JarheadBoom

The entire operation is a giant FW&A case... Still working on the SITREP - I haven't forgotten about it.

You do know that's primer, right? *** edit - sarcasm detector inop... I think. The chances are good, but unless the F-35 pilot rips the basket off the hose, there's not enough fuel spray to cause engine problems. The last drogue AR I did, the probe tip on one of the F-18s took about a second to fully close after disconnect, fuel siphoned out of the probe, and most went down the right intake for that second. Pilot was less than concerned about it. Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be on a rheostat, or at least a BRIGHT/DIM/OFF switch, instead of just an ON/OFF switch...

Seems like a reasonable plan...

Um... train with the Navy at Lemoore or Oceana, in established Hornet training squadrons? Allow the Navy's established Intermediate- and Depot-Level Maintenance facilities to handle the heavy maintenance? Use the established Navy supply pipeline? That's not a huge obstacle.

I flew with OA's ZetaLiner in my helmet for 2-3 years in the Corps. Awesome. No NVG-induced hotspots. The ear cushions were awesome as well.

Go ahead, call me out - you do not even come close to scaring me. I have contributed FAR more to the real mission of the United States Air Force in my 2 1/2 years as a boom operator, than EVERY Tops In Blue performance EVER HAS. Whine about everything? Well no shit! We are expected to do our jobs right the first time, every time. If not, people die. You SUPPORT agencies don't do your job right... well, there's always tomorrow. Oh, wait: "I'm sorry, we're closed for training tomorrow; you'll have to come back another time." As aircrew, we see tangible results of our training - we get better at our jobs. What are you doing during your "closed for training" sessions? You sure as fuck aren't getting better at your jobs. Especially when I have to do your job to ensure I'm still qualified to fly planes. Teamwork... last I checked, we're still fighting, supporting, and supplying two conflicts in two different countries, in addition to all the regular peacetime missions (which have not decreased in duration or frequency). So much for your theory about learning teamwork "without the cost of a real ops-tempo". I am far more amazed by the planning and execution of REAL-WORLD, short-notice, tight-schedule missions whose purpose is to save a fellow American (or non-American, i.e. the Brit soldier evac'd from Afghanistan that stoleit2x referenced a few posts earlier) via airevac, airlift, or airstrike, than ANYTHING a musical/theatrical group could possibly conjure up. After all, the mission of the United States Air Force that I joined is "to fly, fight, and win"... not "to sing, dance, and tweak knobs". BL: Tops In Blue is not contributing to the current conflicts, or even any future conflicts that I can dream up. I wish Mr. Gates would see TIB for the waste of funding that it is, and immediately shut the program down, reassign every Airman back to their career fields, and use the funding to buy gear/supplies/parts for the forces that actually NEED it. BTW... I'm DNIF for 45 days, and my location isn't hard to figure out. SITREP to follow.

* Thread Revival * As of last week, yes. Transient aircrews get the tents that are as far from everything as possible.

linkage Published: Saturday, July 11, 2009 Skillfull pilot may have saved Obama plane Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Skillful piloting may have prevented a disaster for President Barack Obama and his campaign last summer, a former federal safety official said Friday. A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates an inflated slide may have pressed against critical control cables, forcing the emergency landing of Obama's campaign plane on July 7, 2008. The slide inflated inside the tail cone of the campaign's Boeing MD-81 shortly after takeoff from Chicago's Midway International Airport, the report said. Investigators found evidence that the slide and a broken walkway railing inside the tail cone may have pressed against elevator cables that run the length of the plane. The cables are used to control whether the plane points up or down. The plane's flight crew struggled to level the aircraft's nose, which continued to point upward after takeoff, but regained control by manipulating the control column and adjusting the trim on the plane's tail, the report said. However, the flight crew noted the pitch control pressure required to level the airplane was higher than normal, the report said. Former NTSB member John Goglia said the problem, had it continued, had the potential to cause a stall "at a critical point in flight." "It did have the potential of causing a catastrophic event," Goglia said. Normal control returned after the plane began it's descent for an emergency landing at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, said the report, which lays out evidence uncovered by investigators but doesn't reach a conclusion on the cause of the incident. The report doesn't say why the slide inflated, but notes the air carrier, Midwest Airlines, suggested the slide's cover may not have been secured properly. There were no injuries to the two pilots, four flight attendants, two airline representatives, and 43 passengers, including Obama. At the time of the incident, the pilot told passengers they were never in danger, and the Federal Aviation Administration said no emergency had been declared. However, audiotapes released about a month later showed that after the pilot discovered he no longer had full control of the plane, he told an air traffic controller: "At this time we would like to declare an emergency, and also have CFR (crash equipment) standing by in St. Louis." Asked which runway he wanted to use, the pilot replied, "Well, which one is the longest?" Interesting...

