herkeng

Bob Cowboy was just here last thursday doing the engine run for us. He should be back again to run her up and then do the FCF. I\'ll tell him you said hi. Herkeng

The NY Times actually published a decent article. Granted it was an Opinion by Max Boot. This is a first for the NYT. They have not done that in years! Herkeng (retired)

I agree with you TalonOneTF. Granted not all TAC/ACC guys are jerks, anymore than all us trash haulers are good guys. We need some people to hop in there and do the right thing. We don\'t need a leader to sell out principle to be part of the \"club\". To quote one of the most outspoken fighter guys of all time, and someone I have respect for as a leader: \"One day you will come to a fork in the road. And you\'re going to have to make a decision about what direction you want to go.If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments,Or you can go that way and you can do something - something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won\'t have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That\'s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?\" Colonel John Boyd. Maybe the new CSAF will make the club rules change to be based on making a difference not compromises! Herkeng (retired)

It is not a Herk but us retirees have to make due with what we can: Just a heads up, I volunteer with the Collings folks out here in Houston, and we are just an engine run away from having our F-4D Phlying again. The bird has been down since 06 when she FOD\'d the #2 engine. The new J79 is in and it looks like we found the last leak (knock on wood) and should be able to get her run up,then up for a FCF. We have her repainted. She is no longer is the paint of Steve Ritchies 463. She now will fly as Robin Old\'s \"Operation Bolo\" aircraft 63-7680. The aircraft will be a tribute to the 8th FW and Robin Olds and also Major Martin who died in 680 when it crashed off the coast of Vietnam. For the diehards out there, if we could get a herk, and be able to pay for the fuel & parts we would do so. Just can\'t do it with the bombers and other aircraft we have to work on.$$$$$$ Herkeng (retired)

Spot on EClark.

What a deal. We finally get a 130 guy as CSAF. I really hope General Schwartz and General Fraser can fix the F-Ups the fighter boys have left in their wake. I think nothing but good things can come from their appointments. Time for a rant (just my 2 cents) Priority 1 is to bring back the \"SAC\" way of dealing with the nuclear weapons programs. \"To err is human, to forgive is not SAC policy\" comes to mind. Schwartz and Fraser were selected by Gates to remedy the erosion in how our folks handle and manage the program. This is why Mosley and Wynn got the axe and why McNabb did not move into the top spot. No notice CEVG inspections, and a zero tolerance for failings. Over the years I have watched the TAC/ACC world systematically destroy what took smarter people to build.I\'ve watched the uniform fiascos unfold. What the heck was wrong with the uniform from the 60\'s, 70\'s and 80\'s other than the wool blend? Did we need to look like Delta pilots, did we need the aircrew name tags on BDUS? Did we need silver name tags? Did we need each CSAF to become a fashion designer? What the heck happened to being smart stewards of the tax payers money? Give the uniform thing a rest. The next thing was renaming all the commands? Gee, lets do this while we are having a huge draw down and closing tons of bases. Nothing like telling SSgt Snuffy, \"Sorry bud we can\'t afford you anymore but hey, check out the money we are going to spend to put our new shields on everything from Front gates, letter heads, patches etc. Then we have the TAC/ACC fighter folks decide that regulations were not good enough for today\'s force, lets spend lots of money and change them to instructions. Give me a break, instructions are what you read when you are putting a bike together for your kid on Christmas eve, they are not for a military organization. We can cover the acquisition process, nah better not even open that messed up bag or worms. That is going to need a lot of attention and I hope the new Boss can kick some A$$ in fixing how we got to the point we can\'t even get what the troops need. Right now we have to eliminate more manpower so we can get more fighters. That means a shop where the UMD used to say required 6 troops to do the job is running on 4. Of those 4, 2 are deployed and manpower says we need to cut 2 more. Hello, earth to fighter guy, now wonder the troops are bailing out. How about less new toys and keeping our manning levels to a point where the guys and gals can do their jobs? How about this, AFSOC will no longer be a red headed step child of the USAF and a command slot for a fighter guy. Let the snake eaters run their own show and let them be on equal footing with the rest of the force. Last but not least, since the TAC/AAC boys killed off SAC, maybe Schwartz will at least let the SAC emblem remain SAC\'s. This new clownish idea of giving Cyber Command the SAC emblem is an insult to all of those that were in that command. I thing a \"Blue screen\" on a computer monitor is more fitting for the new command. Rant Complete HERKENG (retired)

