It looks like Tsu will be flying in a MIG

[Cyrus]

No, 15k for 30 min

 

[Astronuc]

I understand where your coming from, I would love to go up in a mig too. Just not for that steep a price. I'd rather learn how to fly.

No mention of landing. Hmmmmm. Very suspicious. Hmmmmm.

 

[Cyrus]

Yeah, with mid air refueling, I figure why not....heyyyyyyyy now that is something you guys should do! A mid air refuel. That would be worth your money!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

No, 15k for 30 min

Now quit that. We're talking about five flights over a period of a week. And they last longer than 15 minutes. [you said 30. getting tired]

And...as if an afterthought, we are talking about a week in Moscow in a five star hotel.

As far as getting a pilot's license, strangely that doesn't really interest me that much. I looked at it for a time but I see so many people that pay nearly as much to get their license, then they let it lapse and never fly anyway. Being a real pilot is an exercise in engineering and I do that for a living. However, if you really get a charge out of genuine aviation, then the money is probably better spent becoming a pilot. But then the spending never ends.

If we were ultra rich and I could buy my own mig or whatever, that would be another story entirely. But long ago, when the recruiting officer told me that there was no chance of passing the physical for fighter pilot, I thought that something like this would never be possible. And heck, spending 15K is nothing compared to six years of active duty. To me that would have represented about, oh, maybe $100,000 in lost income and six years of my life.

 

[Cyrus]

Ok, what exactly does the price include Ivan?

Does it include Air fare and Hotel?

If so, then that could be well worth the money. I would make the trip worth it. Make the trip around visiting Russia and not the MIG per se. Visit the aerospace plants if your allowed. Museums, resturants. That would be a good trip. Then the Mig would just be the highlight of each day, and not the day itself.

 

[Tsu]

I'm going to get me a Foxbat.

 

[wolram]

I'm going to get me a Foxbat.

And i bet your little legs twitch and your tongue hangs out the side of your mouth while you are having these dreams give me a mosquito a real mans aeroplane any day, please.

 

[Gokul43201]

Say, why are all the MiGs given F-word codenames (Fagot, Farmer, Fishbed, Foxbat, Flogger, Fulcrum)? I didn't know the names Fagot and Farmer till yesterday, when I spent the day at the local AirForce Museum (took tons of pictures) getting more intimate with the birds!

 

[Andre]

Perhaps is it F for fighter

How about the B, Badger, Bison, Bear, Blinder, Backfire , etc

And the C for Cub Coot Condor Candid Colt, etc

And the H for Hind, Hip, Hokum, Haze

And the M for Mail, May, Mainstay

There may be a system.

 

[Gokul43201]

Perhaps is it F for fighter

How about the B, Badger, Bison, Bear, Blinder, Backfire , etc

And the C for Cub Coot Condor Candid Colt, etc

And the H for Hind, Hip, Hokum, Haze

And the M for Mail, May, Mainstay

There may be a system.

Ah, didn't think of that.

Okay, so F-names for fighters, B-names for Bombers (I only know of the Badger, Bear and Backfire - I'm assuming the rest are bombers too), C-names for Cargo planes (again, guessing - based on the Condor), and H-names for helicopters. But what does M stand for?PS : Nevermind, it's "Miscellaneous".

Just found a nice answer here: http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0070.shtml

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Bad news: The minimum price and the price for most programs is now around $19K + travel with no group discounts available. Anyone over forty must submit a current EKG, and everyone must get a doctors approval before going.

The top gun program is, gulp, $57.7K

You do wear g-suits and will pull at least 4-5g's. You can try for as many g's as desired.

The flights last thirty minutes.

No ejection seat rides are offered for any price.

 

[Gokul43201]

Ivan, do you know yet which bird it's going to be?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Ivan, do you know yet which bird it's going to be?

Tsu definitely wants to do the edge of space program in the 25 - now $18.5K. I need to rethink my options with the top gun program being so expensive. My inclination is to fly the 29 as a first choice.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh yes, it seems that the local guy is never around or never was. There is an L39 pilot in Burbank, Ca., who offers flights for $2950.

I still have more people people to call, so there may be more options here.

Did you all see the guy who crashed and died in the Portland [Hillsboro] airshow this weekend?

 

[FredGarvin]

Did you all see the guy who crashed and died in the Portland [Hillsboro] airshow this weekend?

No. We're usually pretty up on these. What happened? What was he flying?

 

[Integral]

The Hillsborough crash was a Hawker Hurricane. No one on the ground was hurt, one house totally destroyed, 3 others damaged. The plane was completely demolished, and the pilot was killed, they do not know what happened and may not for awhile. There were no black boxes or recorders running. Seems like there should be some amateur videos showing up.

 

[wolram]

The Hillsborough crash was a Hawker Hurricane. No one on the ground was hurt, one house totally destroyed, 3 others damaged. The plane was completely demolished, and the pilot was killed, they do not know what happened and may not for awhile. There were no black boxes or recorders running. Seems like there should be some amateur videos showing up.

For man and machine.

 

[FredGarvin]

The Hillsborough crash was a Hawker Hurricane.

http://www.kimball.k12.sd.us/FIRE/home%20alone.jpg

That is an absolute tragedy.

Do you know what the aircraft was doing at the time? Straight and level or some kind of maneuver? Just curious.

I have been doing searches, but can not find any news articles on it.

 

[FredGarvin]

Ahhh...I found something. I feel a tiny bit better...It was a Hawker Hunter according to this story.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15054368.htm

It didn't do any performances and crashed right after takeoff. That's screaming engine failure on climbout. Not a thing one can do about that other than bail, and I doubt he could in time.

EDIT: Tell me this isn't irony at its finest

An attorney specializing in suits related to aviation disasters has died after crashing his vintage plane at the Oregon International Airshow.

 

[Andre]

The owner and pilot of the 1950s Hawker Hunter plane was ..., 73,

So how stringent are the regulations about people flying at that age with jet's of that age?

 

[FredGarvin]

So how stringent are the regulations about people flying at that age with jet's of that age?

As long as they can pass a class III physical (no heart murmurs and corrected 20-20 vision) they are good to go.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It didn't do any performances and crashed right after takeoff. That's screaming engine failure on climbout.

Here is video of the crash. Spectators reported that even his take-off speed was low. He barely gets past the runway when he starts going down.
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_071706_news_home_video.20a96e3b.html

You have to sign up to watch. It is the local NBC station.

 

[Cyrus]

Why didnt he abort that takeoff?

 

[FredGarvin]

Why didnt he abort that takeoff?

I can't see it right now (damn firewall). Chances are he hit the PNR and had no choice but to stick it out.

 

[Tsu]

Heart murmur? Fred, will my heart murmur keep me from flying in my Foxbat?

 

[FredGarvin]

No. You don't need any kind of physical to be a rider, just a pilot in command. You may need to tell them any medical issues you may have so they can tailor the flight to your liking and to be safe.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yes, you do need a physical and a current EKG to be a rider on the Migs. This is the issue that concerns me the most. We ain't kids anymore.

I spent a good part of my life worrying about the 10,000 Soviet nuclear warheads pointed at us, and now we need a physical to go for a ride on a Mig.

Hmmm, maybe they let you fly solo.

 

[Tsu]

No. You don't need any kind of physical to be a rider, just a pilot in command. You may need to tell them any medical issues you may have so they can tailor the flight to your liking and to be safe.

Cool.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It's like talking to the wall.

Hi wall, how's the paint? Have you been board lately?