TacAirCoug

Unless you're in an H-model...

When movers came to my house a couple of months ago, one of them had been in the Navy and claimed to have witnessed the Herk AND the U-2 that landed on carriers. He also apparently was a good friend of John McCain back in the day :rolleyes: . There was plenty more, but you get the point. What a douche.

Right, The Five-Oh has H3's and as I was leaving the squadron in Feb, they were starting to share their aircraft with the 61st. I haven't heard whether green is getting any of their own tails (or borrowing) from other ANG/USAFR units or not.

Check out "Fancy Stitches" when you get to the Rock. It's on Wilhite St. off of Keihl Ave in Sherwood. They have a TON of patches, and will make just about anything for a reasonable price...

You'd think a tac airlifter's most memorable moment would be from a mission into a combat zone off in some far away country. Certainly I have many that fit that mold, however the one memory I have at the top of the list was one from a mission back here on the homefront. It was early September, the mission was an AeroMed mission and just happened to be my first flight as a freshly minted Aircraft Commander. We left Little Rock for Travis AFB to pick up our patient, and the next morning we departed for Elmendorf AFB. While enroute we learned that the patient we were carrying was an AF Trans troop who had been a driver in a supply convoy in Iraq. He had suffered severe burns when an IED exploded near his vehicle, but was expected to recover. His buddy riding shotgun was not so lucky. Feeling pretty good that we were able to bring him home, we pressed on toward AK. The weather was beautiful, and the views were magnificent, but the real reward was ahead of us, and we had no idea it was coming. On our rollout, my engineer points to a large crowd with banners and flags. As we pick up the follow me, we realize we are headed for rock star parking and a hero's welcome for our patient. We roll into the chocks, kill the motors, and as the young Airman was brought down the ramp, the crowd cheered and every gov't vehicle in the inventory, from vans to busses to forklifts, all had horns and sirens blaring in salute. I can't speak for the rest of the crew, but it was awful tough to keep from choking up. We received lots of thanks from Colonels and Airmen alike for bringin' their boy home, but just being there to witness it was thanks enough. As if it couldn't get any better, on our return swing through Travis, my Dad was parked near the end of the runway to watch me bring my mighty Hercules in. We had dinner, and the next morning my crew and I headed home on cloud 9. [ 16. March 2005, 21:22: Message edited by: TacAirCoug ]

As mentioned earlier, the Navy really doesn't care where you go or how far. When I went through C-12s we had guys going to California, Washington (D.C. and state), Key West, Colorado, and all points in between. Don't know if that's changed since '01, though.

Couldn't agree more. I spent 2 years trying to hack my way through EE because I thought I needed to in order to get a pilot slot, not because I liked it. Bad move, and my GPA suffered as a result. Once I realized this, I switched to a non-tech major that I enjoyed, brought my GPA back up, and scored that pilot slot.

Once the guys in the RSU realized he was OK, they probably laughed as hard as I just did.

My classmate: "Speedo 37..........Sh*t." RSU: "Speedo 37, why don't you make this one a full stop."

If you want a little of both worlds (tactical flying and the heavy lifestyle), Herks aren't a bad way to go. I've got a lot of hours under my belt doing NVG low levels, short field landings, tactical approaches/departures, etc. over in Iraq/Afghanistan. I've also done a lot of drinking in some great places while going between home and the desert. We're deployed a lot, but I wouldn't trade the flying and experience I gained over there in a Herk for any other airframe... Also, if you go Herks it's pretty unlikely you'll get yanked to go play Microsoft Flight Simulator for three years. We need the pilots too badly.

Trust me, there are a ton of operational guys who would love a tour in a white jet and a break from spending 6 months+ per year in the desert. Put some of those FAIPs in operational assignments and give the workhorses a break!