13. July 2010 by Andy.

Wow…I’ve way planning and anticipating to write on the 11^th this month, but I’ve been snowballed by events around here!So a little back-tracking…In May, I took my mom on a journey across southern Utah to visit the National Parks before her hip surgery in June.  But first I had to fly home to accompany mom to Salt Lake City – she doesn’t like flying much anymore let alone making her way through airports. 

First stop was Bryce Canyon NP.  It seemed that God put a divider across the mountain range then poured water down one side eroding away the rock & dirt to create an awesome view of layered rock formations!  We rode along the top of the mountain range looking down into rock formations.  Next we tried to get into Cedar Breaks NP (National Park) but they were closed due to the four feet of snow still on the roads!  So we just headed down to Zion NP.  This time we were in the canyon looking up at the rock formations!  Mom rode the bus around and back to the hotel while I ventured off on different trails to see some of the sites.  I hiked back in on one over a mile in to see this water fall, but alas I ended up finding it within 100 yards of the bus stop!  Yea the hike was nice, but I was on a time schedule to get back with mom.

Anyway, next day we woke to travel over to the Lake Powell Resort.  Yepper, the same lake area we used to fly into while navigating IR-126 into Red Flag…aaaah the days of low level flying in the canyons!  We took a 5 hour cruise to get to Rainbow Bridge NM (National Monument).  The only way to see this natural bridge is by boat, horseback riding, hiking, or 4-wheeling.  I guess you could even parachute in, but you would have to hike out.

Then we headed to Hovenweep NM – protects six prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread over a twenty-mile expanse of mesa tops.  It was a god thing we had a Ford Explorer to get back into some of those dwellings.  Then over to Natural Bridges NM to see three incredible rock bridges that were carved out by the wind, rain and river (once upon a time) before calling ti a day.Up early again to visit Canyonlands NP.  The Colorado & Green River plus their tributaries divide the park into four districts: the Needles, the Island in the Sky, the Maze and the rivers themselves.  We were able to see the Needles & the Island in the Sky.  The Maze is only accessible by hiking or horseback.  We called it quits just outside Moab, UT.  That way the next day we could see Arches NP.

If you can remember your John Wayne trivia, the Arches NP should sound familiar.  The Duke and many other Western movies were shot in this area.  What impressed mom and I was that each area had its on geology and was very different from the others!  The beauty was just fabulous along with the weather…it was very accommodating during the whole trip.

Then, June rolled in.  I journey back to Montana to be with mom while she had her left hip replaced.  I stayed for a few weeks to make sure mom could get around and be comfortable being back in her own home.  The surgery went well, but it took a few extra days for mom to recover and be allowed home.  She has therapy folks coming to the house three times a week and she is already making plans for next year…she wants to go to San Francisco to visit a Teddy Bear lady and of course see some more National Parks there in California.Anyway, this has been long, so I save some for next month…until then – fly safe!

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14. June 2010 by Ponch.

All,

 Time to post and update you all to what’s up on the west coast.  I am now a qualified Global Hawk pilot.  I passed my check ride last week…hoo-ray!  I am now filling our paperwork to get a german pilot’s licence.  Yup german,  the company has plans to send us to Germany next summer to start flight test on the Euro-hawk.  Also this fall I will be TDY to Vandenburg AFB to do some testing on new software for the GH.  The Air Force is planning on opening a squadron of GH’s on Guam and we need to train the Hawk to land on a slopped runway.  Those of you that have Castle AFB time will remember that VAFB has a pretty good slopped runway.  Also for those who like it cold, the Air Force is putting a GH squadron at Grand Forks!  There should be some employment for people that want to live in ND…yuck!!! 

On the home front,  we finally got the mirror for our telescope completed ( the 22 inch scope we started two and a half years ago).  I was getting worried that the mirror maker had taken my money and ski-daddled.  However it turned out that the extra time waiting for the mirror was well worth it.  We had our first full night testing the optics with a large group of both professional and amatuer astronomers this week end.  everyone was completly blown away by the views into deep space through this monster telescope!!  Aslo my son had his first scientific paper published on research he did on double star positions.  We are working on another project and plan to publish this summer.

On a more personel note, my Mom is in the proccess of dying from both cardiac heart failure and altztimers.  I took her to the Ceaders-Sinai hospital friday to see what they can do for her heart valve that has calcified to the point it’s causing her heart to fail.  They offered a procedure that involves putting a balloon into the heart valve to expand the opening to allow more blood to flow and relieve some of her symptoms.  This is all well and good, however my idiot sisters are putting up road-blocks becuase they think it’s better to let her die from heart failure rather then deal with the alztimers.  I had to remind them, sternly, of their Christian duty to honor human life and protect the weak and infirm …although I don’t think that appeal works with most people these days, my sisters included.  Our society has become so selfish and self centered, that duty honor and self sacrifice are words for fools and zelots. Most people attend church, some pay attention and learn a few facts about Christianity,  even fewer folks actually put these values to the test in their lives.  My sisters fall into the first catigory. Either way I will find a way to prevail,  If I have learned anything in life it’s been a trust in values and examples of the right way to do things that I saw  while living and sharing time with you all.   All our conversations on alert and in and around the office and on this blog help keep me grounded in reality…thank you all.

