SEFEGeorge

Just uploaded 2 new scans to my gallery. Went to the VA today for a check up and in the lobby they have a vet gift shop who's there 1 week a month. Many patches, caps, etc. Got the Armed Infidel and Vietnam Veteran decals for my Jeep. Might end up covering the whole window! But what the hell too damn old to see out of it anyway. :cool:

I always found it interesting that there is a Red Flag-Alaska, especially during the summer months. To me Red Flag will always be at Nellis. Our 2 week TDY there was a great TDY. Jack Frost then Brim Frost should be the Alaska "Red Flag." During the January-March time frame, you get the "war scenario" during some of the coldest, harshest weather. TDY here in '76, out of the 32nd TAS at LRF for Jack Frost, and then flew in 3 Brim Frost with the 17th, '83-'85. After the '85 BF got the FE Iron Man award for flying the most sorties during the exercise. Some awards you just don't want! An award that got me a free beer at the squadron!!! :cool:

The only time I can remember dealing with critters was when we did a resupply mission to Sheyma. Standing around on the parking ramp waiting for an upload and low and behold an arctic fox comes running down the crew door steps. Seems he liked the flight lunches so much he was carrying/dragging one of the sandwiches. Hope he liked it since the Nav couldn't (it WAS his).

Heard stories about guys sticking their heads into the gear wells and coming face to face with some slimy critters. No, not maintenance but real snakes (just teasing guys).

I went through the FE Performance School C-130 certification with Joe Mayo. I had a class picture with all of us "attendees" but can't find the damn thing. I'll just have to keep looking through my stuff to see if I can find it.

Saw some trailers on TV. Long-suffering wife is tired of me commenting on the scenes in many movies and shows. World War Z poster.

For me rotating 5 knots before TO speed is neither here nor there. Five knots at those speeds, meh. By the time the nose wheel gets up you're at TO speed. As for max effort, because of the conditions for a max effort, you'd want all the speed you can get before lifting off. Don't want to be wallowing around anymore than you may already be at ME TO speed. But it's been 27 years since I strapped my ass into a Herc so a lot of brain cells have forfeited their selves for the greater good.

I can see LM's push for the J - less this, more that, yada, yada, yada. But being an old legacy Herc guy, for me, give me a properly maintained legacy Herc anytime. I see it like an old vehicle, sure you'll put some bucks into maintenance and repairs, but you'll forgo the large monthly car payments. How many of us have bought a new vehicle and at the first scratch have a shit-fit over it? How many of us have put a new engine or 2 into our loveable old truck? Changed a transmission or 2? Put 2k into a complete brake system replacement (like I did on my old Passport)? Sure upgrades on the legacy Herc are spendy, and I understand both sides of the argument. But damn..... I'm sure that there will be times, and maybe already have been times, when a pilot thought to himself (herself?), damn wish I had a FE/Nav so I could get their thoughts on something. Guess I'm just old and crotchity but I loved being a FE on Hercs. Being a FE was the 2nd best thing to piloting a Herc. Couldn't enjoy doing the actual yanking and banking, but had the 2nd best seat in the house. As an enlisted guy, getting off the crew bus at 0-dark-30, dropping my bags at the crew door steps, thinking what a life, plus I get $2 a day to do this job and plus this stylish olive-drag flight suit. Then I start my initial pre-flight step, open the battery compartment door looking for the forms and there aren't there. Climb the crew ladder, no forms on nav table. Then start looking for the crew chief so I can ask him where's the frigging forms. Maintenance truck pulls up and he says he's got a red-x that needs to be signed off before he can apply power. Start thinking to myself "fck, just another day in paradise." Maybe LM should have their own version of the cash-for-clunkers program.

A man went into a pharmacy and asked to talk to a male pharmacist. The woman he was talking to said that she was the pharmacist and that she and her sister owned the store, so there were no males employed there. She then asked if there was something she could help the gentleman with. The man said, "This is embarrassing for me, but I have a permanent erection that causes me a lot of problems and severe embarrassment. I was wondering what you could give me for it?" The pharmacist said, "Just a minute, I'll go talk to my sister." When she returned, she said, "The best we can do is 1/3 ownership in the store and $5,000 in cash."

Always went with the same charter for those trips. Family acquaintance of sorts (skipper and wife was friends of now ex-gf). Nice boat. Probably over 29', twin engines, on board latrine. He had to pull boat out of water after every trip out of Deep Creek. Load up the boat with everything while still on the trailer, tractor would push us out, float away, and on our way. Reverse it on the trip in. Made it easier to head to Seward for the derby too. Never could seem to catch anything but chickens like in the picture, 30-40 lbs. Steve would clean them, etc., for us as well. Two halibut limit per person. On another trip a woman who was on a business trip from CA decided to do a halibut trip before she went home. Wouldn't you know it, she's the only one to ever catch a larger one, 100 pounder. On the trip for those silvers we also caught 6 rock fish and one of the guys caught a skate. A few pics from the trips. Boat launch pic was in Seward. Typical engineer, sleeping......

