Fighter Pilots R Us

[#1]

Excellent program on telly last night and the first of three about the training of fighter pilots, but I nearly fell on the floor when one of the British pilots could not engage with his £100m F35 because of a (secret) software problem... so they had to unplug and plug back in this incredibly complex computer controlled machine in order to get it to respond!

Tell me again how many we are buying, and why. 

[#2]

"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drains" - Cptn. Montgomery Scott

[#3]

@Minivanman  Yeah... I watched that prog..  The computer needed a re-boot to start it... so ?  happens to all,.. even those with expensive top of the range laptops ! 

What was missing, was some of the "probably boring".. earlier training, and classroom work, studying the charastics of the plane, and being taught the stuff... the programme only showed the "exciting" bits of them flying around and enjoying themselves. ! . There is much more intense stuff that they must go through on a course, than just turning up and re-booting a computer and then going off and flying around.

The red arrows programme was much more about the training, and more enjoyable for that

[#4]

My Mrs often threatens to unplug me, and I'm not even connected. 

Seriously though, it just seemed so normal that even a £100m bit of kit gets the wobbles. 

[#5]

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@Minivanman wrote:

it just seemed so normal that even a £100m bit of kit gets the wobbles. 

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@Minivanman 

Surprised you missed an opportunity there - would that be the cauli-wobbles?  

[#6]

Instructions for F35 pilots - in case of malfunction during engagement with the enemy you will need to turn off the main circuit breaker for the aircraft, wait 30 seconds and then restore power, the system will then re-boot, this could take up to 5 minutes.....

[#7]

[#8]

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@shutter wrote:

@Minivanman  Yeah... I watched that prog..  The computer needed a re-boot to start it... so ?  happens to all,.. even those with expensive top of the range laptops ! 

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Do you think we'd have won the Falklands if the pilots had to reboot their weapons computers mid battle?

A domestic home / business operating system like windows isn't considered mission critical. Something on a F35 costing hundreds of millions and being relied upon for the defence of our nation (or should that be future wars over oil?) IS mission critical and at that cost, should not be needing reboots.

I still think David Cameron should be tried for treason for scrapping our home brewed harrier fleet. They were tried, tested, trusted and worthy of their lower operating costs.

[#9]

@7up 

Maybe we'll get the much cheaper Windows 7 version? 

[#10]

Considering UK only had 20 Harriers initially in Falklands with another 8 later the serviceability rate was amazing, they are a rugged aircraft, still used by USA marines and still made by McDonald Douglas...Very great plane made in UK has eventually been scrapped and planes bought from USA.  The TSR2 was decades ahead of its time but was scrapped and we got Phantoms instead 

[#11]

@Minivanman wrote:

Excellent program on telly last night and the first of three about the training of fighter pilots, but I nearly fell on the floor when one of the British pilots could not engage with his £100m F35 because of a (secret) software problem... so they had to unplug and plug back in this incredibly complex computer controlled machine in order to get it to respond!

That's one situation you don't want to get a BSOD!

[#12]

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@Mav wrote:

@Minivanman wrote:

Excellent program on telly last night and the first of three about the training of fighter pilots, but I nearly fell on the floor when one of the British pilots could not engage with his £100m F35 because of a (secret) software problem... so they had to unplug and plug back in this incredibly complex computer controlled machine in order to get it to respond!

That's one situation you don't want to get a BSOD!

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Well if you believe @shutter you can shoot down the enemy with a premium laptop 

[#13]

@7up   Be careful what you wish for ! ! ! ! ! .... I am sure there is a hacker somewhere, with his hoodie up, in a dark room, working on the problem right now ! ! !>.

[#14]

Nothing would surprise me these days. We're too reliant on networked tech and that's a risk in itself.

[#15]

I'd be gobsmacked if experienced and well funded government agencys were not at it all ready, in fact I'm damn sure they are but having said that, it oftens turns out does it not that some twelve year old hacker unravels and exposes the complexities of such modern software.