IVPAC Today
your guide to modern paper flight
Javelins Set to Expand Their Horizons - Gaining "New" Roles
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At the close of CY18, a remarkable proposal was put forth by persons at SIL. To take their 30 year old interceptor, and enlarge it to the point of making it the new Heavy Airlift/Bomber aircraft. "it was easy to get keen on the idea" - a SIL spokesperson has said - "Javelins have the flight plan heavy airplanes need. Now we just need to figure out if they can be super sized." R&D has concluded in the short time since then, and this spring hopes to see the first Stage 3 T&E flights. "Hard to believe we hadn't thought of this before; after all it IS thirty years old" - said same spokesperson. HOVER
The 'new' up-sized variant of the Javelin is to be called Pilum. "we found it to be the best idea" - another SIL associate said; "it completely develops a naming scheme in that a smaller throwing spear is a Javelin, and larger ones were called Pilums in archaic times" And quite a throwing device a Javelin is. Will we see Pilums grace Throw 19? "the exercise has always been open to any type of Javelin flying, so we hope a couple of these new ones may make an appearance" - the commander of the 57th FW, this years' host of Throw has said "and i would like to see how robust these big turkeys are going to be!"
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Vampyres Prepping for New Bomb Role
Ready to take on the new role, the Vampyre production team upscaled two new airframes to test size variations of the aircraft. In this new family shot, example s002 still wearing its PARC fincode sits low in the photo with factory fresh s037 in beige & s038 built of calendar sheet. s038 actually has a binder clip holding its nose & is expected to keep it for testing when the time comes. Stage 3 T&E was good and we await the deep Wisconsin freeze to be over to hold Stage 4. This flight season expects to be s002's last hurrah and PALAS hopes to be its future home.
Another major switch, not entirely unexpected, was the declaration that Vampyres would gain the newly established Dive Bomber role. "this role is actually ubiquitous to paper air combat" - an IVPAC spokeswoman said - "to think we have not had a dedicated aircraft in this role since the War of 86 is almost appalling." Indeed dive bombing is almost the hallmark of offensive strikes in these battles, so the question almost begs to be asked; why aren't ALL bombers dive bombers? Truth be told, most bombers' flight plans have the inherent profile, just to a lesser extent. With the Vampyre, it is a speciality. HOVER
Hill IAB Closes
After twelve years of flight operations, the close-knit Animals of the 55th Group shuttered their hangars. Tenant squadrons from the base are inactive as of this date.
The headquarters building of the now-defunct 101st Bomb Group.
101st Bomb Group Disbands
In a condensing move, IVPAC shut down the 101st BG at Westview. The tenant 102nd BS simply moved to the nearby 151st Bomb Wing.
Wyvern r041 from the 143rd FS, the last aircraft to fly from Hill IAB.
The Smelters Work Overtime in Winter
Typical of a cold, snowy climate, there is very limited flying. And while the chances for flight are few, the chances to weed out the un-workable... the un-deliverable... They are a plenty. These aircraft may or may not have been designated for the PAAD. And regardless of their destination, they most likely would have eventually been burned anyway. Typically failed experiments, sometimes basic planes built for any odd reason, rarely a destroyed front line aircraft at the end of its use and of no real historic value, all flights of planes find their way to the smelter. It's a nasty job, but it's got to be done.
The PAAD is typically full of aircraft that have fulfilled their flying lives, and what better time to burn than when it's next to impossible to fly.
Already warmed up, the smelter awaits the initial batch, which is laid out to ensure which build numbers are to be destroyed.
A nine year old test bed aflame, its useful life expended with a flight sometime ago. These planes are used extensively before they get sent here.
The PAAD is typically full of aircraft that have fulfilled their flying lives, and what better time to burn than when it's next to impossible to fly.
Wasp Deliveries Continue
SIL continues production of the Wasp, and has enough to fill three squadrons. The question now is: what role will they lock down after the Re-Alignment goes into effect?
NASAS stands up the 205th Fighter Group - two squadrons of interceptors and controllers in FL.