MKopack

You've seen the Breitlings, Omegas, Citizens and Seikos but here's another take. I have decided to become a small business owner on the side from hanging out in the bar. I am now the sole distributor of "The Pilot's Watch" in North America. I am offering this watch to my friends at a special discount before I go nationwide. If interested, it will be available with leather or neoprene bands, white or black face, all for the introductory price of $995.00. But wait, if you place an order in the next hour, I will ship you a second watch absolutely free, just pay the additional shipping and handling fee of $995.00 Hurry supplies are limited and going fast. Mike (Photos are of the European prototype... - MK) The watch always shows the correct time. Here's how it works! - Go to the pub. - Buy a beer. - Attach the receipt on the pin. - To check the time simply read it from the receipt. - To adjust or update the watch, buy a new beer and it will once again show the correct time. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity of a lifetime. REMEMBER - Chicks dig guys with Pilot's Watches!!!

Has to make the Poles and the Czechs happy after they both stood up to the Russians (and a good portion of their own populations) and supported us in hosting the shield sites. So, we (in no particular order) stop the F-22's, the rescue helos, the C-130 upgrades, we're retiring 300+ legacy fighters, still are not really much closer to replacing our 50 year old tankers, we're pulling out of RAF Fairford, and probably Misawa and dramatically downsizing at Kadina. Can we bring Carter back to cancel the B-1's again? Get your bellbottoms out and welcome back to the 70's... of course at least then we were building 15's, 16's and A-10's... Mike

Apparently Boeing is piching a new Bronco, the OV-10(X) to fill the Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance aircraft role. (per OV-10 Bronco.net and http://www.flightglobal.com) Boeing OV-10(X) Super Bronco informational brochure ov-10x.pdf Mike

I'm sure that even now there looking at another, ummm... "study" that contradicts this one. Probably says that we could get by with a Predator and a couple of Humvee's... Mike

Whether or not this is his standard of reporting, I don't know - I don't watch much CNN... Mike

Photo at: http://www.acc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/080929-F-2803W-003.jpg

I love pool, what penguin?, and if you need me, I'll be in the wheat field...

China urges U.S. to halt surveillance near its shores By Lucy Hornby BEIJING (Reuters) - China called on the United States to reduce and eventually halt air and sea military surveillance close to its shores after a series of territorial disputes this year. The request was made during a special session on maritime safety between the two countries' militaries on Wednesday and Thursday, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, citing China's Defense Ministry. Five times this year, Chinese vessels have confronted U.S. surveillance ships in Asian waters, the U.S. Defense Department said in May. China said the U.S. vessels had intruded its territory. There has since been a sixth incident. "China believes the constant U.S. military air and sea surveillance and survey operations in China's exclusive economic zone had led to military confrontations between the two sides," the ministry said. "The way to resolve China-U.S. maritime incidents is for the U.S. to change its surveillance and survey operations policies against China, decrease and eventually stop such operations." Susan Stevenson, spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, confirmed the request. "Our position has not changed," Stevenson said, citing a U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy statement during a June visit to China that the U.S. "exercises its freedom of navigation while putting emphasis on taking care to avoid any unwanted incidents." The United States maintains on principle that waters beyond 12 miles offshore are open to all shipping, while China holds that the U.S. should not trespass within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. In March, five Chinese vessels approached the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea about 75 miles from Hainan Island in March, after hassling that ship, as well as the ocean surveillance ship Victorious in the Yellow Sea, in previous days. In May, two Chinese fishing vessels confronted the Victorious again. In June, a Chinese submarine collided with an underground sonar array being towed by the destroyer USS John McCain, near Subic Bay in the Philippines. The most serious recent confrontation between China and the U.S. was in 2001, when a U.S. naval surveillance aircraft flying about 70 miles off Hainan collided with a Chinese fighter and was forced to land on Hainan Island.

CNN is reporting that a fighter aircraft is down this morning during a takeoff in Kandahar. Mike

Awful news, I know a couple of people with the unit deployed now, so I'm trying to follow any news. Godspeed to the lost crew, and my condolences to their families, and all those in the unit and at SJ. Mike

I'm glad the poster makes a point of saying that it's free - I'd hate to have to pay for this. http://www.379aew.afcent.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/090714-F-1577E-056.jpg (Edit: change huge gay picture to a link. For a minute there I thought they were all nazis...) "What did you do in the war, Daddy?" Mike

My fault, I posted away from home where I didn't have hi-speed and seen the beginning of the video. Fail on my part. I like the idea of the video (and a couple on the website to have a better ratio) but too many Kiwi sausages for me as well... Mike

