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LJDRVR

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Everything posted by LJDRVR

  1. Are you sure? Those rotary knobs sure look like inlet guide vane position controls. I still think it looks like an early model SR/YF with the later control stick grip.
  2. [ 28. January 2006, 22:24: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  3. O.K., got it: UH-19. [ 28. January 2006, 14:29: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  4. Spad. Come on, somebody post something difficult. Hey I found something good! How do you put a Jpeg file on a post?
  5. XB-52A (Eight thrust levers are a dead givaway.) [ 27. January 2006, 23:50: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  6. This may have been posted before, my apologies if it has, but I don't think I've seen it here: LETTER ON WHETHER TO BECOME AN AIR FORCE PILOT...... OR A NAVAL AVIATOR...... The piece is written by Bob Norris, a former Naval aviator who also did a 3 year exchange tour flying the F-15 Eagle. He is now an accomplished author of entertaining books about U.S. Naval Aviation including "Check Six" and "Fly-Off". In response to a letter from an aspiring fighter pilot on which military academy to attend, Bob replied with the following: 22 December 2005 Young Man, Congratulations on your selection to both the Naval and Air Force Academies. Your goal of becoming a fighter pilot is impressive and a fine way to serve your country. As you requested, I'd be happy to share some insight into which service would be the best choice. Each service has a distinctly different culture. You need to ask yourself "Which one am I more likely to thrive in?" USAF Snapshot: The USAF is exceptionally well organized and well run. Their training programs are terrific. All pilots are groomed to meet high standards for knowledge and professionalism. Their aircraft are top-notch and extremely well maintained. Their facilities are excellent. Their enlisted personnel are the brightest and the best trained. The USAF is homogenous and macro. No matter where you go, you'll know what to expect,what is expected of you, and you'll be given the training & tools you need to meet those expectations. You will never be put in a situation over your head. Over a 20-year career, you will be home for most important family events. Your Mom would want you to be an Air Force pilot...so would your wife. Your Dad would want your sister to marry one. Navy Snapshot: Aviators are part of the Navy, but so are Black Shoes (surface warfare) and Bubble Heads (submariners). Furthermore, the Navy is split into two distinctly different Fleets (West and East Coast). The Navy is heterogeneous and micro. Your squadron is your home; it may be great, average, or awful. A squadron can go from one extreme to the other before you know it. You will spend months preparing for cruise and months on cruise. The quality of the aircraft varies directly with the availability of parts. Senior Navy enlisted are salt of the earth; you'll be proud if you earn their respect. Junior enlisted vary from terrific to the troubled kid the judge made join the service. You will be given the opportunity to lead these people during your career; you will be humbled and get your hands dirty. The quality of your training will vary and sometimes you will be over your head. You will miss many important family events. There will be long stretches of tedious duty aboard ship. You will fly in very bad weather and/or at night and you will be scared many times. You will fly with legends in the Navy and they will kick your ass until you become a lethal force. And some days - when the scheduling Gods have smiled upon you - your jet will catapult into a glorious morning over a far-away sea and you will be drop-jawed that someone would pay you to do it. The hottest girl in the bar wants to meet the Naval Aviator. That bar is in Singapore. Bottom line, son, if you gotta ask...pack warm & good luck in Colorado. Banzai P.S.: Air Force pilots wear scarves and iron their flight suits.
  7. Don't these guys sound exactly like that two-seater crew in Germany who had the same problem? Is somebody putting us on here, or is this guy a serial pooper?
  8. Did you read the story? That guy is a total scumbag who's congenital lying is simply beyond belief.
  9. Sleepy, Bach may have turned into a bit of a new-age fruitcake, but he was one hell of an aviator first, and remains to this day one of the top three most talented pilots ever to put pen to paper and describe what it's like to fly. (Right up there next to Gann and St. Exupery) Stranger to the ground is a fast read, describing a night flight from an air base in England, to Chaumont France in a Republic F-84F Thunderstreak. One of the top five books ever written about aviation. If you're a pilot, you'll love it. Another suggestion (and off the beaten path at that) would be: Sea Harrier over the Falklands, by Commander "Sharkey" Ward. From the back cover: "Sharkey Ward commanded the 801 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Invincible, was senior Harrier advisor to the command, flew over sixty missions and was warded the DSC. Yet had he followed his instructions to the letter, Britain might well have lost the Falklands War His dramatic first-hand story of the air war in the South Atlantic is also an extrordinary, outspoken account if inter-service rivalries, bureaucratic interference, and dangergeous ignorance of the realities of air combat among many senior commanders. As Ward reveals, the 801 pilots were fighting not just the enemy, exhaustion, and the hostile weather, but also the predjudice and ignorance of their own side. This one may be a hard find, I got mine in England. ISBN-1 85797 102 7
