ironroad

That use to be m favorite show; however, I did not get a lot of the jokes till I got a bit older. I always thought it was the channel and/or the type of channel which determined how it was censored and regulated, because even when most the cable networks switch to their late night programming (except for channels like HBO, Showtime, etc) they still keep things censored.

I just uploaded the first part of video number 11. Parts 2 and 3 already in the can and will be uploaded at a later date after some fine tuning. Enjoy!

XI Part 3 is up. The next installment will be out after the new DCS patch hits the streets. Hoping that one will have some of the US/NATO missile's kinks worked out (opps did I spill the beans for the next set of videos?) Dedicated to a flight sim that will always hold a special place in my heart. See if you can guess which one. Enjoy!

I really feel for you Dave. I hope you and your family can sort things out in the coming days and months. Been in similar situations with family members now past (thank god I got sit with my grandfather his last night) and now in a messy situation with family as my air force veteran father is loosing his cognitive/physical abilities and several family members do not want to deal with him and/or only see him as a life-insurance paycheck. No one should have it this hard, no one... What helped me take solace during situations like these is that those who passed no longer have to deal with their pain anymore. Best of luck to you all and thanks for so much you have given (to the community and your country).

Got one: The dropping of atomic weapons effectively ended World War II by costing the single most loss of life in a day. Yes and No Even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki got vaporized the Japanese military was still not prepared to surrender (see the Kyujo Incident). Even after the official surrender there were still Japanese military hold outs in the South Pacific, South East Asia, and China (see Hiroo Onoda and his 1974 surrender). Japan still had thousands of experienced troops/units in Southeast Asia and China (the Allies used some of these forces to police occupied areas after the war). Fortunately the civilians (the Emperor) in the Japanese government could see the writing on the wall and called it quits before they were probably all fire-bombed into oblivion. *Side note there was barely enough enriched material to make the first two bombs and it would have taken a long time to make more. It was good bluff by President Truman and probably besides the US leadership, only probably Stalin and his ring of spies knew this as well. Also, conventional and incendiary bombing raids, albeit using hundreds of bombers, killed more people than A-bombs ever did.

I agree somewhat, while the Luftwaffe suffered the most loses during the Battle of Britain (BOB), the RAF in the eastern sectors of the Isles was almost at its wits end. however, I believe the failure of Luftwaffe in the BOB had more to do with German high-command's (Hitler) bumbling and impatience. This was further compounded by the fact that the Luftwaffe never had a numerous dedicated full-time long-range/high-alt/strategic bombers and coastal (anti-ship/sub) units like the Allies (UK and US) did. Not withstanding, their bomber and attack pilots weren't something to be taken lightly. The Luftwaffe was the deciding factor that neutralized Allied (UK) naval superiority in the early years of the war, i.e. Norway, Greece, and North Africa. As for the BOB, the resources that would have gone to finishing off the UK was instead was diverted towards invading Russia and pacifying (enslaving) the rest of Eastern Europe.Had Hitler decided to press the attack into the UK, things could have very well turned out differently. Also, when Germany finally decided to push into the USSR, most of its experienced units and advanced equipment was committed to the battle and it stayed that way till the end of the war. Not to say that Allies had an easy go at it in North Africa, Southern Europe, France, etc. by any stretch of the imagination.

Not sure if this is repost. I have always wanted to go visit the "Mach-Loop" over in the Uk. I wonder if such low level flying and showboating happens (or is allowed to happen) in the US anymore. Outside of official training I would guess no, especially with tighter regulations, scrutiny, and budgets that stricter regulations/scrutiny, that is compounded by expanding commercial/civilian flight corridors across the the country. Perhaps somewhere in the Western US in "fly-over" country this kind of stuff still happens to get caught on camera? Then again I could see the news headlines: "Next up at 6, are high performance combat aircraft allowed to fly too fast and too aggressive?" "Our military pilots too assiduous?" "We ask former CIA janitor and senior national security corespondent what he thinks after the break..."

Happy birthday, hope you have a good one!

Xi Part 2 of 2 is up

Part 2 is up. In this installment we follow personnel of the 144th Fighter Wing (Air National Guard) as they transit eastern Europe on their way to a joint military exercise. (Please see video description for more details).

I dunno....

Its number 11. (XI Sneak Peak) From video description: Why is it that people place so much emphasis on events that occur in intervals of five and ten? Shouldn't a 22 year anniversary be as important as a 25 year one? Wouldn't a reunion be just as much fun at 7 years as it would at 10? I plan to go all out my 11th video; above is a sneak peak of things to come...

Ahhh, touché

But how well does that theory hold up against a person raised in a toxic waste dump, had parents might be close blood relatives, or conversely worked in a dynamite factory?

Ohh the Soviet jokes never get old....

Also had a lot to do with the early block F-16 IFF system (or lack there of) until the ADF variants came online wit the the "bird slicer" antennas. http://www.f-16.net/f-16_versions_article14.html

Neat! Dan Cherry later became commander of the Thunderbirds in the mid-70s.

Might be of some interest. Based on that source it seems like Eglin's and Bitsburg's eagles got the lion's share of all the kills. http://www.rjlee.org/air/ds-aakill/By%20Weapon/

and She HAS Reigned Supreme in her Domain... Been a while, but finally got some decent clips together for another video. Still toying with formatting, seems like I lost some "detail" during the multiple compressions these clips went through (DCS to FRAPs to Sony to WMV to Youtube). Still have not found a way to minimize that, while simultaneously keeping the file size down. Guest Appearances by the 67th FS and the California Air National Guard.

