LJDRVR

Wow, what a bast from the past! Talk about good timing, leaving that 135 gig hurt, but I ended up in 757's an 767's at the majors. Should of hung up that on-demand crap a whole lot sooner. I would love to fly a Learjet again.

My old first sergeant sums it up nicely: "People will wonder where our instruments are." We have a cereminial uniform:

"Sweet mother of God, what the fuck are those idiots doing?" Never thought I'd say this, but those two clowns make McPeak look like a sartorial genius.

Just sad. Blame vs. cause and the further criminilazation of human error.

Reminds of the Captain having an arguement at the layover hotel in front of the crew bus one morning in Rio. The professional young lady is attempting to make him pay up. He ignores her and gets on the bus, thinking she won't follow. She does. She's screaming now: "You came in my mouth and fucked me up the ass, now give me my money!" A classic moment in the anals of airline history. The whole crew witnessed it. I wish I could have had T-shirts made.

They have no place in US airspace. I don't want to share the skies when I go to work nor do I want to be the only one seeing and avoiding when flying my transponderless airplane. I do not want my life or property threatened by control of the RPA being lost. Mere words cannot begin to express my disdain for these abhorrent pieces of crap.

What an asshole.

Speaking as one of the few people on this board that actually owns a 1940's aircraft, here's my advice: Spend money on something nice and restored. No non-name brand types like Rearwin, Interstate or Porter. Think Cessna. Piper. Luscombe. Aeronca. Something well supported by Univair and WagAero. No "fixer uppers", unless you're a glutton for work, have somebody willing to sign it off and want to spend, way, way more than the airplane is worth. For a T-38/U-2 guy living in the valley? Get a nice 85-horse clipped wing Cub and call it a day. Fabric and engine less than five years old. Go fly it and enjoy life. Want to skin knuckles? Go help the local RV builder. Let him fly your airplane for currency and when his is finished you'll have access to two jets! Are you going to take the recall if it comes? I'd love to go flying with you here at United. PS - the L-2 is a total dog. One of the worst airplanes I ever flew. The O-58 is weak too.

"70 millimeter, rough-edge rocks" Bwahahahaha. Sounds exspensive.

Lucky he walked out of that alive. Stupid lucky. it's really easy to tell yourself that people are basically good and that your physical size and personal experience with violence will somehow make everything right and keep you safe, but there are certain environments that you should just stay away from. Low cost apartment complex with your kids in tow and a gold chain? Um.....no. I'll stay it: stupid. As a disclaimer, I've been stupid myself - once recently in Newark. (Let's just say that a sprinting 6' 4" moron makes a less than desirable target for lazy thugs and that the malt liquor ruins their aim when it comes to throwing bottles.) I'm not criticizing Karl. He's got a good attitude about it. I'm just glad he's alive to testify at the trail. Karl's a badass, but his living has more to do with where those rounds hit. I'm glad he's going to be OK.

But somebody did! http://aviation-safe...p?id=19930428-0 Beech 99

You know, you're absolutely right. I think you and I went to BMTS about the same time, Max.

To me, the gestures apear to be the crossed arms of the dead and the picture was meant to be some sick, twisted celebration of the fact that the participants are alive, unlike the occupants of the caskets they handle. Perhaps they are playing on some inside joke, but that picture goes beyond tasteless and into the realm of "your career is over." And it should be. Every NCO in that photograph had an opportunity to do the right thing and be respectful of the dead. You don't need "people" like those. They deserve every bad thing that comes their way. I don't always agree with Rainmain, but he's spot on here. Get the bats. Drop those fuckers off at the enlisted club at Ft. Bragg with that photo stapled to their uniform and nature will take care of the rest.

Wow. Just wow. that photo make me very sad. Y'all have got a leadership problem. David E. Smith, spokesman for the training command, told Air Force Times that the commander of the 37th Training Group at Lackland, Col. Gregory Reese, was “obviously displeased.” If I was Greg Reese, I think I'd be a little bit more than displeased. I think every NCO in that photo would be locked the fuck up awaiting their article 32 hearing.

How is it unsafe? Because there's no reason to do it and the chances of fucking it up ware way too high. How about eight dead humans, and a destroyed Boeing 707-300, Beechcraft 1900 (A King Air!!) and a 65 model Sabreliner? All because of guys trying to imitate Tex Johnson/Bob Hoover 1G barrel rolls. You and I aren't test/demo pilots. Besides, it cost Tex his reputation and job. How is it unsafe? Really? When you're the only guy in the jet/squadron who's advocating a particular idea and everybody else is screaming "Hell no!", you might want to take a look at your SA and reconsider.

