Attention - T-38 Ride Report

Stang · 07-21-2006

Hi Guys

Hope everyone is doing great!

I thought I'd share a few nice pictures with you from Rjetster’s (call sign soon to be changed) and Shatter's T-38 orientation ride at Laughlin Air Force Base.

Please note...all the comments are mine and the stories are true (so help me Budweiser), so sit back, grab a cold beer and get ready for one of the coolest adventures anyone could have.

First the basics...Rick Ladomade "Rjetster" (call sign to be changed), Paul Wilson "Shatterer of Worlds" and I, "Stang" spent 3 days in Del Rio Texas at Laughlin Air Force Base. In addition to taking almost 4 Thousand pictures (yes you read that right) and some 4 hours of live videos, Rjetster and Shatterer got backseat rides in a T-38C on Monday.

This "Ride Report" is basically in picture format to detail that T-38C backseat ride and will be broken up in several posts by myself due to the uploading limits.

In addition to this we attended live briefings, interviewed pilots, pilot candidates, instructor pilots, life support, public relations personnel, radar operators, tower operators, sim operators and flight line crews. We had access to virtually every part of the base and spent a huge amount of time working to get a ton of information that will help make Fighter Ops better.

In the coming weeks you can expect each of us to write up and post detailed accounts of this with lots of cool pictures and most importantly giving the proper credit and thanks to each and every member of the US Air Force, that so graciously spent time with us and afforded us this fantastic opportunity. For now I just wanted to share a quick report with a few cool pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

On to the T-38 Ride Report...

It’s all about this....getting in one of these beautiful jets and experiencing something that most of us will only dream about. The T-38C is one of the best looking military aircraft ever created and Laughlin has a ton of them as you can see by this picture. They are used for Phase 3 of Pilot training, the last phase before a new pilot candidate gets his silver wings pinned and sent to follow on training....enjoy

Before you get to ride in one of these HOT JETS you have to pass the (Gulp.....) Flight Physical

Here we see Rjetster on the right and Paul on the left checking in to see the Flight Doc. About now, Rjetster is starting to wish that we didn't go to Mexico the night before and load up on the bean burritos and salsa...

Next we went over to Life Support so the guys could be fitted for a Flight Suit, Speed Jeans (G-Suit), Harness, Parachute, Helmet, Mask and Boots.

Right about now if I remember correctly Paul was saying to Rick....

"So Rjetster...if you want to pick up the hot babes like me ....you'll need to see how good I look in my Flight Suit and try to be just like me....you know, head straight, shoulders back, stomach in, chest out....all that Fighter Pilot stuff"....

....Rjetster....."un huh"

Shatterer getting custom fitted with his brand new Flight Suit...Maverick ain't got anything on Shatterer!

Rjetster...."So Captain Danner....as you can see I have to wait for Paul over there to get finished playing with that backpack so I can get fitted up...hey, by the way its kind of cold in here....I feel a little chill...how about you...are you cold?"

Rjetster....."So Sgt...why do you guys keep it so cold in here....I mean like its really drafty in here....By the way...is it OK to fly right after eating tons of Mexican food with extra guacamole and salsa?...and if you don’t mind, tighten my suit up a bit…I don’t want old Shatterer over there picking up all the Hot Babes…if you know what I mean"

Sgt Sinclair…..”Sure thing buddy, we’ll fix you right up and you’ll be chasing the Hot Babes away…uh,… I mean finding all the nice ladies real quick”

Shatterer...."This fits fine but I'll need my Call Sign and an F-16 smoking a Mig with a Heater painted on the side before my flight"

Rjetster.....:"Hey, I noticed the draft in here stopped...did someone cut off the fan? By the way...you didn't let Stang, Pacman, Haole or Buckshot pack my chute did you?"

Now its time for a little Egress Training so they can get in and out of the jet properly. Here Paul and Rick learn how to strap the jet on and how to un-strap the jet in a hurry. They also learn what to do if the pilot says "Bail Out, Bail Out, Bail Out"

Shatterer...."Are you sure this is accurate?....I don't see a Master Arm Panel anywhere...and where's the Stick.....and when do we get to put our flight suits back on because I have a lot of Hot Babes to pick up now that I'm flying Fighters"...