To post on topic, the paint jobs on the birds look very similar to the Southern Air paint jobs of a few years back. Bob I sent you a palet full of pictures when I was still at the Bureau, as stated in the email I did not track who took \'em. Those photos mostly came from combat camera and some from the net. All photos were of Guard aircraft and I would not post them with out the disclaimer you and Casey talked about earlier. Chip

My 2 cents Boeing screwed themselves with the Darlene Drunion deal. A combo USAF/A5 and Boeing fiasco which did themselves in on this deal. Same players on CSAR-X as well. What can we expect next, well first, the GAO will have to do a investigation. Boeing will not take this lying down. We will end up waiting another few years (like CSAR-X) before the dust settles. In the mean time, the 135 fleet continues to age and our war fighters will have less capability. Question: Why we could not go get more Low time DC-10\'s from Mojave and make \'em KC-10s? Ohh thats right, it would make to much sense and save to much freaking money. Whats next? Lockheed moves production of the J models to China or India. Yeesh. Herkeng

Two C-130 Loadmasters, stationed in Arkansas, have some leave and decide to go out hunting. Being stationed close to the woods, they go walking along they come upon a huge hole in the ground. They approach it and are amazed by the size of it. The first Loadmaster (originally from New york) says \'Yo, that\'s some hole, I can\'t even see the freakin\' bottom, I wonder how freakin\' deep it is?\' The second Load\' says\' I don\'t know, let\'s throw something down and listen and see how long it takes to hit bottom.\' The first Load\' says \' Yo there\'s this old transmission here, give me a freakin\' hand and we\'ll throw it in and see\'. So they pick it up and carry it over, and count one, and two and three, and throw it in the hole. They are standing there listening and looking over the edge and they hear a rustling in the brush behind them. As they turn around they see a goat come crashing through the brush, run up to the hole with no hesitation, and jump in headfirst. While they are standing there looking at each other, looking in the hole, and trying to figure out what that was all about, an old farmer walks up. \'Say there\', says the farmer, \'you fellers didn\'t happen to see my goat around here anywhere, did you?\' The first Loadmaster says \' Funny use should ask, but we\'s was just standing here a minute ago and a freakin\' goat came running out of the bushes doin\' about a hunerd miles an hour and badda bing he jumps headfirst into this hole!\' And the old farmer said \' Why that\'s impossible, I had him chained to a transmission! \'

Aaron Thanks, I just talked to Bruce and he said I needed to reread the report. Since retirement I have had a tendancy to dump all the junk info I had stored between the headset. Over all a good retirement plan except for when I ask a stupid question on this board.:laugh: Here is what I found in the report, it says what Aaron stated: COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS The Commission found that the Secretary of Defense deviated substantially from final selection criteria 1, 2, 4 and 6, as well as from the Force Structure Plan. Therefore, the Commission recommends the following: Realign Mansfield-Lahm Municipal Airport Air Guard Station (AGS), OH. Distribute the 179th Airlift Wing’s C-130H aircraft to meet the Primary Aircraft Authorizations (PAA) requirements established by the Base Closure and Realignment recommendations of the Secretary of Defense, as amended by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Establish 8 C-130H PAA at the 908th Airlift Wing (AFR), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Establish a contiguous enclave for the 179th Airlift Wing (ANG) sufficient to support operations of that unit, including flight operations, and compatible with joint use of the Mansfield-Lahm Municipal Airport as a civilian airport. If the State of Ohio decides to change the organization, composition and location of the 179th Airlift Wing (ANG) to integrate the unit into the Future Total Force, all personnel allotted to the 179th Airlift Wing (ANG), including the unit’s Expeditionary Combat Support (ECS) elements, will remain in place and assume a mission relevant to the security interests of the State of Ohio and consistent with the integration of the unit into the Future Total Force, including but not limited to air mobility, C4ISR, Information Operations, engineering, flight training or unmanned aerial vehicles. Where appropriate, unit personnel will be retrained in skills relevant to the emerging mission. This recommendation does not effect a change to the authorized end-strength of the Ohio Air National Guard. The distribution of aircraft currently assigned to the 179th Airlift Wing (ANG) is based upon a resource-constrained determination by the Department of Defense that the aircraft concerned will better support national security requirements in other locations and is not conditioned upon the agreement of the state. The Commission found that this change and the recommendation as amended are consistent with the final selection criteria and the Force Structure Plan.

