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Didn't have to admit it. It was taken for granted.

I wasn't a boat driver, but we were part of CTF-116, the Brown Water Navy out of Binh Thuy. We, along with the Seawolves, flew lots of cover for the boats, and shot for them an awful lot. Those guys had balls, puttering up and down those narrow canals and the rivers. They were sitting ducks...

OK, here's what happens at these reunions. Squadron members drift in, and get a drink. They begin to recognize old friends. You are surprised at how old they got. You didn't. As the evening wears on, and the drinks flow; 1. "That" night got darker. 2. The weather got worse. 3. The...

I've never seen that particular ordnance load. We never flew it that way.

We used to always fill an empty back seat with anyone who wanted to go. Took lots of SEALs and river boat drivers, our own maintainers, as well as other visitors. We also had a steady flow of pilots from the various boats off the coast come fly with us for the fun of it. We had two A-7 types...

Any more of this, and us old guys will actually start believing our own Sea Stories. Seriously, as a group we are extremely proud and honored to see this continuation of our name and insignia.

He got his first choice, Super Cobras. He's really pumped up. And yes, he's on AW.

Almost three years ago I posted a thread titled "A Big Day", reporting that I had just pinned my original wings on my daughter. A few days ago I was honored to pin those same, 40 year old wings on my son. Needless to say, I am obnoxiously, disgustingly proud. One Navy and one Marine Naval...

These are the people that gave us Monty Python.

I hate to admit it, but A4s is right.

We are. We are all keeping in touch with each other about this.

One of the great joys in life is night strafing runs using the SUU-11 7.62 mini-gun. That thing was like an orange garden hose, and accurate enough to use within 5 meters of friendlies. Good times. My favorite weapon.

I took our family there for Christmas two years ago. Absolutely incredible resort. Beautiful hotel, beautiful town, great scenery, and lots of things to do. PM me for details.

This was found (accidentally, we were told) by overhead photos just as it was being completed. It was dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster, like Pags said, and it was thought to be less of an armed threat that a large ground-effect assault craft, flying a large number of troops across the water for a...

The OP's video was shot after my time. They were wearing two-piece poopy suits. Ours were heavy cotton one-piece weapons of discomfort. I was in RF-2, the second class to try a new system. 10 days in Indoc, wondering what the hell we had gotten ourselves into, then half of the pilot...

I think right after the tires (left right left right) there was a low (3 ft) barrier that we vaulted over, then the left turn to the 12 ft wall. After the 8 ft wall there was a "crawl-under", then some balance beams. All of it was pretty straight forward, but it was the sand that killed you...

Love my 35 Whelen. I plan on using it on my next moose hunt. I'll use Nosler partition bullets, which have never failed me.

If you're hunting moose and think you might stumble across a brown bear, don't bother with a pistol for protection. Best solution is two steps: 1. Wear running shoes. 2. Hunt with a fat guy wearing a pork chop suit. Works every time.

Well put. Clear, concise, and eloquent. +1

Your opening salvo, the license plate frame, was pretty good, but his return fire hammered you. Great move on his part! But, in all fairness, you showed large stones to post the thing here.

In VT-2, flying T-28's at Whiting, on days with questionable weather and sitting around waiting for a break, one instructor, a former A-1 pilot, would set up a projector and show his home movies he made with his hand-held 8mm "Super-8" camera of the first US airstrike on Haiphong. No matter how...

This fine young Marine Officer has the same last name as me, so that obviously means two things. 1) He is of unimpeachable character, and 2) he is a long-lost relative, who will no doubt want to share the wealth with his extended family. I urge each and every one of you to support this...

God, I love internet porn.

The bill is in the mail. You just haven't gotten it yet because you keep moving that damn Puma.;)

Then how did we do it? Fresh out of the training command, nothing but T-34, T-28, and S-2 time, yet we managed to do it. Not to burst their balloon, but "all the knowledge for the mission" is an overstatement. What they need to learn about the flying can be taught in a few months in a RAG...

Two bedroom, two and a half bath condo on SPI for rent. Newer building (3 years old), in small four unit complex. Tile floors throughout first floor, granite countertops, washer/dryer, refrigerator, one-car garage. Other SNA's in complex. To top it all off, this was once the home of...

Four things to do. 1. When you get to API, check at Student Control for other guys looking for room-mates. 2. Grow some stones. 3. Start acting like a big guy. You will be surrounded by grown-up men and women. 4. Never, ever let anyone in your class know about your post. Being...