Stang · 07-21-2006

Next up is Rjetster strapping in to a simulated cockpit where he will have to practice egressing the cockpit with the painted canopy down. This is done so that the pilot can learn to un-strap the jet fast, incase he has to get out in a hurry. The canopy is painted to make it dark inside to simulate limited visibility conditions like smoke in the cockpit.

Rjetster….”What do I need 27 separate belts tying me in for….Did Stang put you up to this?....I mean its got a canopy right, so I can’t fall out or nothing”

Next up is the mission briefing with Lt Col Prakash and Maj Parker, two of the finest Fighter Pilots in the country and real nice guys to boot (Lt Col Prakash F-15E's & Maj Parker F-16's). The briefing was about an hour and was unbelievably informative. Everything was discussed in extreme detail from standard procedures to emergency procedures, taxi, take off and climb out, navigation, weather, formations, mission profiles and training elements and so much more that I would need a day to write it all up.

When we walked out of the briefing, I think all of our heads were spinning from all the information we had just received. It was immediately evident that this is a serious business and you plan and train for everything as nothing was left to chance. I will detail this briefing in more detail later in another post.

Now its time for the signatures....Signing for the Jet(s) in Operations and signing the Waivers.

Rjetster....."So what’s this waiver thing we have to sign Shatterer?"

Shatterer....."Oh it’s nothing....if you want to be a cool fighter pilot like me you'll have to sign it though.

Rjetster....."What's it for?"

Shatterer....."Its the we're not responsible waiver form....for example....if you eject and die, we're not responsible, if you crash and die, we're not responsible.....if you trip in front of the bread truck on the way to the jet and get run over and die, we're not responsible....stuff like that. Just sign it and let’s go fly!"

Time to...."Step to the Jet"

Rjetster...."Come on Paul, let's show these boys how to Turn and Burn"

Shatterer......"Oh yea.....This is going to be SWEET.....and I'm going to WAX Rjetster's butt with a Heater and a bunch of 20 Mike Mike

.........watch out boys....I feel the Need....the Need for Speed"

Stay tuned for Part 2 "Flying the Talon"...coming right up!

Who's going to be the Real Top Gun

Who will get to Fly the Jet the Most

Who G-Locs and Passes Out

Who Blows Chunks

and Who's charged up to go Get the Babes

all this and more in part 2...stay tuned

Stang out

shots · 07-21-2006

Excellent pics I must say guys must of had a blast there wow, wish i could of went =). Get out fitted in those nice pilot suits. Man o man, all those t-38s
thats alot of planes, Must of been great to have a ride along! Good job guys and keep up the awesome work =)!

PiF · 07-21-2006

Good work guys !!

Bosniaguy · 07-21-2006

this is FIGHTER OPS TOP GUNS!

SUBS17 · 07-21-2006

Goodstuff

Ali · 07-21-2006

You seem Real!!!

Electro · 07-21-2006

The story and the pix rock ! I'm eager to see the following part !

Shatterer of Worlds · 07-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by shots

thats alot of planes,

There were a LOT more than you see in that photo. I would guess that that photo accounts for 1/5 of the entire flightline. It was filled from one end to the other and the place was pretty busy.

Opie · 07-21-2006

Very cool guys! Cant wait to hear the rest!

Pacman · 07-21-2006

I think Paul needs a new official FighterOps team nickname too.
Be sure you read the next reports, don't go namehunting for him yet....believe me it get's REALLY good

Dirk

Raptor-F4i · 07-21-2006

Droool :)

thebeev · 07-21-2006

Very nice! Can't wait for part 2!

Yeah, same here... *Drooool*

PiF · 07-21-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pacman

I think Paul needs a new official FighterOps team nickname too.
Be sure you read the next reports, don't go namehunting for him yet....believe me it get's REALLY good

Dirk

It's gonna be the Shaker ?

Jokin' Paul, and you have done a nice work until now.

