Quote :

"^^ yep, I'm at Cherry Point. Well, actually I'm out in Yuma, AZ until November, but I'm stationed at Cherry Point (in between deployments, haha). "

That's cool....my dad is back at Cherry Point doing his engineering stuff again. I think he is doing stuff with H-22s now, but I don't really know.

[Edited on September 27, 2009 at 1:00 PM. Reason : ]

9/27/2009 12:58:45 PM

funny story from Air & Space magazine about a guy shooting up his own aircraft back in Korea


Above & Beyond: Shooting Up a Shooting Star

http://tinyurl.com/yd2ehrm

9/29/2009 8:55:17 PM

Didn't you post that before?

Still a good story though.

9/29/2009 10:31:59 PM

damnit I did. I've been studying all night, brain isn't all there.

9/29/2009 10:36:51 PM

Quote :

" is 3.9 a lot of flying in one week for you? that's prob about average for me...i figured a p-3 guy would get a lot more."

yea that's well below average for us usually 4-12 hrs flight time (only 1/3 of that pilot time) but this was A time.. I just qualified plane commander. Now I'm going through our workups so I'll live in the sim building for about 6 weeks.. no A time for me

10/1/2009 12:24:34 AM

So I bust out my flight physical up-slip today, to get everything in order for flying later this month and the damned flight surgeon wrote that it expired this year instead of next year. In theory, I should just be able to go over to the medical center and get the error corrected but she doesn't work there any more so it is anyone's guess as to how painful they'll make this.


Given my past experience, the answer is very.

[Edited on October 6, 2009 at 8:32 PM. Reason : ]

10/6/2009 8:29:22 PM

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6165719/

Quote :

"Small plane crashes in Wilson Posted: Today at 7:21 p.m. Updated: 4 minutes ago Wilson, N.C. — A small sports plane crashed into the Buckhorn Reservoir in Wilson at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Wilson County Sheriff Wayne Gay said. The pilot, John Massey, 79, of Clayton, told authorities he was on a recreational flight over the reservoir when the sun temporarily blinded him. By the time Massey recovered, the plane was too close to the water to pull up, so he landed in the reservoir. Witnesses who were at the boat dock helped Massey get out of the plane. Massey was evaluated by Wilson County EMS, but declined medical transport. The Buckhorn Reservoir is located off N.C. Highway 581 on State Road 1142. Authorities are working on a plan to retrieve the Remos G3, single engine, two-seat plane from the water. The National Transportation Safety Board has been contacted and the investigation will be handled locally by the police department. NTSB officials will serve as consultants."

Whoops. Shoulda worn his shades, I guess.

10/8/2009 10:32:29 PM

that remos is a nice little lsa

10/8/2009 10:38:32 PM

^^ uhh, instrument scan? what the fuck?

furthermore, i have my doubts that he legitimately didn't have enough altitude to recover. i mean, it's POSSIBLE that he had just enough altitude to have it basically level as it impacted the water at very little sink rate...

that, and he says he "landed" in the water.

10/8/2009 11:38:40 PM

i bet he was showboating. was 50-100ft off the ground (if not lower). propeller or wing hit the water. nose in.

i wonder how much oil and fuel leaked out.

[Edited on October 9, 2009 at 11:23 AM. Reason : s]

10/9/2009 11:12:18 AM

quasi Aviation related . . .


Meredith Vieira Hits on a Naval Officer - Watch more Funny Videos

10/12/2009 7:03:47 PM

I wanna say "head"
I wanna say "box"
When I leave a party, I don't wanna "pull chocks"
I don't wanna say "no slugs" when I sneak-a-cheek

When I say "I'm going downtown", I really mean it
(I've got some business to take care of downtown)
and I don't want anyone saying "so to speak"

I wanna work for IBM
and I don't wanna fight in a war
'cause being a fighter pilot won't get you pussy no more.

[Edited on October 12, 2009 at 11:22 PM. Reason : what should I type in this container?]

10/12/2009 11:21:05 PM

Shot some autos in the simulator today. I'm a bit rusty, you'd be better off not having me at the controls after a dual engine failure until I get a bit more practice

10/22/2009 10:55:43 AM

just come to the dark side and go fly a -53E...then you'll have THREE engines!


