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Help with info for book I'm writing
I'd like to ask for help with a book I'm writing, primarily from our Israeli members. Of course I don't expect OPSEC violations but I'd appreciate as much info as you can safely give me.
The rough storyline begins like this:
The year is 2022, and Croatian Air Force is sending three of its new fighters and supporting ground crews for a month-long series of bilateral training exercises and in Israel, specifically Tel Nof Air Force Base. It's also meant to be a sales pitch by Croatian fighter's manufacturer, as Israel wants an interim fighter due to F-35 being delayed while Croatia wants to gather experience operating and possibly order small AEW&C aircraft.
The primary characters are the four Croatian pilots and their Israeli colleagues. The main character among them is a Croatian pilot who used to be a paratrooper and Krav Maga instructor in the Special Police. Eventually, Croatian contingent on rotation in a nearby country will need air cover and much as*kicking, CQCing, BVRing and some dogfighting ensues, both training and real.
For some sh!tty drama, there's a hot chick in the cockpit on both sides.
The questions right now:
How would foreign pilots on a month long visit be housed? Would they be in the barracks, or given off-base apartments?
Due to security considerations and being high value targets, would the foreign pilots be free to move around off-base, go out in Tel Aviv etc.?
Would they be integrated into hosting squadron or would they have separate base facilities?
Would they have to secure their own transport off-base, or would they be given rent-a-cars, military vehicles or something else?
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That sounds like a horrible book.
Sounds like Iron Eagle II.
Thanks for the anwsers. Literally not one military/techno-thriller has ever been written in Croatia. In fact no book, film, series or short story was ever made here with Croatian military personnel as protagonists, aside from one or two horrible dramas about our veterans.
I'm endeaveouring to make the book as realistic as possible. Kinda in the way countless WWIII films/books were made/written, but Red Storm Rising stands out for quality and realism.
And what happens then?
All Israeli pilots get a sudden diarroea infection and the 4 croatian heroes have to defend Israel?
Hahaha, yeah and then they find the Ark of the Covenant, putting Indy to shame and bring about world peace. BTW, I think you meant to say explosive diarrhea
Actually, Israelis will not really want to risk pilots and jets (not to mention political fallout of flying into an unfriendly country's airspace) to pull some UN troops, who happen to be Croats, out of the fire. Everything will be on a small scale, huge aerial battles are tempting but highly unrealistic even today.
Really? After this whales**t yours biggest concern is what car they'll drive on saturday night??? Sry m8 , there is no chance in hell that we can build a wing, let alone a whole plane till 2022!!!Originally Posted by Hoverhind
My advice ... back to drawing board.
ooh and about pilot/paratrooper/KravMaga instructor/Special Police guy... what, he must be 60 or so to accomplish all that.
Last edited by madhatter; 08-10-2012 at 02:44 PM.
Croatian manufacturer as in the people who's fighter Croatia eventually buys. Meaning Saab for Gripen option or Eurofighter for the Typhoon, not us building our own plane.
I'm talking about ten years in the future when actual replacement for the MiGs will be bought and those two are the likely choices.
Oh, and I'm basing most of the main character's background/abilities off of a Special Police operator I know, who's definitely the most capable person I've ever met, and while he isn't a pilot, it wouldn't be impossible if he had any interest in it. Early 30s are more than enough and most of our fighter pilots now are even older than that.
So you meant manufacturer of Croatian fighter planes? OK, so Swedes are busy and we take spotlight? Unlikely, but if you insist ...
And for 30+ year old to become Croatian Maverick, no matter how good he is ... fat chance. Pilots are older, but they have also start their training with , what, 17, 18 years old or even younger? In exYu there was military high school or something like that, now i don't know. Probably after high school.
If, say, Saab purpousley sends its aircraft for a week long demonstration it costs a huge amount of money. If another country is going there for exercises, it's a lot cheaper to ask them to throw in one or two demonstration flights, being that all the costs will be with the visiting Air Force. That element of the plot is minor and is presented as only initial curiosity from the host nation which is frustrated by continued delays of its choosen aircraft, not deal-closing presentation of a tailor-made variant.
Two generations of Comissioned Army officers with no prior flight experiance transffered to the Air Force and have completed pilot training so far, none of them younger than 24-25.
And a ready-made CPL pilot with ratings and experience on Air Force's trainer aircraft (our Air Force will soon allow qualified civilian pilots to fly on its trainers due to non-existance of civilian aerobatic aircraft, first-hand info) and already in the security services would be taken in with open arms due to a current lack of almost 100 pilots in the Air Force, which is only predicted to get worse. The main character fits the above, he didn't just wake up one morning and said "fu*k it, I'll fly fighters".
Also, Croatian soldiers sometimes transfer to Special Police and vice versa.
What 100 pilots?? For what? We have 4-6 airworthy MiG's at best. An 32's are out of picture, and will be sold. So what is left? PC 9's? Mi 171? Or Canadair's and Airtractors? Fighter pilots already have below any minimum of flying hours , and you are talking about some crash course pilots trained on simulators and PC 9? And they would be sent by SAAB to Israel to sell them Gripen?? Or on exercise, whatever. If you think that's possible than go ahead, but i don't buy it. You should maybe try chopper pilot, that is more likely.
4-6 MiGs airworthy at any one time. Not airworthy can be something as small as a flickering instrument illumination light. 10 MiGs are operational. Generally, you need 1.5-2 times more pilots than you have aircraft to ensure back-ups. Pilot training is long and expensive, you can't just train a few when you feel like it. In any case we're below the minimum, I won't clarify for OPSEC. Many are leaving the system, some even before their education contracts are fullfilled, meaning they pay penalties.
There's no such thing as a crash course for pilots. Regardless of specific pipeline of training, international standards are set for virtually every aspect of flying and must be fullfilled. A pilot flying active-duty on a combat aircraft, or any military aircraft, is fully qualified, even if at the bare minimum of currency as our fighter pilots are today. Remember I'm writing about ten years in the future, when things have improved.
Oh, and flying a helo is much more demanding than flying an airplane.
Furthermore, whenever you send delegations, military or civilian, you look to take people who are not only qualified to be in the delegation, but, if at all possible, familiar with the country being visited. Someone speaks the language? Take him. Someone lived there for a while? Take him. Someone is friends/acquaintances with relevant officials? Take him.
Someone was often in-country, as in the book, for training and refreshers/evaluation, knows some of the people, locations etc.? You take him.
Between two equally qualified individuals, you take the one who has experiance with the country.
So, basically, you are saying that is easier to become jet fighter pilot than chopper pilot?
And that Croatia is taking infantry officers and oredering them to become fighter pilots?? And you don't see nothing wrong in that??? Tell me, were those two retards that crashed two Mig's part of that program?
And you think that it will be better in 10years?
Yeah, right. Man our army motto is ''it is not how good you are, but who do you know/who's your relative'' . Just ask around how people are getting Afghanistan gig. You need to know somone.
Guys, let's not bust his chops. I might remind everyone of the Game Of Thrones thread, which is entirely fantasy, on a different planet, in early medieval times, which is also hugely popular. Answer what you can or please refrain from posting. Writing is difficult at the best of times.
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