Notes from the flight line

Practical perspective on airborne survey, ISR, payload integration, and payload test & evaluation.

The Real Cost of a Sortie Nobody Can Repeat

Most flight tests and surveillance sorties produce a story, not a result. Here is what a repeatable sortie looks like, and why crewed aircraft deliver it.

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Drones don't replace manned ISR. Carriers didn't replace the fleet.

Drones are the new carriers, but carriers never fought alone. Why manned ISR and drones are complementary, what each does best, and why mixed forces need to be tested together.

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Drones are the new carriers. Most of us are still building battleships.

Drones already cause most front-line casualties in Ukraine and have flipped the cost math at sea. Why UAS are today's carrier, and why testing the 'cute' thing early sets the terms.

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Choosing a manned platform for airborne payload testing

Bench testing and simulation answer a lot of questions, but eventually a payload has to fly. Here's why a manned platform makes sense for many test events, what to look for, and how our PA-31 Navajo and Cessna M-337 suit different kinds of tests.

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