Never did a lot of fishing until about 14 years ago. Then started doing halibut charters out of Deep Creek. GF & I drove down on Friday, spent 2 nights in a cabin at Deep Creek (like a small 10x15 storage shed with 2 sets of bunk beds and a coffee pot - $35 for weekend, porta potty outside, boats parked right there to load our gear on). Then we'd do the silver salmon derby out of Seward. Never did the Russian River though. Too much combat fishing for me.

Naw. Gave up on breakup. Never could get close enough. Even buying 10-20 tickets. Some people are so damn dedicated they must have a computer program to calculate all the previous years weather, etc. I think the closest I ever got was about 12 hours but even that put me down the list a ways considering they want it down to the minute.

Early in my career I heard a story about an airman who had a lot of ribbons on his uniform. Like Purple Heart, etc. Some one started ragging his that he was wearing unauthorized awards and would be facing some legal action. Come to find out the guy was ex-army and later entered the AF. Some mighty red faces around there.

Giz - damn sam. Nice work. I went to the DMV today to get my Disabled Vet plates. Raised a little shit with them. I already have handicap plates on my Jeep. Had them for a few years so I met the requirements for Alaska HDCp plates, signed form from doc. So I researched the Alaska DMV first for requirements: She was telling me that I had to have a 50% rating before I could get them. So I presented her with a printout of the DMV web page and showed her only 50% to get regular DAV plates. To get the HDCP DAV plates you just needed the form signed by the doc and a VA letter stating my VA disability. Since I already had the hdcp plates and signed form. I'd like them. Well after 15 minutes she headed off to her supervisor. 20 minutes later she comes back with we checked the statues, etc., and you'll get the plates since the statutes aren't clear on the subject. So ta-da.....

PA - check, OAT - check, runway length - check, field elevation - check, gross weight - check, RCR - check, yada-yada-yada. Just hope nothing got fat-fingered. Charts and a pencil. check, checked again. Everything's cool.

About frigging time. Got this from the American Legion site.

Out of curiosity I sent an email to Lowe's Customer Service. Here's what I received back. It sounds like if you don't have an ID card you'll need your DD214.

Guess I'm just old school. I'd rather calculate all the TOLD, and when needed W&B, data myself. Pencil and charts. Leaving all the re-checking the data to electronics might be ok, but not initial calcs. I do like electronics and gadgets, but....... I'm just not ready to go all Star Trek, and sure don't have Spock to do all the manual stuff in his head if something does happen to the electronic calculator. Using a hand held calculator was the extent of my using electronics when flying.

Fine, give me an iPad, but you damn well better give me a full set of pubs as well. I'd rather trust my pencil and -1-1 to calculate TOLD data, especially when it's critical, than trust it to a bunch of electrons running around some circuits. Even TOLD data from LRF, EDF, etc., was done using the charts instead of the whiz wheel. Granted the wheel and the iPad are not exactly the same, but are you going to trust your butt to some programmer and hope he doesn't make an error in a line of code? Don't get me wrong, I like my computer. Be hell to pay if I couldn't get on it and get some things done. Even if it's just to read the news. But if I'm going to put my butt on the line with some calculated data I want it to be my calculated data.

Looked through the health benefits pamphlet that I got from the VA a couple months ago. It explained the benefits that I was getting at the time. I was in the Priority 8 category. best I can tell now is that I should move up to the Priority 3 category. But who knows. I'll be calling the VA number in my disability notification and make sure that the VA records are updated.

Just got the direct deposit today so any paperwork should be showing up in a few days. Alaska - mail by pony express, er, sled dog.

When I was flying recips, and since it seemed like we used more oil than gas, I'd usually fill the engine thanks from the aux oil tank and then just fill the aux oil tank when I was refueling x-country. Fuel truck, ADI truck, oil truck, and having to move from side-to-side..... Saved some steps and time, especially for an RON. No flying crew chiefs just the FE. It was a frowned upon practice since the oil in the aux tank was diluted some with fuel. If I remember correctly the aux oil tank on the C-118 was 26 gallons, don't remember what it was on the Convairs.

Just got my first benefit check deposit today. It must include back benefit pay to when I first filed my claim. So a win for the team.

Probably will appeal. They didn't mention anything about Agent Orange. They did mention asbestos since I had mentioned that during the exam. said for me to fill out the provided statement form. Working in those old hangers filled with asbestos, old brakes had asbestos I believe, some heat protection wrappings around C-118 wing heaters, etc.

Finally got my disability claim decision back from the VA today. Broken finger in left hand (still aches) 0%, broken bone right hand (still aches) 0%, COPD 0%, left knee (had a lot of pilot seats) 10%. A few bucks a month is better than nothing.