Y'all do what you want....

[Buckrub]

but as for me......I ain't flying on no commercial airliner to NOWHERE!! Especially to some other country.

Geez.

[BarryBobPosthole]

It hasn't been a very good week for air travel has it?

But on a positive note, gas prices are coming down just as I get ready to drive to Canada in a couple of weeks! Of course, getting excited about three dollar friggin gas is kind of stupid.


BKB

[Sunshine]

I haven't flown since I went to Florida, to meet Jim and gator hunt with Gator.
I only travel by train or vehicle.

[Thumper]

If I could ... I'd hop on a plane this afternoon and head for the other side of the world. I've missed traveling more than anything else I can think of since my medical problems kicked in. The ONLY reason I ain't leavin' the country nowadays is the fear of infection. Once that open wound closes up ... I'll be itchin' to travel again.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Hopefully there'll be a C5-A available to haul your lard over there by then.

BKB

[Thumper]

If I keep going at the rate I've been going ... I may need just that. I wonder if the Loadmaster will be able to get the plane balanced out with me in there?

[BarryBobPosthole]

Just get all the gravel out of your tread and you'll be fine. Those old loadmasters were some persnickety mofos. I remember once we were loading up at Fort Hood to go home after a month in the field and the Loadmaster made us drive about 10 miles to a wash rack to wash our friggin deuce and halfs because there was FOD in the treads. The deal was, the road to the wash racks was a frickin gravel road. GD Air Force. I ended up driving the squadron commander's jeep to to the wash rack and it had that nice little bird on the front of it. So my buddy and I turned on the bubble light on top and hauled ass. Those army dudes were saluting us left and right. Made me feel kinda important!


BKB

[Thumper]

Or impotent? ;)

Reminds me of the time I stole a set of tires off the base commander's car in Utapao, Thailand (huge B-52 base). I was an MP at the time and two other sergeant's (Green & Winters) and I would set up races at night between the base and the deep water port in Southern Thailand. (we were running 350 cid Chevy Chevelle patrol cars). I kept tearing up tires, so I cruised to the back of the motor pool one night and spotted the Commander's vehicle there awaiting service the next morning. It even had all the dang flags and crap stuck in the holders (yes I was tempted, but I left them alone). ;)

Anyway, I drove my patrol vehicle back there like 3:00 am one morning and swapped my set of frigging recaps ... (yes, the MP's ran gosh danged RECAPS) ... for his nice new set of Goodyear Polyglas tires. Man-o-man, I was uptown then and smoked my competition night after night! Heck, WE were the police department and I never heard a word about the "theft". For all I know, nobody even knew the difference! :D

[Thumper]

P.S. My brother was a Loadmaster on a C-130. ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

I've ridden on one or two C 130's. Rough as a cob.

BKB

[Big Muddy]

I made one trip on a C-130 outta Ft. Knox in '74....it was an old rickety wore-out sumbuck....the big back door fell half-way open, just as we lifted off the runway....loadmaster screamed over the intercom to the pilot....pilot said, " that's impossible"....no warning lights were on his dashboard....loadmaster screamed again...."well, if you don't believe me, bring your azz back here, and see for yourself."
Pilot started making a 180 back to the base, just as the loadmaster, finally, got the manual over-ride working, and the door closed, but not completely....about a 4 inch gap remained open....we had to listen to that tremendous roar of air, the entire trip.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Heck I don't know how you heard anything over the roar of those things anyways. They'd always hand out the bubble gum ear plugs and it never failed that somebody thought they were real gum and pop one in their mouth. Usually a second lt.

BKB

[jb]

Never rode a C130, roughest ride I ever had was on a Chinook going from a carrier to land, damn motors felt like they were out of sinc., thing just shaked, rattled and rolled, was glad when we landed.

[Captain]

Load master forgot to tie this load down and on take off it all went to the back.


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=848705905154229&id=209607195730773

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[Thumper]

Ha! I know what you mean Bubba. The first time I was aboard a "Shit-hook" I asked what was wrong with the thing. The crew looked at me like I was crazy.

Spent MANY hours on C130's, C-141's and C-5A's ... that C5 was a BIG MF'er .... you could get lost in one'a those!

Reminds me of a Thump story ... probably told it before, who knows?

