allows you to qualify if you get LASIK surgery from their list of approved doctors. They've also raised the maximum age limit. I guess they need pilots for all the conflicts. Also in Speed and Angels (edit: a recommended documentary), a wanna-be fighter pilot got accidentally shot in the head. He kept going around the country to USAF medical examiners until one agreed to sign off, and the guy actually became an active F14 Pilot.

 

I know for me- it makes the concept of a "rewind" button for life all the more appealing..

 

I deal with it by thinking somewhere out there in the multi-verse is a version of me who actually took that path and is flying around in a jet.

 

Still, we have an awesome sim-some guys out there don't have a PC and only books or less (e.g. Falcon 4 lol) to help them make due.

Edited January 30, 2011 by hassata

[EtherealN]

But for pure paragliding (the one with no motor backback), I cannot think of any simpler way to fly. Just the wing, the harness and your helmet is what you need.

 

Just for clarity - are you talking about wing-flying or para-gliding? I might be getting owned by languages (english isn't my native one), but isn't paragliding where you soar using chutes, and wing-flying where you have the rigid wing controlled by body position?

[celticcoho]

. They've also raised the maximum age limit.

 

 

 

 

Still, we have an awesome sim-some guys out there don't have a PC and only books or less (e.g. Falcon 4 lol) to help them make due.

I APPLIED for flight school in the Army to fly Helos, all good but by the time I would have Graduated, I was 1 year over the age limit, So no go for me. Then they raised the age limit. So here I am, flying what I can at 53yrs old, lol, Enjoy, Jim:thumbup:

[airea]

Just for clarity - are you talking about wing-flying or para-gliding? I might be getting owned by languages (english isn't my native one), but isn't paragliding where you soar using chutes, and wing-flying where you have the rigid wing controlled by body position?

 

English is not my native language either:)

 

But I am talking about paragliding (I dont know what wing flying is). At first, paragliding started as soaring (or mostly gliding) with skydiving parachutes. But, it has nothing to do with chutes I believe.

 

Check this video out, I refer to this kind of flying:

 

[celticcoho]

English is not my native language either:)

 

But I am talking about paragliding (I dont know what wing flying is). At first, paragliding started as soaring (or mostly gliding) with skydiving parachutes. But, it has nothing to do with chutes I believe.

 

Check this video out, I refer to this kind of flying:

 

 

Ahh..You are talking of KITE flying with you strapped in. Paragliding is correct in US. Jump off the High Mountain and guide down to your landing. There is also Para sailing, same concept, but with an engine to propel you, Cheers , Jim:pilotfly:

Fixed Wing would mean an Airplane, Roto wing would be a Helocopter!!

Edited January 30, 2011 by celticcoho

[airea]

Ahh..You are talking of KITE flying with you strapped in. Paragliding is correct in US. Jump off the High Mountain and guide down to your landing. There is also Para sailing, same concept, but with an engine to propel you, Cheers , Jim:pilotfly:

Fixed Wing would mean an Airplane, Roto wing would be a Helocopter!!

 

With an engine to propel you, it is called Paramotoring.

Without any engine, it is Paragliding.

With yourself attached to a boat, it is Parasailing.

[aaron886]

Laser eye surgery effects your natural night vision and other things, unless they have corrected all that.

 

 

Haven't really heard that yet. PRK is good enough for the USN/USAF (with waiver) and I doubt they'd be happy with pilots that have bad night vision...