  10. The C-21 is nothing more than a 400-600 serial number Learjet 35A with a couple of additions. (Satcom, UHF) Both aircraft have a FL 450 limitation. (The reason being is that earlier 35's had a pressurization system that only was capable of 450. The later models, inluding the C-21's have a 510 system but Lear never went through the expense of recertifying the airframe. (not enough wing) The Lear 31 is the same fuselage and engines as the 35, but with an additional six foot of wing and a winglet on eah side. There are some other differences also to include DEECS, avionics, ventral fins. The 31 is capable of 510. (You've gotta be light and ISA minus a bunch) I did it once when we were light coming out of KMKE on our way to KHOU. The most useful thing about the 31's capabilities were getting above most of the jetstream during the winter months westbound by popping up to 430 or 450 with traffic permitting. Nice increase in groundspeed and fuel burns on the other side of 500 pph. Anybody who tells you they can see the curvature of the earth at 510 is full of crap. [ 22. November 2005, 11:15: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  11. Awesome! I flew her and her sisters for almost six years and 3000 hours. Enjoy it while it lasts. You probably won't pine for the OSA lifestyle afterwards, but you will miss the jet. Lots of little things. The audible "clickety click" of the engine instrument number drums every time you make a power change The "DING-THUMP-BUZZ..." as you retard the thrust levers to idle prior to leveling off on an empty leg in the neighborhood of 4000' after takeoff. (Altitude alerter, thrust levers, gear warning) The reassuring "thunk" you hear from the back of the jet when you engage the starter. Lightweight takeoffs The feeling of satifaction that comes from being able to toggle just the right anount of trim during spoiler extension/retraction so that the transistion is made smoothly with no pitching moment or G giving away the configuration, the only telltale signs being the airframe rumble and descent rate. The way your forearm rests perfectly on the glareshield, with you elbow against the window and the ball of you thumb wedged where the glareshield curves upward to form the annunciator coaming. Best of all, from Iceland to Spain, from Bolivia to Alaska, with one flameout and one precautionary shutdown, to loss of cabin pressure, to total DC power failure at night and too many minor abnormals to recall, she always brought my sorry ass home in one piece. I could go on, but you get the picture. About a third of my airline bro's honestly don't believe me when I tell them the Lear had a dragchute. Enjoy! [ 11. September 2005, 14:10: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  12. WildBill, I was enlisted. Although I'd love to go to UPT, I don't think I'm gonna get an age waiver for being 38. (Maybe I can convince my wife to let me date one of the Bush twins..) My reason for wanting to go back in (albiet part-time)is because I miss being in service to others. Corny? Yes. True? Absolutely. We're at war, and I want to set a good example for my kids. I seperated before they were born.
  13. Hey Killyourself, Look up Dr. David Grishken in Cleveland. He's been doing the shouldice patch repair for years now. ALL THIS GUY DOES IS HERNIAS! I think he's up to over 8000 procedures. Arnold Palmer, Clint Eastwood, Me... The procedure is done with valium, just a small incision. (Your career as a porn star is safe) Best of all, his recurrance rate is less than 2%. I think the General Surgeon rate is around one third to one half. No general anesthesia, and you walk out of the hospital that afternoon. No restrictions on activity the next day. PM me if you can't find him on google. [ 24. August 2005, 21:04: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  14. "Dear Penthouse forum, I never thought this sort of thing could happen to me, but..." LOL Actually Bergman, I have talked with the folks in the 970th, that's kind of the road I'm headed down now. I'll check on the Kelly thing, although I'm leaning more towards an aircrew position. Anyone's unit hiring FE's? Thanks for the suggestions though, keep em' coming.
  15. Here's the deal, after ten years of civilian life, I've decided that it's time to serve again. (I did nine years on active duty.) I've talked to a reserve unit, and will soon schedule a physical to get the ball rolling. In the mean time, I was wondering if there's anybody out there who can help me with some questions concerning the viability of my choice, and what other options might be available to me with other units or career fields. Anybody with any AWAC background or insights would be especially appreciated. Background: (Military) 9 years enlisted AD TS Presidential Support clearance Bacground: (Civilian) Insructor Pilot Airline Pilot Published Author Airline Director of Safety/Human Factors Nerd Feel free to either PM or post it here. Thanks!
  16. I don't have the numbers, but 7000 feet is easily within the 747's capability for landing. The issues that would be a show stopper is that your airport is probably not stressed for a 870,000 pound jet. Even more importantly, where are you going and how much weight are you taking? The runway analysis numbers for departure are going to be much more restrictive in terms of distance needed. Foot, as far as landing distances for transport category jets, the actual distance is measured from a 50' obstacle to a normal touchdown, followed by max performance braking. (Antikid cycling.) No thrust reversers are allowed, and the tires are sanded down to approximate a normal level of service wear. In addition to that number, a "penalty" is applied for all 121 or 135 operators, resulted in a factored, or "required" landing distance. (Even more is added for contamination.) For your wager, you're probably gonna lose simply because the concrete's not thick enough. Cheers!
  17. I did some detective work/research. I noticed the smaller runway numbers and longer pitot tube, so I figured it was a Canadian Forces Class A. I "googled" some terms. Turns out it was a RCAF Hawk at Moose Jaw during the spring of last year. Ate a seagull at 800' after a touch and go. The British student had minor cuts but was drinking in the mess that evening. The Canadian IP wasn't so lucky, broke his femur in two places and his pelvis. Several months in the hospital. Too bad. he deserved to walk away from that one. [ 29. July 2005, 23:13: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  18. http://www.ehowa.com/showmovie.shtm...=birdstrike.wmv Interesting piece of HUD footage, looks like maybe a T-45 at CRP. IP does a great job of handling the IFE, remaining calm while the stud starts to stress, transfering control to unload the front seater so they can focus on a re-light, making a timely decision to unass the jet and even gets a call off to the tower first. Bonus points for the use of "jeepers" as an expletive. Nice solid piece of aviating. Hope those guys didn't get hurt. [ 29. July 2005, 18:29: Message edited by: LJDRVR ]
  19. LJDRVR

