ironroad

B-21 Full Budget Appropriations? B-21 FWA B-21 Contract Steering B-21 Golden Parachute B-21 OIG

https://archive.org/details/76954InCorsairTradition

Tornado crews took the brunt of the air fight during the 1st Gulf War.

At least for a few more years, based on the confirmation from the "big boss". Secretary of Defense Ash Carter this week confirmed what had been rumored for months: The Air Force's ground attack jet, the inelegant but well-armed and well-armored A-10 Thunderbolt, nicknamed the "Warthog," will not face retirement until at least at least six years. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/04/politics/air-force-to-keep-a-10-flying/

For engine start up in the Raptor? Some good footage of Oregon, Massachusetts, and Seymour Johnson birds as well.

My father still remembers it 60+ years later after sitting across the boarder from the Soviets.

With all the panacea and paranoia, you probably could convince a federal or state government entity to give you funding for this. Sure the result would be a rain of lead, parts, and other debris on the streets below but the fact that it would make an agency "look" like they are solving a non-existent problem would be enough to satisfy many.

Bad idea, looking to have a lot of bird's "clipped" and permanently f-ed up, particularly since a lot of larger RC aircraft now use carbon fiber or metal reinforced props. Then again someone has to justify the time and money spent for all of the faux panacea. "Ohh scary technology that I refused to pay attention to for the past 70 years"

Just finished another DACT video featuring the 142d Fighter Wing (123rd Fighter Squadron) of the Oregon Air National Guard. I had to mix several tracks to get the effect I wanted, I'm still not 100% pleased with the final result.

Just finished another DCS training video. This video features F-15s from the 144th Fighter wing/194th Fighter Squadron of the California Air National Guard, mixing it up with F-5E/N Tiger IIs of the Naval Reserve. The video is part of my "Go Guard" series which features each state unit that operates F-15s. And also a capture I just finished of an 144th bird taking gas http://ironroad.deviantart.com/art/Working-the-Pipe-586392067 A big thanks to Tom Weiss of Lockonfiles.com for the awesome 144th FW skin.

I remember CNN stayed on constantly at my house and my mother was always going to pieces when there were mentions US or allied causalities (her brother had gotten called up and deployed). Years later my uncle told me he was out in the desert of Saudi Arabia when the scud hit the barracks housing American troops. He had just been there a few hours before getting supplies for his men. He said it took him a long time to get over that, particularly as two guys he knew did not come back home. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/26/world/war-in-the-gulf-scud-attack-scud-missile-hits-a-us-barracks-killing-27.html Some popular video documentaries made during the Gulf War victory wave of the 1990s. History of US air power with a segway into the Gulf War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMmaFzbCqZE Topical Documentary of the Air and Ground War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGJ3BuUidI Navy and Marine Aircraft of the Gulf War (I always tear up watching the F-14 and A-6 segment).

Oh god yes, I'm still sipping drinks two days after. To quote Hank Hill "It was the sweetest cup of Gatorade ever tasted".

3 feet and rising at my house, ironically that is the current album I'm listening to. Can't make this @*#& up...

You brought this upon us!

I remember watching that movie and then calling the suicide hot-line mid-way through. That was the day I learned to hate...

I have always been partial to my home state, well independent home city, which has its National Guard units based in a nearby state; but both of Oregon's ANG wings (the interceptor and training squadrons) have pretty badass tail art. Their art rivals anything you would in one of the Navy's or Marine Corps old fightin squadrons.

A great innovator who embraced all forms of music and people from hard rock, soul, funk, disco, pop, and R&B. God bless you Ziggy Stardust!

