Well, the ‘short’ blog get together at Phlegmmy’s is now history, but trust me, it was an INTERESTING day… There were goodies galore, and oh yeah, there was food too 🙂
We had Phlegmmy (the hostess with the mostest), JPG and Holly, Matt from Better and Better, Blackfork and friend, Lawdog, Farmgirl (who won for the longest drive), The Keyboard part of the .45, 2Amusing, aepilot-Jim, Peter from Bayou Renaissance Man, Alan from Snarkybites, Rabbit (a frequent commenter), and Ambulance Driver.
And yes, we had Breda’s pig candy…
And it disappeared faster than I could believe.
Oh yeah, the goodies… well, ya know how you ALWAYS forget something… sigh… Well I got the camera, I just forgot the @#$^ cable to connect it to the computer!!!!
ARRGGHHHHH!!!! No ^&*(( way to post them… I’m sure SOMEBODY will post one or two of the goodies shots…
Anyhoo– the goodies consisted of every bodies carry pieces and knives ending up on the kitchen counter, with numerous photos as others arrived, pistols got cussed and discussed, Farmgirl’s valentines present (Walther PPK) was shown around, trigger jobs compared, sight types, and stopping power discussed. If I remember correctly, we had wheel guns from .22 to .44, semi-autos from .380 to .45 and everything in between. I don’t remember seeing two identical pistols 🙂 We also had a couple of rifles around just in case…
We discussed shooting competitions, with Blackfork giving an impromptu lecture on competition rifle shooting, JPG talking about shooting IPSC back in the 80’s at the national level, Peter talking about being in South Africa during the end of Apartheid and MANY various conversations (at one time I think we had at least three simultaneous ones going).
Alan Skiped Breda and Mike at one point, so we got a chance to see/try to talk to them. It was a little noisy, so I don’t know how much they actually were able to hear.
One of the more interesting conversations that took place was why we write blogs… I really wish I had a tape recorder, as the reasons were many and varied. That discussion degenerated into HOW people write, from multiple rewrites to stream of (un)consciousness (me).
Another interesting conversation was over what people thought was a good post and the reaction, and what they did as a throw away post, that people went nuts over. The consensus was that NONE of us are sure why or what really trips people to read/comment on certain posts.
I was also interested to find how many of us have been on TFL and THR through those iterations. We all pretty much agreed Tam is the queen of bloggers, and has really been a leader in the blogging sphere and had been responsible for a number of blogs starting
(blogmama :-)).
To sum it up, I was impressed with everyone I met, both individually and collectively. People ranged from thoughtful to sarcastic to humorous in a heartbeat, very down to earth, knowledgeable in many areas, damn smart about guns, and confident in themselves, what they do for a living and at ease with the world.
Thank you for the invite Phlegmmy and the privilege of attending. I hope that we can do this again in the future!
For those who have ever had the pleasure of flying in, or even watching a Mickey D’s F-4 of any model in action, I give you following…
In their own words…
GOOD-BYE PHANTOM
They’re coming one after the other now. Each day seems to bring another heartache – articles in professional journals, invitations for “the last of” events, calls for yet another “Old Guy Reunion”, order forms for coffee table books. I’m beginning to realize that there’s no putting off the fact that one of the most revolutionary, capable, and elegant airplanes ever to dominate the skies has gone away.
I refer, of course, to the F-4J Phantom II. Over the last several years the grand old boy has taken his leave. With the F-4J goes the notion of variable Intakes, radar intercept officers, and 2.0 indicated Mach number on the airspeed gauge. And with the F-4 also goes a big part of what made my life noteworthy, dare I say, the stuff of novels.