 Cheers

 Reed “Ponch”

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27. May 2010 by Britt.

Hello to all my Brothers,

I do not post often but always read about your exploits. I am looking for employment at Barksdale. I have exhausted the Retired Rated Recall Program (cut funding), the reserves do not call back and I am tired of beating my head with the F-35 Program. Bomber credibility in a Fighter world. Let me mention that, “I was right” but not until it became my Boss’ idea. So, I have applied for 2 Program Analyst jobs in GSC, nothing yet. I am starting to think that I need to know someone (or do they know me?). Well, I know you guys. If anyone is hiring, pls let me know. larsoninla@aol.com is still my email. Thanks, Britt

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11. April 2010 by The Chuck.

Great turmoil for me and my family here.  Things pretty much under control for now, but it’s going to be shaky for a while.

Some of you know I’ve had problems with my middle daughter for years. On 1 April, she drifted into some kind of deep delusion and starting seeing dragons, hearing voices, and thought she was some magic player in a great battle of some new Golden Age.

She emailed me to come get the twins “NOW” early in the morning.  I don’t always check my email before work, but this time I did.  The first thing I thought of was that she was going to hurt them if I didn’t go there immediately.

To make a long story short–she was about as out of it as anyone I’ve ever seen.  I tried to lead the discussion to real things with no success.   Eventually Cindy came over, and later that day we drove over to our house.  My daughter was expecting an invisible friend to spirit her away at sunset, but when he didn’t show, I tried to get her to go to the VA because they have a mental health doctor in their emergency room.

She refused and eventually started doing the Linda Blair routine from the Exorcist.  If she could have green-pea souped me, she would have.  Sounds funny, but it is quite alarming when someone does that to you.  We had a neighbor come over to witness the event, and she was talking to her priest on the phone with things turned worse.  Before the night ended my daughter was arrested.  At the time, I considered it the worse night of my life, some of you might have read my facebook posts at the time.

The next morning I tried to get her involuntarily committed to no-avail, as she hadn’t physically hurt anyone or tried to commit suicide or said to me that she planned to do either.  In spite of being told by several people to leave her in jail, I bailed her out and successfully convinced her to come with me the VA.  After an intense few hours, she was seen by a doctor, but they kept me out of the room–people got rights you know–who let her walk after less than an hour.  My stress level was quite high by then.

However, she came out acting calm, a faux normal.  What else could I do?  I brought her home, our 20 year old daughter was there with Cindy and the three boys.  Things seemed fine, I wondered if the doctor talking to her had somehow helped–hard to understand this stuff–so I took a chance on going to work for Friday afternoon.

As I got home from work a few hours later, she was attacking Cindy.  She was arrested again.

The 1 year-old’s father came over the picked up the baby.  He also wanted the car we’d given my daughter a few months ago.  The car’s in her name, she’s been living with the guy, he has driven the car to work–I didn’t have any legal option to prevent him from taking it.  So he took the car.

He said he loves the baby and wants to care for it.  As far as I understand this process, the father’s rights trump the grandfather’s right in this state.

But the twins don’t have that option–if I don’t protect them, there’s nobody else.

Cindy has a temporary restraining order against Amanda.  And I filed a restraining order to keep her away from the twins, which also gave me temporary custody of them.  In addition, Child Protective Service has started an investigation.

We have our first of many court dates in less than two weeks.

She was in Bossier Max until last night. According to the bondsman who called me this morning, she pledged the car we’d given her a few months ago as collateral for the bond.

This has been a long ugly story.  Stemming when she ran away from home, two-weeks before her 18th birthday while I was Saudi and up to the attack on Cindy.

Even with your children, you have to drawn the line somewhere.

I’ve drawn the line at her physical attack on Cindy.

You can’t trust anyone who can switch from “normal” to explosively violent at the drop of a hat.

Hopefully, Amanda will seek the mental health help she needs, get well, then press on with her new life.

So, except for that, everything here is normal.

Oh, I’ve lost 20 pounds in the last week.  I call it the stress diet, but I don’t recommend it for anyone.  Good thing I started off so fat.

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24. March 2010 by The Chuck.

