fire4effect

Anyone know of a way to see any of the episodes at Bagram? Actually saw the Pedro School Bus but never made the connection

On the same trip to Normandy they met some residents of Sainte-Mere-Eglise and the locals were surprised that John Steele (the American Paratrooper that landed on the church steeple) was not a household name in the U.S. I admit I didn't remember his name either until they told me. They French locals in Normandy sure remember.

Parents went to the cemetery at Omaha Beach a few years back. Dad (Vietnam Vet) still get choked up talking about seeing so many headstones in one cemetery and what they represent.

I guess it's not much of a "Shadow War" when the mainstream press has a hold of it. On a somewhat related note from the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-secret-intelligence-operations-in-africa/2012/06/13/gJQAHyvAbV_story.html

We can thank President Bush for that........We're constantly hearing about it in our human trafficking brief

I was actually on the debate team. I rose to the level of Master Debator. Not nearly a sexy conversation but yes a lot behind the scenes goes into keeping engines safe and functional

One other thing about some older engines on the heavies is as compressor blades wear then the stall margin decreases. The F108 on the 135 has some old, high time engines that can under certain crosswind conditions on taxi and early in the takeoff roll, stall. On my earlier point an A-10 had a disk let go in the not too distant past. There's even a case out there on a ground run where an American 767 I think threw a disk that went clear through the fuselage into the other engine. I know everyone remembers Souix City. Improper forging left an inclusion that caused it to fail. Thats why disks have eddy current/ultrasonic inspections and hard life limits

Bolterking, How likely was it that the crew was intentionally dumping fuel versus leaking fuel? With as little time as they apparently had then they were sure on top of things either way. If a part of the engine liberated (I'm referring to something heavy like a disk as opposed to blade(s) which I would suspect would stay contained) then it could easily puncture a tank and maybe account for some witnesses (assuming they're right) saying they saw fire prior to impact.

One of the photographs appears to show the tail section of the F-18 in question with one nozzle open, one constricted

Saw the same article. I'm guessing there's weight penalty incurred for the MOD though it's obviously needed. Interesting to see how and if this plays into the manned vs unmanned argument.

Ask myself that all the time

In 'highly unusual' move, Marines asked to disarm before Leon Panetta speech. https://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/14/10684063-in-highly-unusual-move-marines-asked-to-disarm-before-leon-panetta-speech Sorry Leon but it's a war zone. If you're afraid of getting hurt then stay home and save the taxpayers all the money spent for you Afghan/World tour. On the other hand the lengthy judical process for the lunatic SSG will mean it will be years before justice is served and Locals will just get more and more pissed. In WW2 he would have been tied to a post about a month from now and shot.

America has had a history of our citizens serving in foreign militaries. Lafayette Escadrille in France in WW1 and the Eagle Squadrons in Great Britain in WW2 come to mind. Though I'm sure any "Neutrality Act" issues were easily overlooked given the popular sentiment of the time.

Sorry, poor cut and paste job. See kids don't drink and post

Wow, Wonder what the average blood alcohol content is for posters on Christmas Day? Not that I would EVER drink and post

I'm not looking for a uniform item but I am looking for a black A-2 style with Thinsulate in the lining. I've found jackets with the Thinsulate lining are pretty warm without the bulk which is important in some smaller civilian cockpits. I've owned a fleece lined leather jacket in the past and I found it restricted mobility. I've seen the LL Bean Thinsulate lined Flying Tiger Jacket but I don't like the way the back is sewn in two pieces whereas US Wings and the like seem to have one piece backs and look better in general though I don't have any idea what kind of insulation they use if any. Opinions?

I'm sure Panetta was thinking the same thing when he made his speech. Regardless of what actually comes to pass the echelons above reality have to know that people will bail if they perceive the current system has become essentially use or lose.

Coming up on 2 years this winter but I lost an old H.S. classmate with his 2 teenage daughters on an IFR approach under (at least apparently similar conditions). He was flying a Bonanza and he hit at steep angle. Based on where he was on the approach I would bet he was configuring the A/C for landing and I've wondered if he had iced up and the flaps coming down precipitated a loss of control. Anyone know if a (straight tail)Bonanza has the same issues as the Mooney?

Anybody hear a plan for the Reserve Component? A few years ago they talked about a reduction from age 60 to draw the annuity base on deployed time. Looks like they'll keep leaning on the RC forces all right for now due to cost savings but flat out screw them in the end when it comes time to pay up on retirement.

I heard the pilot was IDed as CPT Johnny Five

Now that's funny......Well they use the drug trade to help fund Al Quaeda/Taliban why not make porn to supplement their income? Dirk Kashmeri former pornstar. Too bad he didn't realize his last role was in a snuff film

Very well said. I love all the cheesy "Active Shooter Powerpoints" out there. Maybe if I print them all out and stuff them down my shirt it'll stop a .22. Most Base Commanders, I'm talking all service's here, care more about their careers. Until someone like the commander of Ft Hood at the time of the shootings is put on the hot seat for leaving the troops defenseless until a DOD civilian cop showed up, then they will continue the politically correct status quo.

Maybe the Intel haul from Bin Laden's (former) crib is starting to bear fruit. Death truly comes from above....

I would rather save Nitrous for the dentist Knew a few guys back in my youth who loved to make cars go fast with the stuff. I'm the first to admit a lot of stuff is good in theory but is it practical in the real world is a whole new question.