The Phantom had an amazing run: thirty-plus years, the Vietnam war, dozens of brushfires and contingencies. Few airplanes in the history of aviation have adapted as well to the tactical landscape over their years in the inventory. The F-4 was designed by McDonnell Aircraft Company as an interceptor aircraft round the radar missile system, a long-range air superiority fighter that pushed out the boundaries of fleet defense. The early portion of my flying career was about launching on the Alert 5 and escorting Soviet bombers and transports. Those were the days of the 1+45 cycle, the days when the Phantom was the fuel critical jet in the air wing. The thought of dropping bombs was anathema to us then.
But the threat changed as the Viet Nam War dragged on and other mission requirements meant the Steely eyed fighter pilots had to load Mk-82’s on the wings and prove they were capable of beating up the dirt almost as good as any fully trained attack puke. Suddenly the Phantom, with its two-man crew and newly received upgraded radar was the platform of choice for air superiority in high threat areas.
But now the F-4’s time is over. Emotions stir in the face of this reality. Thousands of hours of my adult life were spent strapped into the front seat of the “Big Ugly Fighter.” It was there that challenges were met, friendships were forged, and the nation’s will was carried out. From that lofty perch I looked up at the heavens and down on hostile lands. I didn’t always realize it then – youth, of course, is lost on the young – but each sortie was a gift.
So, too, was the time spent in the company of greats. I think back on chain-laden plane captains who loved the airplanes as much as we did, those like Sam, who kept the aviators going with their enthusiasm in the face of long days that promised nothing but more hard work. I remember the maintenance master chiefs who taught me not just how the Phantom works but how to be an officer and a man. And for their caring they asked for nothing in return. In their countenances I saw my responsibilities.
Anyone familiar with Naval Aviation has a defacto doctorate in pilot personality types. Any RIO with 1,000 hours or more in the airplane possesses a similar degree. And as I flip through the pages of my weathered logbooks and read the names – Smith, Crenshaw, Southgate, Driscoll, Ensch, Roy, Bouck and hundreds more – I think of their skill, skill that boggles the mind even now, and the teamwork between cockpits that made flying the F-4 so rewarding. I know few things as surely as I know that U.S. Navy carrier-based pilots are the best in the world.
And what of the down times between sorties? In my mind’s eye I conjure up a gathering in the eight-man stateroom where problems are broached, dissected, and solved. This is where I learned about trust. This is where I realized I could survive the trial that was life at sea – hell, life period.
Now I close my eyes and hear the clack, clack, clack of the shuttle as it moves aft for the next launch. The exhaust from the powerful and reliable J-79 engines fills my nostrils until we drop the canopies and bring our jet to life. Air roars through the ECS. Systems power up. Soon we’re parked behind the cat, waiting our turn. I roger the weight board – 56,000 pounds, buddy, 56,000 pounds. Grasp that, if you can. The jet blast deflector comes down and we taxi into place, deftly splitting the cat track with the twin nose tires.
And then – even after decades of doing the same thing – the adrenaline starts to flow as we go through the deck dance unique to the Phantom: The nose strut extends, giving the fighter the look of a beast ready to leap into the air by itself; the director moves you into the holdback. Wings spread. Flaps lower. Our hands go up as the ordies arm the missiles, bombs.
There’s the signal from the catapult officer. I put the throttles to military power and wipe out the controls – stick forward, aft, left, and right; rudder left and right.
“You ready, C-ball?” I ask.
I run the fingers of my right hand across the top of the lower ejection handle (for orientation purposes) and hear from the back, “Ready Queenie, I’m right behind you.”
I salute. We both put our heads back slightly. (forget once and you get your bell rung by the head rest). A couple of potatoes later we’re off. Airborne.
And for the next hours we stand ready to bring this machine, this manifestation of American know-how, to bear however it might be required. Or maybe today isn’t our day to save the world, so we accommodate one of the small boy’s requests for a fly-by or break the sound barrier — just because we can (and we’re far enough above our fuel ladder to get away with it).
We’re flying a Phantom. And we’re getting paid to do it.
