HerkFE

Looks like you take the money http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/f35/2017/12/21/its-ours-f-35-lands-montgomery-decision/747285001/ I heard Wisconsin was the other unit selected. I'm too lazy to verify

Excellent article. This BS is the number one reason I absolutely F'ing hated the Navy. I started out in the canoe club and GTFO and went to the ANG as fast as possible. Trust me, this shit in the Air Force can't hold a candle to how bad it was (probably still is) in the Navy. Enlisted chow hall on a GD training base had a little section for E-4's and up to dine separately from the E-3 and below scum. Berthing area on the boat had an area in the E-6 and below berthing area for just E-6's. E-6's got head of the line for chow on the boat and, of course E-7-9 had their own chow hall exclusively for them. And, of course, the O's couldn't be seen eating with any E's. Yes, with real estate being a premium on a boat, let's all have our own private chow hall and sleeping places. I was stationed at NAS Oceana and we had an E-7 and up shitter (I shit you not). Working mids one night and a guy working with me had a case of the trots. It hit him and he took off headed to the toilet, realized he wasn't going to make it to the scumbag shitter further down the hall so he ducked into the E7 shitter. It was 1am and there was one E7 in the whole building...guess what, he just happened to go in while this poor E3 was having a blow out. This asshole waited outside until the kid came out and chewed his ass for taking a shit in his beloved E7 shitter. Rant over. I feel better now. Carry on. And BTW, nice work by LTC Lee and the 62nd.

I'm sure it's been mentioned in this thread but I'll mention it again. "Into The Mouth Of The Cat". Just read it a couple weeks ago.

Well, that was a hell of a lot better reading than canopy pooling, HUD obscuration, and divert gas. Thanks!

sqwatch, I hope you realize my pot smoking reference was just a weak attempt at humor on my part. I'm just saying that it's damn near impossible to force someone back into performing a function like military flying against their will.

Yeah, just one example. There are plenty of excuses that people could come up with. "I don't know bro, ever since getting out, I can only do two pushups and I pass out if I run more than 50 feet".... No way to force people, especially ORF's, to do something they don't want to do.

<Phone rings> "Yo, bro, come on down. You've been Non-vol'd. SOF briefing Monday morning, 0800" "Dude, this stuff I've been smoking is the $hit. Did you say something about SOF, something?"

Just an old washed up E here but I'll throw in my two cents.....I started out in the Navy (spent 5.5 years), got out went ANG (spent 9 years), then went AFRES (another 9 years). I grew up around the ANG (Dad was full time in the ANG). As a high school senior I signed up for the Navy despite the advice from those who had been there and "dun it". My mind was set and I asked questions, like you, but I was just looking for someone to agree with me. If you want to have a more rounded military career, go Navy. And by rounded, I mean doing other jobs besides flying. If you want to fly, have more control of your destiny, and have a decent QOL, hands down..... ANG or AFRES. I quoted tk1313 above because you are very likely to run into some vets of other services in an ANG/AFRES unit. There is a good reason for that: They, especially the Navy, suck. Guys go there and realize that they should have listened to those who tried to tell them not to go there, they get out and go to the ANG/AFRES. In my 23 years, I knew three people who left an AF component for another and all three were AF enlisted who got picked up to fly helos in the Army. It was their only shot at flying so they took it. I can't count high enough to say how many I know who left the Army/Navy/Marines/Coast Guard to cross over to the AF reserve component. Good luck in whichever path you choose.

I can't answer your question as far as sources but I can give you an example that I know of. I was a squid on the USS Saratoga during Desert Shield/Storm. The F-14 we lost, I believe the RIO was captured, the pilot rescued. I think he was back in action within a few days. https://theaviationist.com/2015/04/28/f-14-rescue-mission-in-iraq/ "Lt. Jones was brought to a forward base in Saudi Arabia, where he was hospitalized for a brief medical exam, then the next day an S-3 from his carrier flew him back to his squadron. Following a three-day rest, he returned to the cockpit. On the contrary, Lt. Slade, Slate 46 RIO, was less lucky: he endured interrogation, torture and starvation in the Iraqi hands for 43 days."

Just finished "The Operator"...Robert O'neill...SEAL who took out Osama. It was pretty predictable, first 1/3 was about BUD/S, the rest about training/missions along the way, ending with the Osama mission. Nothing really surprising but I enjoyed it. ETA: Just placed my order for Eleven Days of Christmas based on the previous post.

I believe this same thing happened at OKC just before they converted to the -135. I don't know all of the details but essentially, my understanding, one blade went flat and three feathered.

That checks with what I saw, but still not official.

Roger, not putting it out. If you would like to know, send me a PM.

I've got the callsign...not sure if it would be appropriate to post...opinions?

I'm at work now (FAA) and we got a report of a possible Herk down near Itta Bena, Mississippi. No other details yet. Update: Memphis center had them at FL200 and lost radar contact/comms with them

Seems I heard around September but I can't remember where I heard it.

I work for the FAA and, at the time we put that one down, I was working at the tower there in Montgomery. After we got out, we had a handheld and turned it on to the approach freq. We had another aero club airplane in the air (this was a Maxwell aero club airplane), We could hear him talking to approach and could tell they were trying to vector him to us. I was able to vector him in ( I could see him but he could not pick us out) and he was able to relay to ATC that we were okay. After a few minutes it dawned on me that I had the Tracon # in my phone so I just called them. When they answered it went something like "hey man, this is Joe from TechOps"...."Yeah, hey we are a little busy, just had a Cessna land in a field, can you call back in a few?"...."yeah, the Cessna in the field was me". I asked for the audio when I went back to work and it was like pulling teeth. I had to wait about a month before they would let me have it. They (ATControllers) are scared to death of legal issues so they held on to it tight. After a month of constantly asking, the ATC manager finally let me have it.

Nice job

Exhaust valve on the number 4 cylinder gave up the ghost. It was July in Alabama, hot AF, full of gas and had a 220lb guy in there with me. We were 12 miles to the nearest airport, made it six miles before we gave up and put it down. It was running but about to shake off the mounts. I think we were descending about 200 feet per minute giving it all she had.

Any opinions, wagers, comments on which Guard units will make the cut for the -35. I guess the list is down to five units trying for two slots?

Everyone talks about the fields, but what about the farm roads surrounding all the fields? I had to put a 172 down in a field once. It all worked out, didn't bend anything. The field was a cow pasture and the owner arrived about 10 minutes after we put it down and said he had just moved the cows off the field about an hour earlier. There were all of these deep depressions all over the field where the cows bedded down, I guess. We must have missed them all somehow because they were deep enough that I think it would have taken out the nose gear if we went over one. Anyway, I walked out to the road that ran along the field and looked down it. It was probably a mile long, straight as an arrow, no power lines and no signs on the sides....all I said was, WhyTF didn't I land on the road? Oh well, we walked away.

Why in the absolute Fvck would the Thunderbirds need block 52's? Disregard, found the answer on F-16.net "In 2008 the block 32 F-16s were replaced by newer block 52 models. This gives the team an extra boost in available thrust." So a block 52 has so much more available thrust than a block 32 that it makes a difference to the spectators at an airshow???

http://www.avgeekery.com/breaking-thunderbirds-incident-at-dayton/ this is all I've seen so far

He probably was not up to date on his CBT's. Probably did PME by correspondence.

I spent my first 5.5 years on AD as a squid and GTFO as soon as possible. Spent the next 18 years between the ANG and AFRES. The boat/Navy sucks ass. I'll take a tent at Manas.