Lucky Puppy Aviation

They Think You may have Hit Somebody

2011-04-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

JFK Tower: "Air France, they think you may have hit somebody, so hold there and we'll get back to you. Stand by."

You think? Watch this video.

The Air France Airbus 380 (Flight AF007) hits the tail of a Comair Bombardier CJR-700 (Flight 6293).

Watching the video I thought of two things.

"Please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain has taxied to the gate." Sound advice.

Also thought.

"Please return the stewardess to her original upright position."

With 61 passengers and crew aboard the Bombardier and 580 aboard the Airbus it was a Good Thing that no one was injured. As the investigation continues, fingers are being pointed. It's the pilot-in-command's responsibility to "see and avoid" all traffic. Watch the video again and watch for something. As the Bombardier taxis to it's spot, some dumbass in a pick up truck darts across its path. You never cross the path of a moving aircraft!

The Bombardier had to stop. The Airbus couldn't even see it happen as it had already passed out the the cockpit's view. Many will blame the mishap on the size of the Airbus. I disagree. NSTB investigators need to find out who was the asshat driving the truck.

FA-18 Explodes on U.S.S. Stennis

2011-03-31T00:39:00.001-07:00

A mishap occurred during flight operations aboard the U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CVN-74). The nuclear powered aircraft was on a training cruise on the Southern Californian coast. Early reports say that an engine installed on an FA-18 fighter jet exploded injuring 10 sailors on the flight deck.
Although 4 were airlifted to hospital in San Diego, the Navy stated that none of the injures are serious or life threatening.

An investigation is being conducted to discover the cause of the engine explosion which caused an estimated one million dollars of damage.

Tower Asleep at the Switch

2011-03-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

When American Airlines Flight 1900 could not raise the tower at Reagan International Airport, the controller at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach tries to help.

Here are some highlights....

Potomac: “Just so you’re aware, the tower is apparently not manned. We’ve made a few phone calls. No one’s answered. … So you can expect to go in as an uncontrolled airport.”
American 1900: “Is there a reason it’s not manned?”
Potomac: “I’m going to take a guess and say that the controller got locked out. I’ve heard of this happening before.”

Two airliners had to conduct unassisted landings because the only person pulling the over night shift in the tower has fallen asleep. Authorities have suspended the controller (a supervisor) while the incident is investigated.

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt said.

"As a former airline pilot, I am personally outraged that this controller did not meet his responsibility to help land these two airplanes,. I am determined to get to the bottom of this situation for the safety of the traveling public."

On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood directed FAA to launch a nationwide study of airport tower staffing. He also directed that at least two controllers be on duty at night at Reagan, which is located just across the Potomac River from Washington in Northern Virginia.

"It is not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical air space," LaHood said.

The head of the union that represents air traffic controllers praised LaHood's actions, saying changes in staffing are needed.

Southwest Airlines Training Video

2011-03-14T01:33:00.000-07:00

Southwest Airlines Safety Inspection Training... by NationalLampoon

Pilot in Hot Water for Blowing Whistle on TSA

2011-01-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

Although it was cool with his airline, it wasn't with the TSA. A pilot who videoed security gaps at San Francisco airport has had his Federal Deputy status revoked and his federally provided side arm confiscated by the six agents that came to his house when he posted his video to YouTube.

This comes as no surprise to me. When I worked as a baggage handler we had to removed our SECURITY BADGE before going through the metal detectors on our way back from lunch. If we were in a hurry, we could duck into one office, go through the office and out by another door that was on the other side of the screening. Sometimes if the screener was rude we'd wave from inside the security zone.

While waiting to park a jet we were relaxing under the jetway (that ramp thingy that you walk through to board) when two guys in suits walked out of a crew door looked around and when back into the crew offices. After playing a short round of hide and seek in the hallways we confronted them and asked to see their security badges.

"We don't have badges son," the older of the two said as he opened his sports coat, "we have one of these."

My eyes focused on the big black Glock he had in a shoulder holster.

"Not the gun, son. Look at the badge."

They were Secret Service and had been inspecting security of the terminal. The Vice-President's wife was coming to our fair city in the near future. They had roamed around for about a half an hour before we jacked them for badges. We were the only ones to challenge them. We were given $100 ($50 for each agent) by the company for our alert action.

Airline Commercials

2010-12-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple that you might have missed.

Missing Raptor Found

2010-11-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

An Elemendorf AFB, Alaska F-22A Raptor disappeared during routine training mission at 1940 Hours, 16 November 2010. After two days of searching, the crash site has been located 100 miles north of Elemendorf AFB, Alaska.

A recovery crew has been dispatched to the site. The pilot is feared dead. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

A380 Engine Explodes in Flight

2010-11-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Fifteen minutes into a Quantas airline flight Qf34 from Singapore to Sidney, the number two engine exploded. Trailing flame and debris, the aircraft landed safely back in Singapore. Though shaken, none of the 459 passengers were harmed in the mishap. Quantas continues to have an unblemished record of having never injured a passenger.

The investigation continues as Quantas announced that the cause of the explosion was yet to be determined. This is the third engine malfunction for the A380. In September last year another Rolls Royce powered A380, this time operated by Singapore Airlines, was forced to turn back two hours and 45 minutes after leaving Paris on a flight to the Far East, because of an engine malfunction. In August a Lufthansa A380 flying from Tokyo to Frankfurt was forced to shut down one of its four Trent 900 engines shortly before landing, after crew detected a change in oil pressure.

Su-33 Bolter

2010-10-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a Bolter, Russian style. I guess you can say that thrust vectoring comes in handy when trying to come on board. Check out how close the tail gets to the deck.

U2 Incentive Flight

2010-09-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Incentive flights are rides.

They are rewards for a job well done. In 1979 I was named Wing Crew Chief of the Month and got to fly in a F-4 Phantom II. Ten years later, I got a Ride in a F-16. You can do your whole career and not get a single ride. Celebrities get rides all the time. This next one blows my mind. James May , host of the automotive TV show "Top Gear" gets a ride in the U-2. Wow!

Kulula Airlines

2010-08-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

Kulula Air is a South African airline with a sense of humor. They painted up 'ol 101 to demystify air travel for folks who have never flown before.See more pictures here.

Malware Downs Spanair Flight 5022

2010-08-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) announced in it's findings of the crash of Spanair flight 5022 that a computer virus is the root cause. The MD-82 crashed shortly after take off from Madrid Spain. Initial investigations blamed pilot error when the flaps and slats needed for take off were found in the retracted position. A maintenance computer should have alerted the ground crew to a problem with the flap system but was prevented from sounding an alarm by the computer virus.

The infected computer, located at the airlines office in Palma de Mallorca, is supposed to emit an alarm signal when three similar technical problems are found in the same device. Though three problems were detected – two Aug. 19, the day before the crash, and a third Aug. 20 – the incidents were not registered in the computer due to the Trojan.

Ground crews attempted to recall the aircraft, but the aircraft was not returned to the gate. Officials will not release the name of the Trojan nor the specific effects it had on the aircraft.

The crash occurred on 20 August, 2008 killing 154 people. There are 18 survivors.

NASA Throws a Yard Sale

2010-08-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

NASA announced today that since they don't need them anymore, they are GIVING AWAY their space shuttles. All you have to do is pony up for the shipping and handling. That might be around 30 million bucks. Oh...you have to be a museum to qualify and the Smithsonian already has dibbs on Discovery.

The last big aviation give away was when the Concorde retired. That was easy. There are 13 Concordes left...only three shuttles are on the block. The Government is involved with the shuttles.

Shuttle expert and author Dennis Jenkins was quoted to say:

"The current competition is going to be stupider than Concorde was because the government is involved. Congress will immediately go into an uproar and un-decide for them."

As Shuttle retires there are no plans to replace it. Once again that leaves good ol' Soyuz, the only taxi you can take to get to the International Space Station. U.S. plans to go to Mars and return to the Moon have been scrapped. So if you have kids, you might want to break it to them that they don't have a hoop in Hell of becoming an Astronaut. Maybe their kids will. In the meantime they can play "Community Organizer and Health Care Coordinator".

Appreciate Your Flight Attendant

2010-08-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Safety Rap

2010-08-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Southern Hospitality

2010-08-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

You gotta love this one even if you've never lived in the South.
Some of you will enjoy this more than others.... Southerners can be so
Polite!

Atlanta Tower: "Saudi Air 511 -- You are cleared to land on
Runway 9R."
Saudi Air: "Thank you Atlanta . Acknowledge cleared to land on
Infidel's' runway 9R - Allah be Praised."
Atlanta Tower: " Iran Air 711 - You are cleared to land on runway 27L."
Iran Air: "Thank you Atlanta . We are cleared to land on infidel's
Runway 27L. -Allah is Great."