Am I the only one detecting the "This is what will happen to anyone else who fucks up with nukes" vibe? edit: format

I ended up using my Inova Microlight (the one you see on many a flightsuit zipper) way more than my headlamp. The Microlight's strobe setting came in very handy a couple times. Be sure to ask the instructors early on about headlamps, Camelbaks, personal knives, etc. for the field. The most recent boom in my SQ to go through SERE was not allowed to use a Camelbak, but was allowed to use a headlamp. The boom before him was the opposite. I was allowed to use both headlamp (with red lens) and Camelbak when I went, but personal knives were a no-go. The policy re: non-issue gear seems to be pretty flexible dependent on your element's instructors. We actually used other elements' instructors against ours in order to use Camelbaks - our instructors initially said NO, we countered with "Well, SrA Billybadass is letting Element 7 use theirs, and A1C Hikesalot is letting Element 12 use theirs, so why can't we?" Ours relented. edit: gramer an speelin

"Marines do not salute indoors, except when covered or under arms." IIRC, that quote is from the Guidebook For Marines. It's probably in a MCO somewhere, too. Drilled into our heads endlessly in boot camp. In non-combat situations/positions like Embassy guards, MPs, and the like, if you're under arms, you're covered (wearing your hat), indoors or out. 2! Marines will salute any vehicle with a blue DoD sticker, pretty much regardless of who's driving or their hat status. Again, endlessly drilled into our heads in boot camp.

More immediate concern - think of the stench...

3. Or 4... whichever it is.

Fixed it for ya...

Two years later... I know a little better now. Incidentally, they fly with us a lot. For some reason, our mission crew director really likes snagging the TIB-transport missions. To date, I've been successful at avoiding those missions. I want nothing to do with the whole concept. edit: added quote of myself

Yep. Good advice for anyone who flies fling-wings. We used to joke periodically about not worrying about main gearbox chips in the -53E until you could read a part number or serial number from the chip. Until the day we pulled a main sump chip detector with a chunk of metal with a part number on it. Wasn't so funny after that...

We had an unwritten rule in the Corps : If an item is valuable enough to you that you wouldn't shitcan it or throw it overboard... lock it up, don't let it out of your sight, or leave it at home. I personally don't leave anything I own on the airplane when we stop someplace - the only thing I'll leave is my pro gear. Some folks leave their laptops, cameras, iPods, etc. on the plane if we're min-ground-time... to me, that's leaving a sign on your shit that says "STEAL ME!"

Not here... which is kinda surprising, considering the MX leadership issues we have here. Maybe we've turned a corner...?

Wow... some things never change. Replace "senior captains" with "every AFRC crewdog and 2/3 of the AD crewdogs", and you've got McGuire today.

I don't see 18AF mentioned anywhere in her bio. I'm no genius, but I am fairly confident that the first commander of a brand-new ABW (who also is the first commander of the first Joint Base in DoD) isn't gonna be someone who was removed from their last job for cause. There's a vast difference between a Special Assistant position that exists on a unit's manning document, and a "special assistant" position that is suddenly created from thin air (and does NOT appear on the manning document) after someone has screwed the pooch, and has to be stashed somewhere while the paperwork is done.

If you define gainfully employed as being a full-bird-Colonel "special assistant" to a Major General... then yeah, he's still gainfully employed (I'll bet that "special assistant" position isn't on 18AF's manning document...). I see it as a place to stash him while any investigations are completed, the i's are dotted, the t's are crossed, and all the paperwork is routed to the appropriate offices/agencies to kick him to the curb. It's the same thing the Navy does to Captains who run their ships into the bottom, or other ships.

Classic.

If that were truly the case, there would be several other firings going on. I think we've all seen at least one "leader" in our careers (some, several) who couldn't lead a moth to an illuminated lightbulb, yet seem to not only NOT get fired, but get promoted & moved up in command positions. He was before my time in the AF (thankfully...), but from all I've read here and other places, "Doc" seems to be a good example of this. The last WG/CC here at WRI is another...

Aircraft firefighters and structural firefighters both wear 2-piece turnout gear; they're exposed to fire a hell of a lot more frequently than your average aircrew, but they seem to do OK. I'd like a 2-piece flightsuit in the desert - it would make preflights and cargo loads/offloads a hell of a lot cooler. BUT... I'm looking for the reason(s) a 2-piece flightsuit is not compatible with ejection seats.