Flare To Land...

....or see how high it bounces from the armored deck.

--
Mike Kanze

"Do witches run spell-checkers?"

- Old word processing joke


"Jim Carriere" wrote in message
...
WaltBJ wrote:
...
"You're flying Js; I heard they had real good radar." He replied
"Yeah, it's good all right, until you make 4 or 5 carrier landings
with it." Sort of like tossing your 36 inch TV down the stairs, I
suppose.

For some reason I can't stop laughing about this. The way you put it, it
makes a lot of sense, only the TV is a lot cheaper and it you don't open
it up to work on it on a windy day next to the ocean.

....And you guys get to endure hyper-long missions with beaucoup night visits
to the tanker especially when some supposed ally refuses you basing or
overflight
rights. (ref. OPERATION EL DORADO CANYON, B-2 missions to worldwide
targets out of Whiteman AFB, etc.)

Meanwhile we're readying our second or third launches (more DFC / Air Medal
/ Strike Flight award opportunities), grabbing sliders and autodog in the
Dirty Shirt mess, watching the latest skin flicks in our staterooms, or
snoring in our racks.

--
Mike Kanze

"Do witches run spell-checkers?"

- Old word processing joke


"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 01:52:59 -0500, Jim Carriere
wrote:

WaltBJ wrote:
...
"You're flying Js; I heard they had real good radar." He replied
"Yeah, it's good all right, until you make 4 or 5 carrier landings
with it." Sort of like tossing your 36 inch TV down the stairs, I
suppose.

For some reason I can't stop laughing about this. The way you put
it, it makes a lot of sense, only the TV is a lot cheaper and it you
don't open it up to work on it on a windy day next to the ocean.

And, our airplanes are cleaner. And, we don't wear colored T-shirts.
And, after flying we get to sit around and have a couple of beers
(cold!) and don't have to do it lurking in a closet-sized-sleeps-four
stateroom. And, we can leave the water running when we shower.

Plus, our televisions show more than one channel and don't have
continual reruns of aircraft taking off and landing.

We flare because we can.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

Mike,

When I flew 4's (before transitioning to 14's) there were no 36 inch TVs,
with the exception of the Advent Projection TV's. Not sure that would fit
down the stairs. They were a b*tch to get up the stairs!

But a good analogy anyway. :-)

Looking back on it all, I have to wonder how they kept any of the avionics
up after just one trap. No wonder old military stock vacuum tubes get so
much $$ on eBay.

Jake

"Mike Kanze" wrote in message
...
"Yeah, it's good all right, until you make 4 or 5 carrier landings with
it." Sort of like tossing your 36 inch TV down the stairs, I suppose.

Amen. Surprised it took that many traps to degrade. g

--
Mike Kanze

"Do witches run spell-checkers?"

- Old word processing joke


"WaltBJ" wrote in message
om...
(Pechs1) wrote in message
...
Mike- Pechs will love this one...

The German idiomatic expression approximating the American expression
"wimp"
is "sitzpinkler" - literally, one who sits down while urinating.
BRBR

Yer right...'USAF, flare to land, squat to pee'...
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye
Phlyer

Of course, the airplane has to be about 15% heavier to be strong
enough to be driven into the deck, and its flying suffers from that
weight. I flared my 104A; it flew very well indeed, good enough with
the new engine to hack an F8. And later, flying F4s, the Navy guy that
rode in my backseat over Laos one night was surprised the radar was so
good, picking up the tanker at about 75 miles over land. I asked
"You're flying Js; I heard they had real good radar." He replied
"Yeah, it's good all right, until you make 4 or 5 carrier landings
with it." Sort of like tossing your 36 inch TV down the stairs, I
suppose.

" Looking back on it all, I have to wonder how they kept any of the
avionics
up after just one trap.
Jake

A tribute to the phixers. We worked extremely hard to keep it all
running. Hated taking the turtleback off the F4 to get at the
avionics.

Ed- Four days on Forrestal in the Med was enough for me BRBR
Thanks to the Rippers for a great time! BRBR
\
When were you there? I was onboard FID during my F-14 DH tour with the 'lead
zippers' as our sister squdron.
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye Phlyer

On 29 Oct 2004 13:34:04 GMT, (Pechs1) wrote:

Ed- Four days on Forrestal in the Med was enough for me BRBR
Thanks to the Rippers for a great time! BRBR
\
When were you there? I was onboard FID during my F-14 DH tour with the 'lead
zippers' as our sister squdron.
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye Phlyer

You're a mere youth. The Rippers were still flying F-4s when I was
aboard. Would have been '76 or '77 during a "Flat Iron" exercise. My
squadron at Torrejon was participating as well as all of the Spanish
Air Defense system with their new gee-whiz computerized GCI called
"Combat Grande".

We alternated between attacking the CVBG and being attacked by them. I
was the wing project officer and when Forrestal invited a couple of
F-4 guys from Torrejon aboard, I put my name in first. (Courtesy be
damned, I ain't gonna miss a chance to go for a ride on a boat!)

Had a great time with all the usual tour stuff including visits to
PriFly, LSO platform, the "box" between the forward cats, and a couple
of F-4 rides (****ed about there being no stick in the back seat.)


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

Ed Rasimus wrote in message . ..

Actually in 23 years in the tactical community I never wore an
ascot--not even once. I did have a scarf in several squadrons, but it
was simply draped around the neck (and not outside the collar)--added
a dashing, devil-may-care touch when talking up the
fighter-pilot-groupies at the club after a hard day of flaring.

Ditto, and I hated them with a passion! Especially the fancy
synthetic ones that were hot and/or itchy - which is why I usually
"forgot" mine, or had it cut down to a one-inch strip that I wore
outside the collar. I hated the feel of that fake, useless "scarf"
around my neck. Worse than a tie!