Pause....
Saudi Air: "ATLANTA TOWER - ATLANTA TOWER !"
Atlanta Tower: "Go ahead Saudi Air 511.."
Saudi Air: "YOU HAVE CLEARED BOTH OUR AIRCRAFTS FOR
THE SAME RUNWAY GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. WE
ARE ON A COLLISION COURSE . . . . . INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE!"

Atlanta Tower: "Well bless your hearts. And praise Jesus.
Y'all go on ahead now and tell Allah "hey" for us

Did You See That?

2010-08-11T22:49:00.001-07:00

Prepare to be shocked and awed.....

What A Trick - More amazing video clips are a click away

Flight Recorder Survives Guatemalan Crash

2010-08-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Guatemalan Flight's Data-Recording Parrot Holds Clues To Crash

The Horten 229

2010-05-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Smithsonian Museum is restoring a Horten 229.The Horten 229 was a single seat jet fighter designed by the Horten brothers, Walter and Reimar, for the German Luftwaffe in World War Two. Three prototypes were built. The Ho IX V1 was an non-powered glider. The Ho IX V2 was a jet powered version and first flown on 2 February, 1945.

Ho IX V3 was to be the production version and was captured by American forces. Designated the H0-229 it is the only remaining airframe in existence. It is this aircraft that the Smithsonian is restoring.

When completed, the Ho-229 will look something like this:

The aircraft pictured above is a REPLICA of a Ho-229, built by the Northrop Corporation.

More info and pictures here.

Crash and Burn

2010-05-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

The History of Crew Chiefs

2010-05-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

A Crew Chief is responsible for the day to day condition of the aircraft assigned to them. The best crew chiefs are assigned to fighter squadrons. Real crew chiefs have nothing what so ever to do with NASCAR. Why would they? Crew chiefs that fuck up really bad or show no talent work on helicopters or (GOD FORBID!) cargo aircraft.

Crew chiefs own their jet and if a pilot is really polite and not running late, the Crew Chief will allow the pilot to fly "his" aircraft. Pilots spend most of their time drinking and fucking off doing whatever pilots do between their occasional visits to the jet. Crew Chiefs live with their jet. They stay with their jet in blazing hot days, rain, snow, through the night, during air raids and mortar attacks. Crew chiefs make Postal Workers look like pussies.

Read on Sports Fans.

Shuttle Fini Flights

2010-05-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

The Shuttle Atlantis blasted off for the last time yesterday for a planned 12 day mission (STS-132).
There are two remaining flights in the program. Discovery (STS133) will fly on or about 16 September, 2010. Endeavor (STS134) will be the last Shuttle in orbit in mid November, 2010.

I got to see Enterprise at an Edwards AFB air show back in 1977. During the entire course of the program I am sad to report that I never got the chance to see a Shuttle launch nor landing. Damn.Enterprise Roll Out, Edwards AFB, 1977.

UFO Alert

2010-05-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

Before you start calling MUFON, you might want to know about the Bullet 580. The 235 foot airship is scheduled to make it's first flight later this month.

E-Green acquired airship builder 21st Century Airships, which holds patents for Bullet 580 technologies and designs, including a system of bags that hold helium for lighter-than-air lift and an inner hull that is filled with ambient air.

The eight million dollar Bullet 580 is designed to lift payloads weighing up to 15000 pounds. With a top speed of 80 mph, it will also be able to reach 20,000 feet for surveillance operations.

The first flight will be from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Supersonic Sky Dive Planned

2010-01-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

Extreme sky diver Felix Baumgartner has announced his intention to jump through the sound barrier. Plans call for him to jump from a balloon at an altitude of 39 kilometers. This will break the altitude record set by US Air Force colonel Joe Kittinger in 1960.

Baumgartner is best known for being the first person to fly across the English Channel with a carbon wing in 2003.

Follow the progress of the Red Bull Stratos Project here.

I'm Back

2010-01-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my job is too cool for school.

Parachute.exe

2009-07-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Runway

2009-07-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

More here.

What It Takes to be an Airline Pilot

2009-07-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Max Launch Abort System

2009-07-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

NASA's Max Launch Abort System Test from PopSci.com on Vimeo.

This is a test of a proposed escape system for the Orion Spaceship. Oriion will be the next manned system to replace the Shuttle if it survives budget cuts. The Orion design currently has an escape rocket similar to the Apollo system. MLAS is an alternative answer. Testing of MLAS will continue because it's a separate budget item for NASA. Whether or not Orion goes forward, MLAS will probably be seen on future spacecraft.

Apollo 11

2009-07-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Where were you on 20 July, 1969? I was fishing at Pinto Lake, California with The Boy Scouts. We listened to the landing on the radio. When it was announced that the crew would skip their crew rest and go directly yo the EVA (the moon walk) we beached the boats and haul assed home to be there to see it on TV.

In Honor of the 40th anniversary of the flight of Apollo 11, the First Moon Landing, we humbling offer the following:

The only watch worn on the Moon as an Omega.

The Apollo 12 Lunar EVA checklists featured pictures from Playboy magazineSee check list here.

The lives of Armstrong and Aldrin were saved when Aldrin used his pen to reset the Ascent Engine circuit breaker. It was a Fisher Model AG7E.

Fisher Pens spent $2 million to develop a pen that would work in zero gravity. The Soviets used a pencil.See proof here.

Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, the person who trained the Apollo astronauts in Lunar geology has his remains interned on the moon.

The only person to have golfed on the Moon was Commander Allen Sheppard. He sliced a six iron.

Eugene Cernan was the last person to leave the Moon's surface.

"Tell Cernan, BEEP-BEEP my ass!"
Al Shepard's (Apollo 14)response whenever one of the crew patches for the back-up crew would float out of a locker. Cernan, Evans and Engle had taken care to stash away patches in every single locker and compartment in the spacecraft.

Sheppard was the oldest Astronaut when he commanded Apollo 14.

Colonel Bud Day

2009-07-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

The prelude to the "response" below, from Colonel Bud Day, Medal of Honor recipient - prisoner of war survivor - reads "I didn't expect to be reminded of my treatment some 36 years ago on this holiday weekend but our politicians find it worthy to ignore what some have tried to recount to them, who have actually been there."

I got shot down over N Vietnam in 1967...a sq commander.

After I returned in 1973... I published 2 books that dealt a lot with "real torture" in Hanoi . Our make believe president is branding our country as a bunch of torturers when he has no idea what torture is.

As for me. Put thru a mock execution because I would not respond...pistol whipped on the head...same event... Couple of days later...hung by my feet all day. I escaped and got recaptured a couple of weeks later... I got shot and recaptured. Shot was OK...what happened after was not.

They marched me to Vinh... put me in the rope trick, trick. Almost pulled my arms out of the sockets. Beat me on the head with a little wooden rod until my eyes were swelled shut, and my unshot, unbroken hand a pulp.

Next day hung me by the arms...rebroke my right wrist...wiped out the nerves in my arms that control the hands. Rolled my fingers up into a ball. Only left the slightest movement of my L forefinger. So I started answering with some incredible lies.

Sent me to Hanoi strapped to a barrel of gas in the back of a truck.

Hanoi ...on my knees. Rope trick again. Beaten by a big fool.

Into leg irons on a bed in Heartbreak Hotel.

Much kneeling--hands up at Zoo

Really bad beating for refusing to condemn Lyndon Johnson.

Several more kneeling events. I could see my knee bone thru kneeling holes.

There was an escape from the annex to the Zoo I was the Senior Officer of a large building because of escape. They started a mass torture of all commanders.

I think it was July 7, 1969...they started beating me with a car fan belt. In first 2 days I took over 300 strokes. Then stopped counting because I never thought I would live thru it.

They continued day-nite torture to get me to confess to a non-existent part in the escape. This went on for at least 3 days On my knees. Fan belting... cut open my scrotum with fan belt stroke. Opened up both knee holes again. My fanny looked like hamburger. I could not lie on my back.

They tortured me into admitting that I was in on the escape and that my 2 room-mates knew about it.

The next day I denied the lie.

They commenced torturing me again with 3- 6- or 9 strokes of the fan belt every day from about July 11 or 12rh...to 14 October 1969. I continued to refuse to lie about my roommates again.

Now, the point of this is that our make-believe president has declared to the world that we ( U.S. ) are a bunch of torturers... Thus it will be OK to torture us next time when they catch us....because that is what the U.S. does.

Our make-believe president is a know nothing fool who thinks that pouring a little water on some one's face, or hanging a pair of womens pants over an Arabs head is TORTURE. He is a meathead.

I just talked to MOH holder Leo Thorsness who was also in my sq in jail.... as was John McCain ... and we agree that McCain does not speak for the POW group when he claims that Al Gharib was torture... or that "water boarding" is torture..

Our president and those fools around him who keep bad mouthing our great country are a disgrace to the United States . Please pass this info on to Sean Hannity. He is free to use it to point out the stupidity of the claims that water boarding ...which has no after effect... is torture. If it got the Arab to cough up the story about how he planned the attack on the twin towers in NYC ... hurrah for the guy who poured the water.

