GAO Report: GA Security Threat

Mark,

We're ahead of the timetable that put Germany
and Japan back together again as hugely successful democracies.

I don't think that comparison is valid in any way. There are no
parallels to the situation. But while we're on the subject of
timetables: The comparison to Vietnam and the timetable there is left
as an excerise to the reader...

.... or maybe you really DO think the world was a better place with
Saddam in power???


I think the world was a better place when the most powerful nation on
earth adhered to certain rules that had become standard between
civilized nations.

I can't see much of a difference for the world with Saddam missing (he
isn't, really, by the way). I am now absolutely certain - as most news
watchers - that Saddam didn't pose nearly the threat that some were led
to believe. There are no WMD, period.

I am also certain that the path of actions the US took, if anything,
will provoke more and more terrible acts of terrorism than any of the
possible alternatives.

But that's just me...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Mark Hickey wrote in message . ..
Thomas Borchert wrote:

Rich,

We won in Iraq,

Have you been following the news lately, at all?

Errr, yeah... have you? We're ahead of the timetable that put Germany
and Japan back together again as hugely successful democracies. I
think it's safe to say we "won" there, too (though not nearly as
easily and with many, many more lives lost).


Poor analogy. A better analogy would be the Phillipines, or South
Florida.

--

FF

What war? Did we declare war?

--
Dan D.



..
"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message ...
Rich,

We won in Iraq,


Have you been following the news lately, at all?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Blueskies,

What war? Did we declare war?


;-) Ok, how about "conflict"? Or "police action"? Oh wait, those have
been used before. "War on Terrorism", that's the ticket. Sounds much
like the "war on drugs", and everybody knows how great that worked out.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I fondly recall watching the Thunderbirds and other jets at Nellis. I even
got a close-up look at an SR-71 before the air cops roped it off. I had been
in the Air Force 9 years before I got to my first flying base. They all
thought I was nuts to keep running over to the windows every time I heard
something taking off. I was a brand new "butter bar" lieutenant and a few of
the old NCO's liked to pick on the second louies. Having been an NCO myself,
I didn't take very kindly to it. There were times I wanted my stripes back,
just to get someone to take me seriously.

Fr. John Elledge, Chaplain, Colonel, USAF Ret.


"Rich S." wrote in message
...
"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
This stuff has to be getting Brock Meeks' goat. Here is a guy who thinks
privately that the security screening the airlines do has no value
whatsoever, being forced to write a piece like this. Note that he
devotes
far more space to the general aviation view -- making the premise of the
piece sound idiotic even as he complies with editorial guidelines.

Here's another idiotic exercise in futility to shake your head about.

Last Saturday I went to the air show at Nellis Air Force Base. To get in,
one had to drive to the Las Vegas NASCAR speedway and park. Then get in a
line ~1/4 mile long and shuffle through a gate with metal detectors. They
confiscated all those little Swiss Army knives from key rings. I think the
only reason we didn't have to remove our shoes was that we were walking on
sharp gravel. It took over an hour to get through the screening and board
a
bus for the base.

Once at the base, we were greeted by camo-clad 19 year-olds manning a
Humvee
and armed with a .50 caliber machine gun. I am sorry they were so
frightened
of us. When we got home, I was telling a friend (a retired USAF Chief
Master
Sergeant) about our experience. He agreed with the security precautions,
saying that he understand the motives behind them. He felt that, should an
"incident" occur, the public would place the blame directly on the base
commander and that he was within his bounds in his actions. I asked him
what
type of incident he was referring to. He replied that, "A terrorist could
get loose on the base". Of course, they had the spectator area fenced and
patrolled, but he didn't know that.

It is a sorry state of affairs when the leaders of our military forces
allow
their actions to be dictated by CNN. I am ashamed of how they are shaking
in
their boots for fear that Wolf Blitzer might criticize their security. I
want to puke in disgust at this crap. We won in Iraq, but lost our balls
here.

Rich S.

I just don't go anymore. I cannot believe that we americans allow our government to treat us this way...

--
Dan D.



