navychief

Hey Nick According to my server, the emails I am sending you are not going through. Please let me know if you received an email from me yesterday. Thanks, Pete

It was 1973, and I had just reported to NATC Patuxent River, MD, to North Site Maintenance. I was immediately assigned to the Line Division, to begin training as an A-7 Corsair Plane Captain. The maintenance outfit I was assigned to, as with most of NAS Pax River, had a lot of civilian contract maintenance. The F-14 Tomcat was new to the fleet, and North Site Maintenance was constantly performing tests on this revolutionary aircraft. It was truly a sight to behold. The Tomcat was, and still is, sheer beauty. Why, it looks as if it is flying at Mach 2 just sitting in chocks on the flightline. One particular day, however, I recall a tragic accident. The maintenance crew (all civilians) were conducting some type of run-up on the engines. All of a sudden, all of the control surfaces went haywire. The flaps went to full down position, and crushed the operator of the NC-8 that was providing power for startup. The computer which controlled the flight surfaces malfunctioned. I don't know if this was truly the case, but that's the story that was passed around. It was the first time I ever witnessed a fatality. Immediately following that accident, they instituted a policy of attaching an extension to the NC-8 cord to place it out of range of aircraft flight control surfaces. I am sad that the Tomcat is being phased out. It has served the US Navy proudly, to be sure. GO NAVAIR. Navy Chief

I do not have the knowhow to create them, but I wish someone would create some of the older carriers for FS9, such as the Independence, Saratoga, Coral Sea, Constellation, etc..... Just a thought for us old salts. Navy Chief

Hey Nick, I did some searching on Flightsim.com, and found that Bruce Baker had created the USS Lexington for FS9 (which I have not been able to get to work properly). He also created the USS Midway, but is for CFS2, and not sure it will work ok in FS9. I still am not able to find carriers such as the Independence or Saratoga for FS9. Hopefully they'll be available soon! Thanks, NC

I USED to like Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams; but not any more. Both of them have used their celebrity status to shoot off their mouths about their political views. I really don't care what their beliefs are. The only thing they accomplish when they spout off such garbage, is alienate themselves from fans, and make themselves appear totally ignorant. Navy Chief

Well, what about this one..... Heh, heh.... Navy Chief

Did you know that Alice Cooper "ran" for President once? Yep. Against Richard M. Nixon. I drove limousine for Alice once, back in the late 70s (during my 4 1/2 yrs of broken service) in Indianapolis. The man is no dummy. I think he actually has a Masters in Buisness degree. I remember he had a Boa Constrictor named, "Angel". The limousine had to be a certain temperature before the snake was allowed to be in it. Angel traveled in a cage, and they would place it in the front seat with the driver. Alice is a nice guy, for sure, though. Navy Chief

I was with Attack Squadron Fifteen (VA-15), from 1981 to 1984. We deployed on USS Independence (CV-62) on June 7, 1982 for a Med cruise, with 12 A-7E Corsairs. Shortly after transiting the "pond", we met up with USS Eisenhower. She was about to outchop to head towards home. Flight ops were in process as normal, when word came down that our "nugget" (a new pilot on his first deployment) had done something VERY stupid. I remember walking into M/C (Maintenance Control), and seeing the M/C Master Chief doubled over, laughing hysterically. The M/C Officer was also smiling, but right about that moment the CO walked in. Everyone in M/C became immediately silent. The skipper said to send the nugget to see him in the Ready Room as soon as he got back from his flight. The nugget arrived shortly thereafter, and was told to go see the skipper in the Ready Room. He looked embarassed, sheepish, and scared. What had happened, was that he somehow got confused when flying in the pattern for a trap on the Indy, and he landed on the Eisenhower by mistake, instead. Both carriers were operating in the same vicinity. He trapped on the Ike, and instead of allowing him to immediately cat off again, the Air Boss parked him, shut him down, and had him go see the Ike's skipper to explain how he landed on the wrong ship. In the meantime, the flight deck crew of the Ike plastered USS Eisenhower bumper stickers all over the external tanks of his Corsair. By the time he catapulted off the Ike, his aircraft looked like a NASCAR aircraft; not a NAVAIR aircraft. The pilot went to the Ready Room, and entered. Upon seeing him, the skipper ushered everyone out, and immediately started yelling. You could hear the yelling above everything else. No one had ever seen the CO that mad. He was beyond pissed. The pilot's name isn't even in the cruise book. Within a day or so of the incident, he was flown off the ship, and I believe he resigned his commission. The crew of the Ike definitely got a kick out of it, and the CO of the Indy caught quite a lot of flack about it too. True story. Navy Chief

Well, I must say I really wasn't too surprised to see that someone has created this type of site. You can easily surmise from the url itself what to expect. Heh, heh.... http://www.createfarts.com/ Navy Chief

Of course, the question will be asked, "Hey Chief, just how and why did YOU go to that site? Survey says!: Well, because I looked closely at the picture I had posted on a previous message, and the URL was for "Createafart.com". But that site is dead, and I went ahead and did a search; not actually thinking I would find anything. Wrong. Hmmmm.....I would wager to say that an Ordie may have created the site. Would I be way off, Firehawkordy? HA! Navy Chief

