Маневренность Раптора. Ленгли.

The very long OEF missions over Afghanistan pressed the involved F-16 pilots to their physical limits. Here are some pilot´s views (All of the pilots were interviewed by Eric Hehs, editor of "Code One" magazine). From Eric I got the permission to use whatever I need from his outstanding "Enduring Freedom Debrief", published in the third quarter 2002 "Code One" online issue.

Lt. Col. "Bam Bam" (419th FW):
"The jet had no problem with ten- or eleven-hour missions. People were the limiting factor. A ten-hour mission interferes with Circadian rhythm and sleep cycles. One day we were going out in the morning. The next day we were briefing at one a.m. and taking off at five p.m. We had to balance crew rest with missions."

Lt. Col. Dion (944th FW):
"To deal with these extended periods in the cockpit, we had to watch total crew rest, eat low-residue meals, and use go pills at the tail end of the mission if needed. We’d take three or four water bottles and protein bars with us. For night missions, we would normally launch an hour or two before sunset, fly into the darkness, and land at sunrise. The missions were like flying across an ocean, performing a lengthy close air support mission, and then flying back across the ocean again. Time usually went by real fast the first two-thirds of the mission."

Capt. Mark (366th Wing):
"I wasn’t nervous on my first mission in theater, but the mission was taxing. Dealing with the unknown of traveling more than 1,500 miles over different air traffic control centers was hard. The administrative portion of flying through various air spaces, doing the check-ins, coordinating with tankers, paging through frequency lists, and dealing with all of those sorts of tasks was tough. Actually dropping the weapons was the easiest part of the mission. That’s why we train. But getting to the theater was a new process. After a mission or two, the process became familiar. But nothing was ever routine."

Lt. Col. Jeff (301st FW):
"Fatigue was much more an issue than I thought it would be. I had to work harder when I was tired. It was harder to think. I flew five all-nighters. I took off about six or seven as the sun was going down. I arrived in Afghanistan at midnight or at one in the morning. The first couple of times, flying every third day, fatigue is not a big issue. But the third time I flew one of these missions, I was very tired. By the end of the mission, I had used up all of my stored sleep. Like most pilots, I was on an adrenaline high in the AOR. Coming down from that high on the flight back could be dangerous. My body had been surging adrenaline for three or four hours. Afterwards, the fatigue hit at one time. The most scared I have ever been in a fighter was coming back from one of these long missions. I could not stay awake. I almost fell asleep in the cockpit, even on the tanker."

Lt. Col. Burt (354th FW):
"A pilot’s body clock was messed up for a couple of days after a long night mission. We had a significant Circadian rhythm problem. But we had no choice. We were at war. We have a normal peacetime restriction of ten hours. That means we have to be out of the airplane ten hours after showing up to work. In OEF, we were flying for over ten hours."

Maj. Greg (354th FW)
"The Reserve pilots from Texas gave us some good advice on how to deal with the long missions. They recommended what food to take and how to organize the cockpit. We had to carry NVGs, extra food, a lot of maps, and other mission planning material. We also wore combat survival vests to carry more items, like a gun. We were there in the colder months so we had to wear an extra layer of clothing as well. The cockpit was very tight for our larger pilots. The Reserve pilots also helped us with the administration tasks we faced going to and coming from the AOR."

Lt. Col. Mark (332nd AEG):
"Some nights, the missions were tranquil. Others were three-to-four-hours, hair-on-fire hell raising. The three largest factors for me were getting gas to get there and get back many times, peeing in the Viper, and staying alert enough to come back and land after a ten-hour mission at night."