Game of Drones

by Richard L. Martindell


Formats

Softcover
$39.95
E-Book
$5.95
Softcover
$39.95

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 11/05/2023

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 8.5x8.5
Page Count : 92
ISBN : 9781669876687
Format : E-Book
Dimensions : N/A
Page Count : 92
ISBN : 9781669876670

About the Book

A former Air Force fighter pilot relates his experiences and impressions about learning to fly the MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely piloted vehicle (RPV – drone). The author compares and contrasts his experiences of flying the F-4 and F-15 in the Air Force with flying the MQ-9 on military missions as a civilian contract pilot. This autobiography gives the reader insights to the living and operational environments the author encountered in his deployments to remote locations in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. This book addresses the differences between flying manned and unmanned aircraft in military operations as well as the reasons RPV operators can suffer PTSD when flying from the safe confines of a control van out of harm’s way.


About the Author

Rich Martindell received his commission through the Air Force Reserve Officers Training (AFROTC) program at the University of Arizona. After pilot training, he flew the F-4E on 232 combat missions in North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. He then moved to Spangdahlem, Germany, to sit fifteen-minute nuclear alert in the F-4D during the Cold War. Following a tour as an exercise planner on the Red Flag Staff at Nellis AFB, Nevada, he transitioned to the F-15A as a flight instructor at Luke AFB, Arizona. Rich then returned to Germany to sit five-minute air defense alert in the F-15C at Bitburg Air Base before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. He then moved to Deccimomannu Air Base, Italy, as the deputy commander of American flight operations, along with counterparts from Germany, Great Britain, and Italy. After retiring from the Air Force, Rich worked as the chief test pilot and test director for the F-15E flight simulator program for Hughes Aircraft, Raytheon Corporation, and L-3 Communications back at Luke AFB, Arizona. After moving to San Diego, he found an opportunity to work for General Atomics flying the MQ-9.