Aviation Art…

24

I have actually seen this one more than once, and it is IMPRESSIVE! This image is the 25 foot high by 75 foot wide mural in the World War II Gallery of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

The B-17G, 42-38050, “Thunder Bird” of the 303rd Bomb Group, based at Molesworth, England, is seen at 11:45 AM, 15 August 1944, over Trier, Germany, on its return to base from a mission to Weisbaden. B-17Gs “Bonnie B”, “Special Delivery”, and “Marie”, are seen below as a Messerschmitt 109G and Focke Wulf FW 190 attack “Thunder Bird’s” element. Jeff Ethell’s research for the mural revealed the names and aircraft identities of all U.S. and many German participants in this battle in which the 303rd lost nine Fortresses in this attack by Luftwaffe fighters.

Achievement unlocked…

While other areas were dealing with “Day of Rage”, Wichita Falls was doing a first responder appreciation today.

flag flying

Thanks to the Elk’s Club and about 50 volunteers, a variety of first responders- LEO’s, Fire, EMS, from Wichita Falls and some of the surrounding small towns, along with DPS, Rangers, Possum Cops and others got a lunch and dinner for free as a thank you.

Quite a few brought along family members, and between lunch, dinner and the take outs for the jailers, dispatch, and those manning firestations and other critical infrastructure, a little over 1100 meals were served between lunch and dinner.

I was basically a gofer… go fer this, take out that, set up those tables and chairs, etc… But it felt good to see those first responders come through the door and hear their thanks.

A couple of the volunteers were also Patriot Guard riders, who had been in Dallas Wednesday supporting those officers funerals, and they said the procession was over five miles long. Not only that, the other side of the freeway stopped in salute as the procession was moving through.

I’ll probably STILL be soaking my feet when you read this, but I’m glad I got a chance to give a little bit back to those who DO lay their lives on the line every day.

Another hit…

France, Nice this time, was ground zero for another attack last night. This time it was a truck mowing people down along the beach promenade. 70+ dead and over 50 injured as of the time I went to bed.

No assignment of ‘blame’ yet, as the French police shot the driver dead. BUT there were apparently grenades and guns found in the vehicle. I’m wondering how long it will be before the dancing in the blood begins, along with the calls (again) for a gun ban…

What about a truck ban??? Of course not…

Today is supposed to be the ‘Day of Rage’ marches all over the US. I can’t help but wonder if one of them is going to turn into anarchy when John Q Public has finally had enough, or has a medical emergency and either can’t get an ambulance, or said ambulance or transport is stuck in traffic caused by the protesters…

Or, God forbid, there is another sniper sitting out there deciding to kill Whitey, and just ‘happens’ to be in the vicinity…

If I had the choice, I’d be sitting at home and not pushing my luck today. I ‘hope’ things stay peaceful, but I’m guess maybe 50-50 chance, which truly sucks.

Stay safe folks.

TBT…

Traditions…

This post won’t make a lot of sense to most people, but go with me here…

It’s a ‘tradition’, origin lost in time, that the last flight to the boneyard is always at max power…

This is a P-3 panel (steam gauges) on a bird going to the boneyard at Tucson. 1010 is the max allowable TIT in non-emergency situations, and this crew did it in style. 390 TAS with a 10Kt headwind at FL280, so they took the old girl out in style!

1010 TIT

Photo courtesy of TC Sherman

The birds are old and tired, most are over 50 years old (this one is ONLY 46 years old), as you can tell from the flaking paint, but they all have stories to tell. Thousands of flight hours, hundreds of crewmen, pilots, navigators and maintainers sweated over these birds on the ‘hot’ deployments, and froze their asses off on the ‘cold’ deployments all over the world.

And they pretty much brought us home every time… Thankfully…

 

 

It’s SUMMER in Texas…

The most coveted parking space…

Texas parking space

In the SHADE!!!

I don’t care if it’s a hundred yards to the store… Nope, not a bit… because SHADE! 🙂

I’ll try to get an AAR up for tomorrow on LibertyCon, if anyone is interested. Sleeping in one’s own bed IS more restful than the best hotel bed.

Just sayin…

Peter and DaddyBear have their respective AARs up HERE and HERE.

 

 

ZZzzzzzz…

Gah…

Not only was I late, the post didn’t go either… Sorry bout that!

16 hours, 856 miles, my ass is draggin’ and hopefully I’m still asleep when you read this.

Blogging will Resume tomorrow, after I’m coherent again. Go read the folks on the sidebar.