Don't allow that stress and fear to sidetrack you. Use it to motivate yourself and take action. (Sounds like with a year to go, that's exactly what you're doing.) There are a lot of companies - particularly in the defense arena - who know exactly what you're all about and what you bring to the table. Most civilian employers have no clue. The good news? Once you've got the interview? The skills, bearing and demeanor you learned in the military are going to come across nicely and really set you apart from the civilian crowd. Don't purchase a suit from Men's Wearhouse. Find a nice, locally owned men's store with some old dude who's done this forever and go see them. Get a nice Hart, Shafnner & Marx suit tailored for you. New belt, new shirt, new shoes and new tie. Spend some money on yourself and wear the getup a couple of times over the next month to get comfortable. http://www.hartschaf...com/mens-suits/ Don't be the guy that walks into an interview wearing Coraframs. There are lot's of folks who do interview coaching, I'd talk to Aaron at emeraldcoastconsulting.com Albie is a retired F-15C guy. He primarily specializes in the airlines, but he speaks your language and knows who you are. His greatest gift will be an understanding of why HR is asking you the questions they are - what are they really looking for when they ask: "What is your biggest weakness?" Knowing what they're really after at will allow you to answer in such a manner that they are provided the insight they need to see. Lots of knowledge and strategy. Good luck, buddy! If I can do it, you'll have no problems.

Thanks Brother. I can't take credit for it. I was raised by TSgt's with Compton gang tatoos and Chiefs who chained smoked and had contracted every venereal disease known to medicine in SE Asia. It was an awesome education. Come fly with me at United someday - we'll have fun.

Here's the thing: a whole lot of those guys are dead now, and not of natural causes. Here's something else: Bob is an anomaly. Not too many folks around are anywhere near that talented, with nothing close to the opportunity to get that type of flying hard-coded into our DNA that Bob did at a very young age. And to top it all off? Bob is the first guy to tell you how lucky he is to be here. How many accidents did he survive? Nobody is talking about structurally unsafe. We're talking about the small portion of the pilot population permanently safety wired to the "stupid" position when it comes to risk management. They are a danger to themselves and others. Pretty sure Mr. Hoover would tell you something similar. You and I aren't Bob and it's not 1944. Shining your ass in somebody else's' airplane is not acceptable. The AF gives you a lot of rope as A/C. Just enough to hang yourself. PS - Here's a trivia question: What do a Boeing 707-300, a Beech 1900A and a Sabreliner 65 have in common?

Man, that's what I was afraid of. Part of me is so happy I'm not part of that mess but I sometimes wonder what sort of difference I could have made on a personal level had I remained on active duty. I'll tell you one thing, I'd be one NCO who wouldn't tolerate any such bullshit on the part of my peers. Mind your own damn business. Officers fly the airplanes, SNCO's take care of the enlisted force. Reflective belts? PT gear? Who gives damn? Real leadership is not nitpicking queep. Non compliance with pseudo-OSHA crap doesn't have a thing to do with the military.

Oh, I wasn't directing that your way at all, Zip. I'm just curious why it continues to be an issue. My fear is that some are allowing it to by not taking the appropriate corrective action on the spot. O's and E's are all on the same team - for the most part there's a lot of mutual respect and professionalism. Nobody wants to be a dick when somebody gets out of line. But some just don't get it, so here's something to consider: Being told to stand at the position of attention is a lawful order. That's what I mean when I say "Lock 'em up." Often times, the best way to get through to a knucklehead and those who are watching, is by simply reminding them, in the most brusque manner possible that this is the military and insubordination, disrespect, involving yourself in other's business and bad manners are simply not going to be tolerated. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of a raised voice to get your point across. You'll be amazed how well it works. If the pussy wants to run off and cry to Daddy? that's their loss. Hopefully your commander has a pair and will back up good order and discipline. If not, you've got bigger problems than some bag-o-donuts SNCO.

Exactly, Zip. When I was on active duty I would have never, as an enlisted troop, thought to correct an officer on anything. If I had I would have had my ass handed to me and rightfully so. Obviously, things have changed. So here's a question: when some shoe engages you in what you view to be an inappropriate manner, do you let it pass? I guess what I'm wondering is why do these folks feel it is OK to point things out in a less than respectful manner? I'm sure part of it is cultural, but is the young man or woman is encouraged to put the officer in their place by having gotten away with it? You do know you can lock these punks up at the position of attention and leave a really bad taste in their mouth, right? I know it's different AF, but I'm just picturing MSgt Dooright being publicly embarrased in front of his or her peers and what a good teaching moment that might be for the junior folks to STFU and worry about their own business.

May not? No, isn't. Regardless of what the families requested regarding additional remains, we have a moral obligation to treat human remains with dignity and respect. The fact that you cannot see that either leads me to beieve you are trolling or are simply lack normal, emotionally intelligent SA regarding the realities of this situation as most folks see it. Just because you don't give a crap doesn't mean that families, citizens and those who serve are not apalled that anybody would think this is appropriate. Even faded and torn flags are handled respectfully with a reading of poem before they are burned by the VFW. These are human remains. People that fought for us. They deserve better than how they were handled. This country deserves better.

Weal, the spin has begun. Panetta is "comfortable with how the Air Force has handled this." I've about had it with what passes for leadership in this country. At least Randy Babbitt had the decency to resign the day after he was busted for drunk driving. And here's some little piece of shit Pentagon PA briefer: "I don't think there is another federal agency in this town, I don't think there is another institution in this country," that understands more about how to properly treat the remains of fallen troops, said Kirby, tapping the briefing room table for emphasis. Apparently not, you little self-righteous, insensitive ass. UFB

Unfuckingbelievable. I have no words. Somebody needs to be shot. Not kidding.

I'll have to get you a name, but at least one of the 1967 NASA scientist/astronauts was 40 when he went to UPT. Graduated number one in his class.