Hello All! Military aviation spotter/enthusiast from Texas

amamilaviationspotter · by **amamilaviationspotter** » 22 Jul 2017, 08:08

Hello all,

I am a military aviation spotter/enthusiast based in the Amarillo, Texas region of the Texas Panhandle and have been a military aviation nerd pretty much my whole life. I was set on joining the Air Force after graduating high school with the hopes of becoming a aircraft maintainer but developed a chronic medical condition my senior year of high school that disqualified me from military service.

My love for aviation though (especially military) has been life long and ever since I got a camera, I have loved taking pictures of them and frequently travel to air shows and my local airport in Amarillo to spot military aircraft and photography them. I have been lucky enough to be out to Red and Green Flags numerous times over the years at Nellis and also made a trip to the Jedi Transition finally near Death Valley as a part of my love for this hobby and interest of mine. Besides taking pictures and trips, I love reading on the subject of military aviation and military aviation tactics in my spare time. I was lucky enough to met and become friends with a group of local spotters/military aviation enthusiast like me ( and others on this board) that field my love for this hobby and interest even more.

Unfortunately though like many, most in my group of friends/fellow enthusiast here locally fall into that category of the Bill Sweetmans and Pierre Spreys of the world in regards to the F-35 and have a deep dislike for the thing and I am unable to talk with them about the pros and cons of this exciting platform because it just ends with "any news about it is fake/propaganda" or "it sucks". Figured it would be fun to interact with more people who share a interest in this subject and also a place where open conversation can be had about a platform such as the F-35 that is informed and well rounded. I look forward to interacting with you all!

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 22 Jul 2017, 08:51

Welcome! You've come to the right place... Looking forward to any pics you may wish to share.

sprstdlyscottsmn · by **sprstdlyscottsmn** » 22 Jul 2017, 15:34

Welcome indeed! I know the challenge of educating the nay sayers can be taxing. I have been compiling a document of notable events and quotes for just that reason. I even have one friend who admits the plane is amazing but the program is bloated waste.

FlightDreamz · by **FlightDreamz** » 23 Jul 2017, 01:10

Welcome to f-16.net! Do you have a Flickr page (or shuttlefly or snapfish or whatever) that you post your photos to? Would love to see them. You can find my photos on Flickr under FlightDreamz2012

eloise · by **eloise** » 23 Jul 2017, 08:00

Welcome to F-16.net. If you interested in F-35 i would recommend
F-35 Busting myth series from Dragon029 (clear up most common myth surrounding F-35 program)
https://youtu.be/ZtZNBkKdO5U
or
Operational Performace Comparison from sprstdlyscottsmn (details comparison of F-35 and others 4 generation fighter like F-16, F-15, F-18, F-14)
viewtopic.php?f=55&t=25735
or
Aircraft101 from garryA (details information about working principles of radar, stealth, jamming, Infrared.. etc)
https://basicsaboutaerodynamicsandavion ... dpress.com
or
Elements of power from SgtMac (clear up common myth surrounding F-35 program)
http://elementsofpower.blogspot.com/201 ... c.html?m=1

sprstdlyscottsmn · by **sprstdlyscottsmn** » 23 Jul 2017, 14:23

eloise wrote:If you interested in F-35 i would recommend...

Thanks for the plug.

In all seriousness garryA web blog has some fantastic data with more detail than you can stomach on the workings of radar, electronic warfare, and stealth principles. It is not a "X plane can do Y" site, but is instead a "this is how different radar types and their submodes function". The list of sources is extensive.

SMSGT Mac's blog details at the plane level but helps to make sense of the information out there with great technical details.

Both of their sites help me write my, ever evolving, comparisons that look at how these aircraft may perform in combat conditions.

Dragon's video series is like a video overview of the above works as well as the rest of the news and dialog that happen on this site.

We are all more concerned with sharing facts and debunking "alternative facts" regardless of the outcome.

SpudmanWP · by **SpudmanWP** » 11 Aug 2017, 19:55

Welcome.. Btw, I'm getting tired of Cali.. Any room there in TX?