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You can't ride in one of those birds without a flight suit - against safety regulations. That wasn't a case of not wanting to let go. And the pilot offered to let him take the controls -- I don't think that was planned. (Compare and contrast Kerry bragging to some poor ferry pilot about his "great ability" flying a Cessna. I was a Cessna jockey for years, and it ain't that hard! The darned things fly themselves.)

And the news media grabbed it because it was a great photo moment - they didn't start bad-mouthing it until after they'd played it for all it was worth.

Besides, he is the CinC.

I've always been curious about this remark of Kerry's:

Referring to Bush's Iraq victory speech, Kerry cracked, "I know something about working with aircraft carriers for real. I think it takes more than having a very skilled Navy pilot land you on an aircraft carrier to make up for two and a half million jobs lost."

How would HE know anything at all about working on aircraft carriers.

You didn't notice a few other things:

One. You CAN'T land on a carrier without the straps and flightsuit and helmet because of the impact G-forces from the tailhook and drag cables!

Two. You can't use the ejection seats and safety gear and survival gear (oxygen and intercom masks, life jackets, and flight boots) without harnessing up in the flight suits and safety straps....

Three. Look at the DISCOMFORT of wearing the tightly strapped parachute harnesses for several hours! (Do YOU want to wear one of THSOE strapped up through YOUR crotch for several hours just to "look cool"?

Even Condi had to wear the same flight gear.

Bush WAS a former USAF fighter pilot with several thousand flight hours in a supersonic, hot-shot, single seat, high-altitude USAF fighter armed with missiles and cannon training for combat interceptions in the stroshpere.

Do you seriously think any pilot of a USN dual engine "cargo" plane flying "flat and straight and slow" is NOT going to let him take the controls??????????????????

You think any USN pilot is NOT going to let a fellow combat-rated pilot of a different service NOT try a carrier landing????????????