[Pukin Dog]

Null, you are talking about a different day.

Mechanical linkages, with balanced airframes that could actually glide unpowered. That all ended with the F-4.

The A-10 is actually a relic of that day and age, and comes with so many redundancies in the control surfaces that you can actually bring back a very wounded bird.

I am talking specifically about the training that pilots receive who are flying high-performance jets. There was a case over Iraq during the first Gulf War, where a Tomcat on a TARPS mission had one of its stabs blown off by a SAM. That plane came back, even landed on the boat. Two tails gone, that plane is NOT coming back.

I am talking about conditions where an ejection is imminent, and in such cases, there are simply no considerations about anything on the ground. None, dude.

[donnab]

are you a pilot?

[alisasny]

If I am not mistaken 7 jets are brought to a show in case one malfunctions but there are only 6 pilots, no alternates.

[Grammy]

"Null, you are talking about a different day. Mechanical linkages, with balanced airframes that could actually glide unpowered. That all ended with the F-4."

And herein lies the foundation of our disagreement. You made a statement that seemed to be a universal statement of pilots having no control. Actually your statement had to do with today's planes.

I had a personal reference to a different plane/time (T-38 in 1961-ish). The commendation on his wall was signed by Kennedy.

It seems therefore that we can both be right. I am prepared to declare a truce.

Signed, the non-newbie