# How long would it take the Royal Flying Corps to figure out an F-22? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367 "2014-09-23T20:02:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/41 "2014-09-24T20:57:39Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > A short story I read concerned an advanced aircraft and it’s pilot time traveling to WWI. I believe he filtered kerosene to obtain more fuel. His missiles wouldn’t track cloth covered aircraft, and he couldn’t fly as slowly as they. He finally discovered that he could take them down by flying through their formation at Mach I, and the other aircraft would be torn apart. > 🙂 I was trying to find that one. “Eagle Among Sparrows,” wasn’t it? In Analog magazine? But I can’t find it. Anyway…yeah! Fun story, with some cute twists. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/42 "2014-09-24T22:16:15Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > I don’t think so, but they do train with [these](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_T-34_Mentor#T-34C_Turbo-Mentor) which are based on a piston aircraft. Not quite. The various versions of the T-34 were used by the US Navy only. The F-22 is USAF only. The current USAF primary trainer is the T-6 II : [Beechcraft T-6 Texan II - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_T-6_Texan_II) Still prop-driven, but a turboprop. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/43 "2014-09-24T22:35:05Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I was trying to find that one. “Eagle Among Sparrows,” wasn’t it? In Analog magazine? But I can’t find it. Anyway…yeah! Fun story, with some cute twists. Yes! It was republished in a collection, I think…I worked at a library that subscribed to Analog and Fantasy and Science Fiction, G-d bless them, but I think I read it in a collection, although I remember a flashy 50s or 60s cover picture with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/44 "2014-09-24T22:39:43Z")
[This is the T-6](http://www.classicfighters.org/content/north-american-t-6-texan) I built a model of in the 1960s. What is up with calling the modern turbo prop trainer a T-6? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/45 "2014-09-24T22:44:52Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I was trying to find that one. “Eagle Among Sparrows,” wasn’t it? In Analog magazine? But I can’t find it. Anyway…yeah! Fun story, with some cute twists. _Hawk Among The Sparrows_ > [@Scumpup](#): > > You know what it is and what it does. Yet, could you start it up and fly it in combat? It’s so simple [even a child could fly it!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Hrvza9FkM) > [@Mijin](#): > > Nitpick: _old-timey_ black suits and glasses Back then G-Men had tinted monocles. What about her propulsion, would they be able to reverse engineer anything usable before the fun ended in November 1918? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/46 "2014-09-25T00:59:03Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Thus even a Jug would have little prayer of successfully engaging a WWI craft, much less a modern jet (well, a Harrier maybe…). Why do you say that? A speed advantage is always a positive in a gun based dogfight. One favorite tactic was to dive out of the sun at great speed to bounce you opponent. With a jug you can just fly in at great speed, no diving needed. With 8 fifty caliber machine guns all it would take is a short burst stitching the bad guy from cockpit to engine. Also the jug was famous for being able to take punishment and still come home. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/47 "2014-09-25T01:24:37Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Also the jug was famous for being able to take punishment and still come home. Bob Stevens cartoon: A P-47 pilot is in front of a Bf-109 that is shooting at him. 'He’ll run out of ammo any time now. Of course, there’s always the chance he’ll run into one of his own ricochets! 😃 ’ ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/48 "2014-09-25T01:32:50Z")
Hell…you could kill pilots with the radar alone couldn’t you? ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/49 "2014-09-25T01:34:15Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Nitpick: _old-timey_ black suits and glasses Yes, and the old-timey black-suited men descend on the Royal Flying Corps military airbase and… take it to another Royal Flying Corps military airbase?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/50 "2014-09-25T04:49:45Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > > [@Mijin](#): > > > > Nitpick: _old-timey_ black suits and glasses > > Yes, and the old-timey black-suited men descend on the Royal Flying Corps military airbase and… take it to another Royal Flying Corps military airbase?? 😃 No, they take it to an “undisclosed location” and turn [these guys](http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608047900598272231&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0) loose on it. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/51 "2014-09-25T05:27:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Not quite. The various versions of the T-34 were used by the US Navy only. The F-22 is USAF only. The current USAF primary trainer is the T-6 II : [Beechcraft T-6 Texan II - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_T-6_Texan_II) > > Still prop-driven, but a turboprop. You’re right. I was thinking of Navy pilots. Until recently they trained near here every winter. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/52 "2014-09-25T13:51:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The various versions of the T-34 were used by the US Navy only. The [T-34A was used by the Air Force](http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=367) and the T-34B and T-34C (Turbo Mentor) were used by the Navy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367/53 "2014-09-25T14:12:21Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The [T-34A was used by the Air Force](http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=367) and the T-34B and T-34C (Turbo Mentor) were used by the Navy. Well, Damn. I was totally unaware of (or had forgotten) that. It was 25 years before my time, but still. Oops on me. Thanks for setting the record straight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-the-royal-flying-corps-to-figure-out-an-f-22/699367.md?page=2)