Beale Operational flights-RQ-4

GZR_Sactargets · Post by **GZR_Sactargets** » 30 Oct 2007, 15:18

A Long Flight: The RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle operators and friends at Beale AFB, Calif., have flown an overnight, 21-hour, local RQ-4 mission, reports A1C Robert Biermann. This past summer Beale airmen completed their first operational Global Hawk mission from the California base. And, just last week the Beale team flew an RQ-4 to aid those battling the California wildfires. The long-duration local flight enabled the Beale team to "validate the performance" of new software that now is available for operational use, said Lt. Col. David Anderson, commander of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group's Det. 2 at Beale

From AF Daily 30 Oct 07

KevinJarvis · Post by **KevinJarvis** » 30 Oct 2007, 22:58

Thanks for all the reports.
It's amazing what these men and women are doing with UAV's.
Next thing you know, they'll be reports of in-flight refueling...
KJ

GrahamS · Post by **GrahamS** » 30 Oct 2007, 23:28

Aw come on, the RQ-4 cannot possibly carry enough to refuel anything!.....LOL

SMOC · Post by **SMOC** » 31 Oct 2007, 00:08

While not an RQ-4, they have already begun attempting to get UAVs to receive fuel in flight(AAR). If memory serves correct testing was done with a Learjet by Boeing. It was done in 2006 with the 107th ARW. The jet was flown to the contact position manually and then set the flight control system that held the contact position while the tanker did 2 refueling orbits... again, if memory serves I believe it was just over 20 minutes.

They are indeed doing everything they can to make pilots obsolete.

sprocky · Post by **sprocky** » 01 Nov 2007, 20:32

I hope this does not mean we will not have a FLIGHT SIMULATOR anymore. Instead of this we will have a UAV simulator?

GZR_Sactargets · Post by **GZR_Sactargets** » 01 Nov 2007, 22:35

LOL-actually it is kind of fun to fly the UAV Models. The panel is relatively simple, but you can have some fun with them.

KevinJarvis · Post by **KevinJarvis** » 02 Nov 2007, 00:39

How do we know that when we're flying in the sim, we're not piloting a real-world UAV somewhere over Iraq?

Sorry...too much beer....hiccup.

KJ

GZR_Sactargets · Post by **GZR_Sactargets** » 03 Nov 2007, 21:18

How do we know when drinking beer if we have had too much?

I can't drink anymore but I do recall that I usually found I had too much when I woke up.

KevinJarvis · Post by **KevinJarvis** » 03 Nov 2007, 22:26

I don't drink anymore either, but I couldn't find a decent explanation for the seemingly incoherent post ...LOL.
KJ