HuggyU2

Actually, Shaft, it would be my third retirement sort of. But really? You think I'm not up to the challenge?

And all this time I thought it was "RTB"

Who knows? But this is interesting in it's potential:

Currently, they are saying past 2020. You've got plenty of time: the last U-2 pilot hasn't graduated high school yet.

There should have been 15 in that picture... but I was on leave at an airshow that day.

Tony Scott apparently wanted RPA's featured prominently in TG2. Maybe his death will change the directions.

I have an A-10 friend (Major) at D-M who flew with him in the past, and sounded positive about him. Looks like he did ok, despite getting the crappy Banked Pilot deal.

This is incorrect. Two-ship is fine,... it's not a rule that is "ignored". If it was a rule, we wouldn't do it. While this might be a good "generality", this really depends on where the orientation flight is taking place. For example, this is not an accurate statement in our wing.

Looks like he descended below the hard deck.

Yes, it truly is the "highway to the danger zone".

What did the counter-offensive consist of?

Say what?

This is an SCI discussion... ...not appropriate on this forum.

It was high enough that you could "hear" the Oakland Center controller cock his eyebrow when I said "cancel IFR".

If I had to do it over again, I'd bring a Ford F-350 with a winch on the front bumper, and enough suspension that I'd need a ladder to get in.

Go figure. I have read too many blogs with "pilots" ranting about the MC-12... only to find out they've never been assigned to it. Whatever... let them believe what they want. Kind of like SQ/CC's and above telling their young guys "do NOT apply to the U-2 if you want a future in the AF".

https://www.flyingsquadron.com/forums/index.php?/topic/657-u-2-dragonlady-info/page__st__220__p__306372__hl__u-2__fromsearch__1#entry306372 It's called "search function", and works fairly well. As for the MC-12, are the C-17 pilots you are are referring to going to the MC-12 for a "1 and out" tour? Or for a full 3+ year PCS?

If I remember right, it was actually Speedy Martin's squadron when he was the SQ/CC.

I had eight "civil involvements" including an arrest. It delayed my scholarship a couple of months, and the tickets I got during college created some issues,... but ultimately, like Rainman said, I worked hard and tried to minimize the negatives.

What the video would be unable to show is the night show from Saturday night. Very memorable. And the fireworks finale was a great way to cap it off.

Excellent recommendation. A guy in our squadron is related to Fiske, and passed on this book to me. Good story.

75 years of the mighty Cub.

What's the big concern with the night landings? Is it just an exercise thing? Or is this fairly common?

Yeah, "what if" the scenario were different and a CCW carrier had seen him trying to enter the theater with a weapon and body armor. What then? Or "what if" his weapon had jammed while he was 10' away from someone with a CCW? Or "what if" a police officer had been on duty in the theater and engaged the shooter, and managed to kill 1+ bystanders? Most police I've met at the range don't shoot that well. Or what if it was in broad daylight, in a restaurant, with a CCW carrier who was an excellent shooter? I guess we will never know. But the world's a dangerous place. "Be prepared", Boy Scout. Side note: are you the guy that developed the "Active Shooter" CBT for the AF? You know... the one that has military folks hiding under their desks in fear, while the shooter goes room-to-room killing people?

That is exactlywhat I think. And, yes, it was a dark theater, etc... But had a CCW carrying person changed the end result to 11 dead or less, it would have been well worth it.