Alas, I speak of days gone by. What remains of what once gave my working life purpose is now only found in front of main gates, aviation museums, and VFW halls around the country. In the blink of an eye I have become the white haired guy with the ill-fitting ball cap and the weathered flight jacket who bores young ensigns (and anyone else who happens to make eye contact) with his tales of derring-do. “VF, dang it!” I rail. “Those were real fighter squadrons.” And they were. Fighting Falcons, Jolly Rogers, Swordsmen, Pukin‘ Dogs, Tomcatters, Grim Reapers, Diamondbacks – mascots of an adventure. At the center of it all was the airplane itself, and when an airplane has so much heart, personality, and character it ceases to be inanimate to those who climb into it on a regular basis.
So it’s goodbye, dear friend. Forgive my depression. I’ve heard the promises of a brighter future, but my time in the arena was with you. I watch you launch into the sunset and wonder how it all could have passed so quickly. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when we were together, inextricably linked, one defining the other. Ours was a world of unlimited possibilities and missions accomplished. Ours was a world of victory.
So goodbye, Big Fighter, blessed protector of the American way and our hides. We who knew you well will miss your class, your swagger, your raw power. Even in the face of technological advances, you bowed to no other. Thanks for the memories. They are indeed the stuff of novels.
AND the stuff of legend. The last aces in the US Military were made flying Phantoms!
And a personal remembrance from a friend of his last Phantom flight…
“Moe” and I flew the absolute last squadron/station F4 out of Oceana. Both Moe and I were stationed at Pt. Mugu at the time. We were tasked with flying a USMC F4N from El Torro back to Cherry Point.
There was an F4 that had been used by some school at Oceana for a number of years, even after they were totally gone from the tarmac. The Dallas reserves took about a month or so to get it flyable and had one of there crews do the test hop. Moe and I were tasked to drive up to Oceana from Cherry Point and fly that F4 back to Mugu. It was one of the newer F4S models with all of the goodies etc, etc, and Mugu wanted it for flight test. Moe was in Targets Directorate at Mugu, and I was the Ops Boss for flight test.
So, being the Sierra Hotel true Mach 2 fighter crew that we were, we had to depart Oceana in the appropriate manner. Now remember, this was after the edict had been sent down from on high about NO HIGH PERFORMANCE ANYTHING etc, etc.
Yeah, right!!! Moe and I “visited” the tower for a little conversation etc, etc. Once we cranked up and departed the VF101 line, there were a couple of Turkeys in the hold short area and we were given takeoff clearance before them.
Asking for an immediate right turn after take off along with an immediate down wind and a 180 call without gear and flaps (full blowers of course), we were cleared and also cleared for an “unrestricted” climb to 20K after the departure end of the runway.
I think I remember seeing about 550 crossing the approach end at about 100 feet and then when we passed the tower it was max g’s into the vertical with a “couple” of victory rolls thrown in for good measure. Ya should have heard the hooting and hollering from those Turkey drivers, and the rest of the folks on the radio as well!!!
Still brings tears to these “old” RIO eyes!! I hope we did all of “us old” F4 guys proud. Oh yes, no flight violation either since ATC and Oceana Tower cleared us for the right down wind pass and “unrestricted” climb!!!!!
Wish we could do it again! Not sure the gut would take it though! We can still dream can’t we!!!
“Frito”
While these events may be 20+ years in the past, to the men who flew them, it’s as if it was yesterday… On a historical note- The Turkeys referred to in the last letter were F-14A Tomcats, they too are gone from the inventory as of last year.
While the US no longer flys F-4s, they are still in service around the world. In Japan, it is considered a highly prestigious posting to be allowed to fly the Phantom, and it’s about a 3 year waiting list. Once a JMSDF pilot qualifies and does a tour in Phantoms, I have been told regardless of what else they fly the rest of their careers, the Phantom II patch always stays on their flight suits in tribute.