BUD DAY, MOH

George Everett "Bud" Day (born February 24, 1925) is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot who served during the Vietnam War. He is often cited as being the most decorated U.S. service member since General Douglas MacArthur, having received some seventy decorations, a majority for actions in combat.. Day is a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Air France HOAX!

2009-07-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Emails are circulating with pictures supposedly taken during the crash of Air France flight 447. They are a complete hoax. They are stills from the pilot of the television series "Lost". See the proof here.

The investigation of the loss of Flight 447 continues but hopes in finding the cockpit and flight recorders are dwindling.
The search will continue until July 10th, using submersible ROV's.

Teenager Survives Yemini Crash

2009-07-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Fourteen year old Bahia Bakari was the sole survivor of a Yemini Airbus 310-300 crash which killed 152 passengers and crew. The Airbus was on approach to Moroni when it crashed into the Indian Ocean. The child is a non-swimmer and spent 13 hours clinging to debris. Her injuries consisted of ONLY a mild hypothermia and a broken collar bone. She was rescued by a passing boat.

No reason was given for the cause of the crash.

Marine Fighter Pilot Dies at 86

2009-06-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Colonel Ed McMahon (USMC, retired) died today.

McMahon passed away peacefully shortly after midnight at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center, his publicist, Howard Bragman, said today. He was hospitalized in February with pneumonia and other medical problems.

When World War Two broke out Ed wanted to be a pilot. He enlisted in 1943 and earned his pilot's license while being evaluated for the Navy's cadet evaluation program at Boston College. After being checked out in the Piper Cub he was assigned to the Marine Corps.

McMahon earned his wings and was commissioned early in 1945.

He flew the F4U Corsair and was immediately assigned to instructor duty at Lee Field in Florida. On 6 August he was given orders to join the Marine carrier program in California. With the dropping of the atomic bomb, his orders were canceled and he was discharged.

In 1952 he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. He flew artillery spotting missions in the O-1E Bird Dog. Completing 85 missions, he was awarded six Air Medals. After the war he retired from the Marine Reserves as a Colonel and was promoted to Brigadier General of the California Air National Guard.

The Cornfield Bomber

2009-06-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

On 2 February, 1970 three F-106's of the 71st Fighter Intercept Squadron were on a routine training mission out of Malstrom AFB, Montana. 1st Lieutenant Gary Faust was flying Lead of a flight of three. The other pilots in the flight were Captain Tom Curtis and Major James Lowe. Curtis and Lowe were Instructor Pilots.

Originally, the mission that February day nearly four decades ago was to be a two vs. two air combat training flight. One aircraft subsequently aborted from the mission when its drag chute deployed on the ramp. So the day’s training activity became a "two vs. one" fight.

The "one" on this eventful day was Tom Curtis. The "two" were 1st Lt. Gary Foust and Maj. Jim Lowe.

Curtis witnessed the mishap:

We took off as a flight of three. Gary Foust was leading with Jim Lowe in the chase position. We then split up I went to one end of the training air space and they proceeded to the other end of the air space. We had about a twenty mile separation. The controllers turned us into each other so we passed head on with a thousand feet separation. The ROE (rules of engagement) were we had to pass head on with no tactical advantage to either flight. After passing the fight was on. The object was to gain a tactical advantage on the opponent and maneuver in to valid firing position. After landing we would review the film and try to reconstruct the engagement. Of course, this was a big ego thing. who was the winner etc.

I figured I could handle Gary pretty easy but I did not trust Jimmy. I figured he would probably break off and come after me. With this thought in mind, I came at them in full afterburner I was doing 1.90 mach when we passed. I took them straight up at about 38,000 ft. We got into a vertical rolling scissors. I gave him a high G rudder reversal. He tried to stay with me, that's when he lost it. He got into a post stall gyration. This happens just prior to a stall. The aircraft violently rolls left and right and sometimes swaps ends, a very violent maneuver. His recovery attempt was unsuccessful and the aircraft stalled and went into a flat spin which is usually unrecoverable.

The aircraft looked like the pitot tube was stationary with the aircraft rotating around it. Very flat and rotating quite slowly. Well,. Gary rode it down to about 15,000 feet. All this time Jimmy Lowe was giving the spin recovery procedures. Part of the spin recovery procedures is to actuate the take off trim button. This trims all the control surfaces to a take off setting, which is a bout the same as for landing. So when Gary ejected the aircraft was trimmed wings level for about 175 knots a very nice glide setting.

When he ejected the aircraft straightened out and glided toward a perfect landing. I couldn't believe it ! Jimmy says "Get back in there."

After the ejection, the aircraft recovered from the spin on its own, and established a wings level low rate descent under reduced power to the ground. Ground effect broke its rate of descent, and it settled into a near-perfect gentle belly landing in a farmer's snow-covered cornfield.
Lowe parachuted safely to the ground and was picked up by some Indians on snow mobiles. A local Sheriff was first on the scene and found 58-0787 on it's belly with the engine still running. He saw the name "Major Wolfold" painted on the side of the jet and called Wolford at Malstrom AFB asking for instructions on how to shut the motor off.

When he climbed onto the jet and looked into the cockpit he found that the radar was still sweeping. It was then that the jet began to inch forward. The sheriff jumped off and decided to let the engine run out of gas. For an hour and 45 minutes, "787" scooted across the corn field for about 400 feet before the engine quit, ending up near a road.
A depot team from McClellan AFB recovered the aircraft and it was eventually returned to service.58-0787 is in its 49th FIS markings now on display at the USAF Museum.
Ex 71st FIS pilots are ragged unmercifully about the "Emergency" so dire that the aircraft was forced to land itself.

Airline Safety Announcement

2009-05-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Creech AFB Gets a F-15

2009-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Creech AFB added a F-15 to its inventory on Wednesday. It will be used to train Fire Fighters on Emergency Egress Procedures. When a pilot cannot get out of the aircraft on their own, this training makes sure that the Fire Department can get them out quickly and safely.
The heavy lift was performed by the 1/189th Aviation Battalion of the Nevada Army National Guard, Reno Nevada.

Passenger Lands Plane

2009-04-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

Saving four lives, a passenger landed a twin-engine plane at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers after the pilot died in flight.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said the pilot died on Sunday after taking off from Marco Island Executive Airport. The plane was on autopilot and climbing past 10,000 feet when the pilot died. The passenger who took the controls has been licensed for single-engine planes for 20 years, but was not certified to fly the King Air plane, a large luxury model. To instruct him, an air traffic controller called a friend in Connecticut who is rated to fly the aircraft. The plane landed safely.

Audio Only
Controller: You using the auto pilot or are you flying the airplane?
9DW: Me and the Good Lord are hand flying this. Niner Delta Whiskey.

Oh HELL YES!! The next guy that calls this Hero a redneck gets one in the kisser.

The F-22 Has Been Cancelled

2009-04-06T11:24:00.001-07:00

The Obama administration has just canceled the F-22 program.

We are so fucked.

NO DONG Missile on Launch Pad

2009-04-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

April 2 -- Amid reports that it is fueling a missile for launch as soon as this weekend, North Korea escalated threats on Thursday against a worried neighbor, warning that it would attack "major targets" in Japan if Tokyo shot the missile down.

North Korea has shifted MiG-23 fighter jets to its east coast, near the missile launch site, according to South Korean media reports.

President Obama, in London for the Group of 20 summit, criticized the launch Wednesday as a "provocative act" that would violate a United Nations resolution and trigger a response from the U.N. Security Council. The leaders of Japan and South Korea agreed in London that the launch, if it occurred, should be addressed by the Security Council.

The three countries have dispatched ships with antimissile systems to monitor the launch, which they describe as a test of a long-range ballistic missile that could fly as far as the western United States. North Korea is trying to miniaturize nuclear warheads to fit atop its growing arsenal of missiles, U.S. intelligence officials have said.

North Korea says the missile is part of a peaceful research effort to put a communications satellite into orbit.

F-22 Raptor Crashes- Pilot Killed

2009-03-27T01:40:00.000-07:00

25 March, Edwards AFB- Test pilot David Cooley was killed when his F-22 Raptor crashed 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base, California. Cooley was on test mission when the 10AM mishap occurred.

Cooley was part of a joint Lockheed/Air Force team that was testing the F-22. He been with Lockheed/Martin since 2003 and a 23 year Air Force veteran.

This was only the second crash of a Raptor and the first since it became operational with the U.S. Air Force. The only other mishap was a December 2004 crash at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

The YF-22 Prototype crashed on take off in 1992.

The cause of latest crash is as of yet, unknown. The Air Force investigation continues.

Co-pilot Breakdown, Flight Attendant Takes Place

2009-03-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

November 21, 2008- At no time before disembarking at Shannon Airport did the passengers have any clue that it was an issue with a crew member. All airline employee indicators (epaulets, company and airport id and passes etc.) were removed prior to his extrication from the cockpit. The crew was amazing. Very, very professional, respectful and calm.

