Stitch

Check your PMs. If i did it right you have the file.

Ain't that the truth. Went TDY to Red Flag once we were billeted downtown, $60+ a day per diem, hotel paid for, about 200 yds from the strip down Flamingo and just across the street from the Paris Casino. People bitched and said they'd rather stay on base making like $4 a day and paying for billeting. WTF?

Before that, those perfectly good T-3s were run over with a bulldozer. I remember seeing pictures that someone posted of it here on BODN. The whole fleet run over at some civ airport down in Texas but can't remember where. If memory serves weren't some of the T-3s problems were density altitude issues at the Zoo and some motor problems due to the funky/special motor Big Blue wanted vs. the standard issue motor Slingsby was using for the rest of their military customers? USAF could have sold every last one of those airframes, sans motors if necessary, to the GA crowd and recovered at least some of the money spent on them.

How about a bunch of these. Acro capable, fighter/T-6 like feel, decent legs for cross-countries. Sure there's some assembly required, but once its all said and done they'll come in about $125K each after paint, avionics, tax, title, dealer prep, etc... put six or so at at each drone base, O & M dollars would be a ton less than maintaining a bunch of Tweets or T-6s. Meanwhile, T-53s while super nice rides, come in around $380K plus.

Question: A person in that situation, do they have to go through Enlisted Basic Training at Lackland or do they just ship em off to Tech School as an Airman Basic and then their their first base?

Probably the same evil Sith lords that have managed to keep Holloman & Cannon open all these years. While no where near as good a deal as Osan, with good accommodations and a car to get around on weekends, Kunsan wouldn't be too bad. You should have seen it back in 1983, its fricken paradise now.

You mean this one.... Infidel Corn Paper(1).pdf

Please explain this concept for those of us who live in states that touch the Pacific Ocean. Everyone knows a campus is a sanctuary of love, kindness, acceptance and safety beyond measure. I mean they have those signs that say "Gun Free Zone" so what's the deal with this? <sarcasm> Does this mean concealed carry would be legal on campus? If so, that would be awesome. Idaho is trying to push that through now.

To tag on that, I’ve been told in commercial world there are some pilots who dislike pretty much everybody, not just prior military. They also can’t stand graduates of other training pipelines such as collegiate programs i.e. UND, Riddle, etc… because they didn’t “pay their dues” earning money to pay for ratings one at a time mowing lawns, grocery stores, odd-jobs, etc… then once flying they had to work nights/weekends/holidays for low pay as CFIs, freight dogs, pipe/powerline patrol, etc… if someone took a perceived “easier” route then themselves, they don’t like em’. EDIT: Spelling.

Point 1: Fuck and cocksucker is/are just another adjective and/or term of endearment in MX world, so what was the problem? Point 2: I sat through one of those "Senior Rater endorsement" briefs once, thanks for triggering a PTSD moment (LOL). With no aspirations to become a 1st Sgt/command chief/CMSgt of the AF I didn't give two cares about the political game for E-8/9. Especially when shortly after I sewed on SSgt I was "mentored" that in order to make those ranks you had to be "sponsored" by a Chief or field grade officer; who, like an evil Sith Lord, would look out for you and make sure you filled all the right squares in your career. (INFO NOTE: We're talking mid 80s here, so maybe things have changed; I don't know) I just wanted to be the best maintainer I could and retire with honor as a MSgt. Worked my ass off 10 to 12+ hours a day in searing desert heat to -40 temps so the jets could fly. But I had a blast traveling the world, worked on Uncle Sam's front line fighter jets and was blessed with incentive rides in both the Eagle and Viper. Got to stand on the Korean DMZ, peer into (what was then) East Germany, drink beer the world over and have adventures others only read about on-line. All that, and still managed to stay married, raise two kids, complete a bachelor's degree and was half way through a masters on the day of my retirement ceremony. Funny thing, the boot lilcking nonner/shoe who retired with the same rank and years of service, gets just about the same $$ in their retirement check. To loosely quote Boyd; I wasn't out to be someone; I went out and did something. Don't regret my decision one bit.

