HuggyU2

Is that you standing next to Tony Bevacqua!!?? I keed, I keed!!

Years ago, I had "practicable" removed from our boldface. Webster's Dictionary said that practicable meant something was possible. The example in the dictionary was "it is 'practicable' to transport children to school via hot air balloon, but it is not 'practical'".

I don't agree... at least for the first time you pull hard on the pole. I haven't been through the High G physiology course in a few years, but unless they've debunked it, I remember being taught the G-X initiates a physiological response (I think it was called the "cardiac response"), and it causes your physiology to kick in and give you a higher G tolerance, compared with what you will sustain on your first moderate-to-high G maneuver... which should be that G-X.

Just a reminder that we'll be a Columbus Career Day this Friday and Saturday. Friday: we'll be around the assignment drop. Feel free to come ask questions or just chat. Saturday: we're giving the "10 min" presentation like everyone else. However, after the last speaker, we will show more video and stick around to discuss the U-2 program. I understand Saturday is "mandatory fun" for the students,... but if you're an IP who's interested, swing by near the end to catch our Q&A.

Is the U-2 good for your health? Probably not. If you're concerned about it, I'd recommend you stay away from a U-2 assignment. That said, I'll be at the Columbus AFB career day on Saturday, 7 Nov. Although I'm limited to something like 10 minutes for the presentation, once the other MWS guys give their presentation and it's over, I'll stay and show video and answer questions as long as there are folks there. Yes, UPT students can't apply yet, but come by and look at what you COULD be doing in 3-4 years from now. If you're a CBM IP, come by and chat. Four of us will be there,... very different backgrounds, which is typical: F-16 and Test Pilot Grad; B-1 pilot; Marine Cobra pilot, T-34, T-6 (1st pilot to get 1000 hours in the T-6, BTW); T-38 FAIP and PIT IP. You can probably find us in the bar on Friday. I hear there's an assignment drop.

Hail Dragons!

More specifically, I believe he's referring to nametags, not squadron patches.

I read the full report last week. It looks pretty complete. If you fly/flew the T-38, you should read it. Any my apologies for not posting that today was the burial. I hope you noted it on the website.

Good idea, but never heard of it. Actually, the solo numbers only got figured out about 5-7 years ago, when one of the ex-pilots researched the previous 50+ years. The "underwear number" was a number we used to use (and still do), however it includes SR-71 crews, and probably WB-57, and a few others. It was used by the folks that maintain the pressure suits, to keep track of whose stuff was whose.

The year that is on the tail number is not the year the jet was built.

Minor point, but didn't the first T-6's get delivered in 2000?

So,... which 3- or 4-star will get the last flight in the last Tweet? Has this food fight been settled yet??

The only tattoo I've considered is pilot wings on my chest. And I don't intend on asking if folks on baseops.net would like them or not, as it doesn't really matter. Tattoos of skull and cross bones, chicks in lingerie, tribal art, grim reaper, multi-colored-whatevers, you name it,... have never interested me.

"The Road to Wings",... or as it was nicknamed "The Road to Toast". ... the proverbial coffee blowing through my nose.

Who's Stanley Cup?

Bravo, HiFlyr! Of no surprise: we're still being used as the "low orbit satellite comm link" for UHF. As for "The Ravens", what a great book. Weren't Butch Hinkle and Bill Williams both Ravens too? And I think we had Al Henderson's family out here a few months back to give them tours.

Wilco. They will also post it on https://www.markdashgraziano.com It hasn't been updated much in the last day or so, but it will be.

HiFlyer, You need to step it up a notch on the stories, and start writing abou the U-2. Or are you saving the best for later???

A bunch of us showed up at his memorial and missing man flyover today at Edwards, in the hangar by TPS. We got together the night before with a bunch of his old Grand Forks, U-2, and TPS buddies, as well as his fiancee. It was good to talk to all of them. I hope to make the Arlington event.

How long have you been in the USAF? There's an AFI out there that covers this. Reference it, note that it says you may not wear them around your neck, and obey the AFI. Questions?

Seems like a lot of folks here know Dash, so check this out: www.markdashgraziano.com The site will grow, so check back. There's a lot of photos his friends are going to put on there. Story: we had a change of command about a year ago. Big, outdoor CoC. Dash is scheduled to fly that day high, i.e. in the space suit. After a U-2 pilot gets suited up, they put him in the big bread van with 2 lazy boy chairs in the back, and transport him to the U-2. Well, Dash decides HE can drive the van, and convinces the airmen to let him do it. So, in full space suit, on his portable O2 system, he goes driving to his jet. On the flightline, he drives right by the Wing CC, CV, OG/CC, et. al... They look up and see a guy driving a GOV, on the flightline, in a space suit. CV looks at OG and says something to the effect of "is this the new standard?". Needless to say, after the CoC, Dash got his ass chewed by the OG/CC. Can't remember the repercussions, but they went away with time.

It's 0614 on the West Coast, and I just got woken up to the news. I hired Dash into the U-2. I was there when he earned his "Dash" callsign (stands for Dumb Ass Shot Himself) on the Rod and Gun Club pistol range. He really is a "mad scientist". I'm tired of funerals for pilots I know.

LA press is reporting 1 fatal, 1 injured,... for whatever that's worth.

... plus his flight suit top zipper is WAY too low. And is that a blue pen in his pocket?? NO ONE should be signing AF documents in blue ink. And while we're at it, that F-16 in the background is not painted in authorized-and-appropriate colors.

It really doesn't matter where you park, as long as you get on the field. You're going to walk the entire ramp multiple times anyways just to look at everything. There's no event quite like Oshkosh.