Return of Turboprops to CAS role?

[HAL Pilot]

That would be quite the experience to have your skipper shot down. Just out of curiosity, if CO and XO are both lost, does the OPSO assume command?

The next senior URL would assume command.

I had "my squadron" as "acting CO" for a little over a week when I was the Admin Officer. CO was on a pre-deployment trip and the XO went on emergency leave.

Every day when the CO called I threatened to use up all the CO awarded NAMs and designate every 3P as an IP.

I did use my temporary "power" to sign all the outstanding squadron instruction revisions the CO had been sitting on. It took him about 3 weeks after he returned to realize they were no longer in his hold box, a fourth week to cool off and a fifth week to thank me. I got a lot of the Admin Departments backlogged work cleared up that week.....

 

[Junkball]

^no doubt!! The Pucara is the neatest airplane to ever come out of South America.

This aircraft disagrees!

 

[scoolbubba]

I like the A-37s that some of the South American air forces flew. Take the engines off a F-5, jam them into a T-37 and load it down with rockets and bombs and cannons. Voila, instant counterinsurgency platform.

The Embraer SuperTucano the Brazilians are using now, and the proposed AT-6 are badass too.

I'm definitely biased towards a T-6 that has bombs hanging all over it, though. Bringing sexy back to Props.

 

[gaijin6423]

Wasn't the Bronco, cool though it was, eventually done in by it's lack of IR suppression capability v. newer generation MANPADs? I thought that I'd heard that somewhere, but my brain is a little traumatized after the 98983459834 hours of hail and farewell tonight.

As a related question, have any turned up in private hands? It seems like it would be kind of fun to motor around in, no?

 

[Mumbles]

I knew someone would bring up tucanos...and although it's a spiffy little airplane, as far as coolness factor for indigenous So. American airplanes....it's no where near as cool as the Pucara IMHO.

 

[Flash]

I knew someone would bring up Tucanos...and although it's a spiffy little airplane, as far as coolness factor for indigenous So. American airplanes....it's no where near as cool as the Pucara IMHO.

The Colombians got this guy with them though:

 

[nugget81]

As a related question, have any turned up in private hands? It seems like it would be kind of fun to motor around in, no?

I've seen a couple of broken ones at Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ. There's no way they fly but one could hope that there's enough spare parts to make a flyable OV.

 

[Swanee]

I like the A-37s that some of the South American air forces flew. Take the engines off a F-5, jam them into a T-37 and load it down with rockets and bombs and cannons. Voila, instant counterinsurgency platform.

The Embraer SuperTucano the Brazilians are using now, and the proposed AT-6 are badass too.



I'm definitely biased towards a T-6 that has bombs hanging all over it, though. Bringing sexy back to Props.

My old man says that his favorite airplane to fly was the A-37. It had more power than you could ever need and it was very small.

 

[zab1001]

I like the A-37s that some of the South American air forces flew. Take the engines off a F-5, jam them into a T-37 and load it down with rockets and bombs and cannons. Voila, instant counterinsurgency platform.

Chilean AF still has them. I was taxiing back to the line one day way far south and my jaw dropped when I saw a few on the flightline, loaded up and everything.

Wasn't the Bronco...
As a related question, have any turned up in private hands? It seems like it would be kind of fun to motor around in, no?

Not really private, per se, but they use them for firefighting in Cali. A few years back I was driving to LA from up north during some wildfires. I actually pulled over and watched them work for awhile.

 

[burningfeathers]

As a related question, have any turned up in private hands? It seems like it would be kind of fun to motor around in, no?


The forest service maintains a fleet of OV-10's as observation platforms for forest fires. I used to see them flying all over the place when my state (CA) makes its yearly attempt to burn to the ground

On a side note, doesnt AFSOC have some AT-6's?...I think I heard that someplace.

 

[burningfeathers]

My bad the the double post...you beat me to it Zab

 

[Single Seat]

And here I thought you wanted to send a bunch of these to Afghanistan.

 

[scoolbubba]

I knew someone would bring up tucanos...and although it's a spiffy little airplane, as far as coolness factor for indigenous So. American airplanes....it's no where near as cool as the Pucara IMHO.

I'd never seen the Pucara before this thread, but it looks like an A-4 with turboprops glued on. The best of both worlds.

 

[HeyJoe]

On a side note, doesnt AFSOC have some AT-6's?...I think I heard that someplace.

The first prototype AT-6B is still in assembly. Should be flying by Springtime.

 

[Gatordev]

The first prototype AT-6B is still in assembly. Should be flying by Springtime.

Springtime of what year? I'll buy everyone a Dr. Pepper if it comes out on time. Oh wait, that didn't work out so well for someone else who said that...