>>Of course the USAF tried to get rid of the A-10; that's because they
>>hate the (nonetheless vital) "ground attack/close air support"
>>mission. It's not sexy enough. Maybe we should revive
>>the Army Air Corps, so the zoomies can stop bitching, get their feet
>>out of the mud, and go back to playing at being knights of the air -
>>at least until UAVs finally make them obsolete.
>
>I think its more the brass that hate it than the pilots. Once they
>fire the 30mm and shred a target tank for the first time, I would
>think most pilots would love the thing. It epitomizes 'more power'.

FWIW, I can count the number of Hog drivers expressing a desire to get OUT of the jet on one hand.

...and that had to do with the deployment rate! and in my favorite, most prescient quote from a USAF fighter pilot I've ever heard: "I enjoy _employing_ far more than I do _flying_. I don't miss the FAA, ATC, FCIF, stan-evil, any of that garbage, but I DO miss employing the gun."