Spot fucking on! Good find. Went to ONE wing Top-3 meeting when I got my line number for Master. All I could think of was WTF???? Should have walked out then and there in the first 5 minutes but waited till the end of the meeting and NEVER went back. What a bunch of goobers who wanted face time with leadership, fund raising (for what I don't know) and other crap. All I ever wanted to do was make sure those grey noisy things on the other side of the red line launched and recovered safely and on schedule so if the call ever came we could rain hate down on the enemies of democracy and freedom. That was the squadron/Wing's mission; the Top 3 guys seemed to forget that. They seemed only to worry about how to stroke themselves (STS) to look good for plaques, awards, EPR bullets, promotions, etc... But I didn't notice NONE of those individuals were from the world of OPS or MX. I suppose in the M-F, 9 to 5, hour for lunch world of the shoe/nonner you can do things like that.

Never let budget driven decisions, logic or common sense get in the way of a plan to resurrect ghosts of airframes past. But the new school Skyraider would be a dumptruck of munitions with enough gas to stay on station for hours long after the Super T's call it a day.

Probe/drogue like a helo, just put the probe way out on the wing or maybe some sort of pop up deal like a F-18 or Harrier. Remember seeing old photos of F-89s or some such Korean War era jets where the boom off a KC-29 plugged into a spot out on the wingtip area. So its been done before...

Totally agree, but wouldn't that "cook" the centerline bag and all that JP-8? Maybe run some "sidepipes" and blow the exhaust out somewhere aft of the trailing edge of the wing. Which would of course roast the poor slob pumping gas during hot pit refuel... As long as we're dreaming here I guess they could slap a C-130 type of motor on a brand new Skyraider airframe. That'd be pretty cool.

Just dust off the plans and reopen the production line for these...

Wait, what? I was at Eddies from 87-89 (OK a thousand years ago) but back then the west gate was like the Edwards 500 every morning bumper to bumper at 75 with idiots changing lanes like the Dukes of Hazards. So there's a median there now? Crap. Oh and a big "2" on whoever said Cal City, Rosamond, etc are shitholes. At least some things haven't changed. But did get the see the space shuttle land returning from space and launch back out again on top of the 747, so that was cool.

And I see your point and agree 100% regarding the troops who fell searching for their team mate I hadn't considered that angle. In that case, charge em up and go for max punishment. My only point was to prevent the defense trying to turn the trial into some three-ring circus show soapbox r.e. "unjust war", alleged indiscriminate killings of civilians, etc, etc, etc...

Here’s a possible solution: The Army offers and Bergdahl cops a plea for desertion; reduction to E zero, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, forfeiture of VA benefits, credit for “time served” while in Talaban Land and cut him lose. Saves the DoD a shit ton of money and aggravation with not having to deal with a what would become a Scope’s Monkey trial. He departs military service with nothing from the government but wasn’t that his plan in the first place anyway; when he, in effect, tried to walk home from Afghanistan?

Hey, she's paying cash and can only afford to do one side at a time. It takes a long time to get that kind of bank one dollar at a time. However, not unlike F-35 by the time she's ready to get the other side done she'll have to wait for the latest software upgrade, then there's the cost over runs, the boob sac sub-contractor will have gone out of business forcing the contract be rewritten/re-bid, bra manufactures won't have proper support equipment (STS) etc, etc, etc... By the time its all said and done she'll be replaced with a newer model that can do the job better, cheaper, faster and be available to NATO allies and approved customers on the international market.

Been there, done that. Couldn't agree more. Spend many dollars at the club with the boss and got good career advice (what they call "mentorship" today) and heard some great stories on everything from buffoonery, to working jets (F-100/-105s, AT-28s) back in Thailand & Nam to avoiding HUGE pissed-off snakes at night while guarding garbage dumps in Ton Sun Nut in an effort to keep the VC from “recycling” our trash.

Wow, just like Beetlejuice!

Very true, the German cemetery at Bitburg where President Reagan visited in 1985 is/was very different. Was stationed at Bitburg during the Reagan visit and stopped by that same cemetery a few days after Ronnie did. The flowers he placed there were still pretty fresh. Someone also mentioned Bastonge, big "2" on that idea. The Bitburg/Spang area puts you in a great location for seeing historical sites/sightseeing.

No kidding. Why spend tons of cash on R & D when Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites did all the work for you. Buy the kit and modify to meet mission requirements.

Little bit of a drive from K-town/Ramstein area, but the American Military Cemetery just outside Luxembourg City in Luxembourg west of Spangdahlem AB just over the Germany/Lux border is worth the trip. It's where Gen Patton and a few hundred of his troops from WWII are buried. Beautifully maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (at least when I was there last in 1987). Just a little suggestion. EDIT: Lack to navigational skillz