What does the US Air Force do? The answer might surprise you. Sure, there are the well-known missions like flying wicked cool airplanes and dropping bombs on people we don’t like, but what about Nuclear Deterrence, Cyberspace Superiority and Global Integrated ISR? It’s a brave new world, folks, and your United States Air Force […]
Hichem, a first officer with Air Algérie, flew with Acrojet just a few weeks ago and created this amazing video. Who’s next?
When I was a little kid, I told my mom that “when I grow up, I want to be a Fighter pilot”. Her reply was, predictably, “Oh honey, you can’t do both”.
How right she was.
Fighter pilots are masters of sophomoric, imbecilic humor. Our call signs alone give testament to that. My personal call sign […]
This is an article written by Acrojet for Contrails Magazine, reproduced here for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!
Why Get Upset?
Unusual attitude training. Upset training. UPRT. What’s the big deal? It’s a fair question. But the better question is: why should you care? The answer is easy: because there’s a good chance it will make […]
June 14th marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Robin Olds- the biggest badass to ever saddle-up in a fighter. 16 kills total from WWII to Vietnam. A true warrior and leader of men. Today, in honor of this legend, I begin 31 days of badass.
Day 1: rockin the stash and stogie after […]
This is way cool! Wings that fold at high speed to improve lift, drag and all the other important equations, made possible in part by an alloy that “remembers” its previous shape when heated. Reminiscent of another cool airplane whose wings folded at high speed, my favorite, the XB-70. I’m also including a photo […]
Automation is supposed to make routine tasks safer and easier and minimize the opportunity for errors, and for the most part it does. But there are unintended consequences of eliminating the majority of opportunity for error. In the aviation world, adhering to major airline Standard Operating Procedures, or SOP’s, which dictate engaging the autopilot […]
Don Bateman’s terrain mapping device has nearly eliminated the largest cause of death in jetliner accidents. Since the U.S. government began requiring an upgraded version of the device (EGPWS) on all but the smallest aircraft starting in 2001, there hasn’t been a single such fatal crash on a U.S. commercial passenger plane equipped with it […]
We all knew the pilot shortage was coming. Now it’s here with serious implications for airlines, the military and business aviation. Let’s be honest, being a professional pilot isn’t what it used to be. Once a well-respected professional, the airline pilot is often seen now as a glorified bus driver, “labor” or not seen […]
While the world’s aviation execs were hammering out business deals behind closed doors, everyone else was having fun checking out the planes and the gear. Coolest aviation geek fodder winners for this year: A350’s heads-up screens that project data displays onto the cockpit windshield; a $400k custom F-35 helmet that can see through airplanes; an […]
