[LasVegasMac]

But I do think they are tasked to loiter in the vicinity until it's time to deliver the goods, right? That probably helped.

Is there a problem with your time accounting for an aircraft to "loiter" in a combat area?

I'm sure he spent lots of hours - loitering - circling (like a pissed off Eagle on a mission) - just waiting for the ragheads to show themselves.

Yes, he probably spent countless hours - waiting for the call from the troops on the ground - "Angel 1, Sniper 1, target!"

I DO NOT like the way you worded your reply.

You imply that his time spent loitering did not mean much...to wit....."But I do think they are tasked to loiter in the vicinity until it's time to deliver the goods, right? That probably helped.

What exactly do you mean by, "That probably helped."?

Sounds to me like you think the loiter time does mean much.

LVM

[Cobra64]

I enjoyed your remark/come back to Snake65. Thank you.

My brother was a helo pilot in 'Nam and was deployed (extraction) near fire zones. Long stories, but he came home alive.

[Tax Government]

Guessing that "That probably helped" means "helped him reach 3000 hrs."

[Snake65]

I DO NOT like the way you worded your reply

Well, I apologize for offending you. The term "loiter" (sometimes called "cab-rank loiter" too) is used in the book The Great Book of Modern Airplanes (Salamander:1987) in its discussion of tactical Combat Air Support. "Single engine loiter" is in the specs as a selling point.

Other uses of "loiter" in CAS missions:
FAS Military Analysis Network discussion of the A-10.

And the Air Command and Staff College whitepaper From Desert Storm to 2025: Close Air Support in the 21st Century.

By my understanding, one of the attributes that makes the A-10 so effective at CAS is loiter capability. More proof that we need to keep the A-10. And bravo to the pilot.

[Gunrunner2]

Yes, "loiter" is very important as it allows the Hog to shape the battlefield. The Hog shows up and the FAC/ALO runs the CAS, then the A-10 goes back out of range, gets info for another target and runs another attack.

"Loiter" doesn't really mean not doing anything. For a Hog it means repositioning and getting set for another attack.

Example:

Gulf War I.

Working 2 A-10's. They were doing re-attacks with their 30mm.

Two F-16's showed up and checked in with 2 Mk-84's and 5-minutes of gas. All I could do was pass GPS target coordinates and hold the A-10's high and dry.

The F-16's attacked and then went away. Mk-84's are effective but can only be used once.

The A-10 GUA-8 is very effective and can be used multiple times because it has a lot of bullets and the aircraft has a lot of gas ("loiter time").

Cheers,