Nice birdies there Jim and a good variety as well.
.
My sisters husband got a bird feeder for Christmas ( and I just got it setup for him this weekend ) with a built in camera, blue tooth/wi-fi and picture or video goes off when a bird lands to eat and it will tell you what bird it is as well. That all pops up on your phone, tablet or computer. It's pretty neat.
It's kind of like the RF85/1.2 and RF50/1.2, you can get close to the look with less expensive lenses, but they have an unmistakable quality that can't be matched with any other optics. The 400/2.8 is another one in that family.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Sat out in a cold drizzle this afternoon................
Very nice, Jim. Taken with the RF 600, I assume. I've been meaning to ask you, as a man of many lenses (and talents), about your experience with the longer telephotos. I recall your comment about the EF800 and how it was stellar in good conditions, but once you threw in heat haze and other atmospheric effects, not so much. Do you use TCs on your other long glass such as the 600 and have you seen similar effects? I ask as I picked up a near mint EF800 this winter for use on my R5, and am wondering if a 600 f/4 would give better results even when used with a TC.
When I was putting in airstrikes in my L-19D/O-1D birddog RVN tour, it was often I had flights of A-1s from Bien Thuy AFB.
They liked to orbit me as I put the WP rocket to mark the garget, then they liked to make their runs across my nose.
I could follow the ordnance (250 or 500 # frags) to the target.
Each Bird often, but always the American leading the flight, would pull up into Victory Roll coming off target.
One such flight , as we ID'd the target, a hooch, the leader asked me where I wanted it hit.
I just said to take out the hooch. He said, "No, into which window?"
I answered, "The left one".
I saw that 250 frag go right into the window.
There was some real stuff in there as shown by the secondary explosion, which chased him a bit.
As they Orbited, he asked what other targets were needed.
I ID'd a few and they took them out the same way.
A flight of four could carry 8 250's each - so we rearranged the area properly!
Shotgun15 wrote:
When I was putting in airstrikes in my L-19D/O-1D birddog RVN tour, it was often I had flights of A-1s from Bien Thuy AFB.
They liked to orbit me as I put the WP rocket to mark the garget, then they liked to make their runs across my nose.
I could follow the ordnance (250 or 500 # frags) to the target.
Each Bird often, but always the American leading the flight, would pull up into Victory Roll coming off target.
One such flight , as we ID'd the target, a hooch, the leader asked me where I wanted it hit.
I just said to take out the hooch. He said, "No, into which window?"
I answered, "The left one".
I saw that 250 frag go right into the window.
There was some real stuff in there as shown by the secondary explosion, which chased him a bit.
As they Orbited, he asked what other targets were needed.
I ID'd a few and they took them out the same way.
A flight of four could carry 8 250's each - so we rearranged the area properly!
this was supposed to go with the A-1E SPAD photo....Show more →
So...you were the sitting duck identifying targets. Dang, great job!
I worked with a pilot who drove OV-10s in civilian clothes, he was in places he wasn't suppose to be. He was credited with 2 Mig kills. He said he was like a gnat when they were attacking the F-4s. The Migs would get frustrated with his interference and chase him...right into the ground.
Shotgun15 wrote:
When I was putting in airstrikes in my L-19D/O-1D birddog RVN tour, it was often I had flights of A-1s from Bien Thuy AFB.
They liked to orbit me as I put the WP rocket to mark the garget, then they liked to make their runs across my nose.
I could follow the ordnance (250 or 500 # frags) to the target.
Each Bird often, but always the American leading the flight, would pull up into Victory Roll coming off target.
One such flight , as we ID'd the target, a hooch, the leader asked me where I wanted it hit.
I just said to take out the hooch. He said, "No, into which window?"
I answered, "The left one".
I saw that 250 frag go right into the window.
There was some real stuff in there as shown by the secondary explosion, which chased him a bit.
As they Orbited, he asked what other targets were needed.
I ID'd a few and they took them out the same way.
A flight of four could carry 8 250's each - so we rearranged the area properly!
this was supposed to go with the A-1E SPAD photo....Show more →
WELCOME HOME Brother!
Ray Swindle wrote:
So...you were the sitting duck identifying targets. Dang, great job!
I worked with a pilot who drove OV-10s in civilian clothes, he was in places he wasn't suppose to be. He was credited with 2 Mig kills. He said he was like a gnat when they were attacking the F-4s. The Migs would get frustrated with his interference and chase him...right into the ground.
Ray, there were MANY people, units, aircraft, whatever ..that were where they were not supposed to be! It is called "black ops"! It is too bad they just didn't leave us to do our job and win that war!
Ray Swindle wrote:
So...you were the sitting duck identifying targets. Dang, great job!
I worked with a pilot who drove OV-10s in civilian clothes, he was in places he wasn't suppose to be. He was credited with 2 Mig kills. He said he was like a gnat when they were attacking the F-4s. The Migs would get frustrated with his interference and chase him...right into the ground.
My old Neighbor, Joe Stone was one of them, however he wore military clothing.
Not sure if or how many kills he had.
He was the first one to eject out of one ( OV-10 ) and live to tell what went wrong so pilots didn't die ejecting.
Shotgun15 wrote:
Nice Photos Jim.
Loved the one of the little Chipping Sparrow.
Well, OK, all of them.
Thanks Edward! And, thank you for your service!! Chaplain had to be a tough position in Vietnam, bet you could write a book. I was in line to go, but a good grade point and then a high lottery number headed that off.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Thanks Edward! And, thank you for your service!! Chaplain had to be a tough position in Vietnam, bet you could write a book. I was in line to go, but a good grade point and then a high lottery number headed that off.
