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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| 1:5 Scale Model A-10 |
| 2008-06-20 |
| On the eve of the world championship of remote-control flight, an American financier, a three-star general, a jet engineer and the Air Force’s most powerful civilian have come together in Thailand to build the perfect fighting plane—at 1:5 scale If a sodden rice paddy feels soft and forgiving underfoot, it is not a merciful place to set down an airplane at 200 mph. And that’s only one of Mike Selby’s reasons to look nervous as he watches his A-10 Warthog—a 10-foot-wide, 65-pound, hand-built model—begin its maiden takeoff roll down a rough asphalt runway near Bangkok, Thailand. Selby, who spent over $12,000 and the better part of a year fabricating and building this radio-controlled jet, stands runwayside with his thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his jeans, trying to look relaxed as he draws on a Cuban cigar. But he can’t stop tapping his foot. Next to him, pilot Ray Johns, a U.S. Air Force general and test pilot who has flown everything from Air Force One to the U2 surveillance plane, chews a wad of gum with anxious rapid-fire chomps and leans back against the weight of the control console hanging from his neck. This is one of the things that simultaneously satisfies my geek side and my grunt side. |
| Posted by:OldSpook |
| #8 The A-10 is the most beautiful ugly airplane ever built. |
| Posted by: Mike 2008-06-20 19:26 |
| #7 Gaaawd, as a former Modeler and Rocketeer myself I wish was there. Although I have seen working models of that size in the mainland US, 'TWAS USUALLY STATIC/FIXED DISPLAY, + NOT IN MOTION LIKE THIS ONE. GAAAWD ALSO FORGIVE, BUT I ALSO WANNA PAINT GUN TO SEE IFF I CAN HIT ONE OF THESE IN FLIGHT! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-06-20 19:17 |
| #6 Every time the USAF tries to phase them out the Army steps up and tries to take them. As a (former) soldier, we'd love to have them. They'd fit right in at Fort Rucker with the other fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. I guess the USAF is scared that the Army will prove that Warrant Officers can fly them just fine and break the USAF of its officer monopoly - and potentially break the fighter mafia. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-20 19:11 |
| #5 It's adorable! Actually, all the models in the competition are. Congratulations to all who competed. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-06-20 19:00 |
| #4 Of course, the AF fighter mafia has been fighting for years to get rid of the warthog. They're not sleek, sexy, stealthy, or supersonic. They only cost about $500,000 per copy. Too bad they are so damned effective at what they were designed for - close combat air support. The Army should take them over, and give them the place of honor they deserve. |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-06-20 18:04 |
| #3 OK, OS, don't go all soft on us; you aren't the only one that has a certain something for formed aluminum, the smell of hydraulic fluid and JP; that sheen on you finger after carressing a (seeping) strut; or lusted after that last echo of a turbine ( or better yet, a radial)winding down fades from the ear. At least airplanes don't care if you've touched another airplane. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2008-06-20 17:58 |
| #2 Pretty bird. |
| Posted by: badanov 2008-06-20 17:39 |
| #1 The engines sound like the real thing only not as loud, and the pitch is a little different. In case why you are wondering about the man-crush I have on these aircraft, just ask any other grunt about having a Hawg helping you. Like this strike - A-10 vs Taliban House As far as I am concerned the A-10 has the last real combat mud-mover pilots in the USAF driving them - its the only stick and rudder combat aircraft left in the USAF, the only one that can get down in the weeds, and the only ones whose pilots have the guts to come in low and slow and kick the living snot out of anything in its path. Its the combat trooper's favorite airplane, and I may very well owe my life to these aircraft and their brave pilots (and the combat controllers who direct them while in the dirt with us). They certainly made it easier for me and my troops to get home years ago, driving by blown out tanks instead of having to fight them. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-20 16:25 |