When I left beautiful S.E. Asia ... I was debriefed and put aboard a commercial Pan Am flight back to the states. Next thing I know, we landed in Guam and a Jeep load of MP's escorted the Commanding Officer to the plane. The CO stood by his car as the MP's boarded the plane. They walked on, shouted my rank/name, I stood up and they said, "Come with us Sergeant."

Crap! I figured they went through my luggage and found the handmade/hand-carved bamboo bong a villager in Cambodia made for me as a going away gift! ;)

They loaded me in the car and escorted us back to the base ... not a word was said. In the meantime, I looked back and that nice commercial airliner was taking off for the States! The Commander took me into his office, closed the door and told me according to the computer, I was the only one passing through within the next 72 hours with a security clearance high enough (Top Secret Crypto) to perform a certain task for him. I informed him I'd already been debriefed and he said, "Consider yourself RE-BRIEFED!!" He handcuffed a briefcase to my wrist, strapped a Colt 1911 around my waist and informed me to let NOBODY on "my" aircraft until General "somebody" (don't remember his name) relieved me of the briefcase in Honolulu!

Ok, so then they load me onto a frigging C5A Galaxie full of equipment leaving 'Nam ... the only humans aboard were myself and the crew. We land in Hawaii, the back cargo door drops open and a bunch of frigging U.S. Dept. of Agriculture dudes with sprayers immediately come parading up the ramp spraying for bugs. I ordered them off my f'ing aircraft and the head dude says he can have me arrested for interfering with the process. Dang! I was on my way home after being overseas for over 3 years! I didn't really need this turmoil. I put my hand on the .45 and again ordered them off my f'ing aircraft! About that time, the General showed up surrounded by a bunch of his aides and proceeded to chew the Ag. guys a new asshole. They whisked me off the plane, took the briefcase, sent me on a little mini-vacation to tour the island and set me up with a flight home within the next day or two.

To this day, I have absolutely no clue what was in that briefcase!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Some weed probably.

BKB

[FooBang]

Flying tomorrow half-way around the world. Gonna be looking out the window for MiGs and SAMs. Not much I can do about them, though I s'pose. Flying the same route in 1989, the pilot had us return to our seats when we were flying near Sakhalin, USSR. He told us we received a "perimiter violation alert." Mind you, this is only 5 years after the Ruskies shot down a civilian airliner in the *exact* same place. I was looking out the window then, too.

[Hombre]

Flew 10 hours on Monday with no issues, and have around 200,000 miles this year. No real worries.

[Thumper]

What is your job situation these days Foo? Any chance we'll be neighbors again?

[FooBang]

Starting up my own company. Tired of making money for the man. I may be down in your neck of the woods, Thumpy; I have some leads on clients in St. Pete.

[Thumper]

Cool! Believe me, I know what you mean about "making money for the man". I went through the same thing. Quitting my high-paying job, selling out, relocating and starting a business from the ground up was one of the scariest things I ever did ... ESPECIALLY since I dumped my career (due to "career burn-out") and started with something I knew nothing about. In hindsight ... it was one of the best things I ever did. Good luck with it. That takes balls.

[FooBang]

Thanks, Thumpy! This is the time to do it.. Not getting any younger. I've had a solid career and some experience points behind me, so we'll see if that carries some weight!

[Chicken Dinner]

Good luck and don't forget us little people.

[Buckrub]

Say hi to Cliffie and Chessie on your way up, and try to hire Posthole. He needs a second career and is real smart. Block his internet access, though. And I hope you make enough money to buy two small northern states. Good luck. Someday let us know what it is you be's doin'.......

[BarryBobPosthole]

If you need an Ideas Man, I'm your man!

BKB

[Captain]

If you need an Ideas Man, I'm your man! BKB

Or just a general all around noticer.... ;)

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[BarryBobPosthole]

Larke, all of the top Ideas Men are championship noticers.

BKB

[Captain]

Check,
And if he needs an SD man I'm in with flying colors!
Best there is for the price I charge. :D

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[BarryBobPosthole]

Those green toes are all the resume' you need.

BKB

[Buckrub]

I can't even notice what "SD" stands for.

Foo, don't hire me for any reason. One, I'd just waste the money. Two, I truly don't know how to do anything. Three, I have a bad attitude. Four, too many others need jobs worse than I do. Five, I'm very, very lazy. Six, work annoys me. Seven, I hate paying taxes.

There's more, but see #5.........

[Thumper]

SD = Shit Disturber

Hey Foo ... if'n ya' needs a lady's man ... I'm your man! ;)