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aaaa0000aaaaa In reply to Mikes-stuff [2011-05-12 15:35:46 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.

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Mikes-stuff In reply to aaaa0000aaaaa [2011-05-12 17:45:35 +0000 UTC]

Your welcome, I love aviation. I worked 20 years at KOKC Will Rogers handling a/c and worked all of the airshows up to 93. Wish I had a penny for every gallon I pumped into these things...Lol

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aaaa0000aaaaa In reply to Mikes-stuff [2011-05-12 18:00:27 +0000 UTC]

I was in the MARINE CORPS in the 9th engineers and after I got hurt in Okinawa I was transfers to the air wing, MCAS El Toro, I learned to love airplane noise. I wish I had my love of photography then two.
I just started this photo stuff in Oct. 2010, and I am kinda in to the aircraft photos, however there is not much that happens here in Minnesota.

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Mikes-stuff In reply to aaaa0000aaaaa [2011-05-12 18:36:35 +0000 UTC]

I can relate! I can still smell the exhaust! I loved it! We had an old hangar built in 29, during the airshows windows fell out and concrete fell off...Lol Especially during the Blue Angels demos, 4 F-18s 150ft and a hair under mach! Too bad Oshkosh is so far from you...No way to see everything there, so many a/c, I could wearout a camera just over that weekend...Lol

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aaaa0000aaaaa In reply to Mikes-stuff [2011-05-12 23:31:31 +0000 UTC]

I miss the jet wash blowing the doors open on the Quonset hut next to the hanger I worked in.
The two x that now that I think about it, the three loudest jets I have heard 1. C-17 2. Harrier (AV-8) 3. British tornado. I could reminisce for quite a long time on that subject. One fun memory was when I needed some time to straighten my head I would grab a 6 pack and go out to the last runway line up light, sit cross legged just past it (so the pilots could not see me) at night,and soak up the world. I miss that.

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Mikes-stuff In reply to aaaa0000aaaaa [2011-05-13 00:34:57 +0000 UTC]

We had a AF reserve fighter unit near us. I saw F-4s and F-105s back from Vietnam. Later they ended up with all Phantoms then they got F-16s in the 80s but lost em and got KC-135s...Bummer! I missed the flybys...Lol Love the F-4s and F-16s. I loved the sound of the bleed air sys on the F-4s on approach. Most of what we handled tho was T-37s Noisy little turds...Lol Later they got T-1s, they were a pain and we got alot of rotor wing Hueys, Chinooks, Cobras later Super stallions, Blackhawks, I was surprised they kept the CH-47s so long. We did get a few Apaches but it was rare. C-141s were deafening at ground idle. Im still in awe of the C-5. We had an AN225 in a few times and saw an Su27s and Air Force one...Just crazy! I was really lucky to be there! I missed out on the C-17s, They were just coming into service when I left. We were cleared to handle armed a/c...really miss all that. Like you said...I could go on forever...Lol I didn't even mention Navy or Marine a/c short of the CH-53s...lol The shuttle did a slow pass on the back of the 747. We had an SR-71 and TR-1 at one airshow, the SR71 was headed to mothball along with a C-5 with a million airframe hrs...Crazy stuff!

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aaaa0000aaaaa In reply to Mikes-stuff [2011-05-13 01:54:26 +0000 UTC]

Damn now the memory's are flowing......I got to be shuttles around Okinawa
in 47's all the time even did some sky rigging under 'em
after that I never even had the desire to bungee jump, hahahahaha.
I had to duck 57's all the time and deal with the MRE's blowing
away or filling em with sand some times. I was medevaced
on a C-5 from Kadina AFB to San Diego, had that sucker all to my self
except for the (hot) extremity accommodating (air force reserves)
butter bar luie (yes a female) that was my personal nurse. She even stayed with me
in a 1 day layover in Hawaii. That is a long story. And for the
highlight of my time in the CORPS: It was the day the president
(Bush 1) came to our base (El Toro) for the President Ragain
library in Simi Vally.I got to ba an honorary guard for Air Force One.
AND on that very same day.....Three 1st lieutenants were arguing
about PROFESSIONALISM in a crowd of civilians. I turned around and
told them "Respectfully" that they were in fact NOT being respectful.
As they started to correct me A Sargent Major sitting two seats up on the stands
reaches over and taps the guy on the shoulder and tells him "the L/CPL is correct gentleman"
The best ever. hahahahaha.

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Mikes-stuff In reply to aaaa0000aaaaa [2011-05-13 03:02:33 +0000 UTC]

I don't blame you about the bungee jumping...Lol Rotor wash...I was parking a Chinook, he had the mains on the ground but the front wheels still aloft big time...I knew it wasn't gonna be productive for me as he rounded his turn to face me. One second I have a 25 mph wind to my back the next the rotor wash hits me and I'm floating scratch that flying backward and trying to land somewhat intact...Lol He had his visor down but I could see his mouth drop open...Hell Mine probably was too...Lol Ok it's funny now but not so much then! Riding from Kadina to San Diego had to be brain numbing if it wasn't for the company...Lol Very cool about the Honorary Guard! Especially with righting some wrongs with a little backup in the process! A friend of mine was a Gunny in charge of an armor unit garage for M1s. He was telling me he jumped a Col for entering the shop without removing his cover and the Col apologized! We had Regan on the ramp but during the leadup to that the AFB sent AP to guard the service equip. We all kept the ramp secure but usually made a point to drop by to see if they needed a coke or cup of coffee. I remember one female AP looking more like a playboy model than AP and her shirt being um a bit lower than reg, Hey it was hot out...Lol Good times!

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