Warbird Information Exchange

Anybody else notice that the Pentagon list that BRAC approved effectively gutted all of the units that have been dedicated ADF squadrons ? Otis, Portland, North Dakota, Niagra, Minnesota, Houston. What a joke !!!

BRAC voted to close the Willow Grove JRB. The good news is they don't have the authority to close the ANG unit there. The bad news is that they are reassigning their A-10s elsewhere.

The 123rd FS at Portland was spared but JCW's unit the 939 Refueling Wing is history. Smart-cost saving move. They just finished extending/strenghtening the runways for the 135s at PDX and all the air/ground crew have finished upgrade training the new a/c (they recently gave up their HC-130Ps and Pavehawks). Not to mention all the support infrastructure is there and running. Taking a mission ready unit with worldwide deployment capability and just trashing it seems beyond just stupid.

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Don't touch my junk!!

The gripe we have here in Houston is that we have 9 out of 9 identified high value targets in the immediate Houston area. General "Fig" Newton made the case that "we kept fighters at S.A., they can cover it". This ignores the fact that the only alert pad is at Ellington and the S.A. jets are at best 30 min out, Ft Worth about 40 and New Orleans, 45 minutes. They are talking about rotating 2 alert fighters from other units and having our guys work them.

But Rick, aren't we getting the Predators based at Ellington? I feel safer
already!

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

Yeah, and what if the SA fighters were needed to cover this area as well... With the military actually increasing a tiny bit here.

Don't like that idea at all. Houston should have some fighter aircraft.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Having flown in this airspace for 25 years, the thought of large scale unmanned aircraft sharing the pattern at Ellington is a little scary. I know the Predator have made Hellfire attacks in Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq but I wasn't aware they were now doing ADF intercepts !