we are training China's student pilots on one of our closed AF bases in ca. Does have info, whats your opinion
453416
There are many foreign airlines that that send their flight crews to the USA for flight training to become airline pilots. It is more affordable here than in any other area of the world due to our aviation infrastructure. Lufthansa, Japan Air Lines, China Air Lines and Scandinavian are just a few of the airline companies that do so.\n\nThere is absolutely nothing to be concerned about. These students had to pass a background check to get hired by the airline (just like US pilots and US airlines) before going to flight training, so you can be rest assured they are not terrorists.
660709
I WAS in the CAP, but it's been a loooooong time ago (1954), and yes, it's a good place to start learning what the Air Force is all about. Join if you can. You won't be sorry, I'm sure.\n\nRetired Air Force MSgt
910862
Yes I have a cousin in the USAF and he is an aircraft mechanic.  And he has been to Iraq.  But unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see him in Balad when I was in Iraq.\n\nJoin the club.
725941
I saw the report. Something is fishy. First off why would our military ever let that info out if it were true? Secondly, a diesel sub, and we can't detect it with a carrier group until it surfaces close to that group implying we will get shot out of the water if we try to do anything.  Bullcrap. It sounds like a political ploy in the making. Here's my guess. China has intentions of invading Taiwan, and we are not going to do a darn thing because we owe China too much money. I hope some Navy people post on this question. I want to hear their opinions.
114602
Well, obviously anyone who could really answer that question is barred by U.S. law from doing so -jeopardizing national security & all that.  Best guess: It's a research & development facility for new aircraft & technologies.  Not so much with actual designs -Boeing, Lockheed, et al take care of most of that.  But it's an ideal place to test new weapons & systems -Groom Lake, the area in Nevada where the site is located (or not, so to speak), is within or at least next to the Nellis AFB testing area (Red Flag, I think it's called).  It's also a good place to try out the prototypes of the new F-35 the Air Force & Navy are building -lots of space to do it, & no chance anyone who they don't want to show it to can see it.\n\n     As to the legality, Area 51's not the only place where they can shoot trespassers.  CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA is the same way, as are a number of other facilities both here in the U.S. & abroad -the guards are authorized to stop any potential threat to sites important to national security.  Though, usually, they try & give people warnings that they've entered an area they shouldn't be in.
275216
hope this might help:\nhttp://www.buddhanet.net/budwork.htm\n\nby the way, previously in mainland (communist) china, it was a rough place to live in. anything can happen, in order to keep surviving.
685687
I did my second AIT training there in Summer 2004.  I've been stationed back in Germany since then.  \n\nI agree with you FT Rucker is a nice place.
524662
Companies of the size and reputation of Boeing and Airbus cannot make Chinese type planes. With a properly trained/experienced pilot, both the planes are safe - one cannot say the same about many other makes!
58092
Yes, I believe it was wrong, but quite frankly I am tired of answering this question. However, in response to Bill's comment he is right they have been shooting at our planes patrolling the no fly zones. However, with that said the no fly zones were not sanctioned in the international community, and Iraq held the perception that the no fly zones were illeagel.
395868
I don't know what nations military service you were in, but I'd bet they offered training and PPE as well as technical data for maintaining aircraft fuel systems.  \n\nUnless you can prove otherwise, or that you actually used the proper PPE and tech data, you might not have a leg to stand on Bud.
389468
completely agree.  this plane was most likely shot down by the air force, but it makes a great story about those people being heros. god bless them all, but i don't think it's true.  \n\nyou know, it sucks that crap happens, but we do the same damn thing every day in other countries.  we kill innocent people and blow up crap for no reason.  too bad, that's probably why they do it back, then we do it back, and it never stops.  it will only get worse.
880591
The tours given the Chinese (or any other FNs -- "Foreign Nationals" in military-speak) are carefully controlled-- they don't see anything we don't want them to see.  If they showed us obsolete equipment, the message they're sending is "we're weak"... but we know that it isn't true.  If we show them more modern equipment (but still not classified), then we're showing them "we're strong"... and they know it IS true.\n\nIn terms of equipment, weapons, etc., we are far ahead of the Chinese.  However, in a land war the Chinese are pretty much unbeatable... think about their population.  If we killed 1000 Chinese for every American lost, they'd still have a large Army after we were all dead and gone.  \n\nSo the Chinese know that we've got much stronger weaponry, and don't mess with us militarily (note that Taiwan is still 'independent'!), and we know that in a war of attrition the only way the Chinese will lose is we've already long since lost, and it's the end of the world... And so we don't fight each other militarily.\n\nRegarding trade, I suspect the Chinese say that if the Americans are dumb enough to keep lowering taxes and increasing their national debt, they'll keep buying up that debt... if they decided to call in their notes, just from the last six years since the balanced budget was turned into a massive deficit, the US would be officially bankrupted.  The Chinese don't want that, because we're a great market.\n\nSo peace is maintained, almost despite ourselves!
464490
It’s been a while, 1978, but I doubt if much has changed.  The first few days are the hardest (learning how to fold clothes, procedures, and getting your head shaved), but after that they’re all pretty much the same.  \n\nAt Lackland AFB in San Antonio, you’ll live in modern dorm like quarters.  I believe there are 40 Airmen to a training flight, 20 on one side of the dorm and 20 on the other. If you’re lucky enough to have a high score on your entrance exam, you may be chosen as a Squad Leader (gives you a little more freedom and respect). Each floor has four training flights.  The mess hall, CQ, infirmary, and classrooms are located on the first floors of each dorm. \n\nYou wake up at 5:00 AM, exercise, eat breakfast, go to class for whatever you’re being trained for, eat lunch, learn weaponry, hike, obstacle course, lots and lots of marching, eat supper, clean the dorms, do laundry, study and go to bed around nine to start all over again the next morning.   Different days, you do different things at different times, but it all seemed the same to me. About half of the day is spent in class and the other half in physical training.\n\nThe Flight on the other side of the hall from you is called your Sister Flight and you guys compete against each other throughout the course of training.  If you mess up or one of the members of your Flight messes up, you or the entire Flight can be set back to day one.\n\nAs a bus load of graduates were making their way out Lackland, one Airman shot the bird at an officer's car out the back window of the bus and the entire Flight was sent back to day one.\n\nOne bit of advice I could to give you is to never, never, never under any circumstances volunteer for anything.  They hand out the worst tasks first and the easiest last; if all the jobs like, sweeping, scrubbing the latrine and laundry get filled by volunteers, you won’t have to do any of those types of chores.  I panicked and made the mistake of raising my hand; if I had not volunteered, I wouldn’t have had to do anything.  Oh yeah, pay close attention to what your TI (training instructor) says, they hate daydreamers. \n\nGood Luck!
175538
Check out this site by an Asian airline pilot for advice and information on the subject-\nhttp://www.AskCaptainLim.com
539016
I agree with Sophalas:  If you can get pilot training in the military, that will give you a place at the front of the line for commercial pilot jobs.
970077
Given even a paranoid conspiracy theorist's frame of mind, why would the military need to put a satellite in orbit around Mars?  We know it's a dead planet, so we can rule out the martians attacking us.  We can monitor chinese launches from earth, so there's no need to put a satellite there to tell us that someone put another satellite in orbit there.  The cost alone would be astronomical (pun intended), and the return would be nil.  I'm sure they'd rather buy another B1 bomber instead with the money.
272082
According to the link below, the construction on the base started in 1941 and pilot training began in 1942.  Hope this helps!