Zaggy · 07-21-2006

Hmmm, so one of you guys has earnt the handle 'Chucky'? muhahahahaa

07-21-2006	#1
Stang Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lexington SC Posts: 487	Attention - T-38 Ride Report Hi Guys Hope everyone is doing great! I thought I'd share a few nice pictures with you from Rjetster’s (call sign soon to be changed) and Shatter's T-38 orientation ride at Laughlin Air Force Base. Please note...all the comments are mine and the stories are true (so help me Budweiser), so sit back, grab a cold beer and get ready for one of the coolest adventures anyone could have. First the basics...Rick Ladomade "Rjetster" (call sign to be changed), Paul Wilson "Shatterer of Worlds" and I, "Stang" spent 3 days in Del Rio Texas at Laughlin Air Force Base. In addition to taking almost 4 Thousand pictures (yes you read that right) and some 4 hours of live videos, Rjetster and Shatterer got backseat rides in a T-38C on Monday. This "Ride Report" is basically in picture format to detail that T-38C backseat ride and will be broken up in several posts by myself due to the uploading limits. In addition to this we attended live briefings, interviewed pilots, pilot candidates, instructor pilots, life support, public relations personnel, radar operators, tower operators, sim operators and flight line crews. We had access to virtually every part of the base and spent a huge amount of time working to get a ton of information that will help make Fighter Ops better. In the coming weeks you can expect each of us to write up and post detailed accounts of this with lots of cool pictures and most importantly giving the proper credit and thanks to each and every member of the US Air Force, that so graciously spent time with us and afforded us this fantastic opportunity. For now I just wanted to share a quick report with a few cool pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. On to the T-38 Ride Report... It’s all about this....getting in one of these beautiful jets and experiencing something that most of us will only dream about. The T-38C is one of the best looking military aircraft ever created and Laughlin has a ton of them as you can see by this picture. They are used for Phase 3 of Pilot training, the last phase before a new pilot candidate gets his silver wings pinned and sent to follow on training....enjoy Before you get to ride in one of these HOT JETS you have to pass the (Gulp.....) Flight Physical Here we see Rjetster on the right and Paul on the left checking in to see the Flight Doc. About now, Rjetster is starting to wish that we didn't go to Mexico the night before and load up on the bean burritos and salsa... Next we went over to Life Support so the guys could be fitted for a Flight Suit, Speed Jeans (G-Suit), Harness, Parachute, Helmet, Mask and Boots. Right about now if I remember correctly Paul was saying to Rick.... "So Rjetster...if you want to pick up the hot babes like me ....you'll need to see how good I look in my Flight Suit and try to be just like me....you know, head straight, shoulders back, stomach in, chest out....all that Fighter Pilot stuff".... ....Rjetster....."un huh" Shatterer getting custom fitted with his brand new Flight Suit...Maverick ain't got anything on Shatterer! Rjetster...."So Captain Danner....as you can see I have to wait for Paul over there to get finished playing with that backpack so I can get fitted up...hey, by the way its kind of cold in here....I feel a little chill...how about you...are you cold?" Rjetster....."So Sgt...why do you guys keep it so cold in here....I mean like its really drafty in here....By the way...is it OK to fly right after eating tons of Mexican food with extra guacamole and salsa?...and if you don’t mind, tighten my suit up a bit…I don’t want old Shatterer over there picking up all the Hot Babes…if you know what I mean" Sgt Sinclair…..”Sure thing buddy, we’ll fix you right up and you’ll be chasing the Hot Babes away…uh,… I mean finding all the nice ladies real quick” Shatterer...."This fits fine but I'll need my Call Sign and an F-16 smoking a Mig with a Heater painted on the side before my flight" Rjetster.....:"Hey, I noticed the draft in here stopped...did someone cut off the fan? By the way...you didn't let Stang, Pacman, Haole or Buckshot pack my chute did you?" Now its time for a little Egress Training so they can get in and out of the jet properly. Here Paul and Rick learn how to strap the jet on and how to un-strap the jet in a hurry. They also learn what to do if the pilot says "Bail Out, Bail Out, Bail Out" Shatterer...."Are you sure this is accurate?....I don't see a Master Arm Panel anywhere...and where's the Stick.....and when do we get to put our flight suits back on because I have a lot of Hot Babes to pick up now that I'm flying Fighters"... __________________ [B]Stang out...[/B] Last edited by Stang; 12-23-2006 at 00:30.

