Top ten cool things about the US Air Force. The US Air Force has a lot of advantages in logistics, worldwide coverage, speed, missions and role types and this creates a creative insight into what is cool about being in the United States Air Force!
10. If I want Chinese Food, I will fly to China!
9. When the G-Forces pull back your face, you look and feel years younger!
8. One weekend a year, you get to take your jet home with you.
7. You’re looking at a guy with one million frequent flier miles.
6. At 20,000 feet you see lots of clouds that look more like bunnies and stuff!
5. Always fun watching the new guy try to parallel park a C-130 Hercules.
4. Seasickness is for losers — airsickness is the way to go!
3. Free headsets on transcontinental flights.
2. Whenever people ask where I’ve been, I can tell them “The Wild Blue Yonder”!
September 18th the US Congress Creates A New Military Branch and passes the National Security Act of 1947 effectively combining the US Army, US Navy and the newly formed US Air Force into the Department of Defensive. Consequently, James Forrestal was confirmed as the first Secretary of Defensive. At its core the USAF represented more than just warefare having a high emphasis on technology and science.
Hollywood embraced the fear of attack by created a slew of B Horror Films targeted to the new Baby Boomers such as the Blob to the more recent Armageddon where the USAF saves the day!
If you want to experience some of these themes download USAF:Operation Sentinel and play an airmen in the USAF dealing with Asteroids, Alien Invasion and more!
Even the elite USAF Combat Control Teams have shown off their talents in Transformers
Cold War TV shows with USAF characters
60’s hit ” I dream of Jeannie” centers around a US Air Force Astronaut that stumbles upon a magical bottle while on a space mission containing a beautiful Jeannie that is eternally indebted to him offers to help the Major through many USAF hi-jinks and slapstick with her unlimited wishes!
Not every day do you get a chance to serve in the most technologically advanced military branch in the United States arsenal but when you do you are part of the United States Air Force! The youngest of the military branches and recognized as a leader in the the tech that commands the skies from the heavens above to the land below you are part of an incredible team.
Why The Blue Falcon?
The falcon is a predator. Blue is the color of the sky and the last thing you want to experience is a bird set on your 6 to devour you so the Blue Falcon seems rather appropriate given the nature of its breeding and what it was designed by nature to do!
“A falcon is any one of 37 species of raptor in the genusFalco, widely distributed on all continents of the world.Peregrine falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. Other falcons include the gyrfalcon, lanner falcon, and the merlin. Some small falcons with long narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which hover while hunting are called kestrels. The falcons are part of the family Falconidae, which also includes the caracaras, laughing falcon, forest falcons, and falconets.” (Source: Wikipedia)
Red Liberty Beanies Mean Freedom!
The United States Air Force has supported, defended right along side of her sister military branches since its inception. With respect to its ties to American Freedom a red beanie, in modern times the red beret, has been worn since the founding of this country. The red beanie is a sign of freedom and wearing it ties us to our forefathers and the creation of America!
Filling The Void!
One often hears about the heroism of the Green Berets, the US Navy SEALs, Airborne, Marine Force Recon but little is ever discussed of a few very important specialties that are found within the US Air Force Arsenal. Who are these specialists and what are they called?
Combat Control Teams (CCT)
Pararescue
A the red storm is rising in the east these special operators are retrieving downed pilots and stranded special forces working behind enemy lines. Help these Airman open their chutes and reach the ground safely! Pararescue is a game that will take you to the field and hon your skills rescuing downed pilots.
If USAF Flying Into The Heart Of A Hurricane doesnt get your adrenaline sky high! The work and exploits of US Air Force aircraft that defy natures law and gravity by flying into God’s straw were condensed into a few musical lyrics what would they be?
We think the infamous words of the Rolling Stones would serve best!
“I was born in a crossfire hurricane And I howled at my ma in the driving rain” (Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/)
14th- USAF – 1944 Col. Floyd Wood, Maj. Harry Wexler, and Lt. Frank Record, flying a Douglas A-20 “Havoc,” are the first to fly into the heart of a hurricane to obtain meteorological data.
Hurricanes have male and female names, but at one point only female names were used.
Most hurricanes rage harmlessly in the sea.
Australians call hurricanes, willy-willies.
