Rocker

I might have actually just peed a little from laughing so hard, I'm not sure. Expecially those last two lines.

Funny, that was my game plan most of the time back in the college years. A couple of jobs: -Musician -Freelance Massage Therapist -Forensic Entymologist -Animitronic Donkey Breeder -Part owner of a new hip restaurant in the nearest big city (and then when she says she's from there and goes out all the time and has never heard of it, accuse her of probably not having many friends and not getting out much) -Sexual Position Inventor (though just start off with "inventor") And of course when/if you make the elusive "score" and don't want to continue communication with the other party, or just plain meet someone who won't get off your case (the stage five clinger), give them your number, which of course is: 713-866-6249.

6000 lbs an hour low level for a Herk. 335 doesn't sound too unbelieveable.

"...and that's THE BOTTOM LINE!!!"

For some reason I thought the C-17 was strat.

I'm probably too inexperienced to speak intelligently about this, so I'll just stick with my original task-loading vs. design discussion. If the interfaces for all controls (mainly talking about the CM systems, FLIR and RADAR systems, other nav wizbangery, and everything on the overhead panel that the engineer controls (fuel, electrics, bleed air, pressurization, HAR stuff and more)) were designed so the pilots could access them, then you could increase the task loading on the pilots. Would we be as effective? To a point. There's a lot of crap in that plane - obviously a more experienced guy could do more. There are times when the other pilot is just sitting there "backing the other pilot up." Sometimes redundancy in that regard is not needed, and if he had the capability to manage something else, then yes I think pilots only could do it (ala C-130J/C-17). Other times (during SCAs, drops, parts of the low level, etc.) the pilots are pretty busy. But when terrain is significant enough, having eyeballs on the RADAR, FLIR and chart the entire time is a GOOD thing. Nav is heads down so the pilots don't have to be. But without a doubt, the pilots COULD do more most of the time but I don't want to spout off too much since I haven't really BT or DT. Yes. Fair enough, but that's the fun part that we take pride in and where we make our money (obviously to include HAR)!

Why, so we can have money to build more F-22s (and ? Hell no. Build a bastardized version without RAM, thrust vectoring, or any avionics and different geometry and export it all you want. But it would be just political and stupid to export our version. Nobody needs them besides us.

Although not a bomb-dropper, the HC-130P has good use for a nav, FE, and loads (scanners)(EDIT) and radio operators, too (sorry ROs). Regarding the front-end crew: when you're flying around in a 5% (or less) illumination inkwell in the mountains, 210-240 kias, 500A mod countour (or lower depending on stuff), and "clear right" means your right wing tip will not impact terrain, it's kind of nice having someone dedicated to the radar and FLIR to clear and often direct you around terrain you just can't see yet through the goggles or to point something out on the FLIR for you that you don't have time to focus on while you're maintaining your profile. Nav also has a JOG open at his station to keep up on the briefed route deviations and often to make new ones and compute new MSAs if that becomes a player. They remind you of your recommended altitudes for terrain clearance/masking in the event you don't have the controlling obstacle in sight. A good navigator can be worth their weight in gold on the low-level and during HAR rendezvous. I remember thinking when I started "there are two pilots, they should be able to do everything and more that a nav can do in addition to flying." Simple ignorance. From a basic task loading perspective, I bet that's possible about 85% of the time. But from a design perspective, I'd adjust that to about 30% of the time. There's stuff back at the nav station that the nav is responsible for operating, and when the pilots are outside 90% of the time, it makes sense to have a navigator. Same goes for the engineer. The pilots know their systems and ops limits, but the C-130 is a rather systems-intensive aircraft, moreso, I would guess than any fighter, helo, and possibly some larger jets. We are fairly self-sustaining, and by that I mean there is a lot we can do without ground support. I don't know the capabilities of other aircraft in that regard, but we can get by pretty well in the middle of nowhere. Everything is speedersprings and flyweights, and little camshafts and gears that mechanically engage at certain RPMs to make things happen by pulley and cable - very little is electronic or automatic. 1940s technology (as they beat into you at FTU); mice running on little wheels. I know the A-10 for instance is pretty low tech as well...and honestly that is a great thing. But with the systems and controls that we have, the flight engineer, a.k.a. your "Systems Expert" is invaluable. The pilot physically cannot reach the things the eng has access to. It's again a task loading vs. design issue. And with him, it's even less in favor of design. He is the one who will call your airspeed if you lose more energy than planned popping up over a ridgeline while both pilots are clearing outside and will call your torques and/or temperatures when you're pouring the coals to it. An aggressive in/out scan as a pilot (even moreso at night) should be implied, but when you have a third pair of eyes dedicated to the inside (and if you've seen the cockpit of the Herk), it is often vital. My personal experience is admittedly limited (to ten months of FTUs and just a little time at the squadron), but all of this being said: could the Herk fly single pilot? Of course. But the crew, in this particular airplane, is one of the things that makes or breaks the mission. We don't camp out at FL230 reading the paper, eating Hot Pockets (unless we're REALLY going somewhere). We hand-fly just about everything, down in the weeds, and we use our crew to do the job. [ 28. July 2006, 14:05: Message edited by: Rocker ]

No, none at all... I mean yes.

Five years until the HC-130J, according to the latest rumor.

Flak vest, kevlar helmet, camel bak, and med kit. I dunno Linda, I love the UPT issue boots. I put a Spenco insole in them on day one and they've been great. I own a set of Bellevilles, too, though I haven't worn them much. And neither are as comfy (though both are better looking) than the Oakleys (which will not be worn in the pipeline!). To each his own...or her own, as required.

