US-owned Su-27

[ualdriver]

Actually 30.5K an hour in a Flanker B. Those motors are shot at 900 hours.

Holy ****! I was way off. I thought I saw a Discovery Channel show that said that it costs the Navy about $10,000 an hour to operate a F-18, so I figured a SU27 would be cheaper since it isn't exposed to salt and doesn't get the crap pounded out of it during carrier ops. I guess that contract training is going to be a bit "spendy."

 

[FNG24]

Thats 30k and some change based on 900 hours. It literally doesn't cost 30k for an hour flight, but over a 900 hour maintenance cycle that thing is a money pit.

 

[Scrapdog]

how does the checkout go if it's a single seater? Do most of the examiners/trainers have airframe access or would one checkout in a generic airframe like an L39 or something. . ?

1. You hire current or former fighter pilots with high performance backgrounds (a lot of fighters fly pretty similiarly - 300 knots on initial, 180 final turn, 160 on final, etc...) and are trained to pull 8 to 9 'ish G's.

2. You develop a comprehensive training syllabus based on US military training and whatever airframe you're spinning guys up on - and get it approved by the FAA.

3. You check out a "checkairman" or lead instructor by sending him through a program with current or prior SU-27 trained instructors.

4. The newly minted lead instructor chases his follow on guys through the training syllabus in a all the maneuvers and pattern work in another single seat SU-27.

 

[JungleJett]

There is a reason governments operate fighters....