Awright… stop the $%^& world I wanna get off, it’s getting too small…
So I’m sitting in this little bar in Narita City, Japan (little bitty town near Narita Airport), minding my own business, drinking a beer with one of my cohorts before we go grab a bite to eat.
A bunch of pilots from a major airline come in, and set up across the bar along with some of their flight attendants. One older pilot is kinda sitting off by himself, and the rest of the folks are deferring to him. I glance over, he looks kinda familiar. Oh well, probably saw him at the airport, right?
About this time, I see a flare of a lighter, look back over, he’s lighting up a cigar; he looks over at me with a quizzical expression, like he knows me. We nod to each other and go back to what we’re doing.
About five minutes later, I look around again, he’s standing on the other side of the bar, looking at me; I know I know this sumbitch now… About this time, he starts around the bar, I get up, and we meet in the middle- He’s yelling at me, I’m yelling at him, we’re pounding each other on the back, to the amazement of his group and my cohort.
I flew with Pat in 1976-78 in the Navy, doing “fun” things, but haven’t seen him in 20 years!
So we proceed to play catch up for about 20 minutes, and his co-pilot comes over to find out if he’s going to eat. We decide to go along with them, and I gather up my cohort and off we go.
Of course, we are now the center of attention, since Pat is not known as a demonstrative individual; and as I find out, he is also an instructor Captain, and is giving a check ride on the flight out here and back on the 29th.
We start telling stories on each other (trust me, we DO have pictures), much to the amusement of all at the tables, and my cohort is just sitting there shaking his head.
After dinner, we get back to the hotel, my cohort just looks at me and says, “I don’t believe you! We’re in a bar half way round the damn world and YOU run into somebody you know. Is there ANYPLACE we can go that you don’t know somebody?”
Beats the hell outta me 🙂 But tonight made the whole trip worth it! The really funny part is, we pretty much picked up where we were 20 years ago. This time, I will NOT lose touch.
Well, it appears Obama and crowd never learned about plagiarism…
This is absolutely hysterical! Gotta love the liberal re-packaging!
http://msunderestimated.com/2009/01/21/daily-show-what-differences-between-bush-obama-video/
On another note- The new adminstration is going to pay for abortions world wide… Hello Mr. Pope, guess what, we don’t give a crap about the Catholic stance, we’re Muslim…
In the Japan issue of the IHT today was an article about how the Obamalamabots are going to let each state set their own CAFE requirements for vehicles. Since the technology DOESN’T EXIST to actually allow the car companies to meet the proposed California requirements, if I were the head of GM/Ford/Chrysler etc. I’d be going here’s your electric car California (it only goes 40 miles between charges), we will no longer build/sell gasoline or diesel cars in California.
Oh yeah, California also had issues with the previous electric cars and actual places to charge them…
OBTW, the Japanese are worried also, because the requirements for emissions vs. mileage means NONE of the Japanese cars meet it either (including the Prius). Have a nice life California, since you don’t need anymore gasoline, we won’t be refining any out there either…
Looking at CNNj, it looks like the bailout is up over $850 Million. Hmmm, I thought there was only $350M of TARP money left… WTFO??? Also, Citigroup is spending $50M for a new corporate jet after laying people off!
Hey Barney Fwank, hey Chris Dodd- What the hell are you people doing at the banking committee??? Y’all promised oversight! Or… Did you get your cut to keep quiet??? Again???
Well, I talked one other of our party into taking a chance on eating in town last night… and we survived… 🙂
We hiked down to the main (of three) train stations in Shinjuku, did a little looking in the stores at the station and about fell out at the prices. One set of golf clubs was 540,000 yen, so move the decimal two places to the right… er.. um… $5400 for 3-pw!!! A driver for that set was $2450! Of course they were gold plated (no joke)! A couple of people suggested buying a camera since I forgot mine, but with the exchange rate at 89 yen/dollar it’s actually cheaper to buy one in the States!
