Flew today for the first time since last June. Funny how quickly we forget the routine. I got to the terminal around 4am, and grabbed a bagel and coffee at the Dunkin shop. Then I realized I still hadn't gone through security, and there I am with a cup of steaming liquid. Had to dump a perfectly good cup of coffee and buy another on the other side.
Sunrise over the Atlantic, with a crescent moon, Venus, and Saturn (iPhone):
T-Shirt my wife made for me with her Cricut machine. Spent twenty great years smelling the exhaust after I marshaled them out of the slot and they turned down the taxiway. Kinda miss it.
Ray Swindle wrote:
T-Shirt my wife made for me with her Cricut machine. Spent twenty great years smelling the exhaust after I marshaled them out of the slot and they turned down the taxiway. Kinda miss it.
Just like my wife holding her nose to the fresh air smell of cow dung wafting through our country air Ray!
I say Ah, the smell of fresh Country air!" ...
Danpbphoto wrote:
Just like my wife holding her nose to the fresh air smell of cow dung wafting through our country air Ray!
I say Ah, the smell of fresh Country air!" ...
Nice t-shirt Ray! An F4-Phantom
Dan
F-4 for sure Dan. Of the many aircraft types I worked on the Phantom II was my favorite, maybe because a 4 ship F-4 flight flew a low formation (I mean LOW!) flyover when we were marching to get our uniforms the first day of basic training. The sound, the smoke and yes, the smell of that burning JP-4 gave me goose bumps! Those Phantoms just looked menacing to me as a young recruit. It was 10 years after that day when I finally got to work the F-4's and had not one, but two with my name on the canopy sills (at the same time!). I think my boss realized how much I loved them so he assigned me two. Both were always in the top five high flier list every month. 63-7584 is on a pedestal at McChord AFB, WA, but 63-7624 was either scrapped at the bone yard or killed as a drone.
I echo your experience, Ray, when on the beach near PNS NAS, and this would have been back post '68 through '75. Doggone 4's could roil up the sand on the beach from low, I mean LLLOOOWWWW flyover's. That's when my hearing loss began. Gosh, the noise was exhilarating.
Standing commentary amongst some of the USMC jock's was "whose gonna do the night's beer run to CO?" because nobody in PNS was selling the REAL stuff. Incredible guys, they were.
anthonysemone wrote:
I echo your experience, Ray, when on the beach near PNS NAS, and this would have been back post '68 through '75. Doggone 4's could roil up the sand on the beach from low, I mean LLLOOOWWWW flyover's. That's when my hearing loss began. Gosh, the noise was exhilarating.
Standing commentary amongst some of the USMC jock's was "whose gonna do the night's beer run to CO?" because nobody in PNS was selling the REAL stuff. Incredible guys, they were.
About beer:
Back when you couldn't buy Coors Beer in Texas, our pilots would satisfy their cross-country requirements by flying to Colorado to spend the weekend skiing. We were flying the F-101 back then. We didn't use travel pods with the VooDoo as we would tie the pilots gear up in the rotary armament door. We knew the pilots would usually bring back a case or two of Coors Beer, but they would always be secured either in a bag or wrapped with cling wrap and then tied to a launcher cleat.
I was working Alert one weekend and we had to recover a cross country return from Colorado. When we parked the F-101 we would have the pilot shut down #2 engine (the side with the rotary door control) with #1 running power to rotate the rotary weapons bay. This guy did not secure his beer and as soon as the door was opened Coors Beer cans began rolling out. I rotated the door closed and told him to shut down #1 as beer cans were rolling on the ground near the intakes and beer was spewing all over from punctured cans. He lost about 10-12 cans being punctured, but none went into the intake. He was sad he lost the beer and I was mad that a lightened beer can or two could have damaged an engine, plus I was soaked in beer spray.
Happy to report, in spite of the ridiculous winds, our shed project has it's roof decking on, Ridge Vent and all. Shingles tomorrow and in calmer conditions. The electrician is coming out to trench and bury 400' of power line to the shed and we'll be on the home stretch.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
One of my favorite tales re: the Phantom is Pardo's Push. You guys were incredible!
