Originally Posted by
Tanker-driver
A while back, they were talking about some sort of ACE program for the guys who went to UAVs/RPAs. Sending some Tweets out to the units and dual qualifying the guys out there would certianly address the "stick and rudder" issues relatively cheaply. The old T-3s would be even cheaper, but I understand that all of these aircraft were destroyed despite being perfectly flyable.
There have been variations of that rumor for years. C-12s, T-3s (mothballed at Hondo), T-6s, T-41s, etc. It has never come to fruition. Bottom line, there are not enough bodies to fly the lines, take time off to go fly the pattern with an instructor, then get sleep adjusted back on shift to fly. Plus the cost to maintain the airframe, plus the safety factor, plus the bodies make it all happen. That's a negative, not going to happen.