..
"Rich S." wrote in message ...
"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
This stuff has to be getting Brock Meeks' goat. Here is a guy who thinks
privately that the security screening the airlines do has no value
whatsoever, being forced to write a piece like this. Note that he devotes
far more space to the general aviation view -- making the premise of the
piece sound idiotic even as he complies with editorial guidelines.

Here's another idiotic exercise in futility to shake your head about.

Last Saturday I went to the air show at Nellis Air Force Base. To get in,
one had to drive to the Las Vegas NASCAR speedway and park. Then get in a
line ~1/4 mile long and shuffle through a gate with metal detectors. They
confiscated all those little Swiss Army knives from key rings. I think the
only reason we didn't have to remove our shoes was that we were walking on
sharp gravel. It took over an hour to get through the screening and board a
bus for the base.

Once at the base, we were greeted by camo-clad 19 year-olds manning a Humvee
and armed with a .50 caliber machine gun. I am sorry they were so frightened
of us. When we got home, I was telling a friend (a retired USAF Chief Master
Sergeant) about our experience. He agreed with the security precautions,
saying that he understand the motives behind them. He felt that, should an
"incident" occur, the public would place the blame directly on the base
commander and that he was within his bounds in his actions. I asked him what
type of incident he was referring to. He replied that, "A terrorist could
get loose on the base". Of course, they had the spectator area fenced and
patrolled, but he didn't know that.

It is a sorry state of affairs when the leaders of our military forces allow
their actions to be dictated by CNN. I am ashamed of how they are shaking in
their boots for fear that Wolf Blitzer might criticize their security. I
want to puke in disgust at this crap. We won in Iraq, but lost our balls
here.

Rich S.

Cathleen Berrick, director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues, notes
that 70 general aviation aircraft have been stolen in the last five years,
"indicating a potential weakness that could be exploited by terrorists."

Wow... 70... in 5 years.... that's a whopping 14 per year or OVER one a
month.

Compare that to how many cars, trucks, etc. which are stolen ALL of which
could be filled with explosives and turned into terrorist car bombs!!!!

Idiots.

Classic case of people fearing what they don't understand.

Eric

By the way, when the **** are we going to get back in the air and fly our
ultralights.


"Eric Miller" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Cathleen Berrick, director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues, notes
that 70 general aviation aircraft have been stolen in the last five years,
"indicating a potential weakness that could be exploited by terrorists."

Wow... 70... in 5 years.... that's a whopping 14 per year or OVER one a
month.

Compare that to how many cars, trucks, etc. which are stolen ALL of which
could be filled with explosives and turned into terrorist car bombs!!!!

Idiots.

Classic case of people fearing what they don't understand.

Eric

Just to keep this barely sorta on topic....

I moved the german stories to the front of the list

enjoy....

Blll

The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a
short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking
location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with
some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange
between Frankfurt ground control and a British
Airways 747, call sign Speedbird 206":

Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."

Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven."

The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.

Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know vhere you are going?"

Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."

Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to
Frankfurt before?"

Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944 but I didn't stop."


A Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the
following:

Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"

Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."

Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany.
Why must I speak English?"

Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you
lost the bloody war!"


O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker,
one o'clock, three miles, eastbound."

United 239: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the little
Fokker in sight."


While taxiing at London Gatwick, the crew of a US Air flight departing for Ft.
Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727.

An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming: "US
Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to turn right onto Charlie
taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for
you to tell the difference between C' and D', but get it right!"

Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically:
"God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out!
You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect
progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour and I want you to go
exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US
Air 2771?"

"Yes ma'am," the humbled crew responded.

Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent
after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the
irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit
out in Gatwick was definitely running high.

Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking:
"Wasn't I married to you once?"

===========

A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll out
after touching down.

San Jose Tower Noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the
runway, if you are able... If not able, take the Guadalupe exit off Highway
101, make
a right at the lights and return to the airport."

===========

Unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm f...ing bored!"

Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself
immediately!"

Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f...ing stupid!"

===========

Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on frequency 124.7"

Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way, after we
lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of the runway."

Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact
Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?"

Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes, we
copied Eastern... we've already notified our caterers"

===========


===========



===========


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys
to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that
need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then
respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was
taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by
Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.)

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on backorder.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding
on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.