[Nick Danger]

[Bobby777]

hehe ...

[Criminal Number 18F]

Lotsa flaky stuff being posted here.

1. Nobody's flight control computer runs windows -- FAA won't certify it. Maybe a sim does, but the reason that AVidyne had to develop a RTOS is because they wanted to sell their stuff in the certified market. You have to make a really insane reliability/MTBF gateway for a PFD to be certified. Windows can't do it (no consumer OS can). I've discussed this at some length with their project managers. There are people who run GPS stuff and secondary flight instruments on WinCE -- Control Data's AnywhereMap is good, if you're a tinkerer.
2. The Proteus is not unmanned. By the way, its computers do run a consumer OS, but they can because it is certified experimental/R&D. Not windows, though. The designer's own personal plane, the Boomerang, uses a TiBook in place of many flight instruments. He just plugs it into the onboard network and goes. His son designed most of the software. That's trusting your kid, flying IFR on stuff he designed that the FAA won't certify.
3. Archangelsk and Pukin Dog are disagreeing about "dangerous". Dog means dangerous to the enemy. The problem with Dog's Tomcat is getting that big OK to fire BVR. The politicians (many of whom wear uniforms) have dealt away that advantage -- and stuff like the USAF creaming two Army helicopters, under AWACS control, doesn't help build that trust in technology.
4. It's probably a trade-union thing, but the USAF has required that the pilots of RPVs like the Global Hawk and the USAF Predators must be rated pilots. How would you like to catch that assignment? "The good news is, we looked at your dream sheet, and you don't wanna be assigned to a plane with a big crew..."
5. Stuff like recon and SEAD that currently has an element of suicide in it might be a place for RPV and robotic technology -- but that assumes that the enemy is too stupid/low tech to counter that technology. What happens if we wind up against China (median IQ six points higher than USA) instead of Arab countries (median IQ fifteen points lower)?
6. In some past USAF ships the pilot has had to sit on his hands for much of the flight -- notably the SR-71A and U-2R, which often flew very, very precise profiles that would be programmed in advance. Still -- there were things the machines couldn't be programmed for: emergencies, reacting to hostile action, and (something very common in military ops) inflight refueling.
7. "Dogfighting is a thing of the past." Sounds just like Mr Duncan Sandys, who presided over the issuance of a White Paper that said the era of the manned airplane was over. Accordingly, the UK Government more or less dismantled the national aeronautical industry, at the time competitive with the USA's. In 1957. He was, of course, wrong. Smarter people knew that 45 years ago, but even fools know it now. Of course, now the fools are saying it's true now.
8. "Our own UAV didn't fare so well..." An incredible piece of tape; I've seen it from soup to nuts. Iraqi Flogger (not -25) busted the NFZ, zeroed in on a Predator, locked on and fired. All the time the Pred eyeball was watching. The Pred remote-pilot launched the Hellfire over the shoulder at the Iraqi, who broke off and scooted -- the Pred was killed (inevitably) but at least the Iraqi got a nice scare and a laundry bill. If they had an AIM-9L (or up) on there, it would have been mutual destruction. But there's a limit to what you can load on a Predator. It's got skinny little wings and 115 HP.
9. " I have seen a gradual decline in standards and in flying abilities and consequential all-around competence." I dunno. I think that today's pilots are better at some things than the old guys (you wanna see how old-style Ernest Gann guys fly, look at some of the Asian flag carriers). Definitely stuff like CRM is a big plus, IMHO. I think basic stick and rudder skills have suffered some. I was looking at a couple accidents recently where transport category aircraft were not recovered from stalls by professional aircrews. They fly so much in one little corner of the box, put them in the other end... think overall, though, the net result is better. You see relatively few airmanship related mishaps in the transport world any more... the few mishaps there are seem to be increasingly freakish mechanical malfunctions.
10. "Bob Hammond" was a pseudonym that Tony Kern used in his book. The guy's real name was Bud Holland. Tony used the real name earlier in stuff meant for an Air Force audience. For anyone unaware of the mishap we're talking about, here's Kern's take on it. Kern was an experienced B-52 and B-1 pilot, he retired from the USAF a couple of years ago.

Gee, I wasted too much time on this. But I'm still pissed off at Duncan Sandys.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F