AIM-54 Phoenix missile

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...

And, of course, we must note that a high percentage of Iranian pilots
were USAF trained while the Iraqi were Soviet trained. During the
years I was in Air Training Command at Williams, we had a large number
of Iranian students come through the program. Some better than others,
but all getting the USAF T-37/T-38 syllabus and then progressing to
operational qualification at a USAF course as well.

As a matter of fact, all the Iranian F-5, F-4 and F-14 pilots that qualified
before 1978 were trained in the USA. They usually started with T-38s, then
went on to F-5s (either in the USA or at home). The F-14-pilots were trained
by the VF-124 and VF-101. Nobody would get even a rear seat in the F-4
without at least 400 hours on fast jets: front seat only after 400
additional hours in the rear (bear in mind the IIAF had the USAF-philosophy
of putting two pilots into the Phantom, not a pilot and a WSO). To get the
place in the front seat of the F-14 one needed at least 1.000 hours plus
between two and four tours with the USAF, USN, IDF/AF, RAF, Luftwaffe etc.

So, what they've got in F-14s were really experienced people. BTW, by 1978
also up to 80% of their pilots were qualified on all three main types.

The situation started to change only because of the F-16 program: in
preparation for acquizition of the first 160 Falcons they started training a
huge number of new pilots, majority of these in Iran. Most of these,
however, never finished their pilot-training (in fact, quite a few joined
the revolution and became "morale" officers, Mullah's watchdogs, all the
time keeping an eye on the "Shah-pilots" during the war with Iraq).

When he advanced to T-38s, the higher-ups decided to let him solo in
the Talon. On about his third solo sortie, he jumped out of the
airplane. The airplane landed inverted, with full flaps down, full
forward trim, both throttles in AB and both engine fuel controls
cavitated and the engines flamed out. The determination was that he
was trying to see how long he could fly inverted (despite the dash-1
prohibition against inverted flight over 30 second.) When the engines
flamed out, he tried a "tiger airstart" by going to AB, but they
wouldn't relight because of the cavitation of the fuel controls. He
panicked and jumped out, costing us the airplane.

The Moroccans lost a great deal of their good pilots after the coup attempt
in 1972: at the time several of their early F-5-pilots intercepted the
Boeing 727 carrying the King from a visit in France, and shot it up,
damaging two engines and most of the tail. The plane landed safely and the
King then purged the FARM massively. They started recovering only during the
1980s, when the air force became badly needed because of the war in West
Sahara. The need for pilots was such at the time that the FARM became the
first Arab air force to have female pilot.

Tom Cooper
Co-Author:
Iran-Iraq War in the Air, 1980-1988:
http://www.acig.org/pg1/content.php
and,
Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat:
http://www.osprey-publishing.co.uk/t...hp/title=S6585