HuggyU2

Click on the picture to open the link.

Yes, it's a single flight with a drop in. I think it is roughly a 9 hour sortie. Night show was Rolex'd to tonight because of WX, but the SOS Tent and Acee Deucey ended up being a lot of fun. You can't go long without running into someone you know. The Oshkosh locals are great hosts.

Should be a great time. The people at Oshkosh generally aren't the woke, virtual signaling part of the American public. Looking forward to getting back after being gone for a few years.

Yes. Snort died in his L-1019 up in Lewiston. Got the word from my warbird / airshow buds. He was heading back to Ft Snort when he crashed. Quite the character, and there are a lot of opinions about him. But Snort was part of the dying breed of old school fighter pilots that the current military really doesn't want around much anymore. My Tomcat buds that flew with him and worked for him think the world of him. Even the ones that didn't care for him! The fact he flew the way he did, and was able to live as long as he did... well, that's quite a feat. Snort was a Brother in Arms, and I raise a glass for him tonight. edit: for those not aware, Snort was the pilot of the famous knife-edge Tomcat pass. https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-story-and-video-behind-dale-snort-snodgrass-legendary-super-low-banana-pass/

I've met a number of Navs... and even one Flight Surgeon... that would have made excellent SQ/CC's had the AF decided to actually let them command a single-seat flying squadron.

Fired? Barely. He became Director of Current Ops for the Depity CoS for Ops.

Good opinion piece on The Article. https://dragonladytoday.com/2021/07/11/u-2-retirement-here-we-go-again/

And he was flown to space by a U-2 Pilot who had already been to space.

I was at Bagram in 2011-2012 for my 13-month sentence to the MC-12 (a mess of a program that was mismanaged, with poor leadership, poor training, and a huge range of pilot abilities: incredibly shitty, to some of the best tactical minds and pilots I've ever met). Do y'all remember the Afghan guy that served ice cream in the chow hall? That guy looked like he had seen some violence, and the hatred in his eyes was intense. I always thought he would find a way to grab someone's weapon and open fire. I looked him in the eyes every time I left, if he was working. I've ram-dumped nearly all of the time I spent at Bagram. It's like a hazy dream now. What a mess.

I never considered the govt of Afghanistan our "allies". AMF's.

Anything you can link to? Or just stern words flowing down from "leadership"?

In the 11 week window of 11 May - 27 July, United will bring in 451 new pilots.

Speaking of "WTF"... Is there any legitimacy to the "Drag Queen show" at Nellis AFB a few days ago?

Your Weekend U-2 History & Triva... 20 June 1956 was the date of U-2 Mission 2003... the very first U-2 operational flight. Nine days earlier, Det A was opened at Wiesbaden Air Base near Frankfurt. Although the West Germans approved a Soviet overflight, Eisenhower wouldn't approve it because the USAF Chief of Staff was visiting Russia at the time. That would have been a bit rude... and pretty balsy. But, U-2 pilot Carl Overstreet, the 13th pilot to fly the jet, was allowed to enter East German and Czechoslovakian airspace, right where the borders of East German, West Germany, and Czechoslovakia came together, in thehops that the commie radars wouldn't pass off anything they saw. It worked! Overstreet then turned north and flew over every major city in Poland before backtracking via Prague. Success! The mission used wet film and SIGINT. The film was immediately flown back to the US and developed by Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY and the results of the new A-2 camera were impressive. It used three 24" focal length lenses to get a 36 mile wide swath of earth. Iron men, wooden ships. It was a different era, for sure.

I'm probably the only person that will state this... but of the 737, 757, 767, and 777, I found the 757 the least enjoyable to fly.

Good luck. That's not going to be an easy task. March ARB just closed their Aero Club. It had been in existence for 67 years.

One stat I’d like to see is how much of the high end business travel is back. The provide a disproportionate amount of revenue to AAL, DAL, and UAL. While TSA numbers are trending upward, the revenue from a person buying a full fare First Class to Singapore on a 777 is different than an Economy Basic ticket from SFO to Vegas.

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I have never heard of the "Detroit Daily News". But if it is like everything else that is left in Detroit, I wouldn't give it much credence. Looks more like a National Enquirer story that some gullible reported picked up on and didn't make an effort to validate it.

If your goal is to fly in The Majors, then going to a Regional airline is most likely your best option. As an aside, corporate / Part 91 flying is getting interesting. Big demand. It’s still “network centric” and the owners often go cheap when looking for pilots. But those that don’t change are going to be hurting bad very soon.

Winning!

I’m aware. I work in an 11R squadron. Just being sarcastic.

It was a grainy photo from a powerpoint briefing. I didn't see a date, but the data was readable. Appreciate you confirming, even though the person providing it was solid. I also heard not a single 11R took the "bonus"... go figure. It will show in 6 months. Note: The etymology of the word "Bonus" comes from ancient Greek. The verb is "Boner" and means "to bone". The "us" ending (as in "Bonus") is the third person plural of the verb "Boner". Ergo, "Bonus" means "to bone us" or "we get boned", in the American vernacular. (now that I ponder it, I think it is Aramaic, not Greek).

Domestically, I don't find it happens that much, but most likely that is because of me. Internationally, we probably do a bit more socializing on long haul since there are 4 pilots on the crew. Seeing flight attendants on a layover is incredibly rare, though I am told SWA and AA party like rockstars with their FA's. When not on a trip, I don't socialize with anyone I met at the airlines. As for food... you're better off skipping the airline meals... using your ~3 day trip to get some fasting in... and looking for healthy alternatives near the layover hotel.

I just saw some slides with the so-called "Bonus" take rate. The year isn't over but it's dismal so far. Only 14% of eligible 11F's have taken it. 0/10 F-15C pilots took it. And 3/32 F-35 pilots.