The pilots who lived long and prospered knew their jets and what they could do with them. For them, getting into the fighter was like putting on a nice, broken-in pair of gloves. When I first arrived at Ellington our unit was a training unit for future F-102 and F101 pilots. The really good instructor pilots would walk up to the jet, verify the tail number, then tell the student pilot a couple of characteristics that jet had that were different than the rest. We were blessed with some very good pilots.
Ray, well, while laughing and with pictures of it all in my mind, I spilt a great glass a wine over my lap reading your post. . Thank you so much for helping me to experience them again.
anthonysemone wrote:
Ray, well, while laughing and with pictures of it all in my mind, I spilt a great glass a wine over my lap reading your post. . Thank you so much for helping me to experience them again.
Sorry about the wine...it's so expensive these days!
Ray Swindle wrote:
F-4 for sure Dan. Of the many aircraft types I worked on the Phantom II was my favorite, maybe because a 4 ship F-4 flight flew a low formation (I mean LOW!) flyover when we were marching to get our uniforms the first day of basic training. The sound, the smoke and yes, the smell of that burning JP-4 gave me goose bumps! Those Phantoms just looked menacing to me as a young recruit. It was 10 years after that day when I finally got to work the F-4's and had not one, but two with my name on the canopy sills (at the same time!). I think my boss realized how much I loved them so he assigned me two. Both were always in the top five high flier list every month. 63-7584 is on a pedestal at McChord AFB, WA, but 63-7624 was either scrapped at the bone yard or killed as a drone.
Ray, the F4 was a true blessing for infantry soldiers in Vietnam. "Uncle Ho" and his men hated it and ran when they heard it screaming at canopy level on a run!!!
A childhood friend flew them in Nam and he is the envy of us all!!!
I flew into McChord upon my 2 year return and loved seeing them lined up awaiting the tender hands and skills of their mechanics!
Well done sir!!!
RD
Back when you couldn't buy Coors Beer in Texas, our pilots would satisfy their cross-country requirements by flying to Colorado to spend the weekend skiing. We were flying the F-101 back then. We didn't use travel pods with the VooDoo as we would tie the pilots gear up in the rotary armament door. We knew the pilots would usually bring back a case or two of Coors Beer, but they would always be secured either in a bag or wrapped with cling wrap and then tied to a launcher cleat.
I was working Alert one weekend and we had to recover a cross country return from Colorado. When we parked the F-101 we would have the pilot shut down #2 engine (the side with the rotary door control) with #1 running power to rotate the rotary weapons bay. This guy did not secure his beer and as soon as the door was opened Coors Beer cans began rolling out. I rotated the door closed and told him to shut down #1 as beer cans were rolling on the ground near the intakes and beer was spewing all over from punctured cans. He lost about 10-12 cans being punctured, but none went into the intake. He was sad he lost the beer and I was mad that a lightened beer can or two could have damaged an engine, plus I was soaked in beer spray.
Oh Ray the "war stories"!!! Many to tell, many to laugh at and with and the ways servicemen got what they needed.
Me mates in the Auzzie SAS were my heroes here. Need a Huey call a "Louie"(call sign for Auzzie helo support and an old Auzzie slang term).
Great story brother!
Dan
Douglas L wrote:
Thank you Dan and Anthony! Great shots, Jim, Jay and Ray!
It was just officially announced that the Blue Angels will be joining the thunderbirds at the Dover AFB show in May, so far the only show featuring both this year.
I don't think I've ever seen a show with both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, and Dover AFB is just a three-hour drive for me, so I was getting all excited to join you for it... then I realized I'm going to be in Boston for my nephew's college graduation that weekend.
On the other hand, if you hadn't mentioned it, I might not have noticed that the Bethpage Airshow at Jones Beach State Park (NY) is the weekend after that. I'll see if the kids want to attend that one.
Rodolfo Paiz wrote:
I don't think I've ever seen a show with both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, and Dover AFB is just a three-hour drive for me, so I was getting all excited to join you for it... then I realized I'm going to be in Boston for my nephew's college graduation that weekend.
On the other hand, if you hadn't mentioned it, I might not have noticed that the Bethpage Airshow at Jones Beach State Park (NY) is the weekend after that. I'll see if the kids want to attend that one.
The Jones Beach show has great lineup too, Blue Angels, F-22 demo, the navy F-35C demo. I didn't even know the Navy has an F-35C demo team.
Had to dump a perfectly good cup of coffee and buy another on the other side.
. Took me a while...
...
