Monday, June 1, 2015

Why I Fly What I Fly When I Fly

I'm kind of a nut of a flight-simmer. I was born in US Navy/USAF air base land on the East Coast, and saw more fighters going over my head during play time than I saw my friends. I've always loved fighter planes, and been amazed by aircraft in general.

Skip a lot of boring mid-story, I now fly Strike Fighters 2 in many of its carnations. I know, I know, it's not the most technically involved flight sim, but its flight models, fuel usage and WEZs are the most accurate of any combat sim out there, there I fly it. QED.

So with all the versions of SF2, I will not fly in 2 theaters: Vietnam and World War II Europe.

Silly, right? Those are two of the most engaging, history-rich air combat regions in the entire World! I know that. I've read the books. I've seen the movies and documentaries, but I won't fly there. Matter of fact, I didn't even install SF2: Vietnam.

It's not a logical thing, you see. It's an emotional connection I have there. I have two late uncles who fought in France. Normandy Invasion and everything. And too many of my high school teachers fought and lost buddies in the Vietnam War. So, while I kinda celebrate this whole air combat thing, I don't like, respect, render sacred, whatever, certain of the killing grounds it's taken part in.

But I'll still take a Thud over Europe...


...an F-15E into North Korea (Very Falcon 4-ish)...


...an F-22 as well...


---even an F-15 over Norway...

---but I won't touch Vietnam jets over Vietnam, or WWII planes over Europe. I'm just that way.


The "F-15 Hasn't Battled Its Peers" Argument- Invalid!

People are jealous of the F-15's battle score. They may talk like skeptics. They might try to sound like thoughtful, learned military historians. But in the end, they just all come out sounding jealous.

The F-15 has won without loss, consecutively, consistently, because it is the best air combat fighter in the World. Until lately, it has had no peer, and most of the peers are allies anyways, so it doesn't matter.

Here's the reality of the issue: "Has it, the F-15, ever faced a peer?": 

If there's a bully in a school, no one challenges him because he's the meanest kid. There are other kids that are as big as him. There are maybe kids that are stronger than him. There may be kids who are bigger. But the bully is the bully, because he takes his size, his strength, combines it with a bully attitude, and becomes the meanest that there is. Are there peers this was or that in his school? Yes, maybe, maybe not. Point is, he's beat up everyone in the school and no one can do anything about it. This is the F-15's story. Wanna talk to the bully about what peers he's encountered? Well, truth is he doesn't have any, because he's the bully. Period.

Sp maybe on paper there's another jet that's deadlier, i.e. higher and tighter sustained turn rate, longer range radar, larger payload. But does that airplane have a 104:0 kill ratio? No? Then it's not there. It's not as tough. It's not as proven as the F-15 Eagle Air Superiority Aerial Bully. 

104:0 Bro. If you can beat that, you can have the title.

Feel free to comment in the space below!