Leaderboard

The real reason is that it pissed off the shoes that we were different. It feeds their inferiority complex. What sucks is that the supposed flyers in charge let them get away with it. At least when you close the hatch you're still in a shoe free environment (for the most part)... There, I can push up my sleeves, wear whatever-the-fuck kind of sunglasses I want... Hell, I can even wear my favorite hat and those fuckers can't do a goddamn thing about it...at least for the duration of that sortie. That ball-cap has seen more combat sorties than these douche canoes ever will...

Project Liberty? Maybe picking up some of the short tours to Iraq being forced onto squadrons already heavily deployed? Maybe there are good reasons to have entire squadrons full of rated pilots sitting around waiting, but at some point it's in the collective interest of our force to use those qualified bodies in a manner which contributes and eases the load everyone else has been carrying.

I've got a buddy who just showed up to Kirtland for Talon EWO training about two months ago. He's TDY here, and when he showed up they told him that all brand new Navs/EWOs go to Shadows - regardless of what the orders say (he also dropped Talons). He's also headed to Kadena, and they told him to expect about a three month delay to his original planned arrival at Kadena because of the back up of the Shadows. He also said he's working six days a week right now to catch up after the sim was broken for a week or two. Should be all in house for the -130W specifics - no formal program is set up for them at Kirtland, only the -H and -P/N, and soon the -J.

I get the "Activity Logged" message when I click on it.

While I agree with it personally, I think the cliche Robin Olds argument is like trying to make a moral case against abortion to an atheist. Robin Olds lived in a much different era and the argument falls on deaf ears. While most pilots would argue those were better days, the reality of today: there is a 99.9% chance people will return from a mission in any aircraft (fighter, UAV (ha), heavy) in one piece. SOOO, as many have said before, we get to fight a long-term war with a peace time standards environment. I am done trying to change the Air Force. It is a huge bureaucratic mess...basically a social security system with wings. I say take it or leave it...serve your time and get out, or stay in and deal with the exponentially increasing bullshit. Do we really think a post on af.com is going to change their behavior in any way. Hell, I applied for VSP, and after all that upheaval up and down the chain after the results...what changed? I am still in the Air Force...I think our only vote is with the good old feet and I plan on using them in a few years.

Here's my opinion: get a Glock 19 or a S&W M&P 9mm, 1000 rounds of ammo, and get some professional instruction. You owe it to yourself and those around you who may be affected by how fucked up you are with that .357 revolver or 1911 jam-o-matic you are toting around. Or Desert Eagle, for fucks sake. That's a sweet S&W. What's the difference between that and the M&P? I'm not a huge CZ fan. They're comfortable and pretty good shooters. I'm more a fan of decent $269 guns and DIY projects.

That's a loaded questions with a lot to answer. The Colt Python or Colt .45 (I'm assuming you mean a 1911) are your best choices. The Desert Eagle is ridiculously expensive and a behemoth of a weapon. Since the Python is no longer in production you will have to find a used one, but they will be pricey. A "reasonably" priced Python that still works and is pretty to look at will be just north of $1000. The benefit of having the Python is that is is chambered for .357 magnum, which means you can shoot the lighter recoiling .38 special through it too. The 1911 will be more prevalent because everyone makes one. Small parts quality is a major factor here and most people who espouse how great their Kimber or whatnot is overlook the fact that all their internals are going to be garbage. That being said, I highly recommend Colt as your first choice in a 1911. They make the best ones in their price range, plus it's a Colt. Springfield Armory also makes an excellent 1911 and would be my second choice. Realize that a 1911 is not an ideal choice for a beginning handgun shooter. Field stripping is more complex than modern semi-autos, but it's still relatively simple. Maintenance is no more strenuous than a modern handgun until you start getting into higher round counts. Eventually parts will need to be replaced. The extractor is a big one, and many parts like that require fitting on a 1911. Unless you are comfortable and capable of doing that, you will have to send it to a gunsmith. Ammo for both the Python (.38 Special and .357 Magnum) and the 1911 (.45 ACP) can be found at any sporting goods store, gun store, wal-mart, etc. Ammo for all 3 calibers are similarly priced. What do you intend to use this gun for? What made you choose these guns? I can think of several choices that will probably better suit your needs... without even knowing what those needs are. Additionally, make sure you buy yourself a decent holster. I originally came on here to post this article, but though I could kill two birds with one post. ETA: Looks like ExBoneOSO already posted the article in the WTF? thread... Police urge holster use after man shoots his own penis.

That's interesting, because there are a lot of aviators who have no respect for a guy who is a self-important windbag who once accomplished some amazing acts of airmanship but unfortunately eclipsed all of that with his enormous ego.

No shit! However, this will probably be treated like a bad WX day on a Friday: it's obvious that no one will turn a wheel the entire day, but rather than utilize the time to get everyone together and get necessary training done, and then push to the bar early, we drag the schedule out to the bitter end,... and still not fly anything. And of course, no one gets home until 1800 either. In this case, all these Raptor pilots could already be doing something beneficial somewhere,... but no, we need them ready to go "just in case the WX breaks in the next 10 minutes".