Sorry for the long ranting post, but something about this really bothers me, it makes me wonder "what's next"? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 21st of December marks the first day of DOTs/FAA requirement for any rc aircraft over .55 oz to be registered with the United States Federal Government. What does that mean? ANYONE flying something in the airspace, regardless if you are operating from private property, flying your kid's Christmas toy, or flying with professionals an rc/hobby event, has to register they name and address as if they were registering a full-sized aircraft. http://techcrunch.com/2015/12/21/the-faas-drone-registration-site-is-now-up-and-running/ http://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-to-require-most-drones-to-be-registered-and-marked-1450110318 http://www.cnet.com/news/heres-what-you-need-to-know-to-register-your-drone/ How did this come to be? In my opinion, the same way most regulations in the U.S. have been brought about in the last three decades (across multiple presidential administrations and multiple sessions of Congress), knee-jerk reactions to the government's inability to keep up with modern consumer technology and look ahead to possible trends instead of political infighting and political careers. Now I have always been moderate in my views and have a pretty decent understanding of how our U.S. federal system works (political science, governmental administration, and history were my areas of concentration as an undergraduate many years ago). I have come to the conclusion that "knee jerk" reactions in law and rule making making almost always lead to more problems down the road for everyone, including those "making" them. RC flying has existed as a hobby since the late 1930ss. "Drones" (a term that has been perverted by the media and a clueless public to mean any RC aircraft with a camera) have existed since the tail end of World War II, as their development was pretty much on par with guided munitions/"smart bombs" (something the public thinks has only existed since the 1991 Persian Gulf War). However, since most RC aircraft no longer require hours of building and tinkering in the garage and even more hours of flying time, anyone at any skill level can get their hands of something that uses to only be a niche market for enthusiast with time and money on their hands. Can RC aircraft kill? Yes, for decades hobbyist have noted that their hobby requires skill and patience and bad accidents can happen. But unlike the gasoline and kerosene powered beasts of yesteryear most of the available aircraft on today's market are battery powered and are made of cheap polymers, foams, and plastics. But the worry about today's aircraft isn't about accidental killing, but more about worries by people who are professional "meddlers". On one hand, you have government employees/agencies looking to justify their positions and budgets. They believe that there is some secret terrorist society training to strap sticks of dynamite to rc toys in order to fly them into important places or people, something reminiscent of one of Wile E Coyote's schemes to catch the road runner (most consumer rc aircraft can barely lift their own weight, let alone alone an extra pound of explosive material). Then there are the "rubes" who believe that there is a secret society of expertly trained RC perverts, hiding in the shadows ready to spy on their home, property, and children. If the government does not take care of the "drone problem" then grandpa and his shotgun will. I really see this whole "ruling" by DOT/FAA ending badly for all parties, either through sheer embarrassment or by litigation. The executive did an "end-run" around Congress's own laws/mandates that initially declared RC aircraft were a hobby and could not be regulated by the FAA http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/hr658_020112.pdf . They got around it by getting the DOT to declare anything over a certain weight an "aircraft", but they stopped short of calling any RC hobbyists "pilots". IMHO, due to the niche nature of the hobby, it is low enough on the pole for most people not to care (unless they think the gang of perverted terrorist are coming to track them down) and just enough legal play with words that certain categories won't draw the attention of Congress and the courts. In my opinion, too little regulation leads to large catastrophic problems later, either in the system or in society at large and too much regulation stifles rights, innovation, and growth. Ideally it would be a "zero sum" gain, everyone would either get something or no one anything. But in some cases it is best to completely leave government/bureaucracy completely out for the good of personal rights and freedoms. A bad precedent has been set.

How long can you make it through this thread before laughing (giggles count)? Rules: Anyone who replies must post at least one thing (image, gif, video, story, etc.) but no more than 3. No particular theme, can be random stuff. I'm not 100% sure on Combatace's rules, but please keep it safe for work (SFW) for everyone's sake. Not trying to run afoul of anyone here. Have fun, I'll start...

The 911 one almost got me, worse because I know, work with, and are related to a lot of cops.

Idiots, I have been told it takes many miles to slow down a tanker.

Well at least post something and challenge the next person

You are correct, there is no "explicit" right to "hobbies" in the Constitution or a lot of things for that matter (privacy is a good example). The Constitution says what the government "can't" legally do to you and there are individual rulings, statues, laws, regulations, rules, etc. that do explicitly say what individual citizens can and can't do. Likewise, there are many instances of inherent rights, common customs, etc. that all levels of government generally recognize, sort of a notion of "You can do your thing so long as it isn't illegal, unethical, and doesn't not infringe upon the rights of others." The part of "You must register and re-register every 3 years or face up to $27,500 in civil fines and up to $250,000 or 3 years in jail in criminal penalties seems like a rule/regulation to me. Then there is that pesky Congressional mandate that explicitly says the FAA can't promulgate any rules on hobbyist and hobby aircraft. No the general rule of thumb for the past 30-40years has been the FAA doesn't regulate airspace under a certain altitude, unless it is for an emergency, national security event, etc. and RC hobbyist have to stay in line of sight and can't interfere with air operations or any registered aircraft. Most people doing stupid stuff with RC aircraft haven't been fined by FAA/DOT, they have been busted by local authorities for variations of "reckless endangerment", "disturbing the peace", or have faced civil law suits from private individuals. As for the tangent on guns, that was established as part of the Constitution, as well as the constitutions of many states (some whose laws and constitutions predate the establishment of our current republic). Of course there are a lot of idiotic, negligent, and careless people in this country. And many of them legally possess a fire arm...

Ahhh come on Dave, try to keep your composure Think of the Children... Cover your face with your hands... At least do it for them...