I just got done with the new AF times and they had an article stating where the USAF beddown of future airframes would be. I see Mansfield on the list as a JCA base. What happened to the BRAC on Mansfield. BRAC stated Mansfield would close, no future mission, no aircraft change, no guard base. Now they show up as a JCA unit? What gives? I am not bagging on the folks there, I have enjoyed working with them over the years and thought it was another huge mistake by the BRAC to shut \'em down. What happend to make the change and how did Ohio do it? Herkeng Retired in Texas

Good one

Well, that answers what will happen to the sims. I just don\'t see how the Rock can absorb all of this and meet the requirements of users without more sims and cadre. You got Pope,Mcchord & MSP to help with continuation but where the heck is Nashville gonna dig up a sim? If Dobbins keeps their 3 and Pope,Mcchord and MSP keep theirs....:S

Folks, I have a question. With the changes going on in the training arena IE- Nashville goes into the forign training business, Dobbins gets out of the training business and Little Rock expands some more, do you think the AF brass took a full look at what this will do to the training thru put of crews? Hear me out before you get stuck on the first paragraph. How long will it take to get the simulators from Dobbins moved to the Rock? How will Nashville do their new mission without a Sim? How long will it take to get contracting to build a simulator facility at Nashville and expand the the facilities at the Rock? What down time in the training community will the 130 community be looking at during this transition? By down time, I mean how much of the requirements in the PFT will met as the AF shuffles this stuff. As soon as Dobbins steps down, the Guard, Reserve and Active H-Model units will be hosed on the slots the need to train their newbee\'s. Little Rock is limited to a set number of slots per crew position, if the Rock absorbs the Dobbins quotas, will there not be a need for Lockheed, CAE and AMC to rehash the contracts,(that will NOT be a quick process, unless Uncle is willing to pony up lots of $$$)and expand the facilities to absorb the gained training. Cost will be a driving factor in this deal. You can leave the simulators at Dobbins and use them for continuation training but that leave you with a shortfall of sim slots at the Rock. That shortfall is driven by the requirements by the users, AF, AFRC, ANG, Coasties, Marines and the Forign militaries. Granted the forigners will go to Nashville, but as stated earlier, Nashville will need to build a facility to house a level 3 sim. There are many different dominoes in this deal and they will all need to fall perfectly for the customers, you guys, not to get shortchanged. Personally, I see another train wreck in the training world coming at you guys. You\'ll be waiting along time for slots and will be hitting the MAJCOMS for secondary methods, that is if you even have the flying hours to support it. I wish Tom and the guys at AMC good luck on this. They are good people up there and will put the fields interests first but, they are limited by budget, time & Air Staff like everyone else. Herkeng (RETIRED)

Well, it has come to pass:( . I remember flying with the Okies in Germany, Als Garage and in Panama. I always had alot of fun with them. From smashing up go carts at sembach, playing golf at horoko and trying to find some shade in the sand box. These folks were great. They got alot of grief about their planes but they allways seemed to get the job done. Never ever say anything bad about a OKC bird in front of Margo! Got to be picked up by their unit on many deployments when I was a \"Bum\" for Dallas and the treated me as one of their own. They were a class act. I am truely sad to see them leaving the Herk business. I was at the bureau trying to get the folks set up in their new training on the 135 prior to my retirement. I would get the requests from the BETMS and start plugging them into a timeline for their conversion. It was a bummer to see familiar names going away, off into tankerland. No offence to my Boomer friends. God luck to all my 137th buds You\'ll kick ass in the 135 Herkeng

Casey I like it. Good job on the new format. Herkeng