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Post by FlyNavy on Aug 8, 2009 14:54:28 GMT 12
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Post by obiwan27 on Aug 8, 2009 17:26:03 GMT 12
'Fighter Gap' hhmmph!!! The US Government and it's military have overstated the threat to US security amongst many things since 1945. Kennedy's 'missile gap' anyone??? Fair enough the aircraft have been getting plenty of use in two wars, one of which the US started but I am skeptical. Another example of the military industrial complex that the US government is beholden to wnting more govt money spent on expensive unnecessary military expenditure. The US should be focussed on a new equivalent to 'the Space race' of the 60's and in this case it should be focused on developing alternative energy sources to oil therefore reducing the likelyhood of future conflicts and enabling the Western world to become free of its oil addiction.
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Post by FlyNavy on Aug 8, 2009 21:17:04 GMT 12
"'Fighter Gap' hhmmph!!! The US Government and it's military have overstated the threat to US security amongst many things since 1945." obiwan27 this was an excellent tactic used by Ronald Reagan (& 'Star Wars') to break the old USSR (according to reports) trying to keep pace with their (USSR) broken economy. Not a bad result really.
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Post by obiwan27 on Aug 8, 2009 21:38:38 GMT 12
Yes an excellent if dishonest tactic, shame it has basically bankrupted the US economy as well as resulted in the needless deaths of young American men in needless wars such as Vietnam and Iraq. I'm studying US Foreign Policy during the Cold War at present. One of our end of year exam questions will be " Did the US win the Cold War or did the USSR collapse? Food for thought.
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Post by FlyNavy on Aug 8, 2009 22:01:32 GMT 12
Dishonest tactic? You must be joking. Needless to say that tactic resulted in unneedless deaths in a WW3 or nuclear war scenario - that did not happen. Just bandying about Vietnam and Iraq in the same sentence is silly. Study US Foreign Policy much better than you have I reckon. Food for thought?
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Post by phil on Aug 8, 2009 22:42:36 GMT 12
"'Fighter Gap' hhmmph!!! The US Government and it's military have overstated the threat to US security amongst many things since 1945." obiwan27 this was an excellent tactic used by Ronald Reagan (& 'Star Wars') to break the old USSR (according to reports) trying to keep pace with their (USSR) broken economy. Not a bad result really. Not to mention sucking the soviets into a war in Afghanistan. Read Charlie Wilson's war (as opposed to watching the movie), that makes for a pretty interesting story about bringing down the USSR. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 9, 2009 10:13:32 GMT 12
I know he was an actor, but I don't remember Ronald Reagan being in Star Wars...  |
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Post by obiwan27 on Aug 9, 2009 11:59:45 GMT 12
Just bandying about Vietnam and Iraq in the same sentence is silly. Study US Foreign Policy much better than you have I reckon. Food for thought? OK fair enough. I'm only studying American Foreign Policy during the Cold War and am only 4 weeks in......just expressing my opinion ;D If you're interested our textbook is 'Rise to Globalism' by Stephen E Ambrose and Douglas G Brinkley. The US build up under Reagan and US involvement in supporting the Afghan War against the Soviets were definitely factors in the economic collapse of the USSR. Other factors were a command economy, stagnation under Brezhnev, trying to compete with the US economically & with military spending, unrest in Eastern European countries, and Gorbachev bringing about radical reforms very rapidly. As far as no WWIII happening goes, I put that down to pure luck ultimately.  Anyway, I'm way off topic here and will say no more!!!  |
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Post by FlyNavy on Aug 9, 2009 15:55:12 GMT 12
Luck is all you need then (that is a Beatles song isn't it?). You have left out the the Soviet Communist model was junk with few people liking that system so much that they did not really co-operate in it. Propaganda saying otherwise from the USSR did not reveal the nature of widespread discontent.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 9, 2009 16:15:39 GMT 12
I think perhaps it's time to drop the subject of world politics and get back to the topic of the RNZAF Skyhawks...
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Post by baz62 on Aug 10, 2009 15:08:01 GMT 12
I think perhaps it's time to drop the subject of world politics and get back to the topic of the RNZAF Skyhawks... hear hear! |
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Post by FlyNavy on Aug 10, 2009 15:33:32 GMT 12
hear hear!