And now for something completely different... Air New Zealand staff have nothing to hide. Something like this reminds us that flying should be fun! Too many companies take themselves WAY too seriously - see more at: http://www.nothingtohide.co.nz/ One of the people in the video series (which also includes their preflight safety videos) is Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe (although I wasn't looking for him...) Those crazy Kiwis... Mike

But we've been waiting for four pages... I'm with Moonstang though. What if it was an F-15 with buckets of power and large surface area (?!?) against a Piper Cub with huge surface area and almost no weight, in a vacuum - or even underwater? To make it more interesting, let's say that the Cub has a really, really fat woman in the front seat and the Eagle is painted bright green, has a third engine up between the tails, and the pilot's name is Bob. Which airplane would outturn the other? Obviously don't violate OPSEC. Just to make it clear, I'm not a fighter pilot, I don't play one on TV, and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn last night. Mike

I agree that they shouldn't have to, but if I break off a nutplate on a ventral panel ten minutes before crew show there's no real reason to scrub a flight (or fly a spare) for something like that. Back when I was on the flightline - a long time ago I'll admit - I can't imagine anyone trying to talk a pilot into taking a 'bad jet' rather than a spare. Hell, it's their butts in the seat. I hope maintainers today care as much about their jets and those that they strap into them as we did back then. I ate dinner one night across from one of our crew chiefs just after he was told that "his" pilot and jet had just been shot down and wouldn't be coming home. I can't even describe how I felt, and I know he felt a lot worse... Mike

You're right, and while this is going from memory from LONG ago, our F-16 access panel JG spelled out how many fasteners were permitted to be missing from particular panels (as I recall it was basically one each, except stress panels or anything in front of or near the intake). We'd never have a missing screw unless there was a broken nutplate underneath, and in general instead of having an empty hole, we'd glue a screw into place until we could make a permanent fix. The procedure was approved by the TO, but like the airmen in the story there were a couple of guys around who always had their panties in a bunch about it... Mike

I've heard the same, a lot of plans, but no budget to put them into place. A lot of things might be added 'piecemeal' when smaller amounts of $$'s might come available, rather than as a fleet upgrade. The costs of operating and maintaining such a small fleet of F-22's is going to be extraordinary in the future I'm afraid (even when compared to the current costs) and I can see ten / twelve years from now somebody making the decision to start retiring them. I just wonder what the F-22C might have looked like had the program continued with the technology that was developed for the 35. Mike

Being a Commissioned Officer, makes it a pretty cut-and-dried situation, but although I never went past E-4 Sergeant I still wouldn't have put up with this kind of disrespect. We had to be a bit careful about how we "addressed the issue", but I served in a couple of squadrons where we knew our First Shirt and OIC's had our backs. Crewing the Col.'s jet didn't hurt either... A couple of us had a 'run in' one night with a couple of SP's who decided to "flagrantly exceed their authority" on the flightline. Next evening when we came into work the whole AMU was called out in front of the building for a 'butt-kissing fest' by said SP's and their NCOIC. I never found out who had the horsepower to pull that off, but other than some dirty looks, our SP problems declined dramatically. Mike

One time Pittsburgh Penguins coach, the late 'Badger' Bob Johnson (1931-1991) said "It's a great day for hockey." Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2008-2009 Stanley Cup CHAMPIONS! And to Mario Lemieux, who long ago brought the Cup to Pittsburgh (way back when I was going to school in the 'Burgh...), then saw them through their roughest days to become Champions once again. Mike

I seriously looked into a ex-Royal Army 1943 Norton 16H a couple of weeks ago as something to putter around on the weekends. Of course then I realized that I wouldn't even know how to start, much less ride it... Mike

You and me both - I'm sailing tonight myself. (So everyone can probably ignore any other posts that I may, or may not make tonight...) Smooth, with just a little bit of cherry flavor. After two years at Torrejon in the early 90's (what a crazy, yet blurry tour that was) I seem to be able to drink rum like water... Was surprised to see that our local country ABC store here in NC carries Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea (with a free t-shirt) but passed on that one. Also surprised to see Absinthe (http://www.absente.com/) here in the US. The last time I had any was also back in Madrid during those TJ days. Sometimes I can't believe we even survived... Mike

Have you tried the 15 year Laphroaig from Islay? It's 'distinctive' between the peat and sea taste, but I like it... Mike

So much for my blaze orange hunting socks on Blues Monday... Mike ...knew a guy who did that years ago during an FTD 'graduation' with the Colonel. 0-6 didn't notice, but the instructor nearly passed out when he did.

You just wrecked your airplane... but, you're now booked on an extended stay on St. Barts... and somewhere there's got to be a beach bar that can make the whole thing go away for at least a little while. Mike