A couple of interesting notes- In 15 minutes of walking we went from the central business district to the circular at the train station, so from broad avenues, wide sidewalks, underground shops/stores/restaurants to going one block beyond the train station (following our noses, cause “something” smelled good) to single lane streets, alleys (some of which were literally too narrow for us to walk down side by side, and Yakitori and Yakisoba stands built in the alleys with at most 4-5 stools. We were the only non-Japanese back there, but I never saw and resentment to our being there ( I have been other places where it’s NOT so nice).
We walked down one alley following our noses, and found a little yakitori stand that was packed. The mamasans were cooking “chicken” and “beef” skewers on a little hibachi about the size of a laptop, so we stood in the alley and got one of each along with a beer. They tasted as good as they smelled, so we had another of each.
At one point, we looked at each other and both of us said, “Monkey meat”… and started laughing…
Then we went about three stalls over (maybe 10 feet), and got a bowl of noodles from a little old papasan that was about 4’10”, looked about 110 years old, but was spry as hell and pretty feisty! The way I figure it, we might have paid $10 for our meal, and we were both full.
After winding our way back out of the alleys, I noticed a sign adjacent to the cross walk in multiple languages that the circular for the train station was an emergency evacuation area in case of fire/earthquake. We realized all the buildings were concrete and fairly low (max 3 stories). Considering the Japanese fear of fire (many homes are wood/rattan), I’d just never realized how much sense this made.
Other little oddities…
Bicycles on the sidewalk, and you’re supposed to walk on the left; so they come up behind you and ring their bell in warning, right?
What is an Americans natural tendency? Move to the right! WRONG… bout got a set of handlebars up the ass on that one… sigh…
A open sidewalk Fuji photo “store” that was probably 30 feet long on the side of a building, with people moving pictures off disks, printing pictures and email pictures all without an attendant, just insert credit card and away you go!
Karaoke bars- EVERYWHERE around the train station…
And Jumbo pachinko (gambling) parlors (talk about noise)!
Fur trim is in for both men’s and women’s jackets; women wear LOTS of boots, both calf high leather and Uggs; lots of people wearing surgical masks; and damn near everyone regardless of age with MP3/Ipod earbuds in their ears.
Malls over here are multi-story, and some of the biggest are located at the train stations, since that is a guaranteed traffic flow. Shinagawa has one of the largest in Japan. The pic below is from my last trip. It’s a German shop selling high end German knickknacks and cuckoo clocks (up to $5000).
Well, not saying it’s one of THOSE days, but…
Northern Japan was just what I expected, colder’n a well diggers ass, wind blowing with snow flurries and wind chill in the single digits… Just lovely… I knew it was not gonna be good when we got off the airplane and were waiting for the bags and I saw two Mamasans, both looking like the Michelin man.
Transportation was fine (thank you Duty Drivers), until we went to dinner and one of our party decided to be nice and let the Duty Driver go BEFORE we got back to the barracks. After a %^&* mile plus slog back through the cold and wind (did I mention single digit wind chill), I was so cold I managed to drop my room key and kick it UNDER the #$%^ door… sigh…
After finally getting into the room, it was off to a nice hot/cold/hot/cold shower… I think every time anybody in the whole damn building did anything, the water temperature changed.
Up at 0400 again, trust me there was not a damn thing stirring other than the wind. Finally got the rest of the crew up, did another bag drag and another flight back down to Tokyo.
I’m typing standing up since I think I have a permanent crease in my ass from straddling my bag riding the train from Haneda to Shinjuku in Tokyo. Nothing like an hour of being a sardine in a can, and this is on a weekend day no less… Dreading Monday morning when we have to do this in rush hour for 2 hours down to Yokosuka.