I'm actually toying with the idea of trying to pick up a Guard helo pilot slot whenever my obligation is up with the USMC. I like flying FW, and I'd REALLY like to get a USMC pilot transition and go fly the F-35, but that's probably a long shot. I'd also REALLY like to pick up an ANG pilot transition and go fly Vipers (I'd really like to fly the 'Hog, but I don't think they have ANG 'Hogs). Again, not out of the question, I guess, but a fairly long shot.

That leaves either staying active duty USMC in my current community (I'm not sure I really care to make a career out of being a Prowler ECMO, though), staying active duty USMC but not flying Prowlers anymore (generally a poor career move, and there isn't much else cool to do that I could transition to full-time starting as a Major, or Major-select), or going USMC-R and flying either as a Prowler instructor or a flight school instructor in the Reserves (not 100% sure how much of an option either of those things would be).

10/23/2009 2:10:28 AM

Speaking of UH-60 crashes:

Quote :

"One dead, eight injured after Army helicopter crashes onto deck of Navy ship NORFOLK-- One service member was killed and eight others injured after an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed onto the deck of a Navy ship during a training exercise, the Navy said in a news release. The helicopter crashed onto the deck of the USNS Arctic, a Navy oiler, off the coast of Virginia Beach about 8:00 pm Thursday. The crash happened about 20 miles off Fort Story while service members were rappelling down a rope from the helicopter to the ship, according to a Navy spokesperson."

http://tinyurl.com/yhpsxtk


^^ yeah, I've worked with the 53 before, it is a mother-f'n beast. PM me if you want details on ANG flying. Va has F-22s and UH-60s in the NG and a USAR unit with CH-47s.

10/23/2009 1:23:31 PM

Yeah, I was riding in the back of a Shitter one time, full of fully-loaded Marines (like 2 dozen of us). It lost an engine, and none of us ever even knew until we landed.

Go ahead and shoot me a PM about ANG. I assume there's also stuff at Pope and Seymour. I'm pretty sure that I won't be picking up a Raptor spot in VA or anywhere else, haha.

10/24/2009 3:50:25 AM

Day one in the 60. First aircraft we were issued had a small ocean of hydraulic fluid in the passenger area, second one fired up the aux engine and #1 engine without incident but couldn't get the #2 engine lit, and the third one had aux problems but we got it started with a ground source.

After that, everything was fairly smooth sailing. I'm having to unlearn a lot of habits from the TH-67 where control movements were coupled by the pilot instead of inherent in the aircraft, but that shouldn't take too much time.


Hopefully videos will be forthcoming soon.

10/26/2009 4:50:09 PM

well, my stick buddy managed to bust the tail wheel locking pin during a roll on landing today, so I got a ride in one of the last UH-1s in the Army and the only white UH-1.





Always good to fly in a classic, especially doors open.

11/4/2009 4:41:38 PM

haha, the USMC will keep 'em flying in our skid squadrons

11/4/2009 5:17:03 PM

skids are for kids . . .






Seriously though, it is a great aircraft. Their pilots have MUCH better visibility than the 60 does. The USAF still uses them as their primary training aircraft. About six months ago our flight commander had to tell us that the CG at Rucker had ordered us to not insult the Zoomies any more about their Hueys. Apparently someone was making fun of them and they got all butt-hurt. I'm not sure why, it's like making fun of them because their '67 Stingray is old.

11/4/2009 6:14:35 PM

what a bunch of faggots for throwing a fit over that...and I can't believe a CG gave even the most minimal shit about it, much less ordered you to stop fucking with them.

If that happened in a jet squadron, the CG would be like "Hey, these guys are throwing mantrums about you guys fucking with them--they want me to say something to you guys about it...so here it is--I demand that you step up your game, and also fuck with them for being complete pussies."

11/4/2009 6:23:44 PM

The tone of the order . . . at least as it was passed to us . . . did not belie a deep seated concern with the emotional well being of Air Force 2LTs

11/4/2009 6:46:12 PM

I've got to pick a fun place to fly my wife within 450 NM this weekend. What do you guys recommend doing?