The New England Hurricane of 1938 is reported to have the fastest forward speed for a hurricane at 70 mph. The forward speed for an average hurricane is less than 20 mph.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean runs from June 1 to November 30.
Then there are the guys that get paid to head straight into the howling and destructive winds of a massive hurricane. They are called the Hurricane Hunters. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the United States Air Force.
How do these men and women that fly the unfriendly skies do it?
“To perform their mission, the Hurricane Hunters have 10 WC-130J aircraft. These Super Hercules aircraft are equipped with palletized meteorological data-gathering instruments. The WC-130J is the next generation “Hurricane Hunter” designed to continue weather reconnaissance well into the 21st century.”
For a shirt worn by the United States Air Force personnel, from pilots to their ground crews.
Whether at the control of a USAF aircraft, a crew member, even the guy that keeps the air in the tires, you are important to a team of the most advanced and highly skilled USAF personnel in the world.
Why the top 15 United States Air Force Craft? Cause our hands got plain tired when we realized the US Air Force has had some many incredible combat aircraft throughout its history and listing them all would have taken decades! You will find 15 top high performance aircraft and even though these were our picks we know you will have your opinion and we welcome that. Comment below and let us know your favorite USAF aircraft and we will update our list!
Light the fires and kick the tires!
F-16 – The Falcon. Fave this one down and be reduced to a charred, smoldering black plume of dust traveling at over Mach speeds. Not your definition of a good day!
F-15 Eagle – Simply owned the skies with the most advanced tech of its day! She commanded the air!
A-10 – Video Air Museum in Yuma The Thunderbolt! With the incredible GAU8 Avenger gun these Tusk drivers knows what it is like to reduce enemy tank columns to swiss cheese!
F-22 – She will have your entire squadron spitting blood before you even know she is there!
AC-130 Spectre Gunship – Welcome to the Messenger of God’s wrath. Pick from a variety of weapons and be reduced to cinders from miles away. Raining lead and destruction on a tactical level!
F-111 – One of the finest tactical strike aircraft in the USAF arsenal!
F-117 The Nighthawk! The first aircraft created featuring low radar detection signature and has later been referred to as a stealth aircraft. First read about in the Tim Clancy book Red Storm Rising!
B-1 The Lancer! Created by Rockwell International the B-1 was envisioned with Mach 2 speed, and a low-level penetrator. The B-1B entered service in 1986 with the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a nuclear bomber.
B-2 The Spirit! As a stealth configured aircraft the Spirit was the only aircraft with the ability to carry stand off air-to-surface weapons within its aircraft platform.
P51 Mustang – video
The P-51 Mustang was the first World War 2 piston aircraft that was capable of arriving on the scene when escorted bombers were destined for bombing raids over Nazi Europe. Able to handle the distance they were capable of escorting the heavies to and back from their bombing runs! Seen in films like Red Tails and piloted by Negro pilots, The Tuskegee Airmen, these amazing pilots were skilled in bomber protection, air to air dogfighting and in one case the successful destruction of a German destroyer.
B-17 – Video Tour inside B-17 The most indestructable bomber of WW2 you could shoot half a tail, half a wing, break all the windows, lose 3 engines and still get the beast home. The Memphis Belle made her famous when she returned from all her required bombing missions she become one of the most famous aircraft of all time.
B-29 The Superfortress! With a pressurized cabin she could fly at height incapable of Japanese fighters reaching her she was responsible for eliminating Japan from WW2 with the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Enola Gay was the name of one these bombers that conducted the Little Boy drop on Hiroshima.
B-24 Liberator – Video An American Heavy Bomber. Able to deliver the first ever precision guided munitions up to 1000lb bombs.
Air Force 1 – One of the most widely know aircraft perhaps in the world Air Force One is responsible for transporting the Presidents of the United States during their frequent travel schedules. Well know as it may be the technology aboard her is some of the most secretive in the US military.
SR-71 Blackbird – Video Air museum in Yuma – The only aircraft flown by the US Air Force that required the use of Mercury Astronaut spacesuits. She was sleek and beautiful with some of the finest lines every displayed on an aircraft.
You either fly them or you service them and keep them in the air and if you do then you are specialized and have an Air Force Specialty that needs to be recognized! Fly’em, fix’em, keep them going takes a team of specialized US Air Force personnel.