U.S. Airways Flight 1539

2009-03-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Passenger Twitters Crash!

2008-12-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

A Continental airlines 737 slid off the runway in Denver last night. The engine on the right side burst into flames. Passengers escaped out the left side on slides. 38 people were hurt. Fortunately no one was killed.
Passenger Mike Wilson Twittered his escape:

Merry Christmas

2008-12-19T00:34:00.001-08:00

Airbus Pilots Having Trouble Falling Asleep

2008-12-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Complaining that the Airbus 380 is too quiet, pilots are not able to sleep during their rest periods. Every flushing toilet, crying baby and ironically every snoring passenger can be heard.
Read more about this.

Something Crashed in May

2008-11-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

George Knapp of Channel 8 News, Las Vegas in on job:

More here

USAF Shacks a Truck. Whoops!

2008-10-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

10/16/2008 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. - A training weapon fell from an Air Force aircraft on a training mission and struck a vehicle traveling on a road adjacent to the base Oct. 15, said Nellis Air Force Base officials.

The Air Force reports that the weapon, a 25-pound BDU-33, landed near a mobility warehouse on the base before bouncing into the road and striking a civilian vehicle.

The driver was not hurt.

Rumors on Nellis AFB are saying that the bomb was dropped from an A-10 aircraft.

The training bomb is used to simulate the ballistics of real air-to-ground weapons and does not carry explosives. Instead, it carries a small smoke charge used to mark the device's impact point.

Nellis AFB personnel and Las Vegas police are jointly investigating the incident.

Watch the news report.

The Air Force is remiss in admitting it, but this happens from time to time. In 2004, my old F-16 (84-1292) is being flown by the New Jersey Air National Guard. It strafed a middle school one night. Read more about that here. In March, a BDU-33 fell from an F-16 over Tulsa, Okla., striking an apartment building. In January 2007, a training bomb flying on an A-10 fell into a South Korean factory. And in January 2004, a BDU-33 fell from an F-15E and into an English industrial area. No one was injured in the accidents.

The most famous "dropped object" happened when a B-36 dropped an unarmed nuclear bomb and hit an elementary school in Rapid City Iowa.

Japanese Intercept Russians

2008-10-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Oct 8, 2008- F-15's flown by the Japanese Self Defense Force successfully intercepted a pair of Russian Tu-22 bombers. The incident occurred over the Sea of Japan. Moscow announced that the flight was part of their "Stability 2008" exercise. In addition, the Russians claimed that the flight was over international waters, on a routine training mission.

However, the fact that a pair of Su-27 Russian fighters were scrambled to join the bombers after the intercept was quite unusual.

Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Drik was quoted as saying by the Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies.

"Four Japanese air force F-15 fighters escorted the strategic aviation crews as they flew over the Sea of Japan."

Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets were also sent up to join the bombers after the Japanese intercept to ensure that the Russian Tu-22 bombers, known in NATO parlance as "Backfire" bombers, completed their mission as planned."

History of previous intercepts

Wreckage of Fossett's Plane Found

2008-10-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

A hiker in a remote area of California found items belonging to Steve Fossett, including two of his aviation identification cards, along with several $100 bills.

Rescue crews have found the wreckage of a small plane that appears to be the one piloted by adventurer Steve Fossett when he disappeared in September 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday.

The NTSB, which has sent an investigator to the accident site in the rugged eastern California mountains, did not say anything about finding remains of Fossett's body.

Fossett, 63, vanished in a single-engine Bellanca plane after taking off from the airstrip of hotel magnate Barron Hilton's ranch in Nevada. He did not file a flight plan but friends said he was going on a casual pleasure flight.

Fossett held 116 world records, in five different disciplines, 60 of which still stand.

14 world records in airplane flight, two in ballooning, six in glider flight, and one each in airship flight.

He died doing what he Loved.

Rossy Flies the English Channel

2008-09-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Crossing the English Channel was a mile post in early aviation. Now in the 21st century it takes center stage again. On September 26, 2008, Swiss airline pilot Yves "Fusion Man" Rossy crossed from France in to England without an airplane.

Sort of.

Jumping from a plane at more than 8,800 feet (2,500 meters) in the air above Calais, he fired up his jets and made the 22 mile (35 kilometer) trip between Calais and Dover at speeds of up to 120 mph (193 km/h) in 13 minutes.

Rossy was propelled by 4 kerosene-burning jet turbines attached to a wing on his back which he ignited inside the plane just prior to taking the leap, wearing a helmet and flameproof suit resembling those worn by Formula One drivers, to help him withstand the jet exhaust around his legs mounted merely inches from him on the wing.

After a period of free fall the former fighter pilot opened the wing and soared across the water.

The jetpack has no steering controls, so the only way for Rossy to change direction was like a bird, moving his head and back to control the wing’s movement.

MD-80 Kills Again

2008-08-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Madrid, Spain- Spanair Flight JK5022, an MD-82 en route to the Canary Islands with 175 souls on board crashed on take off from Madrid's airport. At last count there were 28 survivors.Initial reports state that the aircraft experienced a fire in its left engine. Having been unable to gain altitude, it crashed in the vicinity of the runway then broke up into at least two parts and was engulfed by the subsequent explosion. The plane had previously attempted and aborted its take off. After maintenance on the ground, further take-off roll was attempted, during which the mishap occurred.

The MD-80 series has done more to curb the population explosion since the invention of the fragmentation grenade. The MD-80 series has been involved in 57 mishaps,including 23 aircraft lost with 1,170 fatalities.

2008 has not been a good year for the MD-80 with numerous crashes, mishaps, in flight emergencies and groundings. If your planning to travel for the up coming holidays I seriously suggest you avoid the MD-80.

Related Posts.

Landing gear problem.

Obama In Flight Emergency-Update

2008-08-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

The FAA has released the cockpit recordings of the In Flight Emergency (IFE) of the MD-81 carrying Senator Obama on a flight out of Chicago.

Related Posts

Text Message Saves Flight

2008-08-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 7 August 2008

A quick-thinking air traffic controller's texting saved an aircraft with five people on board which had lost all communications and electrical power.

The Piper Seneca light aircraft had taken off from Kerry airport on a flight to Jersey last November when it had a complete electrical failure.

The pilot flew south to clear the coast and clouds and to see the ground. He tried to contact Kerry airport and air traffic control in Cork on his mobile phone. He briefly made contact with Cork, telling them about the problem.

He then received a text message on his mobile from the controller at Cork advising him that he was on radar and that Cork would allow the plane to land.

He followed the controller's instructions given by text. The undercarriage gear had to be lowered manually. The aircraft did a fly-by of the control tower so that controllers could check visually that the wheels were down.

The aircraft landed safely and an air accident investigation report published yesterday said the loss of all aircraft electrics during such a flight was considered very serious.

The report, by investigator John Hughes, praised the "positive and proactive " initiative of the air traffic controller who texted his instructions to the pilot.

F-15 Crashes During Red Flag

2008-07-30T23:33:00.001-07:00

An F-15D assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron crashed while participating in the Red Flag exercise conducted from Nellis AFB, Nevada. It was reported that one of the two man crew died in the crash. The other pilot was transported to Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital and was listed in stable condition and is under observation.

The 65th Aggressor Squadron is based at Nellis AFB. The cause of the crash is still under investigation and a formal news briefing is scheduled for Thursday.

The F-15 fleet was grounded after the investigation of a November, 2007 crash revealed a design defect which weakened the forward fuselage. The F-15 Eagle was first flown in July, 1972. It has never been defeated in air to air combat.

The U.S. Air Force plans to replace the F-15 fleet with the F-22 Raptor which is now operational.

Related Posts.

White Knight II Unveiled

2008-07-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Virgin Galactic unveiled it's latest design, The White Knight II. The jet powered craft will carry the sub orbital Spaceship II aloft. Spaceship Two plans to carry up to twelve passengers who will pay $200,000 for the suborbital trip into space.

In flight meals will not be served.

The aircraft shown above is NOT the actual White Knight II, but rather a trainer for future pilots.

Virgin America Airlines is having a contest called "The Race for Space". Passengers will win tickets for the Spaceship Two.

65,000 people on currently on the waiting list for tickets when flight operations begin.

Explosion on Quantas 747

2008-07-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

An on board oxygen bottle has never exploded on a passenger jet in mid-air, until last Friday. That's when Quantas flight QF30 from Hong Kong to Sidney, diverted to Manila after an explosive decompression at 29,000 feet. The 747-400 landed safely with 365 passengers and crew.

Fragments of tank and valve parts found point to an explosion of the aircraft oxygen tank. Passengers reported that the oxygen masks deployed during the controlled descent but were not working.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board continue their investigations. Terrorism has been ruled out as a cause.

Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said Monday that the company did not know what caused the mid-flight blast but suggested the cause was likely mechanical and not human error.

