Rathofer's second decade check in

[Rathofer]

Well I was pleasantly surprised to see the group still exists!

Since my last check in back in 2014, I moved from NM to the UK. Flew the CV-22 there for four years (RIAT display pilot in 2017 and 2018). In 2020 I returned to the US and worked in a HQ staff job for a bit. I had my final CV-22 flight in 2023 and have since moved on to the T-6 to teach young officers how to fly. I finished my conversion training back in May but have had some medical delays for my move. In the meantime, I was playing DCS a lot (had no real job and lots of free time this summer) and recently was like....oh what about IL-2? Then I remembered my time in JG1 all those years ago....and here I am.

So what old heads are still around?

[Klaiber]

1 hour ago, Rathofer said:

Well I was pleasantly surprised to see the group still exists!

Since my last check in back in 2014, I moved from NM to the UK. Flew the CV-22 there for four years (RIAT display pilot in 2017 and 2018). In 2020 I returned to the US and worked in a HQ staff job for a bit. I had my final CV-22 flight in 2023 and have since moved on to the T-6 to teach young officers how to fly. I finished my conversion training back in May but have had some medical delays for my move. In the meantime, I was playing DCS a lot (had no real job and lots of free time this summer) and recently was like....oh what about IL-2? Then I remembered my time in JG1 all those years ago....and here I am.

So what old heads are still around?

Hey Rath, it's great to hear from you!

It's hilarious that you're posting almost 10 years exactly from when you last stopped by. And that that was 10 years after your time in JG1 (circa 2004). 

 

If you're interested, here is our Discord server: https://discord.gg/SM6Uk5XuJ2

We're definitely still active.  Though grayer.  All of my time is in DCS now, but there are plenty of guys in the group who still fly IL-2 Great Battles and Flying Circus.

If you're around in the North American evenings, around 9PM EDT, you're more than welcome to join us.

If you get the chance, you should definitely talk to @Flyboy.  He wasn't around in 2014.  But he's former USAF, flying T-38s, currently a commercial pilot.  I'm sure you guys would have a lot of stories to swap.

In DCS, what are you currently flying?

 

[Rathofer]

LOL I kinda wish I had through about this a month ago! back to back 10 year check-ins would have been a riot.

I've been messing around with the F-4, trying to learn SEAD/DEAD with it and really enjoy the cat-n-mouse game you have to play with the AGM-45s. Built a 1970s timeframe Kola template/sandbox that I fight different things. Also running through one of the F-14 campaigns, though there's times when I'll spend an hour just making passes at the boat (I have about 200 deck landings in the '22, so I have a strange attachment to boats).

Right now I'm just running off a gaming laptop w/ a Quest3 for VR. I don't have a good control setup due to my temporary housing situation, but I make due. Testing out some DCS mods to make things run smoother, updated my laptop to 64bg DDR5, just tweaks here and there. Keeps me entertained in my current situation (waiting to move).

[Flyboy]

@Erhardt and I have been working on the F-4 quite a bit. The Shrikes are a bit frustrating and I’ve tried direct, dive toss and lofting but find going in low and doing direct within 5 nm works best. Getting them tuned correctly has also been a challenge. 
 

I’ve got a gaming laptop also (MSI Titan) because I travel a lot and like to do mission editing from the hotel. Just ordered a Pimax Crystal Light to replace my HP G2 so will see how that goes. 
 

After this week I will be home for a couple weeks so let me know if you want to fly together. I have a Fox3 server and have custom scenarios like some IFR maps we can do some instrument formation flying and landings. Also a SAM training map. 

[Snaggle]

On 8/19/2024 at 12:57 PM, Rathofer said:

so I have a strange attachment to boats)

Ships if you please.

CAPT USN (ret)

[Vonrd]

2 hours ago, Snaggle said:

Ships if you please.

CAPT USN (ret)

No disrespect Sir but...

Ship it is from an "uninformed aviator" 

Bluejacket's Manual - Of Ships and Boats and . . .

 

By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired)

Another exception sometimes encountered is that personnel who are assigned to air wings that are embarked on board  aircraft carriers will sometimes refer to the carrier as “the boat.” There is no official sanction for this, but it seems to be a kind of affectionate irreverence they use to set themselves apart from their fellow sailors who are assigned to the carrier as a part of her permanent crew (or they are merely uninformed aviators!). Having served in two of these magnificent monsters, I have no doubt that an aircraft carrier is a ship—let others call it a boat if they must.

[Snaggle]

2 hours ago, Vonrd said:

No disrespect Sir but...

As an aviator and as half black shoe during my last active duty tour and some of my reserve tours, it’s a ship

and yes, I did call it going to the boat, but it’s still a ship.

”let others call it a boat if they must.”

[Rathofer]

My dad is a retired USCG pilot, it irks him beyond belief when I call them boats....it is so much fun.

Back in 2019 I was doing some training with a SEAL team and a DDG (destroyer for you uniformed aviators out there) and they invited me to the wardroom for a pre-mission briefing. At this particular location, the docks are super close to the airfield we were staging out of. So I bee-bop on down there only to realize there are like 6 DDGs in port. So here I am, in my two-piece OCP flight suit walking around looking for the hull number. I found it, walk up the gangway and ask permission to come aboard. These two petty officers were rather confused at my presence. But none-the less they approved, I saluted the ensign, and then asked....so where is the wardroom? After one of the most confusing sets of instructions that included some strange code of bulkheads and decks, a crusty chief came to my rescue. Good thing he did, no way I would have found the wardroom. 

The CO and XO were there as were the SEALs I had been doing training with. At the end of the briefing, the CO asked if I had any questions about the DDG we were on and if I wanted a tour. So I asked "I'm just a dumb Air Force pilot, is this a ship or a boat?" They all died laughing, he said it was a ship....that if I ever needed a easy way to remember it was "ships carry boats...boats don't carry ships."  But what he didn't know was that the SEALS had put me up to this. I had downloaded a picture of the damaged USS Cole being carried by a dry dock ship. I then asked him, 'well sir, I'm slightly confused then, DDGs are obviously boats' as I showed him the photo. The XO was in tears at this point and the CO just said "mmmmmm.....fair point....now let me show you around my SHIP."