Feds to announce home bases for new fighter jets

[TimBit]

I used to feel sorry for myself in terms of postings being in The RCR (Oromocto/Fredericton is my best hope, certainly better than Petawawa/Pembroke).

I missed the boat on London and Germany, and nothing that will bring me to Kingston or Edmonton.

Then I learned where fighter pilots have to choose from for postings and I feel incredibly fortunate.  You guys might get the hotels on travel when we get the tent, but my hat is really off to you for the QOL hit your families must take.

Uh? Saguenay is a GREAT place to live. I'd trade Freddie for it any day of the year. As for COld Lake, well, then, yeah...

 

[observor 69]

Been posted to Cold Lake, Bagotville and Chatham.
I trade any one of them for a posting to Trenton or any other place close to civilization. 

 

[Tank Troll]

Some times living in the big city isn't all that it is cracked up to be. The amenities are nice but housing, crime, time to commute, it all factors in.

 

[ArmyRick]

I have been posted to a city unit before (2VP in Winnipeg) and yes there are some nice things but there is also some crappy issues to it as well.

I personally found places like Petawawa and Meaford, nice places to be/live. I guess it depends on the man (I hate big city life myself nothing wrong with a little fresh country air!)

 

[TimBit]

Agreed! When my wife and I think of 3rd and 4th Wing as potential postings, we think more of the fresh air, the hunting and fishing, and the safety of raising your kids there than of the lack of cultural activities. Once you got kids in tow, you couldn't care less about clubbing, fine dining and cultural evenings really...

 

[aesop081]

Agreed! When my wife and I think of 3rd and 4th Wing as potential postings,

Just as a minor point, there is no "th", "st" or "nd". Just pronounced "Three Wing", "Four Wing", etc..

 

[observor 69]

Agreed! When my wife and I think of 3rd and 4th Wing as potential postings, we think more of the fresh air, the hunting and fishing, and the safety of raising your kids there than of the lack of cultural activities. Once you got kids in tow, you couldn't care less about clubbing, fine dining and cultural evenings really...

It was 12 years before we were at a location where my wife could attend a university.
After she finished her degree it meant she was 16 years behind her peers in her profession.
Fortunately my son was just at the age to enter university when we got that 12 year posting.

And we aren't much for clubbing, fine dinning or cultural evenings either.  ;D

 

[ArmyRick]

How about this to end the argument.

Fighter jets, tanks, wings, fleets, brigades, etc, etc get stationed where they are needed and can exercise/fine tune their skills at maximum profficiency. Stationing units in cities for the members convience does not do the tax payer justice. Canadians have every right to expect us to be ready and the most able to do the job.

I guess if that means we are posted in the middle of no where, then so be it. The needs of the service come first.

 

[SupersonicMax]

You don't need a fighter base to be in the middle of nowhere.  Just the range.  Like it's been said, plenty of fighter bases in the US around major centers.  Especially close to the coasts, you can easily get airspace to work into and we can get to ranges pretty much anywhere.  We regularly go to Valcartier and Gagetown from Bagotville and Wainwright, Shilo and Suffield from Cold Lake. 

FWIW, Bagotville is not small.  It's 150 000 people.  You can have both:  the city living with the outdoors literally just outside your doorstep.

 

[captloadie]

In Canada's case, where except for the west coast, you have to fly through alot of nothing buffer before you get to economic and political targets. F-35's are meant to intercept, preferably at a great distance from the target. And, if they are going to target Canada's fighter force to nullify our air supremacy  :, you don't want our major centres to take all the collateral damage of an airstrike because we've placed large bases on their outskirts.

 

[SeanNewman]

.... F-35's are meant to intercept, preferably at a great distance from the target...

Max,

What are your thoughts on this?  You've posted a few times before about a jet's top speed and how little it actually gets used, but in a case like a true intercept how much do you feel like a fighter having a top speed of mach 1.8 vs 2.5 would matter?

Is it really as simple as us getting there X minutes sooner meaning Y more kms farther away, or are there other factors that would matter a lot more?

 

[SupersonicMax]

A higher top speed only means that the average speed should be higher than something else with a lower top speed.  Sure, it helps, however, you need to manage your fuel.  Getting there in time is not normally an isssue for various reasons.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Getting there in time is not normally an isssue for various reasons.

You mean coming back in one piece is the real issue?

 

[SeanNewman]

A higher top speed only means that the average speed should be higher than something else with a lower top speed.  Sure, it helps, however, you need to manage your fuel.

Admitting my own complete ignorance here, but understanding in peace time we save fuel when required, would the drill not be to go to wide-open-thrust if we were actually intercepting something that was coming to bomb us?

 

[dapaterson]

Having enough fuel to return to base (or to another base) is a consideration most pilots would make  (with the notable exception of the Gimli Glider)

 

[belka]

Admitting my own complete ignorance here, but understanding in peace time we save fuel when required, would the drill not be to go to wide-open-thrust if we were actually intercepting something that was coming to bomb us?

WOT doesn't help when your target is 2 hours away and you have 15min of fuel left at that power setting. This is assuming that AAR isn't available.