OSCARs

[Marvin157th]

Hey Haole,

Please excuse the Canadian Military term, but I was curious if the USAF flies with a On Scene Commander? I remember hearing in some Kosovo pilot comms during a scenario when a Viper pilot got shot down, and they were referring to one of the F-16 pilots as an on scene commander.

If this is what I think, what responsibilities does he/she have? What authority do they have over sorties being flown? When is an on scene commander required?

Thanks in advance
Marvin

[Haole]

Hey Haole,

Please excuse the Canadian Military term, but I was curious if the USAF flies with a On Scene Commander? I remember hearing in some Kosovo pilot comms during a scenario when a Viper pilot got shot down, and they were referring to one of the F-16 pilots as an on scene commander.

If this is what I think, what responsibilities does he/she have? What authority do they have over sorties being flown? When is an on scene commander required?

Thanks in advance
Marvin
Any time that someone goes down we try to establish an on scene commander ASAP. Mainly to help everything to be a little more organized quicker. We try to establish communications with the downed pilot to find out a good location and his condition of course. Then we want to look for threats in the area and make them go away if we can/if it is necessary. The rest is just very situation dependent and the main goal is to get the guy/gal home as quickly and safely as possible.
In short...yes we have On Scene Commanders and we have them in peace time and in conflicts.
:bigsmile:

[Marvin157th]

Any time that someone goes down we try to establish an on scene commander ASAP. Mainly to help everything to be a little more organized quicker. We try to establish communications with the downed pilot to find out a good location and his condition of course. Then we want to look for threats in the area and make them go away if we can/if it is necessary. The rest is just very situation dependent and the main goal is to get the guy/gal home as quickly and safely as possible.
In short...yes we have On Scene Commanders and we have them in peace time and in conflicts.
:bigsmile:

Haole,

Thanks for the response. Just to clarify.. So OSCRs are only used for when planes go down?

Marvin

[Haole]

Haole,

Thanks for the response. Just to clarify.. So OSCRs are only used for when planes go down?

Marvin
Not really. An on scene commander can be established for about any situation that requires it. Usually you will have a package commander but sometimes things just pop up and you need to have someone in charge. You usually hear on scene commander when talking about downed aircraft, but that isnt the only time you would use them. Sorry if I led you to believe that.
CHEERS!