Staying at the Hilton Tokyo (NICE hotel by the way), so not much in the way of affordable things to do, but I think I’ll take a walk (hopefully I can’t get charged for looking). Gotta love Japanese efficiency too; as I’m walking up to the room, the maid(s) were finishing the final positioning of the flowers in the room and bowed me in.
p.s. after looking at the hotel restaurant list and prices, I think I’ll be eating out of the machines at the train station!!! 30,000 yen ($300 per course) in the Chinese restaurant and not much better in the Japanese restaurant. Hell for that price, maybe I could sell Toto at the back door of the restaurant… (just kidding)
Well, everybody else is posting about the inauguration, so I’m not going there…
Bet this was an interesting ride. Sent by a friend up in Nova Scotia, it was taken in 2008. And the lunch special was… Chili Cheese Dogs 🙂
Caribou is NOT a little boat…
A roll-on, roll-off design with a bow visor, the MV Caribou has 2 vehicle decks and 5 decks above, the main passenger deck being Deck 5. She measures 179 metres in overall length and 25 metres in breadth, weighing 27,212 tons. Her capacity includes 1,200 passengers and 370 automobiles or 77 tractor trailers. She has up to 106 crewmembers.
I can just see the insurance claims…
Now lemme get this straight, your car was PARKED and it was run over by a PARKED semi? What were you drinking, and can I have some???
RT tagged me with this Freeze Tag meme.
The meme requires the receiver to talk about himself/herself. Oh joy…
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six people with a link.
Six non-important things (and whatnot) about me:
1. Since 1970 I have not lived in the same place for longer than three years.
2. I have what is called Aviators Loop hearing loss, so I can’t hear high pitched female voices (comes in handy some times…)
3. I read between 150 and 200 books a year.
4. I enjoy driving long (1000+ mile) distances; to me it’s relaxing. Of course, I grew up driving across Texas as a kid, so I think nothing of driving 200 miles to have dinner…
5. I like cooking Cajun food.
6. Before I tore up my hands/broke fingers badly playing sports, I was an excellent piano player (I actually played both piano and organ for Church and in a few local concerts).
I’ll tag whomever wants to play…
Well, I’m on the road again… sigh…
The bright spot is that I’m not in DC! It was 11 degrees when I left for the airport yesterday morning, today the high was 22…
On the way over, I had a chance to talk to a senior airline captain and of course we discussed US Air’s forced landing. It was NOT a crash, as he maintained control and was able to land in the river safely. The captain had a good bit of experience flying out of LGA and said a combination of taking off on Runway 4, with a LGA Departure two basically put them in the perfect position to do what they did.
Since I’m in Hawaii for a couple of days, as usual, I was wide awake at 0200 and finally gave up at 0400 and got up. I did a few hours of work and decided to have some fun.
Of course with golf in Hawaii, for better or worse, you get WIND!!! Look at the palm trees in the background of the hole- Roughly 20 mph wind, not fun on a golf course, trust me!
We played a little course called Ko Olina, on the West side of Oahu, this is the 4th hole.
I aimed at the sand trap on the right side of the green, ended up in the trap on the LEFT side of the green… took a four only because I made about a 15 foot putt. sigh…
Well, time to stop playing and do a little more work… Blogging will be spotty for the next couple of weeks.
Be safe out there!
When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen are they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall Street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of “tough decision”, and his board of directors gives him a big bonus. I feel our government should not be immune from similar risks. I therefore am recommending the following cuts to be implemented by the Lightbringer…
1) Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%. Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.
Some yearly monetary savings include:
$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay / member / yr.)
$97,175,000 for elimination of the above people’s staff. (estimate $1.3 M in staff per each member of the House, and $3 M in staff per each member of the Senate every year)
$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (those members who’s jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr)
The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country?
We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.
Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few).
Note: Congress did not hesitate to jump on a train to go home for a week when it was a holiday….when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress.
Summary of opportunity:
$ 44,108,400 reduction of congress members.
$282,100,000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff.
$150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff.
$ 59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members.
$ 37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.
$ 7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.
$ 8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings.
Big business does these types of cuts all the time, isn’t it about time the Government stepped up to the plate????
Just a thought…