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Post by paddy on Aug 11, 2009 9:33:39 GMT 12
Is this true? The bit about the Underwing Stores that is. It's from PPRUNE (and I know what you all think of PPRUNE so don't remind me) www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/384148-rnzaf-3.html It's bigger than QRA though - well, it will be in a few years when the Chinese start fishing NZ fishing grounds to destruction.................. you are looking for a combined capability from within the air arm. Auntie Helen did not just sh@ft the fast jet blokes - she did them all (metaphorically)............and got rid of all the underwing stores too - try and find any offensive stores in NZ - not a chance ....................unless you include the Warehouse or Farmers Bro................. Arc |
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Post by phil82 on Aug 11, 2009 14:19:07 GMT 12
Sounds as though the author is an extremely well-balanced chap...with a huge chip on both shoulders. "Arclite" eh, it's not often that some chooses a name that is the exact antitheses of who he is!
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Post by phil on Aug 11, 2009 17:46:52 GMT 12
We have underwing stores. That guy is talking through an unusual orifice.
Also, torpedoes are carried in a bomb bay - not everything needs to be under a wing...
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Post by phil82 on Aug 11, 2009 18:29:41 GMT 12
We have underwing stores. That guy is talking through an unusual orifice. Also, torpedoes are carried in a bomb bay - not everything needs to be under a wing... To show that I can agree.....  the [Pom] author of that post is indeed a fundamental orifice specialist, and if you look more closely at his posts he spent two years PPL flying in NZ looking for an entry into the GA scene... and failed. That two years apparently made him an expert on the RNZAF....  |
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Post by phil82 on Aug 11, 2009 18:38:29 GMT 12
Just bandying about Vietnam and Iraq in the same sentence is silly. Study US Foreign Policy much better than you have I reckon. Food for thought? OK fair enough. I'm only studying American Foreign Policy during the Cold War and am only 4 weeks in......just expressing my opinion ;D If you're interested our textbook is 'Rise to Globalism' by Stephen E Ambrose and Douglas G Brinkley. The US build up under Reagan and US involvement in supporting the Afghan War against the Soviets were definitely factors in the economic collapse of the USSR. Other factors were a command economy, stagnation under Brezhnev, trying to compete with the US economically & with military spending, unrest in Eastern European countries, and Gorbachev bringing about radical reforms very rapidly. As far as no WWIII happening goes, I put that down to pure luck ultimately. Anyway, I'm way off topic here and will say no more!!! Hmmm.....Stephen Ambrose eh! That wouldn't be the same, ever so slightly biased, Ambrose who wrote a book on D-Day comprised of 32 chapters, but only the last six of which deigned to mention the fact that the British were there, and lost as many as the Americans. He also told the story of how Easy Company won the war in Europe virtually alone, as the "Band of Brothers". A somewhat short-sighted author in my humble opinion. ;D |
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Post by obiwan27 on Aug 11, 2009 21:35:24 GMT 12
Hmmm.....Stephen Ambrose eh! That wouldn't be the same, ever so slightly biased, Ambrose who wrote a book on D-Day comprised of 32 chapters, but only the last six of which deigned to mention the fact that the British were there, and lost as many as the Americans. He also told the story of how Easy Company won the war in Europe virtually alone, as the "Band of Brothers". A somewhat short-sighted author in my humble opinion. ;D I am unable to comment further as this thread is about the RNZAF's ex-Combat Wing A4s....... |
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Post by harvard1041 on Aug 16, 2009 4:14:54 GMT 12
Hey - let get back onto the aircraft here...Politicians are -well- politicians ie self serving, ignorant, usually dishonest...well, you get the picture. Anyway A-4s....went to an interesting talk at Oshkosh recently given by TR Swartz - who is notable for several reasons - 6,000 hours in USN jets, 1000 traps - would be happy to be buried in an F-8 Crusader ...and shot down a Mig-17 with a 5" Zuni rocket in an A-4C...he gave a great talk - real character - which included his story on how much lead you need to give a Mig with an unguided air-ground rocket (The RNZAF A-4s used Zunis early on - but finished up with the CRV-7s post - KAHU).... apparently you need to pretty much blank the aircraft out when about 300 yds behind it !?! Here's a couple of photos...his interview is bound to be on You Tube there before long...classic A-4 stuff.  ..that's TR in the green hat.  This is the ex-EAA A-4 that has recently been brought back to life...J-65 powered...due to fly soon. Pretty sure we could get one or two flying in NZ if so allowed...not a bad idea that... Rgds Hvd1041 |
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Post by phil on Aug 16, 2009 8:44:47 GMT 12
Odd looking seat... almost looks like it has a square parachute headbox? Unless I'm just seeing things, it doesn't look like an escapac.
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the [Pom] author of that post is indeed a fundamental orifice specialist, and if you look more closely at his posts he spent two years PPL flying in NZ looking for an entry into the GA scene... and failed. That two years apparently made him an expert on the RNZAF.... 