"Obviously there is every chance it is something to do with the aircraft, and it is something that may have well been out of our control. More than likely it was," he said at a news conference in Sydney, Australia. He described Friday's events as "a very, very bad accident."

An air-worthiness directive, issued in April and effective in May, followed a report that certain oxygen cylinder supports in Boeing 747-400s may not have been properly heat-treated, which the FAA said could cause oxygen leakage and subsequent fire hazards.

David Cox, Qantas' head of engineering, told reporters on Monday that the FAA directive applies to a different type of oxygen system than the one being scrutinized in the Qantas emergency. The cylinders covered under the directive are located in a different part of the plane than where the Qantas aircraft sustained damage.

Sydney-based Qantas Airways has been ordered to urgently inspect every oxygen bottle aboard its fleet of 30 Boeing 747s, which is expected to take several days.

Quantas Airlines has never lost a jet airliner. It's last crash was in 1951 and involved a small aircraft.

MD-80 "Death Trap" Takes a Shot at Obama

2008-07-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why a Midwest Airlines Boeing MD-80 carrying Senator Barack Obama was forced to make an emergency landing today.

The crew of the chartered aircraft earlier today diverted to St. Louis, Missouri, during a flight from Chicago, Illinois, to Charlotte, North Carolina, due to a suspected flight control anomaly.

While diverting around a thunderstorm, the crew reported heavier that normal loads on the elevator. MD-80 crews are currently trained to divert immediately when they encounter problems with the elevator controls.

Elevator failure was the primary cause of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in 2000.

Upon landing it was discovered that the aft emergency slide deployed in flight!

Example of slide deployment.

The Obama Campaign switched to a different MD-80.

Related posts about problems with the MD-80.

What Hit Northwest Flight 478?

2008-07-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Aircraft suffer bird strikes on a daily basis. What happened to Northwest Flight 478 remains a mystery.

The Boeing 757 was descending through 18000 feet when the crew reported a loud bang.

The crew did not suspect a bird strike due to their high altitude. They did suspect radome damage due to the failure of the radar system and slowed their airspeed.

The aircraft made an uneventful landing at Tampa International Airport with 182 passengers and crew.

Post flight inspection revealed impact damage to the radome. However it was not consistent with damage caused by a bird strike.

Neither the FAA nor the airline has determined whether the damage was the result of an unexplained structural failure, lightning or another cause.

Iran is Going to Blow Up

2008-06-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

...and my bet is that the Israelis are going to do it while the U.S. rattles it's sabers.

The New York Times quoted officials Friday as saying that more than 100 Israeli F-16s and F-15s staged the maneuver, flying more than 900 miles, roughly the distance from Israel to Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, and that the exercise included refueling tankers and helicopters capable of rescuing downed pilots.

The Israelis usually shoot first and reveal later. It is really unusual that they are being so open it their preparations. Historically, they defend their position of the the only nuclear power in the Middle East. While the U.S. blusters and ponders it's policy towards a nuclear Iran, look for Israel to take a more direct approach.

Video of B-2 Crash

2008-06-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

Ever see someone spend 1.4 billion dollars?

Captain Michael A. Crandall- USAF

2008-05-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

I vividly remember the day of the crash. The weather was very bad that day. The first sortie was recalled and we were able to refuel only two aircraft before fueling went on weather hold as well.

Capt. Mike Crandall was off station that day , but he and his wingman "snuck in " under the weather. I was expediting that day and picked him up at the airplane. He asked about our jet (84-1292). I told him that it was in the garage (phase inspection). As I dropped him off at ops he said "Remind me about nose art when I get back." Those were the last words I heard Mike say.

Back in ops, LtCol. Rick Huss told Mike that Capt. Bob McCormack still needed to be upgraded to flight lead and Mike volunteered to take him up. Bob was to fly 1395 and Mike 1401 the only two aircraft refueled.

On start up Bob had hydraulic indication problems and we fixed them. Mike was in the other flight so I didn't know he was flying.

The aircraft were configured without external fuel tanks so their flight time was less than a hour. After an hour passed, we figured they "weathered in" at some other bases as it was common. After 90 minutes I was radioed to meet with my supervisor. He asked for me to quietly get the maintenance forms for 395. Fearing the worst I asked him if the aircraft was lost. he said "Just get the forms and don't discuss anything with anyone."

The aircraft had collided. Bob was thrown (not ejected) out of the jet. He landed in a farmer's field with a broken back. A farmer's daughter (yes this is true) picked him up in the family car as he was walking toward the farm house. He phoned in the base to report the collision.

The squadron was monitoring the SAR net, listening to the search effort. There were two beepers going off. In the other room, Capt. Karl Gruner was listening to German radio hoping for a news report. When Bob phoned, they then began looking for Mike. It was then that German news reported that two F-16's had in fact collided, resulting one pilot dead and one severely injured. That is how we found out that Mike was dead. The Polizei had found his body, he had had a good chute but he died in the collision.

I went home not knowing that. Knowing two jets were down, I prayed the crew chief prayer that all pilots were safe. The next morning I read in the Stars and Stripes, that Captain Michael A. Crandall had died the night before.

I sat in my stairwell and cried .

Mike was my pilot and my friend. He is buried at the Academy. Every now and then I see cadets serving at Nellis AFB. If I get a chance to talk I tell them that when they are struggling and don't think they can hack it, to visit Mike. We lost many, many friends during the Cold War. Let no one forget that there was and still is great valor on "routine training missions".

Mikey is at the Air Force Academy,

Colorado Springs, Colorado.

OTHER HEROES

VIDEO

Air Force to FIght Wildfires with Water Balloons

2008-05-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

No joke. Boeing is developing the Precision Aerial Fire Fighting System. Currently wildfires are fought from the air by dropping massive amounts of water and suppressants over a wide area.
With the PAFF, fires would be fought with precision strikes. The Air Force will be dropping water balloons from C-17 aircraft.
Using current deployments techniques, C-17 aircraft will deliver pallets of biodegradable "beach balls" each unit containing 50 gallons of water. Multiple hot spots can be attacked. More water could be delivered with fewer missions. Accurate deliveries can be made at safer altitudes and speeds.

So how does a beach ball do the trick? The system uses up to 2,800 biodegradable, faceted spheres stacked on pallets within cardboard containers. This delivery technique is similar to the way U.S. Air Force C-17s airdropped yellow humanitarian ration packages to Afghanis in 2001.

The unit's spherical shape minimizes airflow resistance. Each sphere contains 50 pounds of water and easily remains intact while it falls true to target. The spheres burst on impact at the heart of the fire. A single C-17 PAFF mission could airdrop 140,000 pounds of water on multiple "hot spot" targets—equivalent to nearly 100 helicopter deliveries.

Swiss Man Flies the da Vinci Parachute

2008-04-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2008- It has taken over 500 years and many, many failed attempts, but the da Vinci Parachute has been successfully flown.

Olivier Vietti-Teppa (36), of Switzerland successfully landed a da Vinci designed parachute, conceived somewhere around 1485.

The jump was made from 2000 feet from a helicopter.

"I came down in the middle of Payerne military airport in Switzerland, a perfect jump. " -Olivier Vietti-Teppa

Watch the video.

Isrealis Bombed Syrian Reactor

2008-04-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

No Shit? Really? Guess who reported this back when it happened?
Maddog Speaks: WTF? Syrian WMD's?

The Bush administration charged Thursday that a secret Syrian nuclear reactor was within weeks or months of completion before Israel bombed it on Sept. 6 and demanded that North Korea and Syria publicly acknowledge their collusion on a facility that could have produced plutonium for a nuclear weapon.

Back in September, everything was on the QT. In October, the Syrians used a controlled demolition to clear the site. In doing so, they exposed reactor components to U.S. spy satellites. Whoops.

The Bush administration didn't go public at the time at the request of the Israelis who feared a counterstrike. The U.S. State Department then used this fact successfully to compel the Koreans to abandon their nuclear program.

Hurray for our side!

President Bush has received criticism from Congress who side with the Syrians.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, charged Thursday that the administration had improperly imposed a "veil of secrecy" around intelligence it was required to share with the oversight committees.

In a statement, the Syrian Embassy in Washington denounced the U.S. claims as "false allegations" designed to "misguide" Congress and international public opinion and produce support for Israel's surprise air strike in September, "which the U.S. administration may have helped execute."

Russian MiG-29 Downs Georgian UAV

2008-04-23T23:41:00.000-07:00

Fight's on!
On 21 April, 2008, A Russian MiG-29 downed a Georgian UAV. The Georgian aircraft was an Isreali built Hermes 450.

At first everyone opened with a lie.

The ITAR-TASS news agency quoted a Russian air force representative, who claims a MIG-29 fighter would never be used to destroy an unmanned plane.

According to Georgia, one of its unmanned planes was on a regular reconnaissance flight when it was attacked by a Russian fighter jet.

Georgia had previously denied all involvement, claiming they hadn’t sent a plane to the area. Abkhazia says Georgia’s statement acknowledging the flight is tantamount to an admission of spying.

