In the world of military aviation, it’s not uncommon for Army and Air Force units to be near each other, utilizing the same airfield. Any given day, you’d see CH-47 Chinooks taking off in pairs while a C-17 Globemaster III was lining up for it’s takeoff roll. It’s just the way things were. But seeing fighter jets and that ilk? Not so common, not even in war theatre. Not saying that it didn’t happen, just that it wasn’t that common…during my time in Balad, Iraq, we took every take-off of an F-16 or F-15 like a treat, the sound of the afterburner shredding the soundscape until it was far enough away that the noise from the ground generator’s turbine took over. But the one we freaked out over the most were A-10s. They’re quiet. They make a kind of ghostly wail as they fly by. They’re beyond durable…in 2003, then-Captain Kim Campbell’s A-10 was blasted beyond belief and shot up to boot, but it landed with no issue in Kuwait. The Air Force seems hell-bent on shedding the A-10 every chance they get, but the Army guys love ’em. Maybe it’s the GAU-8 and the “brrrrrrrrt!” sound that means that somebody is having a really f*cked up day.
This isn’t a real A-10. This is a remote-controlled version that is so intricately detailed, so well thought out that honestly, you could be forgiven for freaking out at first sight when it’s in flight. A 1/5.8 scale version of the Fairchild Republic, it’s legit down to the details: two turbine engines (here, Frank Turbine FT180s), flares, and yes, there’s even the noise of the gun in full simulation, with flash. Short of a rocket that actually fires, this is one of the most detailed, dead-on accurate R/C planes I’ve seen to date.
infantry loves this plane
That’s amazing…just wow.