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| © David M. Vanderhoof |
Welcome to the First Hitchhikers Guide to Military Aviation.
Here are the topics covered:
First is from Defpro.com P-8A Poseidon: A new model for Military Procurement
Boeing St Louis to Offer A160t Hummingbird in Response to NAVAIR Request for Proposal
Aviation Week: Japan to Decide on Global Hawk Order
This Lockheed gets funds for UK F-35 Landing Modification.
Lastly we have an interview with Master Sargent Carl "Opi" Falcone. Of the Viper West Demonstration Team from the NAS Oceana Air Show.
I look forward to all the feedback as I begin this journey. Write me Here
Hello David:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a great new podcast! This is Micah Engber, although I think you may recognize me more easily as Harriet’s son.
How nice to have you do a complete podcast dedicated to military aviation. Military aviation was my first airplane love as my father was actually drafted into the Air Force for the Korean War. He was a retread after he was discharged from the Army having served in Europe in the Corps of Engineers during WW II. My father was not an aviator but was drafted into the Air Force Medical Corps as a psychologist. He was fortunate to not have to serve in Korea proper and spent all of his Air Force years in Texas.
Anyway, I had a few questions and a comment or two about your first solo podcast. My first question might be something you do not want to answer but I am curious. I know you hate talking about the unending new tanker war that has been going on for at least three years that I remember. Your disgust in this silly ceaseless issue is well known and talked about regularly when you are on with the geeks, and you mentioned it on your first solo podcast. I am curious 1, why you hate this topic so much, 2, are the old KC-125’s and KC-10’s really that long in the tooth that they need to be replaced, and 3, how and when do you think this silliness will really finally end?
My second question and perhaps a topic for another podcast and has to do with Marine 1. There was a recent competition to replace the VH-3 Sea Kings and VH-60 BlackHawks with the European VH-71 Kestrel. (Did Alan Klapmeier design that too?) There was no big stink over the VH-71 Kestrel being an AgustaWestland product which surprised me. What also surprised me was that a V-22 Osprey was not chosen as Marine 1. It is the premiere Marine aircraft after the AV-8 and would certainly offer better range, size and speed than any other vertical takeoff aircraft currently available. (Too bad the Fairey Rotodyne was never fully developed it looked like the proposed DARPA Disc Rotor.) Although the project was canceled I heard there is new talk about a new Marine 1. Any idea how this may go?
Lastly, on the first podcast you talked about the new P-8 and the old P-3. I love the old P-3 and used to watch the squadron from the former Brunswick Naval Air Station shoot touch and go’s at the Portland airport. I wonder if the P-8 will offer the range, lingering time and versatility of the P-3, but that’s another story. When you described the P-8 you talked about how it was a 737-800 fuselage with a 737-900 wing. It took me a while to be able to look up the differences between these two aircraft and I am wondering if in the future you could try to offer more of an explanation for uneducated geeks such as myself. For example a few weeks ago on the Airplane Geeks podcast you talked about the difference in blocks for the F-16’s that Australia just bought. That was great and really helped me out. Just a suggestion so take it for what it is worth.
I have many other minor military aircraft questions I can shoot to you for the podcast if you like. Some of them are about F-16’s, F-18’s, A-7’s, and the C-17 etc. I do not want to burden or bore you but if you want them for the future let me know.
Thanks for a great podcast and I hope for many more. Bye the way, if you get in the mood to take a ride to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome sometime over the next few weekends let me know. I am down (or is it up) in northern NJ helping my mother out and I am at the half way point for you right on the way. If you want to drive to me from Philadelphia I’ll take you the rest of the way.
Thanks again,
Micah
Hello David:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a great new podcast! This is Micah Engber, although I think you may recognize me more easily as Harriet’s son.
How nice to have you do a complete podcast dedicated to military aviation. Military aviation was my first airplane love as my father was actually drafted into the Air Force for the Korean War. He was a retread after he was discharged from the Army having served in Europe in the Corps of Engineers during WW II. My father was not an aviator but was drafted into the Air Force Medical Corps as a psychologist. He was fortunate to not have to serve in Korea proper and spent all of his Air Force years in Texas.
Anyway, I had a few questions and a comment or two about your first solo podcast. My first question might be something you do not want to answer but I am curious. I know you hate talking about the unending new tanker war that has been going on for at least three years that I remember. Your disgust in this silly ceaseless issue is well known and talked about regularly when you are on with the geeks, and you mentioned it on your first solo podcast. I am curious 1, why you hate this topic so much, 2, are the old KC-125’s and KC-10’s really that long in the tooth that they need to be replaced, and 3, how and when do you think this silliness will really finally end?
My second question and perhaps a topic for another podcast and has to do with Marine 1. There was a recent competition to replace the VH-3 Sea Kings and VH-60 BlackHawks with the European VH-71 Kestrel. (Did Alan Klapmeier design that too?) There was no big stink over the VH-71 Kestrel being an AgustaWestland product which surprised me. What also surprised me was that a V-22 Osprey was not chosen as Marine 1. It is the premiere Marine aircraft after the AV-8 and would certainly offer better range, size and speed than any other vertical takeoff aircraft currently available. (Too bad the Fairey Rotodyne was never fully developed it looked like the proposed DARPA Disc Rotor.) Although the project was canceled I heard there is new talk about a new Marine 1. Any idea how this may go?
Lastly, on the first podcast you talked about the new P-8 and the old P-3. I love the old P-3 and used to watch the squadron from the former Brunswick Naval Air Station shoot touch and go’s at the Portland airport. I wonder if the P-8 will offer the range, lingering time and versatility of the P-3, but that’s another story. When you described the P-8 you talked about how it was a 737-800 fuselage with a 737-900 wing. It took me a while to be able to look up the differences between these two aircraft and I am wondering if in the future you could try to offer more of an explanation for uneducated geeks such as myself. For example a few weeks ago on the Airplane Geeks podcast you talked about the difference in blocks for the F-16’s that Australia just bought. That was great and really helped me out. Just a suggestion so take it for what it is worth.
I have many other minor military aircraft questions I can shoot to you for the podcast if you like. Some of them are about F-16’s, F-18’s, A-7’s, and the C-17 etc. I do not want to burden or bore you but if you want them for the future let me know.
Thanks for a great podcast and I hope for many more. Bye the way, if you get in the mood to take a ride to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome sometime over the next few weekends let me know. I am down (or is it up) in northern NJ helping my mother out and I am at the half way point for you right on the way. If you want to drive to me from Philadelphia I’ll take you the rest of the way.
Thanks again,
Micah