I spent many day pumping jet fuel into this particular airplane, which is now a museum piece. You might notice the Apollo 7 capsule. Ignore that, I didn't get to refuel it.
Posted on 12/23/2006 11:31:23 AM PST by BibleBabe1
I served overseas, but I dunno if that qualifies me for the VFW.
Spent most of my four and a half years (I extended six months) in Germany, plus training time in TX and MS and four months in southern Italy.
Set ya up for that one...
I spent 7 yrs, 10 months, 7 days on active duty. Except for a brief 2 month stay in Rantoul, IL, I spent the entire time in Texas.
It worked out well for my education. I had 90+ hours toward a degree at my DOS. I don't miss the only 2 hours a day of sleep required to do that.
I spent many day pumping jet fuel into this particular airplane, which is now a museum piece. You might notice the Apollo 7 capsule. Ignore that, I didn't get to refuel it.
Cool, a palindrome.
F/A-18 A/C was my baby. More specifically, the GE F404-400 series engines it sported.
I got yelled at by a Blue Angel crew cheif once.
His boys were in for an open house show. Being a good NCO I had to go supervise my troops dontchaknow. Make sure they pump gas correctly.
I leaned against #4 I believe it was.
Favorite part of their airshow was the Big Bertha JATO take off. Un-fricken-real..
Durn B1-rd. Never know when they'll strike.
I like to watch C-130s in any form. That is one I'd like to see.
I like the videos of the AC-130 gunships doing lowlight/night time fire. I'd hate to be on the receiving end for sure... Watching that thing roll down the run way then head dang near straight up spewing flames was amazing. You wouldn't think the airframe would withstand it as well as it does.
Fat Albert going up... on Youtube...
The Thunderbirds have been practicing for the last week...I love air shows when I don't even have to leave home. :o]
I was in Boot camp in Great Mistakes, then A school in California, and C school in Texas. Then off to P-cola for more training. Then finally, after two years of training, I made it to my first duty station in Georgia. Was stationed in Georgia until my EAOS.
I was one of them there "college punks" who got drafted in '67. They must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel if they thought we'd make good soldiers.
Then after I took their tests, they kinda scrtched their collective head and said, "Which school do you want to go to?"
I had to sign up for another year, but the school was almost a year long. Essentially, they were paying me to go to school.
... and learn about computers and rockets.
Used to love St. Patties Day down on the river front.
Talked to the Air Force, they kept pushing games and theory, but said if I had my heart set on mechanic they could fit me in. Either "tomorrow", or "one year from tomorrow". Neither was what I was looking for.
Talked to the Marines... "Boot's a b*tch. Training is hard. No guarantee's. But we can get you there in about six months... sign here..."
The rest is rather pathetic history... ;-)
Good thing too or we'd be traveling to Mars in hot air balloons.
I considered using balloons to stage a high-altitude launch.
One of the problems of going into space is that you have a lot of atmosphere to punch through. If you ride a balloon up very high, and then take off from there, you'll need somewhat less fuel.
That is pretty much what Burt Rutan and Co. did with SS1 riding the White Knight carrier aircraft up to altitude, then rockets up from there.
True, no doubt he got part of the idea from the Pegasus rockets.
http://www.orbital.com/SpaceLaunch/Pegasus/index.html
I thought we used balloons when we went on our "beer run?"
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