This story from the Guardian makes for an interesting read. From my years of experience on flight simulators I can tell what most armoured vehicles, jets, helicopters look like. I can name almost all the tank/APCs/fighters/missiles just by looking, and I have never been a pilot. LOL.
But this A10 pilot apparently could not tell what a UK Scimitar armoured vehicle looks like. Is he blind? *I* know the difference between a Scimitar and say, a BMP or BMP2, T55 – or any Soviet-bloc vehicle. How was the A10 pilot so stupid? He killed a UK soldier.
The British soldiers are understandably very upset.
Comments
2 responses to “Wounded British soldiers condemn US 'cowboy' pilot”
[…] Back in 2003 I speculated as to how or why an A10 pilot could mistake any Soviet-era vehicle for a British Scimitar. […]
Gavin, take a can of black pepper and shake some out on your table. That is what vehicles look like to an A-10 pilot at the altitudes they were flying. Not the same as the sim. Just think about how difficult a persons job is before you pass judgment. By the way, do you think he wanted to kill that soldier? I can guarantee that was the last thing he wanted to do. As a group A-10 pilots would rather die than kill a friendly. I bet he still doesn’t sleep well. Just some things to think about.