A video released by the Georgians clearly shows a MiG-29 sliding into the UAV's six o'clock position and hosing it with an air to air missile.

The video was released on 23 April by the Georgian U.N. delegation during a meeting of the Security Council. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin labeled the drone flight as provocative and noted that Abkhazia claims to have shot down the drone. The U.N. Security Council debated the crisis behind closed doors and has not released any information.

The Abakhazian Air Force doesn't field a MiG-29 but does have the Su-27.

The United States expressed concern on Wednesday over the shooting down of a pilotless Georgian reconnaissance drone and reaffirmed its support for Georgia as it grapples with Russia over the rebel territory. Abkhazia announced it's independence from Georgia in 1992.

The Russian foreign ministry also said that the presence of the drone violated UN ceasefire agreements.

Russian and UN peacekeepers have been deployed in the two regions since the early 1990s, when violence erupted as they broke free from Georgian control.

Russia has asserted that it is not seeking to inflame the situation but to try and protect the rights and legal interests of Russian citizens who make up the majority of the population in the two regions.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement:

"The United States is deeply concerned by the shooting down of an unarmed Georgian UAV, by a presumably Russian MiG-29, over the Abkhazia region of Georgia on April 20." McCormack added that Washington was "concerned by the presence of a MiG-29 aircraft in Georgian airspace without Georgian authorization, and by the use of weapons from this aircraft in shooting down an unarmed Georgian UAV."

In a show of support earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Georgian Foreign Minister David Bakradze at the State Department.

Before the meeting, Secretary Rice was quoted as saying:

"Our commitment to Georgia and to its territorial integrity is firm."

After meeting Georgia's foreign minister, Ms Rice said the US was "very concerned" by Russia's actions.

Confused yet? Stay tuned for details as this crisis unfolds. The Lucky Puppy Forum has been reporting on Russian bombers challenging NATO aircraft on "routine patrols". Putin has been has been flexing Russian military power in a clear attempt to reassert Russia as a global superpower. Is this a blatant example of it?

Save The Leathal Lady

2008-04-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

The aircraft shown on the right is a record setter.
Built in 1985, "Lethal Lady" has been in the air longer than any other F-16. Currently flown by the Green Mountain Boys of the Vermont ANG, she has logged more the 7000 hours in the air. She has flown in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now she slated for the glue factory.

Rather than meeting this ignoble fate,
Senator Leahy (D-VT) has called for the Lady to be preserved.

"It would be better to put the aircraft on display at the Vermont Guard or at the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio."

If you want this piece of aviation history to be saved, contact the Senator at the link above and voice your opinion.

The photo is when 83-1165 [Photo by Gary Chambers] was with the Indiana ANG. If any of you Green Mountain Boys have a current picture, please post it here. If you ever crewed her or flew her feel free to send pictures as well. Thanks.

The Four Horsemen

2008-04-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

In the 1950's the Tactical Air Command fielded an air demonstration "Squadron" known as
The Four Horsemen.
Many units at the time had demo units but the 463rd Troop Carrier Wind at Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma had a unique twist. They flew the C-130 Hercules.
Captains Gene Chaney, Jim Akin, David Moore and William Hatfield of the 774th Troop Carrier Squadron were the Horsemen.
Diamond formations were a snap. They started the show taking off in the Diamond.

Here's their idea of a "Bomb Burst".After the Bomb Burst they'd reform in diamond for a pass down the show line. They then reformed into a echelon and came back in for the landing. Landing one after the other, Lead would still be on the runway when four touched down.

The team applied to be designated as an official air demonstration team. While in peace time there were plenty of fighters laying around, the C-130 had operational commitments so there weren't aircraft to spare. For that reason the application was turned down.

Read their whole story.

Green Mountain Boy Gets Out of Hand

2008-04-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

8 APR, 2008- It's opening day for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. At conclusion of the National Anthem, three F-16's of the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing come swooping in for a fly by. The fourth plane in the formation then barrel rolls over the formation.

The crowd goes wild!

The pilot gets grounded.

The maneuver was not planned. Number four was running late and barrel rolled to tuck back into the formation. Uh...right. You bet. You pay them big bucks and send them to all the schools but pilots always act like boys on bikes. The Hog Dog stunt has landed the pilot in hot water.

Sort of.

Spokesman for the Green Mountain Boys, Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow said:

"It was a legitimate maneuver and not an acrobatic stunt. "It is normally done at 5,000 feet or above. The crowd loved it, but it was not a planned maneuver. At no time was the public in danger. Our pilot is a very skilled pilot. He maintained full control of the airplane.
The pilot was grounded, not as a punishment but so we can provide remedial training in tactics and procedures so this situation does not happen again. I can promise you they won’t see anything like that again, no matter where we do flyovers."

The name of the pilot was not released but was described as a "very experienced pilot".

The 158th Fighter Wing is based out of Burlington, Vermont and is currently serving Bold Eagle alert duties at various locations. Operation Bold Eagle flies airborne intercepts of unknown or suspicious aircraft as part of Homeland Defense since 9/11. The wing has also deployed to Iraq.

FANGS OUT!!!

More about the Green Mountain Boys

Aloha Aloha

2008-04-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

On March 31, 2008 flight 261 marked the end of the 61 year history of Aloha Airlines. The company ceased operations just ten days after filing Chapter 11 reorganization.

Final Flight

Final Safety Briefing

T-Bird in the Dirt

2008-04-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

15 MAR, 2005- The USAF Thunderbirds usually do their first show of the season at Creech AFB, Nevada. It's called "Indian Springs Appreciation Day". They practice at Creech and the show is a full-up dress rehearsal and a "Thank you and sorry about that bathroom window".

In March of 2005, I was working and I called the wife to ask if she liked the show.

Wife-"It was all right, but your son freaked out."

Me-"What happened?"

Wife- "Something about a wheel or something. He said I was the adult and had the good camera and to get closer. He said he blaze away with his camera. Later, he told me not to go through any metal detector and don't let anyone touch the camera until Dad sees it."

Me- "Put him on."

Me- "What happened Josh?"

Josh- "Number three went into the dirt!"

Me- "Really"

Josh- "Yeah, really. The gear collapsed."

The mishap happened at the end of the show and taxing into the spot. Number three didn't make the turn and trundled off the taxi way. The pilot was taken away in a back board. The cause of mishap was brake failure. I chatted with the crew chief and he said,
"The pilot's okay. The jet is okay. We're flying at Luke next week."

The pilot was on the back board as a precaution. The gear did not collapse. From the crowd line, it only appeared that the it was on its belly.

Dear Captain

2008-03-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Disfunctional Flight Attendant

2008-03-28T09:42:00.001-07:00

Ellen Simonetti was fired from Delta Airlines for posting "inappropriate" pictures like this one. See them here.

Sadly, her escapades as a dysfunctional flight attendant have been locked out of her blog. Connected to her lawsuit against Delta, no doubt. Buy her book instead.

Ellen blogs on. You go girl!

Delta Grounds Their MD-80's Too

2008-03-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Delta Airlines grounded their MD-80 fleet yesterday. They're taking another look at their wiring . This action was driven bythe same FAA audit which led American to ground and reinspect their MD-80's. A statement by Delta said that the wiring of the auxiliary hydraulic system was the culprit.

The Aux Hyd system runs while the aircraft is at the gate. That way, you can flush the toilet and stuff. It is not a safety of flight issue.

The FAA announced that it will release its findings on its month long audit of the airline industry's maintenance documentation.

DELTA-Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport

Related Posts

American Grounds MD-80 Fleet

2008-03-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

If you have a ticket on American Airlines today you might want to hit the book shop.

You're not going anywhere soon.

American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, canceled 200 flights today to re-inspect wiring in Boeing Co. MD-80s after federal regulators raised questions during a maintenance audit. American had previously complied with the directive but a recent the FAA audit called documentation into question.

The grounding in voluntary and represents about 9% of American's fleet. It is a response to an Air Worthiness Directive issued by the FAA. AMR, the parent company of American has issued the following statement.

"We are reinspecting the MD-80s to make sure the wiring is installed and secured exactly according to the directive."

The inspection deals with spacers and positioning of wire bundles. The exact function of the wiring was not disclosed and does not pose a safety of flight issue.

The FAA issues Airworthiness Directives on a regular basis to alert carriers of potential problems before they effect safety of flight. American's action today represents a pro-active response to the FAA's increased scrutiny following the recent grounding of the Southwest Airlines grounding of its 737 fleet.

American predicts that the inspection will be completed today and the aircraft will be returning to service throughout the day.

Within the industry the MD-80 is referred to as the "Death Trap". Since entering service in 1980 the manufacturer, McDonald/Douglas and then later Boeing, has modified the design to ensure that deficiencies have been reduced or eliminated.

List of MD-80 mishaps.

NSTB reports on fatal mishaps.

