Impressive!

Yes, those buggers burn a LOT of fuel, but either way, those pilots need flying hours, maintenance crews and ATC's need to have a handle on how to choreograph such a launch, etc... It needs to be practiced. It's always impressive to watch a SIOP or any other alert drill, for that matter. At our unit (and others, I'm sure), they don't fool around. You'd best be well away from the road that the alert crew is using to get from ops to the jets! The exercises can be very revealing for those of us in maintenance, as it can reveal likely red ball conditions (last minute issues with the aircraft that prevent it from taking off), among other things.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)