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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) New in the Library - 7/31/2011 (Read 7729 times)
Neesierie
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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #15 - Aug 4th, 2011 at 4:27pm
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My brother is a pilot and owns his own Cessna.  He took lessons until he passed the test.  It's not that expensive if it's something you want.  Wink
  

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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #16 - Aug 4th, 2011 at 6:57pm
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I'm thinking, though, Great Britain? And Foster ends up a professional test pilot at 28. Roll Eyes

I'd still go with Foster joining the RAF to become a pilot - at least then you don't have to worry about how he was earning his money to get flying lessons.  Grin

Also - since I've been researching the RAF for Freeman's backstory - since Foster would have needed either a college degree or gone to the RAF College for 2 to 3 years to become an officer and pilot (unless I've read everything completely wrong) going RAF would make even more sense. He could go in at 17, maybe even younger, and get in his schooling. No problem getting his pilot's ticket at 20, then.

Of course there's the option that when Foster says he's been a pilot for 8 years - that time could be construed as overlapping his time as a test pilot. So his total time as a pilot is 8 years and he got his pilot's license at 22. He got his degree in whatever at University before going becoming a pilot.  Smiley
« Last Edit: Aug 4th, 2011 at 8:30pm by Librarian »  

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Yuchtar
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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #17 - Aug 5th, 2011 at 7:25am
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Wouldn't a company that designs and builds prototype aircraft train their own test pilots? I mean, maybe hire licensed pilots and then - well, what specialized training do you need to be a test pilot?

Eh, never mind me - it's late, I've got a headache and I'm generally too lazy to look up things like that anyway. (I usually wouldn't even deal with a technicality like that in MY stories, but then, we all know what MY stories are like, so ......)

  Smiley

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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #18 - Aug 5th, 2011 at 2:47pm
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Congratulations  Smiley

I double checked - if Foster had gone through the RAF school for three years, he would have been signed on for an 18 year term. And in 1971 they went to college grads only for flight school and officer training. So Foster is a college grad and I think Matt has him as an aeronautical engineer, so that works nicely.

The USAF test pilot course takes 6 months (at least it used to and I doubt it's been changed). They don't teach flying, but how to understand what's going on with the plane in flight and how to write it down so the engineers understand it.

If Foster was an engineer before getting his pilot's ticket, then he might have been ahead of the game for becoming a test pilot. I don't know if the big aerospace companies have test pilot schools or if there's a commercial one - there probably is.
  

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Neesierie
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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #19 - Aug 7th, 2011 at 3:30am
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Deb,
I spoke to my pilot brother today, as well as my brother who was in the USAF (it was a family reunion), and they both said that test pilots are ex-military.  David said that test pilots are the elite of the elite, and no regular Joe could aspire to their ranks.  Gary added that there are no test piloting schools for civilians.  So it looks as though Foster definitely was ex-military.
  

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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #20 - Aug 7th, 2011 at 3:59am
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It's nice to have confirmation on these things. The next nit-picky point is apparently the RAF requires a 12 year commitment for their pilots and air officers but it looks like Foster was released after 6 years (not long after his second UFO sighting) - and with test pilot training to boot.

Good thing this is fiction.  Roll Eyes
  

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Neesierie
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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #21 - Aug 7th, 2011 at 1:42pm
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Well, I'd buy it that they just wanted to get rid of him.  Guys who don't worry about spouting off about seeing UFOs tend to be looked down on by military types.  Wink
  

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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #22 - Aug 7th, 2011 at 3:11pm
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My biggest concern is that if the RAF simply flushed him for something like 'mental instability' for seeing flying saucers, that would negatively affect his beginning career as a test pilot. Unless there was another excuse they could use to save face - their own as well as Foster's.

Kofax didn't seen to be aware of any prior issues with Foster and I figure he would know people who would tell him if there were.

Maybe Foster had earlier tested a VAC plane for the RAF and Kovacs openly wanted to hire him. That would give the RAF an excuse to 'down-size' Foster out of the service without admitting that they let someone who sees UFOs into test pilot training. And maybe, just maybe, the person who got Foster's sighting reports 'suggested' to the RAF that they not put anything into Foster's record that might come back on them later and/or they cut a deal with Foster that he could keep his flight rating so long as he kept his mouth shut about seeing things.

Just some thoughts.  Wink
  

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Matt
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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #23 - Aug 7th, 2011 at 4:57pm
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UFO sightings by pilots, military, and law enforcement personnel are considered "reliable" accounts, so I would not expect Foster to be "black balled" for making a report. Several astronaunts reported seeing unidentified craft durring space missions (including one of the lunar missions) and to this day most of the sightings are unexplained. (SHADO security! Wink)

Foster could also have been granted civilian status at VAC, especially if doing so is to the advantage of the military. It would be similar to the status given to astronauts when they are still "doing their hitch." I believe that Lockheed-Martin's "Skunkworks" division had several pilots in that classification. (SR71 Pilots) Smiley
  

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Re: New in the Library - 7/31/2011
Reply #24 - Aug 7th, 2011 at 6:26pm
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Okay, with that scenario, if Foster had been given 'non-active' status with the RAF (not sure exactly how that would work but it sounds good) to work with VAC, then his actual departure from the RAF would have been after the crash of the XV-104 and most likely when he joined SHADO.

Now leaving the RAF (or even VAC) for a film company might raise questions, but those could be explained away by claiming he had physical injuries from the crash that kept him from continuing as test pilot and there were still questions concerning the crash itself.  :Smiley

  

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