Kerry's coming to OSH

I don't buy the point you made about his ex-instructor putting him
in the top 5% of his students. If he was that good, he would have kept
flying. To be that good, you have to love it. And if he loved it, he
wouldn't have stopped.

I agree, that's odd.

But I've known a fair number of pilots who quit flying. I don't know how,
or why.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article cGSYb.340944$I06.3556110@attbi_s01, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

I don't buy the point you made about his ex-instructor putting him
in the top 5% of his students. If he was that good, he would have kept
flying. To be that good, you have to love it. And if he loved it, he
wouldn't have stopped.

I agree, that's odd.

But I've known a fair number of pilots who quit flying. I don't know how,
or why.

Someone I worked with was an A-10 driver and a test pilot. He
doesn't fly anymore because bugsmasher flying isn't why he loved
flying. A friend who was an F-111 WSO talks about how the flying
I do in my 140 ain't anything like the low level flying he did.

--
Bob Noel

Jay Honeck wrote:


But I've known a fair number of pilots who quit flying. I don't know how,
or why.

I have given up a number of activities over the years, for various
reasons. One is ham radio. I used to be pretty active on the HF bands
and gathered about 180 countries in about three years of activity.
After getting married I sold the HF radio but stayed on 2 meters for a
while. Still have a 2 meter radio now but only use it to monitor the
aviation band.

I have given up a number of activities over the years, for various
reasons. One is ham radio.

Apples and oranges. As fascinating as ham radio can be, it ain't flying.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Long, long, ago, in a galaxy far, far away, for one entire winter I used to
chat with Paul every tuesday night, the navigator on board a NORAD bomber,
loitering somewhere to the north of Michigan near the arctic pole... He, of
course, could not tell me where he was I knew enough not to ask, but by
switching antennas I knew the direction... He was one bored puppy stuck on
an 18 hour ride, several times a week...
denny

"Jay Honeck" wrote Apples and oranges. As
fascinating as ham radio can be, it ain't flying.

Denny

Picky, Picky, Picky G

NORAD ran the ground radar systems and used the Fighters and Missiles
(BOMARC) to defend Canada and the US from any Russian bomber attack.
They passed the detection of a bomber attack to SAC (and National
Authority) and launched Fighters to kill the bombers.

Our Bombers were run by SAC out of Omaha and when authorized by
President (say Football) would have executed the SIOP. NORAD had
nothing to due with our Bombers.

On a day to day basis in those years, SAC kept a modest number of
armed bombers in the air 7/24 to assure we could kill the #1 targets
in Russia under any circumstances.

During those on station missions SAC (starting with Le May) generated
a bunch of 'Mickey Mouse" activities to keep the crews busy and not
let them die of boredom from 'flying in a circle'. There were of
course other areas where they held or flew in than orbiting in the
arctic.

I'm surprised about the Nav getting on Ham freqs. In SAC there were
random contacts from Omaha that required crews to monitor with all
their radios. Was also a AF (as I recall) reg that said no ham radio.
I used to, when the HF was not being used, get on ham freqs
occasionally and talk ) Also did some on 220. Used my Ham call and
not any A/C ID.

Long time ago in a War far away.

Big John

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 08:58:34 -0500, "Dennis O'Connor"
wrote:

Long, long, ago, in a galaxy far, far away, for one entire winter I used to
chat with Paul every tuesday night, the navigator on board a NORAD bomber,
loitering somewhere to the north of Michigan near the arctic pole... He, of
course, could not tell me where he was I knew enough not to ask, but by
switching antennas I knew the direction... He was one bored puppy stuck on
an 18 hour ride, several times a week...
denny

"Jay Honeck" wrote Apples and oranges. As
fascinating as ham radio can be, it ain't flying.

Thanks for the clarification and history, Big John. As always, we're
indebted to you and your expertise.

I had no idea that we kept the bombers airborne 24/7 -- I thought it was
just "Looking Glass" and recon stuff that was always in the air, with the
bombers on stand-by alert.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay

Have seen the figure of 12 airborne 7/24 out of 4-500 bombers we had.
Don't hold me to those exact figures but will give you an idea. These
missions were called "Chrome Dome". One flight path was around
northern Pacific. Another one was over to the Med and return. Some
missions were 24 +/- hr flights. Med is where they lost the two birds
and 4 bombs with the mid air off Spain.

'Looking Glass' flew out of Offutt with a General aboard 7/24. Was a
backup C and C in case Washington got hit and National Authority
zapped. New bird was airborne and checked out before old bird landed.
If trouble getting the replacement airborne, the old bird just punched
a tanker until their replacement got airborne.

Glad the MAD has been put to bed.


Big John


On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 18:11:27 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

Thanks for the clarification and history, Big John. As always, we're
indebted to you and your expertise.

I had no idea that we kept the bombers airborne 24/7 -- I thought it was
just "Looking Glass" and recon stuff that was always in the air, with the
bombers on stand-by alert.

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 18:11:27 GMT, Jay Honeck wrote:

I had no idea that we kept the bombers airborne 24/7 -- I thought it was
just "Looking Glass" and recon stuff that was always in the air, with the
bombers on stand-by alert.

... and you really don't want to know what happened along the German-German
border or along the iron curtain during these years or when a submarine
from the UdSSR was spottet.

#m

--
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19990509

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 11:34:44 -0600, Big John wrote:

Long time ago in a War far away.

A was deeply impressed while visiting the Titan II missile museum near
Tucson, AZ (when you are at the Pima Air and Space museum you might buy a
pass for the museum, the tour at Davis Monthan AFB and the Titan II). They
have an intercontinental missile with control center etc. there which is
open to the public. After seeing that I realized what cold war really
meant.
From the Titan II missiles they had about 40 or so in service and it only
needed 3 of them well placed to destroy the whole USA (just to have some
relations). And they had about 40 only of this prodution line (and
intercontinental long range is more a stratetic weapon than a first strike
weapon).

Well, the guide was a more than 70 year old man being very proud about the
nukes and not even considered with a blink of his eyes any alternatives or
was not really glad about disarmament.

#m
--
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19990509