Scooter14

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm trying to keep it simple for the masses. I should have hacked a watch to see how long it would take for someone to call me on a performance manual problem. You are correct, though. The KC-135 community...Creating ass-pain for ourselves in the form of obscure TOLD problems and idiotic EP questions since 1957.

No, actually the KC-135R has what's called EFAS, which is an engine failure assist system that's tied in with the yaw damper system. Basically, when your flaps are down more than 5 degrees, or you are slower than 200 KIAS, and the system is on, it can sense a difference in your outboard N1 fan speeds and feed in some rudder. So, let's say you are cooking down the runway and you lose #4. Once #4 rolls back approximately 10% N1 below what you have #1 set at, it will start to feed in some left rudder. Without it, the thrust differential would not be noticed by the human pilot until the yaw has developed even further. When we simulate engine failures on takeoff and we bring the flaps up or pass 200 KIAS, you can feel the system kick off and you definitely need more rudder. Most KC-135 takeoffs use a reduced thrust setting, unless you are just so heavy that you need all the thrusties. We'll run our data to meet a certain climb gradient (usually 8% on a trainer). We'll do lightweight TRT takeoffs in the sim and the IP will kill an outboard engine and you are in the dirt pointed 90 degrees off runway heading before you even know what happened to you. I don't think any are slated for re-engining. We had 8 sitting on our ramp, and in the last few months some NJ ANG crews have stopped by and flown 4 of them to D-M. The other four are being maintained (tire rotations, HPO's, etc) but I suspect they will be flown out soon.

Those are pretty much the same symptoms you get after exerting yourself when it's really hot and humid. Coincidence? That's awesome. Yeah. "Hey Akbar, let's make all of that Infidel base sick! How should we do it?" "Let's see, I've got it! We'll poison the hookah tabacco! That will incapacitate about 4 of the 69,000 GI's there! Then, victory will be ours! JIHAD!"

Used that one too. The tanker guys have a few phones scattered about. I had one last time, but it was a Class C or whatever they call it when you can only call Ops or Ops can call you on base.

Call someone else's home station. There used to be a sheet by the phones there with worldwide DSN operators, or go to the website (I think it's a DISA .mil site, check with your base operator) to get the DSN of the closest military DSN operator. Or, just call home station and have them put you through to your long distance calling card 1-800 number. I used to have Offutt put me through to the ATT operator when my wife was home with her folks or if I wanted to say hi to Mom and Dad, and it was all automatic from there. It would show up on my bill from Omaha to wherever. I would think a domestic long distance call would be cheaper than an international call, but who the hell knows. With Cingular (ATT), you can also pay $5 and get the international plan on your cell. I rarely used it to talk, I always used the morale phone, but you can send a quick text whenever, which is kinda cool, as long as you don't go crazy it won't cost you more than a few bucks. It's nice for the "Made it in OK, I'll call you tomorrow" message. Maybe it was the years of waiting in line for the phone at PSAB that makes me appreciate the ability to text message.

That's fucking funny right there.

OK, you can't just mention about a place that's off-limits and not tell us why...Hookers? Strippers? 24 hour raves? You can fall off the peninsula and die? Is there a beautiful girl behind every tree?

That's when most people sweat, bro. Wait till you get to Al Udeid You have no idea. Dude, don't sweat it. (get it? Don't sweat it? I crack myself up). The guys on this board who know me and have flown with me (Wacky, Bergman) will probably think we're related. It sucks, but it will not disqualify you. You will sweat your balls off as a pilot. You should have seen me in the pattern at Altus on a nice hot September day. It was like that scene in Airplane... Bottom line, unless you have been diagnosed with some disorder, I think you're gonna be just fine. Go be a pilot, just bring a towel. EDIT: I don't think you need to see a doc about it either. Also, it seems the less soda/caffeine I drink, the less I look like that picture up there. Hope this helps.

White socks??? You know what Boom? That's right, you're dangerous.

It's probably because his next-of-kin is on the island, whereas the rest of the crewmemebrs live half a world away.

Finance Guy has a pretty valid point. From the guy who never leaves The Died to the crew that overflies the magic line, a lot of us have gotten a piece of the pie. Sometimes it was earned, sometimes you were just on the right jet at the right time. Combat zone or not, it's nice to get the pay, especially if you are a Guard Bum.

Wow. Good on ya. You should have seen my flight on the last day of SOS. Not good.

Bucky, That was some good stuff. See you at Red Flag The whole T-1=0.0001% chance of ever flying a fighter thing is something to consider. If you go T-38-->UAV-->whatever then you could always go-->ANG fighters (that is, if there are any units left in 8 years, which I hope is true, but the way things are going, we're all going to be associates).

The shoe clerks rest their case

Why are you looking under the table? Trying to get a peek up someone's super tight PT shorts?

Holy $hit, JBVFLY...looks like we picked the right time to make a career move. Next thing you know, we would have been working for Cooter...which in itself wouldn't be a bad thing in the fact that Cooter's a good dude, but it goes against everything I held sacred as a navigator. Take away my radar and my window? YGBFSM.

Camelot...That was the name of the PSAB tent city chow hall...although it was Camel Lot, get it? The USAF took over the MUFF. Great. Time for 0-0-1-3 and a beer card scanner. My MUFF card better still be good.

If I flew back to Robins on a tanker from a deployment, landed and took a bus to Hartsfield to catch a flight home, I would like to have the option to wear the tan bag. My primary duty requires a flight suit. That's what I wore. I'm not going to wear ABUs/DCUs just for the flight home. Doesn't make sense. Airman Snuffy from CE can wear his uniform all the way home, why do I have to change into civvies? Other than that, I'm happy in cargo pants, a decent shirt and my Merrells.

My question was meant to be more morbidly tongue-in-cheek than serious. Internet sarcasm transfer deficit disorder strikes again. I bet I'd still want to be a pilot if I was born in 1923 as opposed to 1973, but I'm sure glad we know now what we didn't know then. The mishap rate back in the day was staggering. Even into the '50s and '60s it's amazing how many planes we lost. Hell, we were losing a few tankers a year back then, and that had four engines. Here's to our brother aviators who went before us.

Holy fuck. I'm glad I'm not an Avenger pilot. WHo the fuck built, flew and maintained those lawndarts?

Any other goombahs out there wanna go fly a tanker Soprano-style? Yeah, that's right...how you doin', huh?

I learned a hard lesson as a new nav on my first deployment to Saudi. I was on the non-stop flight and I was racked out somewhere aft of the overwing hatch. Somewhere over France I have to take a leak. Well, I get out of my sleeping bag and walked to the back of the plane to the aft latrine. I didn't bother to put my boots on. Well, I stepped through the door and right into a puddle of whatever leaks out of whatever is back there. It was roughly 32.1 degrees. That woke me up. Well, since I was new, nobody told me (and I was too stupid) to pack a divert bag that would have such handy stuff as extra socks. So, I spent the next 7 hours sockless and cold, and the next 5 hours after that sockless and hot inprocessing in my not-yet broken in old-school non-Belleville desert boots. So kids, count the mistakes and learn from them. Boots to the latrine, divert bag, extra socks (just like Lt Dan says) and break in your boots before you deploy.