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TOP GUN

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 05:30
by btaylo24
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!

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 07:15
by nickblack423
"Holy S**t it's Viper...Viper's up here...Great"

Nick

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 15:24
by Mike_UKMIL
"Yeah? Well, he's probably thinking 's***, it's Maverick and Goose.'"

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 15:32
by nickblack423
"Yeh Im sure he's saying that"

HEHE Love it.

Nick

Some TopGun Screenshots

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 20:13
by mikewmac
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. :lol: 8)

Mike

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Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 20:19
by SMOC
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.

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 20:57
by mikewmac
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. :lol:

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. :lol:

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

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 20:58
by djnocturnal
some i took today, i finally got a day off, and what good timing!

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Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 21:04
by mikewmac
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? :lol: :wink:

Mike

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 21:09
by SMOC
mikewmac wrote: You're right, I probably should have said that Nick made me a RIO. :lol:

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. :lol:

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!

Posted: 31 Mar 2008, 21:32
by djnocturnal
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? :lol: :wink:

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!

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 01:26
by flyerkg
Very Nice views!
I like the MegaScenery enhancement as well.

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 01:30
by btaylo24
Hey Mike

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

Barry

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 01:35
by Jumpshot724
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

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 02:10
by SMOC
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!

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 09:42
by mikewmac
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. :lol:

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

Mike

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 09:52
by mikewmac
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. :D

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. :wink:

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

TOPGUN Bridge Buzz

Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 10:11
by mikewmac
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. :lol:

Enjoy!

Mike



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Posted: 01 Apr 2008, 20:15
by Victory103
Nice shots, but the Air Boss would have your arse! Just need to find a AI Cargo plane full of rubber dog#$@!.

Posted: 04 Apr 2008, 04:45
by djnocturnal
i found this guy at edwards!
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