07-21-2006	#2
Stang Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lexington SC Posts: 487	Next up is Rjetster strapping in to a simulated cockpit where he will have to practice egressing the cockpit with the painted canopy down. This is done so that the pilot can learn to un-strap the jet fast, incase he has to get out in a hurry. The canopy is painted to make it dark inside to simulate limited visibility conditions like smoke in the cockpit. Rjetster….”What do I need 27 separate belts tying me in for….Did Stang put you up to this?....I mean its got a canopy right, so I can’t fall out or nothing” Next up is the mission briefing with Lt Col Prakash and Maj Parker, two of the finest Fighter Pilots in the country and real nice guys to boot (Lt Col Prakash F-15E's & Maj Parker F-16's). The briefing was about an hour and was unbelievably informative. Everything was discussed in extreme detail from standard procedures to emergency procedures, taxi, take off and climb out, navigation, weather, formations, mission profiles and training elements and so much more that I would need a day to write it all up. When we walked out of the briefing, I think all of our heads were spinning from all the information we had just received. It was immediately evident that this is a serious business and you plan and train for everything as nothing was left to chance. I will detail this briefing in more detail later in another post. Now its time for the signatures....Signing for the Jet(s) in Operations and signing the Waivers. Rjetster....."So what’s this waiver thing we have to sign Shatterer?" Shatterer....."Oh it’s nothing....if you want to be a cool fighter pilot like me you'll have to sign it though. Rjetster....."What's it for?" Shatterer....."Its the we're not responsible waiver form....for example....if you eject and die, we're not responsible, if you crash and die, we're not responsible.....if you trip in front of the bread truck on the way to the jet and get run over and die, we're not responsible....stuff like that. Just sign it and let’s go fly!" Time to...."Step to the Jet" Rjetster...."Come on Paul, let's show these boys how to Turn and Burn" Shatterer......"Oh yea.....This is going to be SWEET.....and I'm going to WAX Rjetster's butt with a Heater and a bunch of 20 Mike Mike .........watch out boys....I feel the Need....the Need for Speed" Stay tuned for Part 2 "Flying the Talon"...coming right up! Who's going to be the Real Top Gun Who will get to Fly the Jet the Most Who G-Locs and Passes Out Who Blows Chunks and Who's charged up to go Get the Babes all this and more in part 2...stay tuned Stang out __________________ [B]Stang out...[/B]

07-21-2006	#3
shots 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Parsippany Posts: 117	Excellent pics I must say guys must of had a blast there wow, wish i could of went =). Get out fitted in those nice pilot suits. Man o man, all those t-38s thats alot of planes, Must of been great to have a ride along! Good job guys and keep up the awesome work =)! __________________ Pete "Shots" Petrosino

07-21-2006	#4
PiF Developer Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toulouse, France Age: 21 Posts: 1,178	Good work guys !! __________________ PiF QA Team 1 - Team Member "Ne pas céder"

07-21-2006	#5
Bosniaguy Captain Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 708	this is FIGHTER OPS TOP GUNS! __________________ ------------------------------------------ Cogito ergo sum! ------------------------------------------

07-21-2006	#6
SUBS17 Major Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,769	Goodstuff

07-21-2006	#7
Ali WO1 Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 19	You seem Real!!!

07-21-2006	#8
Electro 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 56	The story and the pix rock ! I'm eager to see the following part ! __________________ 3500 +, EPOX 9NDA3+, X800 PRO AGP, 1024 RAM DDR PC3200 en dual chanel, Cougar mod FSSB R1, PC Dash 2, TIR PRO 3 + VE

07-21-2006	#10
Opie WO1 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 18	Very cool guys! Cant wait to hear the rest! __________________

07-21-2006	#11
Pacman Vice president FM/ QA Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Age: 39 Posts: 3,370	I think Paul needs a new official FighterOps team nickname too. Be sure you read the next reports, don't go namehunting for him yet....believe me it get's REALLY good Dirk __________________ Dirk "Pacman" Verbist XSI Executive - VP (Q&A/ FM) "On the 8th day god created the infantry soldier, and the devil stood at attention"

07-21-2006	#12
Raptor-F4i 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 36	Droool :)

07-21-2006	#13
thebeev 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 93	Very nice! Can't wait for part 2! Yeah, same here... Drooool Last edited by thebeev; 07-21-2006 at 11:16.

07-21-2006	#15
Zaggy FO QA Dept Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Newcastle, Australia Age: 34 Posts: 1,490	Hmmm, so one of you guys has earnt the handle 'Chucky'? muhahahahaa __________________ Daniel "Zaggy" Bell Sleepy Kitten

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