Posted on 01/17/2025 11:33:12 AM PST by ransomnote
We talked to the owner of Air USA about probably the most incredible private aircraft purchase of all time and the future of his adversary business.
For the last 30 years, Don Kirlin has been flying for the airlines, working on real estate deals, setting up the world’s biggest skydiving meets, and building a private air force the likes of which even he has a hard time believing is possible. Just last month, The War Zone was among the first to report that his company would be purchasing multiple squadrons worth of surplus Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornets to be used in the contractor adversary air support role here in the United States. In that role, they would primarily fly against U.S. military fighter pilots, replicating aerial threats from potential enemy nations. So basically, they are bad guys for hire, but strictly for training and development work.
Now, not only do we have all the details on that purchase, which is even more impressive than it initially seemed, but we talked at length with the entrepreneur owner of Air USA, located in Quincy, Illinois, about his company’s past and what is turning into a remarkable, if not downright historic, future.
Don Kirlin imported his first foreign military jet, and L-39 Albatross, in 1994, at a time when doing so was an extremely complex and convoluted affair full of pitfalls and unknowns. Since then, he has repeated the process dozens of times over and was the first owner of a private MiG-29 Fulcrum in the United States, among a long list of other exotic flying firsts. He now holds eight licenses with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), allowing him to own military machine guns and cannons, as well as thousands of rounds of ammunition to fire through them.
MORE AT THE LINK: https://www.twz.com/32869/this-man-owns-the-worlds-most-advanced-private-air-force-after-buying-46-f-a-18-hornets
Gonna need an army of technician$ to keep them airworthy.
To the end of the street - maybe.
I expect a lot of the contract pilots will be Guard or Reserve - working their civilian job flying these F-18s during the week and flying their Navy or Marine F-18s one weekend a month.
If you haven't seen it, you may want to check out the 2004 movie, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." It has solid retro/diesel punk comic book feel about it, and thanks to CGI and permission from his estate, was Sir Laurence Olivier's last credit role in a film.
If you say so. Maybe you mean the American, Grumman or Bede Yankee lightplanes in which case I’m sure they did.
2000 lbs is only around 250 gallons. You’re going to need a lot of water bombs.
I didn’t know we had any. Didn’t our commie PM give most of it to Ukraine?
They must be good because the guy is setting up his own Top Gun service for hire. This is high stress work for aged F14 Tom Cats. They will have t0 be kept in tip top shape.
I am sure they will be put to good use.
I know you wold like to give this a try:
F 14 and skier:
Back in the mid 70’s if IIRC there was a gent in St, Louis, Missouriwith a crated F-6A in his garage in subarban St Louis.. That wa the phot recon version of the P-51 Mustang;
Back then you could usually find a two seat Mustang in the Sunday want ads for about 10 grand. Those were the days
Regards
alfa6 ;<}
The were retired in 2021:
https://www.aviacionline.com/end-of-an-era-australia-retires-its-last-f-a-18-hornets-this-week
[I want one. That’d put the beer store at 45 seconds away, but then you have to land and that parking lot is always full.]
Strafe the parking lot first. Or some cratering bombs.
Then land on the street. Watch out for the wires and the traffic lights. Good luck.
Very nice. Must be a pain when you have to get the ladder though.
[Don Kirlin]
Tell ya what though - watching his Rock Concert show in the 1970s was great.
Me too !!! Wonder how he gets them over here ? Ship,seller delivery via Aircraft Carrier, cargo plane or does he have an airborne tanker with crew and ferrying pilots ?
I remember Belushi doing the carbohydrates thing unless he did that in another skit - but I don’t remember that one
It usually scares the woke folks when I pull it out of the garage to get to something.
You say that like it’s a bad thing lol
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