[Edited on November 9, 2009 at 12:41 PM. Reason : .]

11/9/2009 12:41:40 PM

^ where'd you wind up going?


Flew IFR for the first time in about 8 months today. Don't really miss it but the 60 is a lot more manageable than a 206. Shot a VOR into Eufala and then ILS into Lawson AAF. Headed to Tallahassee tomorrow, I've heard good things about the ladies who work the FSS there.

11/12/2009 2:05:01 PM

We are going this weekend. Its weather dependant. We are going to play it by ear.

11/12/2009 3:53:05 PM

so if i fly six times a month regionally, on a commercial airline, what are my chances of dying? More or less than a guy dying by getting kicked to death by a donkey?

[Edited on November 13, 2009 at 10:29 PM. Reason : honest question ]

11/13/2009 10:27:03 PM

^^^
yeah definately some good looking women at the FBO in TLH. we go there for lunch sometimes and is usually worth the stop. The best place along the gulf for eye candy is bay minette. all female stafff and their uniforms are nice too.

11/14/2009 12:38:31 PM

I've heard good things about Bay Minette, we just don't really fly there.





TLH wasn't bad and the facilities are pretty amazing (not often that you've got a flat screen TV to look at while you're urinating). Heading back Monday for my instrument check ride.

11/14/2009 1:22:55 PM

nice pic!
^^ less than getting kicked to death by a donkey or being eaten by a shark.
Commercial airlines are very very safe... not saying it doesn't happen but it is very rare.

11/14/2009 2:01:48 PM

That's a standing aviator joke right? There's no way you're less likely to die in an air crash than donkey kick.

11/16/2009 2:07:48 PM

http://www.fbo-hotties.com/

11/16/2009 2:14:23 PM

I ended up flying down to atlanta and landing at PDK. Nice weekend of eating well and shopping. DC weather was crappy until Sunday.

Amazing the difference in gas. I was able to fill-up twice for about $3.80 a gallon (average) between 18A and 5W8. Saved over $60 from what I would have been charged at PDK and RDU.

11/16/2009 3:40:04 PM

Found an interesting site which specializes in profiles of specific aircraft from WWII onwards: http://www.markstyling.com/index.htm Somewhat neat if you're a history buff or scale modeler.

11/18/2009 9:24:51 PM

Shot some autos this afternoon for practice. Uploaded a video of one of them, sorry about the crappy quality but you get an idea of the rate of descent. The angle at the end is based on the deceleration we pull at 75' and the termination above 30' since Fort Rucker guidelines prohibit autos to the ground in a UH-60.



Entry is at about the 3 second mark. Rate of descent is around 2,200 FPM

11/19/2009 8:31:29 PM

11/19/2009 8:32:34 PM

Quote :

"Kandahar's Loch Ness mystery plane returns Kandahar's Loch Ness monster has been spotted again. This time an actual photo of the beast was published by French journalist Jean-Dominique Merchet, who writes for the Liberation newspaper, on his Secret Defense blog. We last saw the mystery Kandahar aircraft in a drawing by Shephard's Unmanned Vehicles and a very grainy photo published by Air & Cosmos. The new photo offers a slightly better view of the nose. Is that a canopy screen above the nose? I wondered in May if this might actually be a manned aircraft, even if it was first sighted on UV.com. If there is a cockpit, where is the air intake for the engine? The half-moon exhaust pipe strikingly resembles the P175 Polecat, a Skunk Works product. Regardless of how it is piloted, the Kandahar aircraft's existence raises several existential questions: What does it do? Why do you need a stealthy-looking aircraft to spy on Al Qaeda and the Taliban? What's all the secrecy about? While I'm asking, can somebody please get a head-on picture? [UPDATE: Bill Sweetman, of Ares blog infamy, believes the aircraft is the Skunk Works' Desert Prowler, which would make it a UAV.]"