Well said Jim...Thank you Edward, Eddie, Dan and all the rest of you...Being born ten years after, the only thing that saved my azz but I'd a been there if I could.
This is a rhetorical question, but I'd like to know, from the guys here who actually had a considerable amount of skin in the game, when did we quit fighting wars with the goal of actually winning them, and not sacrificing our financial and human treasure only to pack up and leave with our tail between our legs? Seems like WWII was the last time we went all in, kicked butt and took names. I know it's a complicated subject but how many times can you deploy our heroic men and women only to tie their hands and at the same time ask them to put their lives on the line? It's one thing to be deployed with the orders to go win, quite another to ask for that sacrifice with the knowledge that the people sending you have no intention of actually letting you emerge victorious, all the while sitting behind a desk somewhere safe. Seems to me that we have the finest fighting force on the face of the earth, if we had a reputation of deploying, when necessary, handing our foes a new parking lot, and coming home, we'd have a lot fewer people poking the bear.
When I joined the USAF in 1970, I thought I was being selfish. I wanted to get the GI Bill so I could go to college and I wanted to learn the skills to be competent to work on aircraft. I was actually ambivalent about the war in SEA. At 18 years old, I didn't see how it winning or losing the war would change life in the US. There was too many miles between that part of the world and ours for communism to be a threat. Of course I did not know how prevalent communism had been in the USA since the beginning of the 20th century. I guess I was like 'not our circus, not our clowns'. I feel the same about Ukraine, it's none of our business. I think we have people in high levels of gov't who get us into these conflicts without a concern for how it impacts the average American citizen. I wish we could identify them and send them to war...without the resources to win.
Ray Swindle wrote:
When I joined the USAF in 1970, I thought I was being selfish. I wanted to get the GI Bill so I could go to college and I wanted to learn the skills to be competent to work on aircraft. I was actually ambivalent about the war in SEA. At 18 years old, I didn't see how it winning or losing the war would change life in the US. There was too many miles between that part of the world and ours for communism to be a threat. Of course I did not know how prevalent communism had been in the USA since the beginning of the 20th century. I guess I was like 'not our circus, not our clowns'. I feel the same about Ukraine, it's none of our business. I think we have people in high levels of gov't who get us into these conflicts without a concern for how it impacts the average American citizen. I wish we could identify them and send them to war...without the resources to win.
Sorry, sometimes I ignore the rhetorical comment. ...Show more →
I was a Junior in college when I first received my "Greetings From Uncle Sam" letter. I had, or thought I had, a college deferment. Not so! I was drafted then inducted in April 1967. They allowed me to finish my Fall semester then I was gone!
I ended up enlisting for RASP -SOC( what I was called was a "RA5"-draftees had the 1st digit of their service number as a "5") and then spent 6 years active. I had an Uncle that was retired career military, Army. One of the last of the "mounted horse" cavalry soldiers.
I wont bore anyone with what I thought what went wrong and hampered our winning in Vietnam. "The Domino Theory" was a false narrative here! Americans saw Vietnam as an extension of the Cold War and developed the domino theory. The was the belief that if communists won in S. Vietnam, the communism would spread to other governments in SE Asia. WRONG!
Jim, others, let me say in a few words about Vietnam..It was a "charlie-foxtrot" for the combat soldier. It took me about a year to realize that! I lost many friends in that war!
But my Country called and I could not refuse! However I was mis appropriated to serve.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Thanks Edward! And, thank you for your service!! Chaplain had to be a tough position in Vietnam, bet you could write a book. I was in line to go, but a good grade point and then a high lottery number headed that off.
- - - - -
Truth be told, Jim, I was not a Chaplain until 1977 - did Desert Storm as 410th Evac Hosp Chaplain near Al Qaisuma.
(I can still see some of our berms in the sand just east of the airport . . .
I did times of being nice to the Army and USAF Chaplains when I need rides in their aircraft.
I did ferry some Chaplains in my Birddog tho. Flew a wee bit higher too, at their request . . . :-D
After RVN, I reverted to Signal Corps and then Engineers (short tours wile in Seminary).
I paid my way to RVN with ROTC Flight, Sam Houston State. But did not see the handwriting on the war from Korea.
My younger brother was near the DMZ while I was at SHSTC ('62-'64) - but it seems there in the early '50's was when our govt decided our troops were not to be allowed to win.
Gen Bradley agreed (Wikipedia - his B'Day yesterday) with Truman on the "Containment" - aka - agreement not to win.
and it went downhill from there, IMHO.
There were times in RVN when I was told not to shoot when shot at . . . so I did not tell them.
But I could see the RVN troops I met were not about winning either - just surviving.
One observer I carried said to me, " Trung Uy, to you this is a war. To us it is a way of life."
Yup. SEA had been in war for two ceturies before us. Seems only the names and uniforms changed.
Thank you for the back story Edward, and for your service. Seems like we have a habit of trying to change places that have centuries of brutality ingrained in their culture. American hubris, if we throw enough money and precious lives at something, we can change the unchangeable. 55,000 lives lost and countless thousands more destroyed only to push our stuff into the ocean and hightail it out of there, then repeat the debacle in Afghanistan, but this time we left billions of dollars in weaponry to arm our enemies so they could attack us, and the people who supported us. You would think someone would bring these debacles up when a plan to do it again someplace else starts to brew. Seems to be a defect in thought that is ingrained in both political parties, I must be missing something.