The F-117 Retires Today

2008-03-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

DAYTON, Ohio- The F-117 Stealth Fighter, made famous in Desert Storm will be retired today in a ceremony at Wright-Patterson AFB. The aircraft will be moth balled at a classified site. The aircraft will be replaced by the F-22.

Farewell "Unexpected Guest".

More F-117 Nose Art.

Southwest Fined by FAA- $10.2 Mil

2008-03-09T23:26:00.001-07:00

Have you flown on Southwest airlines lately? Everything okay? What luck!

On March 6, 2008, the FAA levied Southwest with a 10.2 million dollar fine for failing to inspection as many as 117 737's for as long as 30 months.

The inspections centered around early detection of skin cracking. Anyone remember Aloha Flight 243 . The one that suddenly offered patio seating in first class?

Calling it "one of the worst safety violations" he has ever seen, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minnesota, is expected to call a hearing as soon as possible to ask why the airline put its passengers in danger.

But Southwest Airlines -- which carried more passengers in the United States than any other airline last year -- said there was never a flight safety issue.

"The FAA penalty is related to one of many routine and redundant inspections on our aircraft fleet involving an extremely small area in one of the many overlapping inspections. These inspections were designed to detect early signs of skin cracking," the airline said in a statement Thursday evening. Read Southwest's entire response.

Lufthansa Airbus Aborts Landing

2008-03-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

On Mar 3, 2008 a Lufthansa Airbus narrowly aborts a landing at Hamburg, Germany, while fighting 40 knot crosswinds.

Join the discussion about this post.

B-2 Spirit Crashes in Guam

2008-02-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

On February 22, 2008, a B-2 Stealth Bomber crashed for the first time. The mishap occurred at 10:30 local time as the aircraft was taking off from Anderson AB, Guam for it's return to Whiteman AFB, Missouri. The two man crew ejected safely from the doomed aircraft and reported as unhurt from the mishap. The B-2 struck the ground with no further damage to nearby buildings or injury to witnesses on the ground. There were no munitions on board.

The mishap aircraft was part of a four ship formation. The other three aircraft were ordered to return to Guam as a precaution. There are 20 B-2's remaining in the Air Force inventory and are grounded. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined as the Air Force investigations begin.

An Air Force fact sheet lists the price of a B-2 at $1.2 billion, but a report from the Government Accountability Office estimates that each plane can cost up to $2.2 billion.

Join the discussion about this mishap.

Code One Magazine

2008-01-26T00:26:00.000-08:00

Code One, the magazine real fighter pilots read.

Some F-15's Grounded Permanently

2008-01-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Air Force has announced that 170 or more of it's F-15 Eagle fleet will be going to the bone yard. Failure of a fuselage longeron has been sited as the primary cause of the crash of an F-15 last November. The grounding will affect four models of the U.S. fighter. The F-15E Strike Eagle is not included. 60% of the entire fleet has been returned to service.

Watch investigation recreation video of mishap.

Related Posts:

F-15 Fleet Grounded After Crash

F-15E Strike Eagles Back in the Air

422 Eagle Holiday Greetings

Boeing 777 Crashes at Heathrow

2008-01-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

17 JAN 2008.
An British Airways Boeing 777 has crashed at Heathrow Airport, London, U.K. It is the first crash of Boeing newest airliner. All of the 136 passengers and crew survived the mishap. 19 were injured, many suffering minor injuries.

Flight BA038 was on final approach to the runway when the aircraft suffered a total loss of power.

Captain Peter Burkill calmly announced to his co-pilot: "I'll just have to glide it in." Burkill and his crew managed to keep the 777 airborne as they flew over houses, schools and offices - clearing Heathrow's perimeter fence by just five feet before crash-landing into a field 500 yards short of the runway. The aircraft came to rest with major damage to its landing gear and engines.

Statement by British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh:

"We are very proud of the way our crew safely evacuated all 136 passengers on board. The captain of the aircraft is one of our most experienced and has been flying with us for nearly 20 years," he added.

They showed great courage and professionalism in landing the aircraft safely. All of the crew did a fantastic job evacuating the 136 passengers. They are all heroes and everyone at British Airways is very proud of them.

An investigation is being conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch so it would be inappropriate to speculate about the likely cause of this incident."

An airport worker was quoted as saying, "It's a miracle he managed to land it. The man deserves a medal as big as a frying pan. He has done a fantastic job."

The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch will lead the inquiry into the crash landing. A team from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also heading to London, accompanied by representatives from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The 777 first entered service in 1995 and is currently being flown by 32 airlines around the world.

U.S. NSTB Records of all Boeing 777 mishaps. Use "Boeing 777" as make and model.

Last Words

2008-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

It is said that pilots are the first one's at the scene of a crash. Some are caught unaware but most fight the problem all the way down. The CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) records their final words. These are some of them.

"There he is .. look at him! Goddamn that son-of-a-bitch is coming! Get off!"
Pan Am 1736, Boeing 747, 27 March 1977.

"Pete, sorry."
Air Canada 621,Douglas DC-8, 5 July 1970.

"Hey, what's happening here?"
Eastern Airlines 401, 29 Dec 1972.

"Ma I love you."
Pacific Southwest Airlines 182. 25 Sep 1978.

"Larry, we're going down, Larry.... I know it!"
Air Florida 90, Boeing 737, 13 Jan 1982.

"Amy, I love you."
Atlantic Southeast Airlines 529, 21 Aug 1995.

"Mountains!!!"
Vnokovo Airlines 2601, 29 Aug 1996.

"Ah here we go."
Alaska Airlines 261, MD-80, 31 Jan 2000.

"Too late! No time. No TIME!"
Air France 4950, Concorde, 25 JULY 2000.

"Top Gun" Trivia

2008-01-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

Top Gun-The Movie

Val Kilmer did not want to be in this film, but was forced to by contractual obligations.

Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, and Rick Rossovich all went on to roles in the ER tv series. Edwards: Dr. Mark Green, Ironside: Dr. William "Wild Willy" Swift, Rossovich: Dr. John "Tag" Taglieri.

During the final furball, Stinger orders, "Ready Willard and Simkin on cats 3 and 4" - a reference to dogfight choreographer "Rat" Willard and casting director Marge Simkin.

In several locker scenes, one of the lockers is labeled as belonging to "TEX". This is the call sign for one of the top gun instructors and MiG pilots that worked on the film, Lt. William 'Tex' Spence.

Charlie's "older man" date at the oak club was actually a teacher at Top Gun at the time. He was the consultant on the film.

The piano scene and the final bar/jukebox scene were shot in a San Diego restaurant called Kansas City BBQ, at the corner of Kettner Blvd and W. Harbor Drive. The restaurant now houses many props and memorabilia from the film, including the jukebox and Maverick's flight helmet sits behind the bar in a locked display case.

Stunt pilot Art Scholl died when his plane crashed on 16 September 1985 while he was performing the "flat spin" shown in the movie.

Best TDY Patch

2008-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

TDY is a term used in the U.S. Air Force which means "Temporary Duty". Which usually means going somewhere other than your home base for training. While on TDY people tend to let their hair down and party a little more than usual. Much of this happens in Officer and NCO clubs on base. There are times that one might find oneself in uniform.
"Who was that?" Is a common question and at those time it's easiest to track the "celebrity" down to his or her unit by checking out the squadron patch worn on the uniform. TDY's are also occasion to where unauthorized patches.

Hence, we have a winner. This is an actual patch worn while TDY. No photoshopping here.

Aircraft Marshalling

2008-01-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

When an aircraft launches. When it leaves its parking space bound for the take off. A aircraft handler stands in front and directs the aircraft out of it's spot. This is to insure than no people,vehicles or equipment are struck or damaged as the aircraft begins to move under its own power.

Here are some examples:

12 Sqn-RAF

C-130

B-1B

F-15

Another F-15

The Secret Life of Crew Chiefs

2008-01-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

Who are these guys??? Which unit? They're good.

F-15E Mudhens in Combat

422 Eagle Holiday Greetings

2008-01-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a video greeting card from the boys and girls of the 422nd Operational, Test and Evaluation Squadron (Eagle Division), Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Yes the F-15 is STILL grounded.

Real Cabin Safety Briefing

2008-01-01T01:20:00.000-08:00

This jet is going to Chicago, but I think the crew is from San Francisco. You gotta Love Southwest!

What the Hell is He Talking About???

2007-12-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Like any organization the USAF has a language of their own. I humbly offer some examples.

AIM:

Air-Intercept Missile

Bear:

The Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO), the GIB. Refers to pilot’s opinion that a trained bear can replace the GIB. Also a Tu-95 Russian Bomber.

The Blue Zoo:

The United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Also known as “Colorado Kool-Aid U” and “The Colorado Home for Wayward Boys”

FUF:

Fucker Up Front. Pilot in two seat aircraft such as an F-4 Phantom.

GIB:

Guy in Back. Slang term for WSO, RIO, and B/N. The guy behind the FUF.