Following a year in Viet Nam I got orders to J-2 at HQ USEUCOM. At the time there were 13 Generals and Admirals there. VERY Air force, and lots of Army. Very few Navy, even fewer Marines. As a result, we all made it a point to support one another. Great to see Navy stepping in...

Beautiful, vibrant city. Wide-open attitude. The Peninsula Hotel, with the last few British colonial types sitting around drinking Gin and Tonics. Shopping at the China Fleet Club. When you entered, you had to take an elevator to the third floor. When you stepped out of the elevator, a...

The Republic of South Viet Nam notified the squadron that they would be presenting a several of us with their Cross of Gallantry awards. They come in three levels; Bronze, Silver, and Gold, representing corps, army, and national, or something like that. They were allocated by rank, with the...

In Viet Nam we were awarded two points for a combat flight during which we took fire, and one point for a combat flight during which we shot, but took no return fire. Obviously, there was a wide divergence in how these points were tallied. Some guys had such good eyes that they were able to see...

Read this post twice. This is the real reason you guys worked your butts off in flight school, and hang your ass out on every mission. Its for these guys. Thanks for reminding these guys, Widow.

Always a pleasure to have another "old guy" on site. Welcome aboard.

You can be present at your son's winging ceremony, and you and your family will be invited to go up on stage (or in front of the flag) and pin his new wings on. They will have a set of wings for him and all you have to do is tell the presiding officer "No thanks, I brought his grandfather's...

For the Mausers, look for the following: 1. NEVER buy a Mauser built between 1943 and the end of the war. 2. Czech Brno Mausers are excellent. If you come across one with "VZ-24" stamped on the side rail, its a top quality action. If you find one that has "VZ-33" stamped on the side...

Looks like a Marine NOGS bird (Night Obsevation and Gunship ). No M60s in the sponsons, FLIR unit under the nose, 20mm cannon under the fuselage, locked forward. They were quite a bit lighter than a regular OV-10A with hard points and a full bag of ordnance. We had two of them come over and...

Great mission, lots of fun, and very rewarding. But I've got to admit, I sure took solace knowing there was an engine on each side of me. Down low and slow in the weeds, pissing people off, sooner or later one of those bad guys are going to get off a lucky shot and shut down one of your...

Except loiter for hours, place Zunis five meters from our guys, carry flares for lighting up extractions, work targets under a very low overcast, cover dust-offs and helo extractions, get to troops in contact faster that helos, act as a FAC, act as a convoy escort, stuff like that. The...

With our normal load in the OV-10 (12 5 inch Zunis, one pod of 19 2.75 inch rockets, four internal M-60s, SUU-11 minigun, and a pod of flares for night work) you won't be launching it from the deck of many ships. We needed a pretty long roll, especially in hot weather.

Its a fun airplane to fly, and it was a fun mission to fly. If they bring it back, it will still be a fun airplane to fly. They'll find a way to suck the fun out of the mission.

Yup. Here's another one.

Wait a minute. Let me catch my breath......... It wasn't so much the aircraft that got the job done, it was the mission and the ROE's. The AF put so many restrictions on themselves they had trouble providing quick-response CAS. So did the Marines. The Navy placed very few rules and...

Don Winter is a great guy. Personable, easy-going, good sense of humor, but scary-smart and can really focus on what's important. He once gave a talk in the morning to a bunch of engineers and designers about a new satellite system, then to a bunch of Boy Scouts about the same system in the...

I was looking for one last year for my daughter's winging, and ran into the same problems. Abingdon is a line of watches they tout as "made specifically for the female aviator", but they are HUGE. I would second Schnugg's suggestion for the Rolex Yachtmaster. Another suggestion would be the...

Best source I've found is Huntington's, in Oroville CA. www.huntingtons.com They seem to have just about everything.

This thread is AW's Christmas gift to all of us. Absolute proof that there really is a Santa Claus. Merry Christmas to RickRoss and AirlinesSuck, and thanks for this wonderful gift of entertainment. You have made an old guy feel like a puppy with two dicks. Best Christmas thread ever!

This thread is AW's Christmas gift to all of us. Absolute proof that there really is a Santa Claus. Merry Christmas to RickRoss and AirlinesSuck, and thanks for this wonderful gift of entertainment. You have made an old guy feel like a puppy with two dicks. Best Christmas thread ever!

I wouldn't read too much into the fact that he was a Naval Aviator. I think its more important that he has a manageable ego, and is able to listen to the good counsel of those under him. Most important, he needs to be a good administrator. It is impossible for any one man to know everything...

^^^^^ Well said.