    Humor

    Hands-down some of the funniest stuff I'ver seen: http://fromtheinside.us/humor/ribbons.pdf
  20. HAHAHA You get Muffins? You lucky dog! They've recently changed out our name brand candy bars in favor of Tom's "Salty Nut Log." I kid you not. As in: "Dude, do you want my salty nut log?" Says the FO, holding up his candy bar. "Uhh, no." All joking aside, we get muffins too, The FA's hand them out with a tong, the feeling being that fancy presentation will make up for the fact that they SUCK. For the guy who hates re-routes, one trick that works nicely is to ask for an initial heading to the new fix. Most controllers assume we're all RNAV capable without even looking at the equipment suffix. Even for those of us who are RNAV, the initial heading request puts the responsibility for NAV temporarily on ATC while you sort out the new route/fixes/charts and program the box. Here's a controller pet peeve: "We've got him on TCAS." That helps bigtime. The only acceptable responses on the civilian ATC side of the house is "Traffic in sight" or Negative contact".
  21. Yeah, a little courtesy is highly inappropriate and un-professional. Lighten up Francais. I've been flying professionally since 95', and I've never had an issue with center frequency congestion because somebody was saying hello, good morning, howdy, on-board or whatever. Maybe you should tell the controllers to stop doing it also as you obviously know so much more than all of us.
  22. LJDRVR

    Sabers

    I'll try to help you with your question, keep in mind I've been out since 95' and no longer am in possesion of the approriate AFI. (Heck in my day, it was AFR 35-10.) But, I did spend four years as the NCOIC of the Colors Element in the USAF Honor Guard at Bolling, AND I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Your friend's wishes and the fact that this will be a joint service ceremony are the primary guiding principles for what to wear. As an AF Officer participating in a ceremony, whatever form of ceremonial uniform the AF proscribes would be approriate for you to wear. (Service Dress w/white shirt, see the applicable AFI for accoutrements.) In lieu of puchasing the Air Force Ceremonial Belt from Vanguard, ($$$) there is no real need to have a belt, scabbard or frog. (A frog is that little leather flap that allows you to attach the scabbard/chain to your belt.) Here's some other protocol: Being the senior, service, the Navy OIC will be in charge, with the jarhead and yourself attached to the end of the formation furthest away from the chappel. The OIC should stand five feet behind the center of the right-hand line. (As one leaves the church) Latch on to the Marine for any assistance concerning your sabre manuals, he or she will have their sierra together. Drop me a PM if you need any help. Wedding cordons are probably the ceremony I did the least of, but that having been said, I've still knocked out dozens. Regardless, just go and have fun. Who cares what uniform you're in, as long as you look sharp. Your USNA peers will know what to do.
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