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2009/12/kandahars-loch-ness-mystery-pl.html

12/2/2009 1:25:06 AM

Passenger plane pilot coming into RDU starts his approach, but instead of touching down:

-he messes with the flaps and cuts power
-loses altitude (like a brick)
-applies full power
-overshoots the runway a bit
-veers away from parked planes
-scrapes the wingtip and busts a light.

12/2/2009 11:04:36 AM

^^ Quite interesting.


^ When?

12/2/2009 7:51:39 PM

Over the weekend I believe.

12/3/2009 9:25:55 AM

^^^^

Quote :

"New unmanned US stealth jet based in Afghanistan gathers data in Iran US Air Force spokesmen confirmed this week that the hitherto secret unmanned, high-altitude stealth jet, the “Beast of Kandahar,” was present at the big US air base of Bagram, in Afghanistan. Photos of the Beast on the Bagram tarmac – outside its regular base at Kandahar near the Iranian and Pakistani borders – appeared in various Internet sites this week. Designated RQ-170 Sentinel, it is the first jet drone ever developed for military use. France’s EURO Demonstrator is a similar project which will be ready for test flights only in another two years. Little is known about the Sentinel, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Program. USAF spokesmen disclosed only that its new deployment responded to secretary of defense Robert Gates’ request for increased intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for combatant commanders in Afghanistan. According to DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources, Washington had a reason for letting the Beast surface at this time in the form of a published photograph and a note about its ability to fly over the borders of Iran, China, India and Pakistan for collecting “useful data about missile tests, telemetry, signals and multi-spectral intelligence. The disclosure came on the heels of Iran’s big air defense exercise for guarding its nuclear sites which ended in the third week of November; it appears to be a message to Tehran that all its war games, especially in intelligence and electronic warfare, were pointless since its skies are wide open to American drone activity against which Iran has no recourse."

http://sonoranweeklyreview.com/?p=1206

12/9/2009 3:16:50 AM

Where's the pic of the guy that puked all over himself in the plane? A tdubber was flying the plane and got a nice shot of the guy with chunks all down his front right outside the plane.

12/9/2009 3:16:50 PM

12/9/2009 3:20:16 PM

Thank you sir, was that you that was flying?

12/9/2009 3:21:37 PM

message_topic.aspx?topic=572349

12/9/2009 3:26:30 PM

^^^^^

It must be real, it has its own page on wikipedia now:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RQ-170_Sentinel

12/10/2009 8:47:16 PM

So I guess I will contribute a little...I have taken up aviation monitoring as a side hobby in my main hobby of Amateur "Ham" Radio...I can usually be found up at KRDU General Aviation at least once a weekend plane spotting...Since my day job in I.T. of a school photography company gives me the opportunity to have a DSLR I have also started taking pics of unique aircraft up at KRDU.
Here is my main flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ke4znr/
I know I have a crap load of pics I need to weed through (and I am) and get the good pics out of the rest but I do hope they provide some entertainment...Here is one I posted in Chit-chat a couple weeks ago..it shows F/A-18C Hornets as they had just landed from going up for a few mins...it is my desktop for the time being:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2789/4109126425_7a9b5d3106_b.jpg
While I am a self confessed Radio Geek and know communications inside and out I am still a rookie when it comes to aviation spotting...but I am learning....and I enjoy reading over all of the good info shared by JCASHFAN, Mr Joshua, theDuke866, and others...

12/10/2009 9:15:44 PM

This one turned out better than I had hoped...I really need to go through and weed through all of my pics...just making time to do it is tough

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/4109213433_e9391b4b57_b.jpg

12/10/2009 9:19:18 PM

mobile.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/12/10/askthepilot344/index.html

Interesting read. Flight 188 northwest

12/11/2009 9:54:24 AM

these things make a really weird noise.

12/11/2009 9:58:39 AM

Quote :

"mobile.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/12/10/askthepilot344/index.html Interesting read. Flight 188 northwest"

This type of stuff happens all the time (handoff/acknowledgement failures). Still pretty questionable that they completely lost situational awareness though. Usually on the last flight of a trip you've got the throttles firewalled and you count down each nautical mile 'til you're home.

12/13/2009 9:24:25 AM