HuggyU2

I checked with my airfield manager: no reason you should have to get permission from the Wing/CC, as a general rule. According to him, active duty and retirees should be able to get access with just a bit of paperwork. I know, I know... someone will have a "my Wing CC wouldn't let you land here" story. I'm just going with what I'm told. Five of us were partnering on an aircraft, and flying it to work was not a big deal when we asked.

I'm no A&P by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd like to comment on this. First, I've just read some data on engine failures: a large percentage (it might have been the majority) failed shortly after the overhaul. I can't remember how many hours "shortly" is, but it was a large window. High time engines with good compression checks were quite reliable. There is a school of thought out there pushing to let high time engines keep flying if periodic inspections are good. Second, I'd rather buy a timed out engine for three reasons: 1. it will be cheaper 2. the reason above 3. I can get it rebuilt by a high end rebuilder (like Penn Yan or the guy near Fresno, CA) and know it was done right. Just an observation & opinion. BTW, sticks, it sounds like you are having a very good time. Nice to see someone here maxing out the flying-fun meter.

Sad to hear. Dave and I were FAIPs together. And for all you Perry Mason's out there, it wasn't just the DD callout issue, so don't focus on it. LearJetter is spot on: that was simply one indicator of a larger issue. Every investigation I've seen like this in my career has had multiple flags that got the attention. Had it been one thing, it wouldn't have raised an eyebrow.

Brilliant.

Spoo, Shut up, pack your bags, call the movers, and get your happy ass out of that 5-sided "office space". When you arrive on the West Coast, call x8464 and tell the guy that answers that you want to be a pilot again. You don't need to understand what 15 pieces of flair/flare means... you need to understand Armstrong's Line... and a few other things. Hurry up... Oshkosh is only 70 days away.

I just spoke to the Sacramento FSDO. The inspector said I should carry BOTH my Form 8 and my 1042. The Form 8 proves I'm on active military flight status, which is a requirement for this provision. Take it for what it's worth.

He was a WSO, right? And what's the WCL? Different than the Club?

It's Million Air. I'll leave it at that.

Good news, especially for you AETC folks in Texas and Vance: The Million Air FBO's at Hobby and Fayetteville Arkansas just got the military servicing/fueling contract. Although EFD is close by, swing into HOU next time you're in Houston. We went through Hobby back in Feb, and it is top shelf: good flight planning, professional line crew, free snacks/drinks,... even the crew car is a BMW 5 series. FYV probably has the same, as this is a Million Air standard. The movie theatre is impressive too. The tower guys at Hobby are great, and give you whatever they can. Hobby has 7600', and Fayetteville's 6000' of runway. You T-38 pilots are out of luck at FYV, but HOU only requires a waiver of 400' of runway. Will AETC Wings do that? If you RON Hobby, they can book you a "boutique" hotel downtown, and get you a killer rate. Hobby's also where the CEO has his HQ. His name is Roger, and he loves military aircrew, so ask the front desk if he's around and talk to him. He's a pilot too, and great to get to know. ... and tell him the Beale guys sent you.

Reason #48 why the system is broke.

Well... at least until the SERB in June.

He may have had a similar issue to me. In my case, my hip pain became so bad that I couldn't get comfortable in the jet. Even getting into the jet became an issue. Finally, I threw in the towel and got an artificial hip: no more pain. Artificial knees sound a bit more complex.

Thanks for clarifying. Thanks for your military service.

TheGuest, If you know these candidates well, can you chime in on how he is off active duty already?

According to his bio, he would have graduated UPT NET April 2002. I am under the impression that Active Duty pilots get a 10 year commitment. If so, how did he separate before 2012?

Was Mr Kernea a Guardsman or Reservist? If so, where?

NICE Stearman!

There's no reason you should not be able to learn to fly in the SD. Conventional gear aircraft were the norm for decades when it came to teaching new pilots. You will learn a lot more over the course of 100 hours in the SD than you will in a C-152/spamcan.

Yes, it can be a tough choice. In my case, had it been a 20 year commitment, I'd have still done it.

Sounds like there are other Marines that are welcome on your pole.

Ah, shucks, Kuma... I mean "noise" like the sound a cuddly bear makes. Not a Huggy Bear. Just "a bear". Could be "polar". Like "polar opposites", which is the way you describe the Marines vs. the USAF. Yes, "noise" was a poor choice of words. I meant to convey that the voice and words that scares those like interviewee, BQ students, and the Charleston witch are really misunderstood: behind the facade is a Marine-snake-pilot-killer-turned-USAF-ISR-fun-guy.

"Kuma": two, basic syllables that can be grunted by just about any Marine. Not complex, robust, somewhat intimidating when you hear it, but the end, just noise... all just like Kuma himself. As for making you "more civilized", don't get too worked up: having you get "less civilized" would be an even harder chore. Sort of like going less than Absolute Zero. And as for "culturing" you, it would be less like getting you into your Sunday best and escorting Ivana Trump to the Oscars, and more like,... well,... "culturing" good bacteria in a petri dish. And, Kuma, I'm proud of you for separating your last post into 3 paragraphs. Well done! Were you an English major? That's very nice.

No. He's a former Marine, and since "discipline" is soooo important to Marines, having the discipline to accept our attempts to "culture" him would show more character than we've seen,... his attempts at swearing at me notwithstanding.

Yes, we have had young, active duty folks do CFI duty at our Aero Club (Beale). I'm a CFI, and the form you get your commander to sign then goes to Legal, where they should concur. Owning an airplane: our pilot community is quite small (and a bit older), and in the past year we have had pilots that own: 3 Cubs, 2 Stearmann, 2 Stinson, 1 Bucker, 1 Quicksilver, 1 Pitts, 1 Yankee. I'd own one myself, but prefer to rent for now. If you do buy, consider 1-2 solid partners. Why the Cherokee 180?