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From: fmrco!curt@uunet.UU.NET (Curt Fennell)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Can the backseater in f-18's bring it home?
Message-ID: <1991May9.063845.12303@amd.com>
Date: 8 May 91 17:42:45 GMT
References: <1991Apr18.032319.21395@amd.com> <1991Apr19.071142.14555@amd.com>
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From: fmrco!curt@uunet.UU.NET (Curt Fennell)


I have a couple of comments to add to the backseater discussion:

1. The various Navy/Marine versions of the F-4 do not have flight controls in
the back seat. The GIB (Guy In Back) in Navy/Marine F-4's is called a RIO 
(Radar Intercept Officer) and is a NFO (Naval Flight Officer), not a pilot.
NFO's are not trained to fly the aircraft, and although they pick up a lot
of knowledge about flying in general and their aircraft in particular, they
are not pilots.

The AF versions of the F-4 do have flight controls in the back seats (why, 
I don't know ).  The GIB in an AF F-4 is called a WSO (Weapons System Officer)
and, I was told, the WSO is a pilot; ie, a guy who is fully qualified
to fly the aircraft.  Can some AF expert tell me if this is true?

If this is true, it would be possible for an AF F-4 to be flown by the
WSO if the pilot were incapacitated but not for a Navy/USMC F-4. 

2. Basically, the advantage to having a backseater in a fighter/attack aircraft
is to divide the workload and allow more efficient use of the systems. In
a visual environment, this translates into allowing the pilot to concentrate
on manuvering and tracking the target while the GIB checks six for bad guys.
Since a significant fraction of air combat losses never even see the aircraft
that shoots them (One fighter pilot told me that 80% of air combat losses
never see or loose sight of the aircraft that shoots them), the extra pair
of eyes becomes a real life-saver.

For anecdotal evidence, my brother is a Navy RIO, flying F-14's. He says that
in a one vs one visual engagement, the F-15 can easily defeat the F-14, but 
that in 2 vs 2 ( or more ), the F-14s become the better aircraft, because
the backseaters help the F-14s keep track of the other aircraft in the fight.

"I want SOMEBODY back there, even if it's a scared Lance-Corporal!"
			-Unknown Marine Fighter pilot commenting on the
			single seat configuration of the F-18.

-- 
Curt Fennell
fmrco!curt@uunet.uu.net
(617) 570-2614