Heading home…

Tired, but fun was had at LibertyCon.  Some new faces put with commenters, interesting conversations were had, one liners and puns were exchanged on an many things, lessons were learned, and plotting and scheming was done…

It has been a sad weekend, with the losses in Dallas, and the commentary from this administration continues to poison the waters so to speak…

So you get humor…

Retirement Options in the U.S.
You can retire to Phoenix, Arizona where…

1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away from your house because you found shade.
2. You’ve experienced condensation on your hiny from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that “dry heat” is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
OR
You can retire to California where…
1. You make over $450,000 and you still can’t afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.
OR
You can retire to New York City where…
1. You say “the city” and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan ….
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is “nature.”
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You’ve worn out a car horn. (IF you have a car).
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
OR
You can retire to Minnesota where…
1. You only have three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.
2. Halloween costumes have to fit over parkas.
3. You have seventeen recipes for casserole.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road repair.
6. The highest level of criticism is “He is different, She is different or It was different!
OR
You can retire to The Deep South where…
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. “Y’all” is singular and “all y’all” is plural.
3. “He needed killin” is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Joe Bob, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everywhere is either: “in yonder,” “over yonder” or “out yonder”.
OR
You can retire to Colorado where…
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home, so he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
OR
You can retire to Nebraska where…
1. You’ve never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is three cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: “Where’s my coat at.
OR
FINALLY You can retire to Florida where…
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind — even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent cardiologist, dermatologist, proctologist, podiatrist, or orthopedist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.

Aviation Art…

23

On the morning of May 25, 1944, three pilots from the 4th Fighter Group, the “Debden Eagles”, 336th Fighter Squadron, 8th Air Force, were over Germany looking for trouble. Flying near Botenheim, they encountered German planes from III JG1, 9th Staffel.

During the ensuing dogfight, a Messerschmitt Bf109G-6/AS (also known as an Ausburg Eagle) came up behind Captain Joseph H. Bennett’s P-51B Mustang, while staying below the P-51’s propeller gust.
The Bf109’s guns jammed, but the young Luftwaffe pilot, Oberfähnrich Hubert Heckmann, was determined not to let the American flyer get away. Heckmann pulled up to the P-51’s height and rammed his Bf109 fighter right into the tail of Bennett’s aircraft.

The impact sheared off the tail and rear fuselage section and came within a few feet of the rear fuselage tank. With his aircraft’s nose thrust skyward, Bennett bailed out near Botenheim. Going into a loop, the P-51 crashed into a house in the middle of the village. His own plane seriously damaged, Heckmann managed to make a belly crash landing.

Bennett, a former RAF Eagle Squadron pilot, was captured and taken to a jail by German military officials. Heckmann later came to introduce himself and meet the first American flier he had put out of commission as a German pilot. Bennett remain a German prisoner until the end of the war. The 336th Fighter Squadron lost another Mustang in this fight but made claims of shooting down five of the enemy.
After the war, the two airmen became friends and met every year for their reunion.

LibertyCon…

Nothing like starting a con with a morning at the range… And segueing into meetings with old and new friends.

First panel- Sarah Hoyt, John Ringo, Larry Corriea, and Toni Weisskopf. MHI update…

image

And then there is the 100% rule “as modified”…

image

I gave my 5%, did you??? 🙂

Barbie for ‘men’…

And some women I know too…

Top to bottom-

Gen 1- Colt SP1 (Early 70s edition) 1:12 twist, Colt and CVV contract uppers

Gen 2- Colt HBAR (Late 80s edition) 1:9 twist

Gen 3- Wilson Elite, reworked by former Marine armorer (2000 edition) 1:9 twist

AR15 gens

I haven’t done anything to the SP1, I’ve put a Geissele trigger and Norgon ambi mag release in the HBAR, and the Wilson has an ARMS handguard, Magpul stock, TA-31RCO ACOG, Surefire Scout light, Norgon ambi mag release, Ergo pistol grip and an original Grip Pod.

Of the three, the HBAR is the most accurate (20 inch barrel), and being a ‘factory’ match rifle. All three of them will shoot POA without a problem, and are more accurate than I am! 🙂

I can’t find it now, but I saw something to the effect that there were in excess of $60,000 worth of available options for an AR. I know you can get a 50cal muzzle loading upper for it, a shotty upper, and various lasers and other toys…

So yeah, it’s pretty much a Barbie for men, and some women… 🙂

How many ‘accessories’ have you added to yours??? Or how many colors is it? I know there are a few purple ones out there, and at least one or two blue ones, and at least one that is ‘pretty’ with flowers… sigh…