What book(s) are you reading?

@drymer Wait...youre reading a book of pictures? Come on, man!

Are you into modern military aviation?

@quitwhendone
Yes (it has text too!)


More into WW2 (and WW1) aviation (also cold-war stuff, but don't know as much). "Modern", by definition we don't know much about it (it's supposed to be classified, to an extent...). What we know nowadays would be technology from the 80s and 90s... Besides, few of the "modern" aviation technology has been truly tested in combat (with some exceptions, like, say, the A-10). But I do like all things that fly and nothing beats the sound of jets or radial engines :)

@drymer Well, that's what I meant when I said "modern."

Like F-15, F-16, F-18, Mirage III/V/F1/2000, Tornado, Mig 21/23/25/27/29, etc.

@quitwhendone OK then... Of those I think the newest is the Mig 29, first built in 1984... The F- are from the 70s! To tell you the truth, I avoid modern military aviation, in good measure because I wanted to join the Air Force but couldn't (long story), so it's a frustrating topic for me...
:(

@drymer Well, all of those planes are still in use. And I left out the newer Gripen, Rafale, Thyphoon, F-22, F-35, Su-27/30/35.

@quitwhendone Oh the F-22, F-35... They came up at about the time I gave up being a "modern aviation buff"... I remember reading bits about them when they were being developed and tested... Another thing is that these days it's all computers, the "weapon systems", radars, etc... It's like flying the airplane is the least of it... Oh well, I understand, this allows the pilot to focus on the mission without getting distracted with flying details...

@drymer Try Bye Bye Blacksheep by "Pappy" Boyington. A very interesting read.

@drymer True, and with long range, active-radar missiles, dogfighting is a thing if the past too.

@MasterDvdC Oh yes, a classic... I remember they even made a TV series featuring that squadron (in the 70s or 80s)

@drymer That's what got me interested in readingthe book. I don't usually go in for biographies.