• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

F-16 pilot was ready to ram hijacked plane on 9/11

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
I worked with a guy who had done a tour with stratcom during that time. He talked about being in one of their c&c rooms with direct feeds from white house/pentagon and such. He got to hear first hand all the craziness going on including trying to get planes in the air and the kill orders that went out to them.
 
paulney said:
It's per minute, not per second.
Click to expand...

my bad haven't had coffee. but still does not change a damn thing.


105 bullets in a machine that fires that fast IS NOTHING. sure they might get off a lucky s hot. but the odds are very low.

i am surprised they do not have some ready though. It makes sense that they wouldn't but i am shocked.
 
SandEagle said:
ding dong ding dong! anyone home?? i knew about the idea of kamikaze attack in general back in middle school. WWII history class. and this was in a detroit public school. sorry you went to a ghetto school and learned about this so late on life
Click to expand...

ding dong ding dong! You're an idiot!
 
A little research shows that the F-16 carries 511 rounds total for the gun. To prevent wasting ammo, the system uses a burst controller. You can get 2-3 round, or 40-50 round bursts. So, you could conceivably use the gun and just 105 rounds to shoot down a 757.
 
Genx87 said:
Stories like this make me realize how movies are so hilariously wrong about the ready status of our country to defend itself. Sending up F-16s without the means to take down the threat. Brilliant!
Click to expand...
Depends where you are and what the alert status of the country is. If there was an aircraft carrier anywhere around they would have been loaded for bear and ready to go, but they are a warship.

On a side note, the pilots that fly these planes are really the cream of the crop, tested (physically and mentally) and background checked like crazy before they even get near their first day of training. I fully believe they would have done whatever was needed to bring down that plane if it came to that. It sounds really gross, but she was showing sack that day and I'm damn proud to have her flying for us. :thumbsup:
 
SandEagle said:
ding dong ding dong! anyone home?? i knew about the idea of kamikaze attack in general back in middle school. WWII history class. and this was in a detroit public school. sorry you went to a ghetto school and learned about this so late on life
Click to expand...

What is wrong with you?
 
Bignate603 said:
So you could prep and load an F-16 faster? I love the critics that come out of the woodwork in situations like this that think they know better.
Click to expand...

lol

Why do we not have prepared defenses in place? How long does it take to load some weapons on a fighter jet?

I recall the main problem being finding the planes and that I can accept but not that we sent up unarmed fighter jets. That's just ridiculous.
 
This 9/11 thing always had me thinking, right from the start. Why can't they have a system where the airport control tower can take over an aircraft and remotely controll it? Basically some kind of emergency system they could use durring a highjack.
 
Red Squirrel said:
This 9/11 thing always had me thinking, right from the start. Why can't they have a system where the airport control tower can take over an aircraft and remotely controll it? Basically some kind of emergency system they could use durring a highjack.
Click to expand...

What if such a system existed, and someone hijacked the tower?
 
Deeko said:
What if such a system existed, and someone hijacked the tower?
Click to expand...

It would be an extremly secure system. Passwords, multiple person authentication etc. Heck, it could even require the president to turn a key at the white house or something. This would be for seviere emergencies. Or maybe it could even be automated though that would be harder. Basically if it's activated it just tells the plane to fly itself to the nearest airport or something, but that would be insane to setup, so much to take account for such as which runway to use etc.
 
Red Squirrel said:
It would be an extremly secure system. Passwords, multiple person authentication etc. Heck, it could even require the president to turn a key at the white house or something. This would be for seviere emergencies.
Click to expand...

Easier just to have Superman on standby.
 
Lets lojack jumbo jets. Can autopilot land planes?

I suppose we can just send them up into space to piss them off. How pissed off would you be if you were a hijacker and the stupid plane flew up there? I know I'd be pretty upset.
 
randomrogue said:
Lets lojack jumbo jets. Can autopilot land planes?

I suppose we can just send them up into space to piss them off. How pissed off would you be if you were a hijacker and the stupid plane flew up there? I know I'd be pretty upset.
Click to expand...

If it was a UPS plane with my Newegg 3-day guaranteed shipment on it, I'd be pretty pissed off. In fact, pissed off enough to call and demand a $10 GC refund. Maybe even $20.
 
randomrogue said:
Lets lojack jumbo jets. Can autopilot land planes?

I suppose we can just send them up into space to piss them off. How pissed off would you be if you were a hijacker and the stupid plane flew up there? I know I'd be pretty upset.
Click to expand...

Oops put "farthest airport" instead of "nearest". Plane lands on the moon. 😀
 
Women Pilot Fail:

Dscn4586.jpg


😀😀😀
 
randomrogue said:
Lets lojack jumbo jets. Can autopilot land planes?

I suppose we can just send them up into space to piss them off. How pissed off would you be if you were a hijacker and the stupid plane flew up there? I know I'd be pretty upset.
Click to expand...

Well, we can technically put it on a runway. But not by remote.

To space? No. Not going any higher than the service ceiling. ~38-45K feet.
 
This thread may hold the all-time record for highest percentage of moronic replies from wannabe know-it-alls.

Two thoroughly trained pilots, thrown into a unimaginable scenario, racing to stop a threat unlike any they have trained for. These experienced pilots, who know what can be done better than the rest of the people here combined, are ready to kill themselves to stop the threat, and here we have a bunch of people who are just certain that any number of other solutions would have been better.

Hubris at its finest.
 
Were these dummy rounds or something? I don't really understand. Each plane had roughly 20% of its ammunition loaded, and the cannon allows for small 2-3 round bursts, as someone else mentioned. WWII fighters used 20mm cannons to take down bombers, and the cannons were extremely effective, they blew the bombers apart. The probably carried less ammunition than an F-16 too.
 
kranky said:
This thread may hold the all-time record for highest percentage of moronic replies from wannabe know-it-alls.

Two thoroughly trained pilots, thrown into a unimaginable scenario, racing to stop a threat unlike any they have trained for. These experienced pilots, who know what can be done better than the rest of the people here combined, are ready to kill themselves to stop the threat, and here we have a bunch of people who are just certain that any number of other solutions would have been better.

Hubris at its finest.
Click to expand...

Stop making excuses. You don't get a patriotic medal of honor for making excuses for our lack of preparedness. I love my country just as much as the rest but I'm not going to pat someone on the back for racing to the scene with no weapons. An icecream truck with no icecream is just a slow ass truck playing an annoying song.
 
randomrogue said:
Stop making excuses. You don't get a patriotic medal of honor for making excuses for our lack of preparedness. I love my country just as much as the rest but I'm not going to pat someone on the back for racing to the scene with no weapons. An icecream truck with no icecream is just a slow ass truck playing an annoying song.
Click to expand...

Then criticize the commanders or whomever is in charge of determining when and if planes are armed. The pilots have nothing to do with that.
 
waggy said:
and at that rate of fire thats 6k bullets. 105 bullets? yeah..not going to happen.
Click to expand...

dude if a trained fighter pilot can not shoot down in one burst a slow commercial airliner flying in a straight line needs turn in their wings. F-16's have electronics to do this with the vulcan weapons system. they are not using "kentucky windage" like they did in WWII.
 
Last edited:
OutHouse said:
dude if a trained fighter pilot can not shoot down in one burst a slow commercial airliner flying in a straight line needs turn in their wings. F-16's have electronics to do this with the vulcan weapons system. they are not using "kentucky windage" like they did in WWII.
Click to expand...

No, they're apparently using OutHouse's ATOT fairy dust.

You do realize that airliners have multiple engines right? One burst = one engine. That leaves 3 that can still fly the plane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top