Article

2003-09-09 Arabia

Al Qaeda trying to recruit Saudi pilots for suicide missions

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve 2003-09-09 9:07:05 AM|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 It would be interesting to see the U.S. perform the first field test of the remote kill switch they installed in these F-15s. I have a mental picture of the Saudi pilot holding up a sign that says "Oh, no!" a la Wiley Coyote as he begins to descend...

Posted by snellenr 2003-9-9 10:25:42 AM|| 2003-9-9 10:25:42 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Shh! nobody's s'posed to know about that.

Posted by N. guard 2003-9-9 10:58:11 AM|| 2003-9-9 10:58:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 I'd wire the remote to the ejection seat with a female voice doing a countdown;
5...4...3...2, ya'll have a nice day, 1, eject!

Posted by Steve 2003-9-9 11:57:20 AM|| 2003-9-9 11:57:20 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Aren't many Saudi pilots actually retired RAP? If not I still don't think that many, would be interested in giving up perks for jehadi status.

If I were his Iman, I would disable the ejection seat to ensure the pilot's compliance with the fatawah.

Posted by Super Hose 2003-9-9 1:55:55 PM|| 2003-9-9 1:55:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 I'd hit the kill switch just as they're starting too disappear. They start flying higher, higher, higher! Then suddenly start falling, falling, fal-Splat! Right in front of the Jihadis eyes.

That will make a lasting impression.

Posted by Charles 2003-9-9 2:19:24 PM|| 2003-9-9 2:19:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 These guys are really good at buzzing the Aramco Core Area. Anything more than that will take a serious hald-holding session with a patient AWACS controller. My first bet is that they couldn't FIND Israel without several steers / course corrections.

Posted by .com (a.k.a. Abu This!) 2003-9-9 2:46:46 PM|| 2003-9-9 2:46:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Al Qaeda trying to hire a British or American pilots???

As far as i know most of the Saudi pilots are retired Americans and British, some of them from other nations, real Saudi pilots are rare.

Posted by Murat 2003-9-9 3:34:51 PM|| 2003-9-9 3:34:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 No this is about military pilots, not civilians - Tabouk Air Base.

BTW, over the last 10 years, almost every occupation in SaoodiLand has been Saudi-ized - that means replacing non-Saudis with Saudis. Where it's merely a title at stake and ExPats can be hired to do the actual work, it approaches 100%. They give the Saudi the title and contract an ExPat to make him look like he can do something. We ExPats are highly-paid potted palms placed upon a stage where the Saudis prance about muffing their lines and pretending to do business with the real world.

In occupations where you actually have to be able to do something or have skills it's far lower.

Saudi military pilots are all Saudis - so there are actually very few (able to fly a jet) and they are the studs of the Saudi military. They wouldn't pass the entry exams for the AF Academy or make it through a single round of training exercises with a Western AF, but for Saudis, boy howdee, they're really something...

Posted by .com (a.k.a. Abu This!) 2003-9-9 4:14:43 PM|| 2003-9-9 4:14:43 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 flash - Yemen reports al ghamdi captured = BBC

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-9-9 5:24:57 PM|| 2003-9-9 5:24:57 PM|| Front Page Top

03:06 R. McLeod
00:42 Not Mike Moore
00:41 Bomb-a-rama
00:23 Baba Yaga
23:48 Valentine
23:43 CrazyFool
23:19 anonon
22:57 rg117
22:53 Baba Yaga
22:42 mojo
22:37 Baba Yaga
22:36 Rafael
22:30 mojo
22:30 Super Hose
22:29 Jabba the Nutt
22:26 Baba Yaga
22:25 Super Hose
22:22 Super Hose
22:15 Alaska Paul
22:13 Super Hose
22:13 Rafael
22:12 (lowercase) matt
22:11 Alaska Paul
22:05 Alaska Paul