Going to Guns:

Switching to cannon. Assuming leadership. Taking control of any situation.

Hittles:

The opposite of Missiles. (See- Missiles)

Local talent:

Derogatory term used to desribe any female living near an Air Force Base who does nothing but have sex and use airmen for money. Said females have usually been married and divorced at least three times before they turn 25.

Missles:

Objects that fall off the rail and do whatever they want. The opposite of Hittles.

One in the Hangar:

Pregnant.

Rhino:

The F-4 Phantom II in all its Glory. An unattractive WAF.

The Sand Box:

Iraq.

SAM:
Surface-to-Air Missile.

Touch and Go's:

Repeatedly falling asleep in a meeting or a class while trying desperately to stay awake. After nodding off, the person's head will dip forward almost to his chest, whereupon he will snap back into a very brief state of semi-consciousness and repeat the process. Named after practice landings where the aircraft descends, briefly touches down while still rolling forward, and quickly becomes airborne again.

T-birds:

The Thunderbirds, the USAF Air Demonstration Team. Also known as the “T-Kids” and “Thunder Chickens”.

TDY:

Temporary Duty Assignment. A road trip to a far distant and usually fucked up dirty country.

WAF:

Women of the Air Force. A female. Term replaced by generic “Airman” because of the widespread use of “We All Fuck”.

Download the whole USAF Slang Dictionary here.

A Christmas Story

2007-12-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Putin continues to put Bears in the air. Harkening back to the good ol' days when we were armed to the teeth waiting for the U.S.S.R. to attack us. As the Christmas Season is upon us it reminds me of a TDY back in 1979.

I was stationed at George AFB and was crewing F-4C's. We were tasked to go to Duluth Minnesota and relieve the Guard so that they could spend the holidays with the kiddies.

As it happened we got a real world scramble and sent two Phantoms aloft. After an hour or so they came back and as I parked the jet I noticed an AIM-9 Sidewinder missing and alot of black soot on the empty rail.

The pilot came off the ladder. Turned and gave me a thumbs up and said:

"Smoked that fucker".

He and his GIB got immediately into a staff car and were never seen again.

Makes you want to say.

"Hmmm?"

World's Smallest Runway

2007-12-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Seeing is believing!

Insane Landing - Click here for the most popular videos

New Paint Scheme Debuts on F-16

2007-12-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

The F-16's at Eielson AFB, Alaska will be sporting a new paint scheme. They have been chosen as the first aircraft to receive the Arctic Camouflage. Airmen of the 8th FW, Kunsan AB, South Korea got the chance to apply the new camouflage as part of the 8th transferring their assigned jets to Eielson. Work was started in November in preparation of the transfer.

USAF photos by TSgt. Quinton T. Burris

Kunsan will be getting the more advanced Block 40 F-16's from Eielson and Kunsan's Block 30's will be flying as Agressors during Eielson's Red Flag-Alaska excercises with the new paint job.

Great Bush Landing

2007-12-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

This video has been around for a while but it's worth a second look. It makes you appreciate landing on nice long, straight runways.

Enjoy.

Grounded Again- The F-15

2007-12-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

Much like an Undefeated Heavyweight succumbing to age rather than losing in the ring. The F-15 will be defeated by Father Time rather than in battle.

After recovering from the 3 November crash and taking to the air, the F-15 Eagle finds itself grounded again. Excluding the F-15E model, the Air Force has grounded the four earlier models.

Computer simulations by its Boeing manufacturer have cause serious concerns for the structural integrity of its backbone. Specifically the longerons that run from aft of the canopy to the tail. In a 28 November press release, Air Force officials have been quoted as saying:

"Although the longeron area was covered in general by previous inspections as a result of the November 2 mishap, technical experts with the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, assisting in the Accident Investigation Board, have recommended a specific inspection of the suspect area based on the recent findings. Manufacturer simulations have indicated a catastrophic failure could result in this particular area."

It's Groundhog Day for the F-15 fleet as it awaiting completion of the emergency inspections.

NORAD Tracks Santa

2007-11-29T23:15:00.000-08:00

In 1955, a Colorado Springs-based Sears store ran an advertisement encouraging children to call Santa Claus on a special telephone hotline. Due to a printing error, the phone number that was printed was the hotline for the Director of Operations at the Continental Air Defense (CONAD). Colonel Harry Shoup took the first Santa call on Christmas Eve of 1955 from a six-year old boy who began reciting his Christmas list. Shoup didn't find the call funny, but after asking the mother of the second caller what was happening, then realizing the mistake that occurred, he instructed his staff to give Santa's position to any child who called in.

Thus a tradition was born. I remember listening to and then later watching the NORAD reports on Christmas Eve as a kid. We were stationed at Fort Carson Colorado, in the shadow of Cheyenne Mountain so the reports were not to be doubted.

I've carried on the tradition and now we track Santa on the Internet.

Come join us.

Putin Says- "Pimp My MiG"

2007-11-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

Technically, "Pimp my Sukhoi". On November 25, 2007, the Russian Air Force accepted it's first batch of upgraded Sukhoi-24 fighter bombers. The Su-25 is the Soviet response to the American F-111. Having been in service for 32 years, it now sports the latest electronics and gadgets. Flat screen instruments, GPS and smart bombs are just some of the improvements.

While the upgraded Sukhoi is another step in Russian President Putin's path to making Russia a military superpower again, it also gives credence to another concern in the West. Take a look at this MiG-25.To prevent capture or destruction during Desert Storm, the Iraqis buried this MiG-25. Designed in the 1960's it was long feared as a "premier" fighter. It has since been reduced to an airborne target for Western fighters. Or so we thought. The MiG pictured in the picture above looks like a MiG-25 but it has been "pimped" as well. Old on the outside, everything inside is new. Electronics, engines, weapons. All courtesy of the French. This gives rise to speculation about how helpful the French have been.

Consider the plight of the Iranian F-14 Tomcats. Back in the 1970's the U.S. sold a bunch of Tomcats to the Shah of Iran. He was deposed and the planes fell into the hands of the Mullahs. Rumors abound of how the American technicians sabotaged the weapon systems before they were kicked out of the country. Coupled with a parts embargo by the U.S. this reduced the Iranian F-14 fleet to museum pieces. The last time they were used in combat was during the Iran/Iraq war of 1980 and even then they were used as airborne controllers rather than weapons.
In light of the upgrade of the Sukhoi and the story of the "Buried MiG", a question has to asked. Have the Iranians upgraded their Tomcats? Intelligence estimates are still guarded. A F-14 "pimped" by the French (or Russians) poses a real challenge to the U.S. and her allies.

Fortress Under Fire

2007-11-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

This is me at the National Aerospace museum in December of 1981.

In the background is the life sized mural by Keith Ferris, "Fortress Under Fire". Life sized in that from the viewing platform (where I'm standing) the B-17 is scaled to have the nose just touch the wall as if it's was flying into the room.

Keith Ferris specializes in historically hyper accurate paintings.

This image is the 25 foot high by 75 foot wide mural in the World War II Gallery of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. The B-17G, 42-38050, “Thunder Bird” of the 303rd Bomb Group, based at Molesworth, England, is seen at 11:45 AM, 15 August 1944, over Trier, Germany, on its return to base from a mission to Weisbaden. B-17Gs “Bonnie B”, “Special Delivery”, and “Marie”, are seen below as a Messerschmidt 109G and Focke Wulf FW 190 attack “Thunder Bird’s” element. Ferris’ research for the mural revealed the names and aircraft identities of all U.S. and many German participants in this battle in which the 303rd lost nine Fortresses in this attack by Luftwaffe fighters.

“Thunder Bird” was to continue on as a “new crew” aircraft to reach 112 bombing missions. A total of 539 crew members flew bombing missions in “Thunder Bird.”

A woman once took her adult son to see the mural, As they stood there she explained that his father was a B-17 pilot during the war in which he was killed. "Your father flew a bomber much like this", she told her son. Upon a closer look she exclaimed, "My God, that IS your father in the cockpit!"

Ferris had researched the crew that day and did in fact paint portraits of each crew member visible in the mural.

Foreflight- Flight Planner for the iPhone

2007-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

Stumbled on to a really cool flight planning tool. It's called Foreflight and it's for the iPhone. With easy access to airport maps, radio frequencies, weather forecasts and more it's like having Jeppesen at your fingertips.

The question begging to be asked is, "Has the Foreflight been approved by the FAA?" At this point, it's unclear. Stay tuned for further developments on this great new tool.

View Demo

TWO

2007-11-21T02:09:00.000-08:00

The Four things a Wingman is authorized to say are:
1. "Two".
2. "Two is BINGO fuel."
3. "Lead is on fire."
4. "I'll take the fat one".

The Four things an Assistant Crew Chief is authorized to say are:
1. "I already fixed that."
2. "I'll stay late."
3. "I'm going for beer."

4. "I'll take the fat one."