What You Need To Know About...
...The United States Air Force
(Note: This is NOT an official United States Government website)
1. General
2. People
3. Planes
9. Books
10. Useful Links
If you would like to discuss the United States Air Force click here to go to our Air Force Discussion Forum.
General
1.01 How old is the U.S. Air Force?
Tricky question - the U.S. Air Force started out as the U.S. Army Air Force; a designation it held thru two world wars. The Air Force as we know it didn't become a separate branch until September 18th, 1947.
1.1 How do I join the United States Air Force?
Start here: http://www.airforce.com or go to your local Air Force recruitment office.
1.5 What is a Bogie/Bogey?
A Bogie (or Bogey) is an unidentified contact (usually airborne). Could be a plane, could be a missile, heck could be a weather balloon. All we know is that it's an unknown airborne contact. Once we identify it as an enemy it's a "Bandit." We see that misused in movies fairly often -- the good guys referring to identified enemy aircraft as "Bogeys."
1.6 What can you tell me about saluting?
A salute is a gesture, and in this context we mean a hand gesture, generally given by a subordinate to a superior upon first encountering that superior. In the United States military the salute is generally given by standing at attention, feet together, standing straight, shoulders back, and raising the right hand, fingers and thumb straight and together, so that the tip of the index finger touches the bill of the hat (if wearing one) or the temple just above the right eye. The upper arm should extend out to the side, parallel to the ground.
Different branches have different rules about saluting and the circumstances of the encounter must also be taken into consideration.
People
2.01 What are the enlisted ranks? (note: these are not comprehensive)
E1 - Airman Basic
E2 - Airman
E3 - Airman First Class (A1C)
E4 - Senior Airman
E5 - Staff Sergeant
E6 - Technical Sergeant
E7 - Master Sergeant/First Sergeant
E8 - Senior Master Sergeant/First Sergeant
E9 - Chief Master Sergeant/Command Master Sergeant
2.02 What are the officer ranks? (note: these are not comprehensive)
O1 - Second Lieutenant
O2 - First Lieutenant
O3 - Captain
O4 - Major
O5 - Lieutenant Colonel
O6 - Colonel
O7 - Brigadier General
O8 - Major General
O9 - Lieutenant General
O10 - General
General of the Air Force (doesn't have an "O" designation; is only used in wartime)
2.1 What's an AFSC?
That's the Air Force Specialty Code and it tells you what the specific job of an Air Force person. It's similar to the MOS used by the Army or Marines or ratings used by the Navy. There are both officer and enlisted AFSCs -- the officer AFSCs have four characters and the enlisted ones have five.
Planes
4.1 Is there a list of planes the Air Force flies?
Of course. The best list is from the source itself: Air Force Fact Sheets Look down the right side of the page.
4.2 What is "Mach 1"
Mach is a designation that relates to the speed of sound. Mach 1 means the speed of sound. Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound. Mach 3 is three times the speed of sound, etc. The speed of sound varies slightly depending upon air density and temperature but is approximately 720 miles per hour.
4.5 Six Planes You Should Know About
4.5.1 B-17
The Flying Fortress - one of the most prominent bombers of World War II.
4.5.2 F-15
One of the premier fighter aircraft in the world. It's often mistaken for the Navy's F-14 which looks similar but the F-15 is a single-seat aircraft that differs from the F-14 in a few features.
4.5.3 B-1
The B-1 is a multi-role long range bomber capable of supersonic speeds.
4.5.4 F-117
The F-117 Nighthawk is the first operational stealth aircraft. A fighter-bomber about the size of an F-15 it's been in operation since around 1983.
4.5.4.1 How fast is the F-117?
Exact speed specifications are classified but it is subsonic.
4.5.5 B-2 Spirit
The famous flying wing stealth bomber it carries a crew of just two and in addition to it's low-observable technologies (which is the Air Force way of saying it's hard to see) it has an unrefueled range of approximately 6,000 nautical miles.
4.5.5.1 When was the B-2's first flight?
July 17, 1989.
4.5.6 SR-71 Blackbird
The fastest plane in the world the SR-71 was built for very high-altitude reconnaissance and spying. It's capable of speeds in excess of Mach 3. There are no SR-71s in service currently; they've all been retired.