HuggyU2

Also, take note of the A-37 in the video link picture 2 posts above (tail 10779): They modified their jet with new Martin Baker seats. That jet is one of 3 in Australia/New Zealand and part of the group of 10 that were recovered from Vietnam. With ours in the US, that makes four of those 10 now airworthy in private hands with another 1 or 2 that will be flying in the coming months, hopefully.

On that note, our A-37... the only one flying in North America... will be at the March ARB Airshow on 12-13 April. Although I'm one of the two pilots, I don't fly it in airshow aerobatics, but the guy that does is absolutely top shelf. And the jet has the best smoke system of any jet out there. It is currently spending the winter in the Warhawk Museum at Nampa, ID. It has a unique history in that it was captured by the communists, who then flew the jet in combat against the South Vietnamese. Yes, it flew on both sides. It's one of 10 A-37's that were bought from the commies by an Aussie, and finally purchased by the current owner who spent 20 years restoring it himself. He has photos of his jet with both the North and the South, and it looks exactly the way it did in 1972. If you make it to the March Airshow, swing by and introduce yourself. I'll be wearing the bright orange flight suit with the HUGGY name tag. I look like a traffic cone, only bigger. Hard to miss. And yes, those fuel drop tanks actually work. The jet is thirsty and you need them to go anywhere. But that thirst translates to a lot of power. It puts out in MIL what a T-38A puts out in MAX.

Thanks, Biff. After seeing your post, I can't recall if I posted this. Not only fuckin' hilarious, but the guy has his facts pretty tight.

Second. https://www.jcs.mil/About/The-Joint-Staff/Chairman/General-Maxwell-Davenport-Taylor/

No offense taken! I am 61. There are currently 2 guys flying that are 64: One sits next to me and has about 3,500 hours and 1,000 - 1,100 sorties in The Deuce. The other flies the ER-2 for NASA out of Edwards, is a TPS grad and has a boatload of hours too. I believe that many moons ago, NASA allowed pilots older than 65 to fly and a few did. As an AF civilian pilot, I don't do anything "operational". But if you want to learn how to land her, do EP patterns, or fly in a spacesuit, then I'm your Huckleberry.

https://www.instagram.com/share/BABMhUaZY6

Back when the "no colored t-shirts" rule was first initiated (was that 2023?), some of the senior U-2 pilots broke out their old scarves. It caught on for about a year and both squadrons ordered a bunch for everyone. People still wear the scarves somewhat, though not like it was at the peak.

I think that's my third post recently where my sarcasm didn't come though.

https://www.spacebilt.com/

I enjoyed my 30 months in the 737. I'm the rare person that likes it better than the 757.

It takes that sort of attention to detail to ensure Boeing's commercial sales are humming right along. https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-rhatigan-1814b622

I was at an event recently with Canadian military personnel, and they appeared to have eliminated "traditional grooming standards". I asked a Canadian I was with and he said they had pretty much done away with traditional grooming standards in an effort to get more recruits. Don't know if he was 100% accurate, but the face piercings, partially shaven heads, and colored hair seemed to indicate he was. Don't get me wrong: everyone I saw looked well put together... it's just a departure from what most of us have seen. Much like beards in the AF: the vast majority I've seen are very well kept. I mean, spectacularly GQ-nice. So how does DoD go forward? Do we adapt a standard that is more in line with perceived societal grooming norms, and is more "big picture", and less about gig lines?

Not to worry... I'm sure that the usual YouTube channels are in high-gear solving the mystery before the NTSB. Make sure you subscribe.

It never fails... a guy in the squadron knows the players involved in the flyover. More to the story as always. A quote from a great U-2 pilot, who is a master story teller: "Aviation is difficult, but we do it well...and when we do it well, it looks easy...and when it looks easy, it looks unimportant."