Here's a sea story. There was a Senior Chief in VFA-83 who I could not stand. We constantly butted heads. His name was Lankford. Anyway, we worked opposite shifts. He worked the 0700 to 1900 Maint. Control shift, and I worked 1900 to 0700 shift as the Aircraft Div. CPO. Smoking is not allowed in the CPO coop (or "Goat Locker", as is commonly known) but that jerk would, and blow smoke into my rack area when I was sleeping. I would wake up choking. So I decided to get some revenge. I went to the CPO galley one night, and ate a considerable about of baked beans with bacon, and just for "flavor", I topped it off with some boiled eggs. I let things "ripen" for a while, and then backed my butt up to Lankford's rack and let it rip. Not only did I wake that (expletive witheld) up, but I cleared out the entire coop. He didn't bother me again with his smoke. Heh, heh, heh.... Navy Chief By the way, that's not me in the picture. I found it on a search, and thought it was a cool picture. Typical sailor, though. Especially of an Ordie!!! Heh, heh.

What about the other P-3 squadrons, Charlie? What is the projected timeframe to transition to the next generation aircraft? NC

I made an offer on this today. Sure hope I get it. 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths. Sits on 6 1/2 acres on a mountain ridge in Tennesee. Also has a barn, and another building that could be turned into a guest houe. Peaceful, plenty of land, and best of all....no rental cabins nearby, so NO tourists! Wish me luck. Navy Chief

I had the house inspected yesterday. THe inspector found some problems concerning the construction of the trusses in the attic. The owner built the house himself in 95. Instead of using metal joist connectors to reinforce the truss intersections, he used scrap lumber. The heat in the attic has caused the scrap lumber connectors to curl, and in some cases, crack. They will all have to be replaced. Also, the entire outside of the house needs to be sealed. The wood is so dry that some of the planks are pulling away from the house; especially on the side that catches most of the sun. Lastly, the hot water heater has some exposed wiring, and is not on a pan, with plumbing to vent excessive pressure, etc.... When the seller receives his copy of this report on Monday, it will be interesting to see his reaction. I am hoping he will lower the price of the house so we can have the necessary repairs done. If not, I guess I will be looking for another house. The story continues.... Navy Chief

Clever, Cowboy....clever! Thanks! Navy Chief

Can you just imagine if the Tomcat had been used in 'Nam what hell it would have rained down on the Vietcong???? I would not have wanted to be a gook, seeing a Tomkitty come screamin' over the treetops. Heck, I am sure the Phantoms had them running for their tunnels. Navy Chief

Well, the closing for the house is set for 15 September. The inspection of the house was done this morning, and the man was very thorough. I am hoping the sellers will agree to a lower price, and allow me to have necessary repairs done, instead of them doing the repairs themselves. Anyway, things are moving quickly, and we are gathering boxes to pack. THAT, I am NOT looking forward to. Arrrrghhhhh! Navy Chief

There's a good article about this very subject at: http://www.news.navy.mil/search/print.asp?...getype=1&page=1 As a side note, I once posted a story about my ride in a F-14A, way back in the early 70s. It was with LCDR Kurt Dose, who was with the test center at the time. I vividly remember the ride, especially the feeling of the afterburners kicking against my back. LCDR Dose put it to full throttle, and flew the jet straight up. Unbelievable. I will never forget it. 1.5 hours of pure excitement. Go Navy. Navy Chief

I remember the original Hollwood Squares very well. Paul Lynde was one the funniest comedians of all time. He could say anything and make it funny, simply from the way he spoke. The man was a genius of comedy. Navy Chief

I personally believe the Draft needs to be reinstated; but am sure the opposition would be fierce. Whatever the case, our armed forces cannot continue to be spread out as they are, and still be able to maintain adequate defense of our country in the event of attack from a major power. At least from what I can see, we are darn near sitting ducks, aren't we? I'd appreciate someone with more knowledge in this area, posting about it. Thanks, Navy Chief

Gotta agree with you in that case, Fates. Perhaps the services are just spread too thin. After all, we seem to be the armed forces "of choice" for the entire world. NC

Sorry, I don't have any sympathy for someone who joins the Reserves, and then complains when they are called upon to fullfill their obligation. You know, like when someone in the Reserves admits that they joined for the education benefits, and never thought they would actually have to fight a war. Give me a break. Read the f$%#@ing contract, buttbreath. Navy Chief

The sellers agreed to our proposal! Closing will be by the 16th of September! The only stipulation they made was that they need to be able to stay in the house two weeks after closing, because their new house may not be ready for them to move into by then. I said no problem. And so, now I can only hope MY house sells quickly. Anyone in the market for a very well cared for log home in the North GA mountains, with just under 4 acres??? Navy Chief

Finiteless, I forgot to add that I plan on getting an old farm tractor with a bushhog. Yep, we're talkin' overalls, and a cd player, playing "Greeeen Acres is the place to be.....!" , of course. Heh, heh.... NC

I am waiting to hear from my real estate agent about the counter-proposal that was sent to the seller. The first reply we got from them said that our pirce offer was ok, but they didn't want me to have their house inspected!!! Naturally, that causes all kinds of "red flags" to go up. They built that house in 95, and I have a feeling that perhaps some of it is not up to code, which would explain why they do not want a inspection. The thing is, I would never buy a house without the reassurance of an inspection by a licensed professional. The good news is my bank has given me the approval for the loan, if and when we can agree on a proposal. Will keep y'all posted. Thanks for your interest! Now, if any of you are looking for some exercise in helping me move??? HA!!!! Navy Chief