Learned something new today.

For any Ed Rasimus fans (When Thunder Rolled) here is a decent USAF published and released documentary featuring him and the F-105 fighter squadron he flew with during his first tour in South East Asia. From 1966-67 vintage, and a good sobering reminder of the sacrifices made during that era as a few the pilots featured in the interviews would later pay the ultimate sacrifice during that conflict.

Ditto! The same goes for just about every book, newsletter, or piece of media. Even if the creator chooses to do "do it for free" (or a charity) palms need to be greased along the way in order to "make it happen". From a strict profit and mass audience motive, I see no difference between this movie and a memoir published by (enter your favorite war hero or politician). Usually both have the same underlying motives; to tell a story and make some money. The only major difference is the medium used...

The spouse-unit took me to see it.... All I can say is... GREAT MUTHA #@$(!NG MOVIE! Lone Survivor is probably one of the better movies that have come in about a decade or so. If I had to compare it to one of the "classics" I would say that its like 84 Charlie MoPIC met Black Hawk Down and made a beautiful curl-haired love child. Forget about the common issues that normally crop-up in most media/Hollywood military-war adaptions such as: -Uniforms, patches, medals, etc. out of order -Wrong acronyms, code-names, designators, etc. -Western military and intelligence forces that have broad law-enforcement powers, responsibilities, and authorities (and vice-versa). -Infinite ammo belts, fire support, and napalm like explosions assigned to every weapon that is 20mm or larger (with no concussions or shrapnel) -Attack aircraft/helicopters that use A/A ordnance to attack ground targets, have infinite gatling-gun rounds, and or only use napalm to attack everything. -Matrix-style fight scenes that are in sync to "Dubstep" music. On its merits as a movie (not war/military) Lone Survivor tells a good story. The movie sticks to a single storyline and it does not devolve into multiple weak stories for the purpose of being politically correct or trying to please "everyone". Nor is the storyline over the top in giving god-like powers/abilities to the main characters for the purpose of making another "gun-porn" flick. The acting is decent. There are some recognizable faces mixed in with just regular extras. "Markie Mark, and his harsh New England accent play a good ole boy from Texas?" However, unlike most recent war/military movies the celebrities are shoehorned in to either appeal to the female and/or non US demographic, the characters don't feel manufactured, the dialog isn't forced, the acting seem natural. I became attached to the characters and even though I knew that the outcome of the movie was going to be, I still had hope that the guys would make it out. Me being, reserved by nature, at one point became "that guy" in the theater by shouting "OH SH!T, THEY'RE SETTING UP A PKM!" The cinematography is excellent. Whomever was the filming/technical director for this film needs to be given the key to Fort Knox and told that they are allowed to come and go as they please. They also should have a live puppy sacrificed in their honor. First, and foremost there was no over molestation/abuse of CGI. Some of the CGI was obvious, but a lot of it synced up well with the actual live film. Second, the camera angles were very well done and captured everything from facial expressions to heavy breathing. I have not seen a movie in recent times that can compare to Lone Survivor's special effects and music score. I honestly haven't. Shrapnel, rock, and earth spray/debris from explosions, noise from rounds hitting the camber. The sounds and effects really made the action come alive on screen. There were some technical inaccuracies, but they got a lot of things right (or as close as they could). Yes, the Nightstalkers do not operate CH-47Fs with 1st Cavalry Patches painted on them. The rocket pods on the AH-64s were empty. The USAF CSAR HH-60s did not have the correct insert blank. From a technical and tactics perspective there are probably lots of things that current and former military as well as enthusiast/rivet counters can harp on. But for what is public has access to, I believe this movie did a great job in the technical department. This is a movie which is meant to entertain (and somewhat inform) the masses, be it a retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. or group of kids/adolescents out on a date. I my opinion Lone Survivor is a great freakin movie. It was a nice departure from the super-hero remakes chick/teenie-bopper dramas, and the over-the-top super FBI/CIA agent assassin movies. Can understand how it could have rubbed someone the wrong way, especially those who wear the uniform everyday. However, I left the theater with an even deeper appreciation for those who have served, fought, and died (and some probably fighting as I type this) for the freedom of others.

Everything you ever wanted to know about operating the Thud from a combat veteran.

Well the Aim-120 still functions better as an unguided rocket, than a late generation guided missile. Seems like the Aim-7 got neutered too (guidance wise). Cruise missiles seem to work a lot better (animation wise and terrain following wise). Ran a short test, put 6x F-15s from the 67th FS armed with a mixed A/A load (winders, sparrows, and slammers). Up against 3x Su-27s with an IR only load. 1x IL-76 1x IL-76/A-50. Gave the Eagles every advantage I could think of. Excellent pilot ratings, better position, ceiling of 30k, AWACs support, and separated the flights about 150NM apart. Two ship leading the sweep package and right behind them was the four ship. The Eagles closed in rippled and lofted off all their radar missiles. Every last one of them either missed their target completely or fell glided to earth after the boosters quit. The Su-27s were able to get in close with ease, ripped the F-15s apart with off-boresight shots at 20K+. It took 3 aim-9s to damage the IL-76 to the point that it diverted to the nearest airfield. Only two of the three Su-27 were shot down. Ran it about two more times, similar outcomes each go round.