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Watch how USAF pilots find out what aircraft they will fly
X ^ | 10/14/2024 | Aviation on Twitter

Posted on 10/17/2024 1:07:33 PM PDT by thefactor

This is a fun video I saw on X. The Air Force calls this "Drop Night" where pilots find out what planes they are going to be flying during their career. I saw this video and think many here will appreciate it. Perhaps some former pilots can recall their "Drop Nights."


TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: airforce; military; planes; usaf
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To: thefactor

The A-10’s used to do practice runs in the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania.

When you are out in the wilderness alone, sitting quietly while deer hunting, and an A-10 comes over at treetop level, it’s time to change underwear.


21 posted on 10/17/2024 2:03:46 PM PDT by tired&retired (Blessings )
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To: thefactor

Yet given the ever improving technological advances made possible by the silicon chip in missile and drone technology, are piloted military attack craft soon to be obsolete and an inordinate risk to their pilots?


22 posted on 10/17/2024 2:08:22 PM PDT by allendale
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C-130’s oh yeah


23 posted on 10/17/2024 2:09:29 PM PDT by Clutch Martin ("The dawn cracks hard like a bull whip and it ain't taking no lip from the night before" Tom Waits)
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To: thefactor
Having attained the lofty Army rank of SP5 I can't claim any special knowledge of Air Force practices. Your hunch seems to be at least as plausible as mine...maybe more plausible.
24 posted on 10/17/2024 2:15:16 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: Alas Babylon!

Have you heard the one about the fighter pilot and the cargo pilot when they meet in the air one day?


25 posted on 10/17/2024 2:15:17 PM PDT by jdt1138 (Where ever you go, there you are.)
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To: tired&retired
My sister lives about a mile from the runway of Westover AFB. At Westover they maintain and repair C-5s and,as a result,they're taking off pretty much directly over her house. And as they pass over they're only about 500 feet above the ground.

Those things are big...and loud.

An added benefit was that a few years ago the Blue Angels did a show at Westover. For a few days before the show they were flying all around practicing different maneuvers. Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it.

26 posted on 10/17/2024 2:22:52 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: thefactor

The Warthog driver got the best assignment. UP close and personal...


27 posted on 10/17/2024 2:25:28 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: thefactor

It’s like flying an armored bath tub with tons of firepower. It’s today’s flying of the P-47 Thunderbolt/Jug.....


28 posted on 10/17/2024 2:26:52 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: jdt1138

“I bet you can’t do this ...”


29 posted on 10/17/2024 2:28:11 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: thefactor

In the army the fun during the Vietnam war was the list of MOS/AITs you were going to posted at the end of Basic training.


30 posted on 10/17/2024 2:32:09 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: Revel

>>The Air force could have fun with that. As a joke they could assign some guy to a WW2 Prop plane.

Or a Sopwith Camel.


31 posted on 10/17/2024 2:32:52 PM PDT by vikingd00d (chown -R us ~you/base)
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To: Alas Babylon!
Also, no one got C-130’s, 17’s or 5’s. No KC-135’s or KC-46’s. So no bus drivers.

It's ENJJPT. Those guys are already guaranteed a combat aircraft.

32 posted on 10/17/2024 2:34:29 PM PDT by Mr.Unique (My boss wants me to sign up for a 401K. No way I'm running that far! )
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To: thefactor
I THINK this is considered graduating from the first part of flight school where they assign you an aircraft based on your performance. Then you move on to the next phase of training, which is specific to these aircraft. But I’m not sure.

Correct. They are just about to get their wings and move on to a Major Weapon System (MWS).

33 posted on 10/17/2024 2:36:14 PM PDT by Mr.Unique (My boss wants me to sign up for a 401K. No way I'm running that far! )
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To: teeman8r

In real life, the A-10 killed few if any tanks. Most kills were infantry and light armor.

F-15s 16s 18s took out the tanks.


34 posted on 10/17/2024 2:48:08 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Alas Babylon!

Also, no one got C-130’s, 17’s or 5’s. No KC-135’s or KC-46’s.


or any Sopwith Camels.


35 posted on 10/17/2024 2:49:06 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: thefactor
Yes, but the important thing was to graduate from UPT and get your silver wings— making you an Air Force pilot. The first assignment, of course, is a really big deal, as it greatly affects what other planes you might fly also.

That video looks a lot different than when I got my wings, though. We didn’t call it ‘Drop night’, but when we got our assignments it was ......well, just say,,,,,,a lot more wild than that.

36 posted on 10/17/2024 3:43:32 PM PDT by volare737 (Diversity is something to be overcome, not celebrated.)
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To: NorthMountain
........said the heavy driver to the fighter pilot.

When the fighter pilot saw nothing happening, he asked, “So what did you do”?

The heavy driver said, “Just got a cup of coffee”.

37 posted on 10/17/2024 3:47:13 PM PDT by volare737 (Diversity is something to be overcome, not celebrated.)
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To: thefactor

In the rescue world it was the same when we went to the fighter bases. Resue guys never had to buy, BUT, they insisted we play the slightly physical crud game. Good times.


38 posted on 10/17/2024 4:01:28 PM PDT by GMThrust
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To: PIF

My tank killer killed lots of tanks…


39 posted on 10/17/2024 4:35:59 PM PDT by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world or something )
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To: thefactor

AMEN, brother.


40 posted on 10/17/2024 5:09:43 PM PDT by Spacetrucker ("You Missed,BI*CH" Tom MacDonald )
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