Mission. Period. And "three" to M2, though if you happen to have a wife who says (verbatim): "I don't care where we go; whatever's best for you and your career" (and lets you buy guns you don't really need and even encourages you to make sure they're high-quality and you're getting a good deal) then a) you are a lucky SOB, and 2) you need to make sure every other facet possible to make her happy is covered. One big thing we'll have to worry about in the somewhat distant future is when little Rockers start checking in, I'll really want us to be someplace with a good school system. That, I think, will be the major balance. Anybody checked out the schools out in Clovis?

Know your limitations, but never be self-depricating. Don't tell yourself that you suck; don't even joke about it - there are enough people around to do that for you and it will only create a loser attitude. Instead, tell yourself you can be better and take all the above advice to make it happen.

One day during a pilot training area solo in a T-6 (where you fly out to a MOA, tear it up for an hour or so, and then RTB), I got sent to one of the areas furthest out (Area 8, I think it was, out at Laughlin). The weather required to send a solo student out to a MOA has to meet certain criteria, and it was basically clear and a million, except when I got to my area, there was a single lone puffy with wispy arms and tunnels through it right smack in the center of it. After a quick and dirty pilot training style FENCE in, I pointed the nose at it, firewalled the throttle (or PCL or whatever the Navy made us call it back when they were in on the contract to procure it, only to completely balk and say "Um, actually we can get LOTS more years out of our craptacular T-34s") to get as much energy as possible, pulled 45 nose high right in front of it, rolled inverted on the way up over the top of it, pulling through, scraping the canopy across the top, and then rolled wings level on the other side, 45 nose low to another pull up and back around for more. That was fun. I spent the whole rest of my time there disregarding my planned profile of stuff to practice, to play around that cloud in my own personal 1100 shp, air conditioned, pressurized, fully acrobatic flying machine. That sortie alone was worth the price of admission.

HD, that was a good post there. However, someatcguy, any job can become "the grind" no matter how much you enjoy it, as I'm sure you well know. Or if not the job itself, without a doubt certain aspects of the job. I don't care what it is - there are things that suck about everything. But if you're the type who can see past all that in the long term, then I say it's worth it. Define reality, but include the fact that this is your one and only chance at life on Earth. Don't be an old man looking back at your days wishing you'd done something differently. Now that would suck. If you want to fly, then go fly. It would be good to have plans B and C, but don't pass up a feasible and smart aspiration just because you're comfortable where you are. "On the Plains of Hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the Dawn of Victory, sat down to wait, and waiting -- died!" -George W. Cecil Cheesy - hopefully not, but one of my favorite quotes and applicable.

And oh yeah, I don't know anybody these days who doesn't have the IRC test bank in with their 217 when they go to take the test. Look it up, but don't get it wrong if you can't find it (and don't know it). Ditto OL' Patch.

At UPT we'd meet up right after an EPQ to discretely put all the questions and correct answers together to give to the other flight since they'd usually have theirs a day after ours. Cheating? Maybe, maybe not, but they certainly didn't complain, and the few times they were in a position to help us out, they did. The strong swimmers make themselves apparent most of the time. As for me, I'll make every attempt to do things the "right" way, but if that doesn't work, I'll do what I have to do to get the job done, bottom line. And at the crud table, forget about it. I am a cheatin' motherf*cker. The people (not the whole flight I guess) in question from Columbus sound like a bunch of idiots.

Either that, or he'll get an honorary doctorate from GWU or something, write a children's book, and then be out 6 years from now when a democrat in the Whitehouse says "Zacarias who?"

I'm just a SNAP (so feel free to discount anything I say), but situational awareness means knowing exactly where you and others are in space and where you're going, what's happening, and perhaps most importantly what's going to happen. It is staying ahead of your airplane. Task saturation usually degrades SA. Point fixation, a stagnating instrument/visual cross check, missed radio calls, and often things a lot worse than that are signs of the (fictitious) "SA LOW" light illuminating. Much more can be added to that take on it, but that's it in a nutsack.

Not sure about the Kitty Hawk, but the picture above and the video we've all seen are from the USS Forrestal.

Oh I hit the gym all the time. I like these pills for the energy before a workout and for the "promise" of being a little more cut. I used to take the ones with ephedra in college when they were still around and they worked great. On the other hand, I will never give up beer! Though I will say that eating like a fatty while on all these TDYs is a killer.

What is the general policy on products like Xenadrine EFX, Hydroxycut, and other ephedra-free so-called "fat burner" supplements for pilot types? I searched AFI 48-123 to no avail, but I'm guessing that's the wrong reg for this case. And I didn't get around to calling flight medicine this week so I thought I'd ask here.

Alright, we need to make a decision basically tonight about this, so any help is greatly appreciated. My wife is moving out to Tucson tomorrow. She was originally going to an apartment that I got for her up in the north part of town, with a lease ending in February, at which time we were going to either move on base anyway or possibly look around for a house to buy (expensive). Well I decided to call the housing office out there today to see what the waiting list was like, and the lady told me they have a three bedroom 1200 sf house they could give my wife TOMORROW with a copy of my orders (I'm TDY enroute for another few months). So here's my question: does anyone have any firsthand knowledge of the officer housing at Davis-Monthan? I was told the NCOs got all the new houses, so it would be one of the older houses. I called my squadron and the dude I talked to asked around and couldn't find anybody there who lives on base, so that tells me something. We've weighed all the pros and cons of living on vs. off, so this isn't really about that. Just asking in long-winded fashion if anyone here could particularly recommend or not recommend the housing for officers at that base. Thanks a lot for any help. OH YEAH: if anyone wiser and more experienced than I am (most people here) does have any general advice about what we're doing here, I'd appreciate a PM about it.

But their "hey y'all, watch this!" standards are WAY up there!

I knew a couple of guys with dirtbikes/ATVs who found somewhere to ride out at Lake Amistad.