TOP GUN

Post by **btaylo24** » 31 Mar 2008, 05:30

Lets see some of those TOP GUN pics?

Really enjoying the new AI A-4. Saw this one creeping off to the ranges for a dogfight!

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 31 Mar 2008, 07:15

"Holy S**t it's Viper...Viper's up here...Great"

Nick

Mike_UKMIL · Post by **Mike_UKMIL** » 31 Mar 2008, 15:24

"Yeah? Well, he's probably thinking 's***, it's Maverick and Goose.'"

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 31 Mar 2008, 15:32

"Yeh Im sure he's saying that"

HEHE Love it.

Nick

mikewmac · Post by **mikewmac** » 31 Mar 2008, 20:13

Nick obviously thought I was too old to fly a jet fighter, so he gave me Barry as a chauffeur and made me what we USAF guys used to call a GIB, but I guess the Navy calls them WSO's or Wizzo's. In any event while Mav went for a bike ride, Barry took me for a little ride around the Miramar pattern.

Mike

SMOC · Post by **SMOC** » 31 Mar 2008, 20:19

Mike, the USN and USAF call backseaters in certain aircraft(F/A-18, F-15E, F-4, etc...) WSOs. However in the F-14, the USN called them RIOs.

Additionally, the aircraft look much better on your computer than they do on mine... I wish I had a better system.

mikewmac · Post by **mikewmac** » 31 Mar 2008, 20:57

SMOC wrote:Mike, the USN and USAF call backseaters in certain aircraft(F/A-18, F-15E, F-4, etc...) WSOs. However in the F-14, the USN called them RIOs.

Additionally, the aircraft look much better on your computer than they do on mine... I wish I had a better system.

SMOC,

You're right, I probably should have said that Nick made me a RIO.

Back in the day, Vietnam era, many of us in the USAF called the Guy In Back a GIB. The GIB had a stick and could fly the jet while the USN's RIO's or Radar Intercept Officers did not and could not.

I think Weapon Systems Officer or WSO is a more general term now used by both the USAF and USN for the backseaters, but the USAF WSO's still have a stick and the USN WSO's do not. I was told once by a Navy F-4 RIO that they did not have a stick in the back seat because the visibility was so poor it was unsafe to fly carrier landings from there.

Mike

djnocturnal · Post by **djnocturnal** » 31 Mar 2008, 20:58

some i took today, i finally got a day off, and what good timing!

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mikewmac · Post by **mikewmac** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:04

djnocturnal wrote:some i took today, i finally got a day off, and what good timing!

Great screenshots! Don't you just love that tight diamond formation?

Mike

SMOC · Post by **SMOC** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:09

mikewmac wrote: You're right, I probably should have said that Nick made me a RIO.

Back in the day, Vietnam era, many of us in the USAF called the Guy In Back a GIB. The GIB had a stick and could fly the jet while the USN's RIO's or Radar Intercept Officers did not and could not.

I think Weapon Systems Officer or WSO is a more general term now used by both the USAF and USN for the backseaters, but the USAF WSO's still have a stick and the USN WSO's do not. I was told once by a Navy F-4 RIO that they did not have a stick in the back seat because the visibility was so poor it was unsafe to fly carrier landings from there.

Mike

The USAF only has WSOs for two aircraft: F-15E and B-1B. They do have controls in the F-15E. And I believe that the USMC and USN only have them in the F/A-18D/F. I can't speak to if they have controls... it would stand to reason they wouldn't be able to trap but could still divert or at the very least line up for a proper ejection scenario. I do know the F-4 did indeed lack controls in the rear.

Nice pictures, guys!

djnocturnal · Post by **djnocturnal** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:32

mikewmac wrote:
djnocturnal wrote:some i took today, i finally got a day off, and what good timing!
Great screenshots! Don't you just love that tight diamond formation?

Mike

absolutely! this package was well worth the wait! so many different things going on, love the scenery too, it actually lines up perfect with megascenery Socal. great work here gentlemen!

flyerkg · Post by **flyerkg** » 01 Apr 2008, 01:26

Very Nice views!
I like the MegaScenery enhancement as well.

Post by **btaylo24** » 01 Apr 2008, 01:30

Hey Mike

You were a good backseater, hope I did not make u quesy in the pattern?

Barry

Jumpshot724 · Post by **Jumpshot724** » 01 Apr 2008, 01:35

The USAF only has WSOs for two aircraft: F-15E and B-1B. They do have controls in the F-15E. And I believe that the USMC and USN only have them in the F/A-18D/F. I can't speak to if they have controls... it would stand to reason they wouldn't be able to trap but could still divert or at the very least line up for a proper ejection scenario. I do know the F-4 did indeed lack controls in the rear.

Nice pictures, guys!

I believe the B-52 has WSO's too. I know they have one nav and then two weapons systems officer, defensive and offensive but I'm not 100% they consider them WSOs.

Also the term WSO is now outdated, the new term is CSO, Combat Systems Officer. Personally I like WSO better lol

SMOC · Post by **SMOC** » 01 Apr 2008, 02:10

Jumpshot724 wrote: I believe the B-52 has WSO's too. I know they have one nav and then two weapons systems officer, defensive and offensive but I'm not 100% they consider them WSOs.

Also the term WSO is now outdated, the new term is CSO, Combat Systems Officer. Personally I like WSO better lol

The B-52 has no weapon systems officers in any capacity. They have a pilot, co-pilot, NAV, radar NAV and EWO.

And to stay on topic again: I did testing on this project and never really paid Mike the compliment he is due... the 4 ship fly-by is fantastic, Mike! djnocturnal does it justice!

mikewmac · Post by **mikewmac** » 01 Apr 2008, 09:42

btaylo24 wrote:Hey Mike

You were a good backseater, hope I did not make u quesy in the pattern?

Barry

Thanks Barry,

It was a bit of a "white knuckle" experience, but at least I didn't get sick. Of course being a real world pilot myself helped some.

Now we're off for some carrier trials. Are you ready? I'm not sure that I am.

Mike

mikewmac · Post by **mikewmac** » 01 Apr 2008, 09:52

SMOC wrote:And to stay on topic again: I did testing on this project and never really paid Mike the compliment he is due... the 4 ship fly-by is fantastic, Mike! djnocturnal does it justice!

Thanks Chris,

The functional drive through parking network was the real bear to create on the TOPGUN project, but with your testing help I think we got the last bugs out of it. Thanks for that.

The 4-ship diamond formation flights were actually pretty easy to do with Nick's great 4-ship diamond formation model. Aligning the lights on all 4 ships was a bit of a challenge, but other than that it was pretty straight forward.

Unfortunately the elevation and topography around Miramar prevented me from having the 4-ship formation flights fly as low as I would have liked, but that is an FS9 thing that we just have to live with.

Mike

mikewmac · Post by **mikewmac** » 01 Apr 2008, 10:11

The TOPGUN students flew out to the Abe Lincoln recently for some carrier trials and I tagged along for the ride. Of course Maverick and Iceman couldn't resist buzzing the bridge with Mav and Goose inverted.

Enjoy!

Mike

Victory103 · Post by **Victory103** » 01 Apr 2008, 20:15

Nice shots, but the Air Boss would have your arse! Just need to find a AI Cargo plane full of rubber dog#$@!.

djnocturnal · Post by **djnocturnal** » 04 Apr 2008, 04:45

i found this guy at edwards!

TOP GUN

TOP GUN

Some TopGun Screenshots

TOPGUN Bridge Buzz