A Private Air Force of 46 F-18's

[wlewisiii]

My main experience with contractors in the military was when they replaced army cooks with contractors at the bases. Often this was sub optimal; if nothing else the army cooks had to eat what they served...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Does Air USA own the F-117 still flying?

Go out to southern California and you see them flying from time to time.

 

[SaparotRob]

My main experience with contractors in the military was when they replaced army cooks with contractors at the bases. Often this was sub optimal; if nothing else the army cooks had to eat what they served...

What else could I award this post?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I was told by a USAF officer that most C-5A pilots were contractor back in the mid-70's. I had no knowledge of it myself, although when I went to ROTC camp at Charleston in 1972 there was no mention of it at the 437th MAW.

Well who ever told you this was pulling your leg! There are very far and few contractor pilots flying aircraft that belong to an armed forces branch and in those rare situations, it's for a special mission.

At Patrick AFB in the early 2000's at least one of the doctors working family pratice was a former USAF flight surgeon brought back as a contractor. That was useful to me when the unnecessary blood pressure and cholesterol drugs the previous Dr prescribed for me led the FAA to conclude they were not going to give me a 3rd class medical certificate. The Flt Surgeon understood the problem right away. Unfortunately his letter to the FAA still did not convince them.

A contractor Flight Surgeon is a little different.

 

[MIflyer]

In WWII it was common for what were basically civilian airline pilots to fly USAAF aircraft, C-46's, C-47's, C-54's, C-87's, and C-109's That is what Earnest K. Gann did.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

In WWII it was common for what were basically civilian airline pilots to fly USAAF aircraft, C-46's, C-47's, C-54's, C-87's, and C-109's That is what Earnest K. Gann did.

And that was WW2 as there were also civilian flight instructors, don't forget about the WAAFs. Whole different ballgame from saying that contractor pilots fly or have flown C-5s!!!!!

The only way you "may" have a civilian contractor flying a front line combat or transport aircraft is "maybe" at the factory after manufacturing. When I worked on the P-3 flight line we had company pilots do the initial flight test after the aircraft was completed. After that a military crew flew the aircraft for final acceptance.

 

[GrauGeist]

Go out to southern California and you see them flying from time to time.

They've been spotted quite often in the desert in California and Nevada, just last summer, two were at Fresno airport to train with CANG F-15Es and more recently, two were at MCAS Miramar training with VFMA-225 F-35Bs.

 

[MIflyer]

In the 70's the USAF had done lot of downsizing. In 1974 in ROTC they "suddenly" found that they had 500 more pilots than they needed and 500 less engineers than they needed. I could see them hiring former Air Force pilots to fill in some areas.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

In the 70's the USAF had done lot of downsizing. In 1974 in ROTC they "suddenly" found that they had 500 more pilots than they needed and 500 less engineers than they needed. I could see them hiring former Air Force pilots to fill in some areas.

Well I disagree 100%, there was NO WAY you had or were going to see civilian contractors flying an aircraft like a C-5 under normal unit operations!!! I'll stand to be corrected if you come up with some evidence of this! If you have 500 more pilots than needed, then why hire contractors!?!?!

500 engineers? There were only 130~ C-5As built between the late 60s and early 70s. The line opened back up again for C-5B construction during the mid/ late 80s where Lockheed built 50 more.

For many years I worked extensively on service contracts with contractor pilots and mechanics and if this was true it would be widely be known in the industry. Utter nonsense!

 

[GTX]

Air USA is nothing special here. There are multiple organisations offering similar support such as:

Draken International, LLC
Tactical Air Support, Inc.
Top Aces Inc.
Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC)
Blue Air Training - CAS Training
Omega Aerial Refueling Services - Aerial Refueling Service

 

[GrauGeist]

Even the C-5As used to transport materials between JSC and JPL in the 80's were flown by Air Force personnel.

 

[MIflyer]

Shortage of 500 degreed engineers AIR FORCE WIDE (not flight engineers in C-5A) and 500 more pilot applicants AIR FORCE WIDE than needed. As for why they hired contractors when they had an excess of pilot applicants, those pilot applicants were not useful for anything, while rated pilots were. That was the era in which they were pushing engineers out for not making Major and then sending them letters saying they were short of engineers and would they like to come back in.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Shortage of 500 degreed engineers AIR FORCE WIDE (not flight engineers in C-5A) and 500 more pilot applicants AIR FORCE WIDE than needed. As for why they hired contractors when they had an excess of pilot applicants, those pilot applicants were not useful for anything, while rated pilots were. That was the era in which they were pushing engineers out for not making Major and then sending them letters saying they were short of engineers and would they like to come back in.

I am well aware of the 1970s RIF, during that time I chose not to pursue an ROTC scholarship because of it. If you have 500 more pilot applicants AIR FORCE WIDE than needed you don't need additional pilots!!! Civilian pilots were never hired to fly in a front line capacity, be it combat or transport.

As far as I'm concerned your statement is totally false and I challenge you to show some evidence of this!!!!

As stated, I've work with people who were in the Air Force at this time, and had family members who flew both as pilots and enlisted crew members.

We have a forum member who flew C-141s during this period, I hope he chimes in as well.

 

[Hornet133]

They are getting less than the stated number as that does not take into the Eight (8) airframes that have been allocated to Museums in Australia. I don't have it in front of me but the list of where they are going has already been published. They are likely coming from the non flyable airframes mentioned earlier.

 

[GreenKnight121]

Well, there were 75 F/A-18s built for the RAAF - 57 -As and 18 -Bs.

Two of each have been destroyed in crashes: A21-41 & A21-42 (both built as Block 24, A model Hornets) and A21-104 & A21-106 (both built as Block 14, B model Hornets).

71

25 have been sold to the RCAF.

46

In May 2020, the Department of Defence announced that six F/A-18As (A21-22, -23, -29, -32, -40 and -43) and two F/A-18Bs (A21-101 and -103) would be preserved in Australia, with -22 and -40 earmarked for static preservation at the Australian War Memorial.

That leaves 38 available for Air USA.

 

[nuuumannn]

Draken is another firm that provides DACT services to the US armed forces.

Ready Everywhere – Draken - What We Do

From sharpening warfighters and protecting borders, to saving lives. Our services differ but they all share the same goal, to provide readiness wherever it is needed.

www.draken.aero

Draken use ex-RNZAF and Israeli AF A-4s as well as L-159s.