Fighter-isms

[Stuck]

Friend told me once about a wife telling a story about her husband at the podium during a tailhook convention. "Deceased Insect" passed her lips and old flyers dating back three wars were flinging themselves backwards off chairs. Good stuff.

Cheers!

Stuck

[busdriver]

I have it on my own rumint that most of the US AF fighter pilot culture is "borrowed" from the RAF vintage WW2. That being said, I can honestly say that I giggle like a retarded school girl when the fighter types say container instead of box, so who's to say who is more immature?

[matmacwc]

Watch "Animal House" and listen to Bluto when Otis is playing at the house.........................probably where it came from.

[SuperWSO]

Watch "Animal House" and listen to Bluto when Otis is playing at the house.........................probably where it came from.

I've only been in since '95, but I'm an AF brat, and my dad has told many a story about deceased insect dating well before Animal House came out. His favorite was the time the squadron commander (F-100s at Holloman) had a few too many and somebody made a comment to the effect "Your queer if you can't dance on the bar." Several steps into the CCs dance routine, somebody else yelled "Dead Bug." Not one to be outdone, the SQ CC took a dive off the bar in perfect dead bug form (not good for PLFing). He was apparently DNIF for 2 weeks recovering from the injurys... but he didn't have to buy.

Edited June 4, 2007 by SuperWSO

[BQZip01]

I'm kinda sick and tired of people using "so to speak" completely inappropriately, so here's a few illustrations to help you determine whether or not to use the phrase...

[Wolf424]

This thread needs to be a required reading item for the Navy guys before they get to Vance for UPT. All of the Navy guys in my class had problems with sts, and they would do the whole "So to speak?" like it was a question and look to one of us for confirmation.

[busdriver]

I was told it is kind of throwing PCness back in the "man's" face, but way too many people take it waaaay too far. Especially when you say something intentionally double entendre as a joke and they toss that in. Kinda like not saying box or head, I get the history behind it, but do you have to use container in a written document?

[Wolf424]

FWIW, I don't mind it, as long as it's not taken to extremes. I agree that if you intentionally say things so that others will say so to speak, then you may be a doucher. However, a well placed and occasional so to speak is quite funny, kind of like the occasional 'that's what she said".

[tac airlifter]

The first time I went to a fighter squadron and saw an 0-5 point with his elbow and saying "so to speak" every few sentences I honestly thought the guy had a mental disorder; and his behavior had to be explained to me. I guess I never noticed it in UPT. Now that I understand I think it's fine that they have their traditions. It's lame when guys outside the pointy nose community use the term; but if the fighter guys want to do it go ahead. Just realize that outside observers don't get the wit, they just think you're retarded. So in conclusion, the term won't be in my lexicon, but good for you guys doing your own thing and cultivating your own culture.

[Marjackson82]

What's the whole ''pointing with the elbow" deal about?

[pawnman]

What's the whole ''pointing with the elbow" deal about?

We do that at roll call...no pointing with your fingers, so most guys go with the elbow (a few opt for the "gesture with the beer mug", also acceptable). No one in my squadron does the pointing with elbows outside of roll call on Fridays, though.

[Guest J-Bones]

Be a bro and let the guys that use it correctly do so, make fun of the douche bags that don't, and let an Air Force tradition live on................or get over it.

[Steve Davies]

Anyone would think that only fighter pilots say STS. Where I come from, it is not unusual to hear people say 'in a manner of speaking' and 'so to speak' in order to obviate any embarrassing interpretations of a double entendre.

Perhaps the real problem here involves a clash of cultures between different flying communities.

[Wolf424]

We do that at roll call...no pointing with your fingers, so most guys go with the elbow (a few opt for the "gesture with the beer mug", also acceptable). No one in my squadron does the pointing with elbows outside of roll call on Fridays, though.

The only time I've ever seen it outside of a roll call is when I see guys playing crud.

[Duster]

when did the tradition of roll call begin? Common in every flying community in the AF?

[Toro]

What's the whole ''pointing with the elbow" deal about?

BFM tenet - don't point at something unless you plan to kill it.

[Hacker]

For you guys that have been around the USAF for a while, when did you first hear someone do "the STS thing"? I had no knowledge of it until about 7 years ago.

I first heard it at Mountain Home in '93 from some EF-111 turds. I was a ROTC cadet on a base visit and found it pretty funny. They also did elbow pointing and "deceased insect", all of which was a pretty foreign concept to a ROTC punk.

[Ram]

I first heard it at Mountain Home in '93 from some EF-111 turds. I was a ROTC cadet on a base visit and found it pretty funny. They also did elbow pointing and "deceased insect", all of which was a pretty foreign concept to a ROTC punk.

A well-timed "deceased insect" is really an art form.

[BQZip01]

Roll Call first started in World War I where it was literally a call of roll to discern who returned from the mission and who did not. The squadron would raise their glasses in a toast to their fallen squadron mates, sing songs, and basically booze their faces off to blow off some steam from the hell they just endured. Can't imagine being a B-24 pilot in WW II.

Cheers,

BeerMan

To add to that, in WWII, the roll call generally didn't involve beer or alcohol, it involved guys coming back to their barracks and hitting the rack until the last few planes made it back. There were several occasions where whole Wings were lost/damaged beyond repair. Those guys would go back to their bunks and, when roll was called, they'd get up and realize that only half the bunks were taken...

...I assume the serious drinking began shortly thereafter...

[Steve Davies]

OK, here's one:

Where exactly did the 'throwing of a nickel on the grass to save a fighter pilot's ass' come from? And why a nickel?

Does it pre-date SEA?

[Hacker]

OK, here's one:

Where exactly did the 'throwing of a nickel on the grass to save a fighter pilot's ass' come from? And why a nickel?

Does it pre-date SEA?

The root is in a Korean-war era USAF song, "Save a fighter pilot's Ass".

That song is an adaptation of some American traditional song that goes "place a nickel in the drum, save another drunken bum", referring to putting money in a Salvation Army donation can.

So, the "grass" word was just changed to rhyme with "ass" in the fighter pilots' adaptation. Other than that, there's no special significance.

At some pilot, pilots started taking the song lyrics literally.

Edited April 3, 2009 by Hacker

[Guest dayswhore@ang.com]

PUSH.

All the pilots I know when TDY talk about the push time. It is the time when we meet in the lobby to go to dinner, etc.

[JP84U2]

I have heard the following around our ops (tankers):

VFR direct = going outside your chain of command or normal channels

container = box

lead turn = get the jump on something or someone

Howdy = I farted... however this only works once or maybe twice during a flight and does not give you licesne to repeatedly stink up the cockpit. Over usage generally results in swift retribution.

Humps

[Guest Titan]

What the heck does "(sts)"? I did a search, found 8 pages, but no definition.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sts

Thanks.

[loadsmith]

I believe this may be what you are looking for:

so to speak

so to speak

as one might say; said a certain way, even though the words are not exactly accurate:

John helps me with my taxes. He's my accountant, so to speak.

I just love my little poodle. she's my baby, so to speak.

so to speak

this is one way to say it in a manner of speaking: My grandfather is 74, and he plays golf every day – it's a sport you can play even as you head into the sunset, so to speak. Even if New Yorkers obeyed all the rules, New York would still be, so to speak, an unruly city.

Usage notes: used to suggest that some people may not think this is a good way to say something

Related vocabulary: if you will