F-16C Down
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A war with US will broke out!Carpet bombing by B-52 will arrive in sg.Originally posted by Typhoon:
One of our pilots has died and these bastards still have the cheek to complain. Fucking sadistic yankee cocksuckers. lets see whether you'd prefer our Vipers raining GBU-31s on your heads. -
May I ask are you a pilot?Originally posted by Gun:A dangerous mission it is.
Does it help in making any safer without using this word in the training textbooks or slangs ? -
Body of pilot arriving home tomorrow
By David Boey and Natalie Soh
THE body of air force fighter pilot Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, who died when his F-16 crashed in the United States last week, is due to arrive in Singapore tomorrow.
On Thursday, before his body left the US, Lieutenant Loo's friends and colleagues bid him farewell in a solemn military service in Arizona, where his F-16 detachment is based.
The funeral here is likely to be held on Tuesday.
The Straits Times understands that though Lt Loo died while living out his boyhood dream of flying fighter jets, his younger brother too could become an air force pilot.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the younger Loo is a pilot trainee with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. He will be going to Tamworth, Australia, soon for the Air Grading Course.
This course is conducted by RSAF flying instructors to rate candidates for their interest and aptitude in piloting military aircraft.
Lt Loo died during a night training mission which took off from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona on May 19. His F-16C fighter crashed in rugged desert terrain near the Mexican border an hour after take-off.
Lt Loo is the first RSAF fighter pilot to die in 16 years. In the last fatal incident involving a fighter jet, a 23-year-old RSAF pilot died of injuries after ejecting from a Hawker Hunter fighter just outside Clark Air Base in the Philippines.
The RSAF's latest crash is its second involving a single-seat F-16C.
In May 2002, an F-16C crashed after pieces from a cracked turbine blade in the plane's Pratt & Whitney PW-229 engine ruptured a fuel line and caused a fire.
A report from an eyewitness that Lt Loo's plane 'came down like a falling star in a straight line' has led to speculation that it exploded in mid-air.
In a telephone interview with The Straits Times, Ms Laurie Tardif, communications manager at Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, shrugged off suggestions that engine failure had caused the crash.
She said yesterday that her company 'did a thorough investigation after the May 2002 crash to find the root cause diligently'. These investigations led Pratt & Whitney to inspect and replace faulty turbine blades. The engine maker 'stands ready to help if asked', she added. -
The poor guy ejected below 200ft which was the min height for the non zero zero seat on the hunter. If he had not ejected, he could have survived as the hunter glided to a belly landing on a rice field.Originally posted by cavsg:In the last fatal incident involving a fighter jet, a 23-year-old RSAF pilot died of injuries after ejecting from a Hawker Hunter fighter just outside Clark Air Base in the Philippines. -
He didn't go on the spot. In alot of pain.
CO was trying to comfort him while waiting for ambulance......
I heard he cried. -
Split second decision.....Originally posted by cavsg:The poor guy ejected below 200ft which was the min height for the non zero zero seat on the hunter. If he had not ejected, he could have survived as the hunter glided to a belly landing on a rice field. -
no, he was well above 200ft when his engine failed, he delayed the ejection as he was guiding the fighter to a less populated area.Originally posted by spencer99:Split second decision..... -
Ok. Brave fellow...
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Question:
Why is a USAF Major flying a RSAF F16? No doubt we are "attached' the the Luke AB's USAF F16 Wing but are pilots completely interchangeable? -
Both the RSAF's US-based detachments are crewed by mixed USAF/RSAF personnel and their pilots do fly the RSAF planes attached to the detachments. It was reported in ST that LTA Loo's CO was here for his funeral and he was an American from the USAF.Originally posted by spencer99:Question:
Why is a USAF Major flying a RSAF F16? No doubt we are "attached' the the Luke AB's USAF F16 Wing but are pilots completely interchangeable? -
ST Forum, 03-06-2004 (article shaded grey some more)
Are uniformed men lesser than heroes?
I READ with a sense of sadness Mr Dudley Au's arguments ('Why single out only the soldier? Risks exist in every line of work or profession'; ST, May 2
in response to the letter, 'Don't forget to salute our brave men in uniform' (ST, May 25), by Mr Jonathan Galaviz.
Mr Au went to the extent of saying that doctors and nurses who treated Sars patients were 'greater' heroes than a pilot who flew a plane not knowing whether it was going to crash or not.
Mr Galaviz did not say that pilots are greater heroes compared to all other professions. All that he said was all uniformed personnel should be appreciated.
Yes, there are risks in every line of work. When Sars broke out, we honoured not only the doctors and nurses, but also many others, including the taxi drivers who did not shun nurses working at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
People choose events to remind us that we should be thankful for the people who serve our country and people. The F-16 pilot died while serving the country.
The comparison between doctors facing Sars and a pilot in training is not a fair one. Sars to doctors would be like war to soldiers. I am sure the receptionists at TTSH would not be classified as heroes the way the doctors were, but shouldn't we honour them too?
Doesn't it require courage to climb into the cockpit day after day to train, knowing that you could die any time? As a former military aviator, I know. Every single flight is a risk, from the time you start that jet to the time you land.
Many of us have had close shaves, with a few seconds making a difference between life and death. Yet we climbed back into the cockpit to continue to train.
What for? To project a deterrence, and to prepare for a war we all hope never happens. Does that make us lesser than heroes?
LEONG CHUN YU -
To Leong CT:
I don't think the pilot should be viewed as a lesser hero. He made it through pilot selection. He had more faith in a system than what the engineers who built it would themselves believe. He lived a dream and died living it.
But how about the numerous others who were conscripted (forced) to serve? When they died should they be considered heroes? How about the guardsman who drowned in tekong? How about the guy who smashed into a tonner on the way back to camp?
There was a time when I was seconds away from death during tactical night movement - the actions of the alert driver saved me from certain death. But if I had died, I would only wish to be remembered, with all the other conscripts who died...
As a victim.