Female Cadet Percentage

That should not be the main focus of usafa. The mission of the air force is not support, and what you said above is the standard response of people that tell themselves it is
 
usafa12 - General McPeak - we have missed you. Welcome to 2016

It must be a privilege and an honor to know and serve you - the ultimate warrior

The USAF needs more leaders like you (those who truly understand)
 
Look, the point of the air force is to fly combat aircraft. There are many that do not understand this and get upset when their job is labeled as less important, when in fact it is
 
You might look into where the USAF is investing and how the next wars will be fought and are being fought

Drones
Cyber warfare
Long range missiles

When was the last dogfight?

What does manned aircraft due besides cost more $ and serve as the limiting factor in the functionality of the aircraft

I thought like you once then I grew up
 
Manned aircraft are hugely more capable than drones. The human does not limit the plane at all. Robots cannot and will never be able to make the decisions in a split second a human can. I'm pretty sure a large percetage of the air force budget is tied up in the F35, a manned aircraft badly needed. The next wars will be fought with near peer countries and drones will have no use in those conflicts.
 
the physiological limitations of the human body are without question the limiting factor

G forces alone
Required oxygen systems
The ejection seat and all the other 'safety' items are high cost which take up weight and space and eat up tremendous $
Needing to pee and eat decrease on target loiter time

Shall I continue

Are you 12 playing a video game?
 
That should not be the main focus of usafa. The mission of the air force is not support, and what you said above is the standard response of people that tell themselves it is
The mission of the United States Air Force is to fly, fight and win—in air, space and cyberspace.

Support roles are only part of the for USAFA. Post graduation, about 1/2 of fly. They also need "scientists" for space. Another powerful weapon is cyber. Hence this growing program http://www.usafa.edu/df/dfe/dfer/centers/accr/ .
 
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Peer country wars are being fought now using cyber warfare

The F35 is a financial black hole and only still exists because of the politics and the number of NATO countries and congressional districts that are involved in its development
 
G forces? There is no benefit to aircraft that can pull more than 9G, which is already sustainable by the human body. Oxygen systems don't take up that much space. Yes, ejection seats are extremely expensive, but you cannot build a robot to make the same decisions a combat pilot makes and in the time a human pilot makes them. Needing to pee? Its called a piddle pack, and its called bringing food to eat. Those do not decrease loiter time at all.

You would think support is the main focus at usafa nowadays though. Just look at the commercials on tv, everything is about being anything but a pilot, let alone a combat pilot.
 
Have you even been in the altitude chamber - let alone the cockpit?

The human body - even yours has been the limiting factor in flight since Orville Wright
 
The F35 is and will be a fantastic fighter that is needed greatly. Its systems and capabilities are so vast and complex that it dominates anything out there, including the f22. Drones cannot take the place of manned combat aircraft! Are you serious?! It takes a human to make decisions in a contested environment which drones do not operate in.
 
Then you should know better.

No aircraft needs to be able to withstand more than the human limits sounds a lot like Bill Gates when he said no computer would ever need more than 64 k of memory
 
You literally gain nothing by pulling more than 9g. Planes are barely even capable of maintains that for more than a few seconds anyways.
 
I operate on the premise of enlightened self interest. I am often asked to evangelize to schools about SAs, I was reluctant to do that before my DD was appointed because why would I want to increase the number of already highly qualified candidates she was already competing .

Wow. Uncommon honesty and intelligence, etc. If your daughter is a chip off the old block, she's a keeper!
 
This thread certainly seems to have meandered around more than most from its subject line.
Returning somewhat to the topic of the proportion of females at USAFA and the military service. Here's an article regarding Gen Robinson's nomination to be the first women to lead a combatant command.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/us/politics/lori-robinson-united-states-northern-commmand.html

The article goes on to say:
"...a little more than 6 percent of generals and admirals are women; 17 percent of officers are women; and 15 percent of enlisted service members are women"

It also mentions some initiatives the Pentagon is investigating to facilitate women being able to have longer careers.
 
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