I always thought that if we were going to wear scarves, make them out
of terrycloth so they could be used for something, like cleaning your
visor or glasses.

I did find a good use for them, however - tied to my luggage they make
for a quick ID at the airport baggage carousel...

And why couldn't we wear nice, useful squadron ballcaps (that would
actually be functional hats) instead of those stupid c*unt caps that
always ended up with a fold in the middle from being stuffed into a
flightsuit pocket, then needed an oilchange! When I was on the PACAF
Gunsmoke team in 83 we had a bunch of caps made up for all the air and
ground crew, and they were SO much better than those idiotic caps.

Grrrr...

Kirk

And why couldn't we wear nice, useful squadron ballcaps (that would
actually be functional hats) instead of those stupid c*unt caps that
always ended up with a fold in the middle from being stuffed into a
flightsuit pocket, then needed an oilchange!

I can't remember if it was in this NG or elsewhere, but I remember hearing
of an instance of someone at the CAG level having a civilian tailor craft a
white double-knit ****cutter (garrison cap to uninitiated) to wear with the
Tropical White Long uniform. Can anyone expand / clarify?

--
Mike Kanze

"Do witches run spell-checkers?"

- Old word processing joke


"Kirk Stant" wrote in message
om...
Ed Rasimus wrote in message
. ..

Actually in 23 years in the tactical community I never wore an
ascot--not even once. I did have a scarf in several squadrons, but it
was simply draped around the neck (and not outside the collar)--added
a dashing, devil-may-care touch when talking up the
fighter-pilot-groupies at the club after a hard day of flaring.

Ditto, and I hated them with a passion! Especially the fancy
synthetic ones that were hot and/or itchy - which is why I usually
"forgot" mine, or had it cut down to a one-inch strip that I wore
outside the collar. I hated the feel of that fake, useless "scarf"
around my neck. Worse than a tie!

I always thought that if we were going to wear scarves, make them out
of terrycloth so they could be used for something, like cleaning your
visor or glasses.

I did find a good use for them, however - tied to my luggage they make
for a quick ID at the airport baggage carousel...

And why couldn't we wear nice, useful squadron ballcaps (that would
actually be functional hats) instead of those stupid c*unt caps that
always ended up with a fold in the middle from being stuffed into a
flightsuit pocket, then needed an oilchange! When I was on the PACAF
Gunsmoke team in 83 we had a bunch of caps made up for all the air and
ground crew, and they were SO much better than those idiotic caps.

Grrrr...

Kirk

"Kirk Stant" wrote:
And why couldn't we wear nice, useful squadron ballcaps (that would
actually be functional hats) instead of those stupid c*unt caps that
always ended up with a fold in the middle from being stuffed into a
flightsuit pocket, then needed an oilchange!

Everybody's different, I guess.
I liked the "fore-and-aft" cap _much_ better than a ballcap.

No wearing a cover indoors, so with a ballcap you put it down and forgot it.
You could just loop your pcutter over your belt and keep it close.

The pcutter also fit into a pocket in my G-suit when it was time to go
zooming.

With regard to oilchange, the saltier the better!

Plus, whoever saw a ballcap with an aviator's tuck?

Once upon a long, long time ago (even before short-sleeved khaki shirts were
allowed), CPO's still wore dungarees, Aviation Greens were worn with
matching green elastique blouse instead of flight jacket, Stewards and
Chaplains wore gray, white garrison caps were worn with Tropical White Long
and Short, and personnel who rated so many awards and decorations that they
sagged the dress uniform could wear a sash.

I had a CO who would buy a new set of gold buttons, scrub the quartermaster
off with steel wool and NeverDull, then take them to a jeweler for 24K gold
plating. All his white uniforms were skarkskin, too.

Rick
(Who only goes back to flathats and flag officers with beards)


"Mike Kanze" wrote in message
...
And why couldn't we wear nice, useful squadron ballcaps (that would
actually be functional hats) instead of those stupid c*unt caps that
always ended up with a fold in the middle from being stuffed into a
flightsuit pocket, then needed an oilchange!

I can't remember if it was in this NG or elsewhere, but I remember hearing
of an instance of someone at the CAG level having a civilian tailor craft
a white double-knit ****cutter (garrison cap to uninitiated) to wear with
the Tropical White Long uniform. Can anyone expand / clarify?

--
Mike Kanze

"Do witches run spell-checkers?"

- Old word processing joke


"Kirk Stant" wrote in message
om...
Ed Rasimus wrote in message
. ..

Actually in 23 years in the tactical community I never wore an
ascot--not even once. I did have a scarf in several squadrons, but it
was simply draped around the neck (and not outside the collar)--added
a dashing, devil-may-care touch when talking up the
fighter-pilot-groupies at the club after a hard day of flaring.

Ditto, and I hated them with a passion! Especially the fancy
synthetic ones that were hot and/or itchy - which is why I usually
"forgot" mine, or had it cut down to a one-inch strip that I wore
outside the collar. I hated the feel of that fake, useless "scarf"
around my neck. Worse than a tie!

I always thought that if we were going to wear scarves, make them out
of terrycloth so they could be used for something, like cleaning your
visor or glasses.

I did find a good use for them, however - tied to my luggage they make
for a quick ID at the airport baggage carousel...

And why couldn't we wear nice, useful squadron ballcaps (that would
actually be functional hats) instead of those stupid c*unt caps that
always ended up with a fold in the middle from being stuffed into a
flightsuit pocket, then needed an oilchange! When I was on the PACAF
Gunsmoke team in 83 we had a bunch of caps made up for all the air and
ground crew, and they were SO much better than those idiotic caps.

Grrrr...

Kirk