The Dragoneers advanced to the 5% round on 23 March.  Even though my novel is much better than it has ever been, advancement is based on individual judges’ expertise and the strength of the overall field of entries.  The next round of eliminations will be between March 24 and April 27, which will reduce the field to 1%.

Amazon has made all the 250 quarter-finalists’ excerpts available online for no charge.  You can access the download page for a Kindle Edition of The Dragoneers excerpt here.  If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free software in the same location for your PC to read Kindle books.

While you’re there, you can read whatever reviews have been posted and you can even post your own comments.  Most excerpts were given two reviews from the Amazon Reviewers, but for some unknown reason, The Dragoneers only received one, and if you read it, it’ll leave you wondering how the novel made it to the quarter-finals. At least it ended with some encouragement for me to keep trying to get better at writing and then recommended I read some books on writing.

The review may foreshadow what will happen to The Dragoneers as the quarter-finals come to an end.  Or maybe, not.

Either way, The Dragoneers will receive an updated Publishers Weekly review.  When I get it, I’ll share it here.

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20. March 2010 by The Chuck.

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19. March 2010 by Ponch.

All,

Time to post.  First for those interested there is a very high paying flying job available here for a Government GS-14 level Global hawk Pilot.  This is a SWEET position with a cost of living bonus and flying privileges in C-12 as well as a GH.  The pay range is well into the 100K range.  Another Buff driver in GH would be huge. 

Chuck,  I never saw the pictures of the GH air-refueling.  I erred greatly by saying there is no AR capability in the GH.  NASA is modifying a couple of GHs to air refuel. There is a big test sometime next year to verify the capability.  The programming will then be transferred to the UCAS bomber.  Northrop is partnered with NASA to do the mod and testing, the Air Force does not want to ante up pilots for the project…so guess who get to go fly with NASA. Yup me!  SWEET!  We took a tour of the GH control facility yesterday.  OMG!  Talk about first class!  I almost wet myself over the displays (also I’m getting to that time in my life were diapers are becoming an issue;-).   As usual the Air Force spent minimal bucks for the Global Hawk control system.  The NASA system is so Cadillac it was unbelievable.  The AF version uses a Falcon View back bone with limited capability for moving map.  NASA uses Google Earth!!  The computers are so fast on the NASA system that you can mouse roll zoom the map from a total world outer space view (Google Earth start page) into 3 meter photo maps almost instantly!  It also uses FAA sectional maps and other stuff.  Also you can tilt the whole display (ala Google Earth) to show a 3D version of the Jet flying a climb or decent profile.  The PSD is right out of a 767 with all the bells and whistles, unlike the PSD in a AF block 20 that is more like a C-172 version of G-1000.  Plus the control room at NASA was just like you would imagine a NASA control room would be…everything new and clean and first class.  Way COOL!

Also another good deal…the company is planning on sending me to test pilot school either at Mojave or a course out of the U of Kansas.  The guys here say the U of K program is much better, but harder to get. I will probably end up at Mojave.  Either way COOL!!

On the telescope front things are getting way busy.  We took the wooden model down to INCA corp. in Los Angeles a few weeks back.  They have reduced the design into 3D cad cam modeling and are well along with construction on an aluminum version.  Inca’s plan is to produce the final version in 1, 1.5 and 2 meter sizes…contingent on our success at making the design work.  Dr genet just got back from Hawaii where the concept is raising all sorts of excitement amongst the professional and amateur astronomy world. Dr. Genet was at the French observatory on the Big Island and the director of the telescope approached him about the project.  Turns out the French telescope used Dr. Genet’s laws on robotic telescopes for their design.  We get daily suggestions from astronomers all over the world for exotic projects for the scopes.  The end intent for the scopes is to connect multiple one and two meters scopes into an array that will be able to resolve the surface features of near-by stars. COOL!  

Cheers

Ponch

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11. March 2010 by Andy.

Well it’s done!  After nine months with a 2two month delay waiting for the half-track model to be release we have the…” Sollum Höhe 208 (Sollum Height 208)”; a German 88mm Flak 36 artillery piece & Sd.kfz.7 8ton half-track assigned to the I.Flak-Regiment 33 (2 Batterie), Deutches Afrika Korps during the North African Campaign around April 1942. 

The Flak 36 was straight from Tamiya’s new 88mm GunFlak36 ‘North African Campaign” except I borrowed the bogies from their original Flak 36/37 kit.  Although the figures came directly from the kit, the radio operator was another kit, except I had to scratch build the antenna based on an image I had from a German WWII Panzers in the Desert reference book. 

The Sd.Kfz.7 8t Half-track Initial Production was Dagon’s new Smart Kit release that hit the street in October 2009!  I had to scratch-built a few items, the bustle rack on the very back to hold the jerry cans and the canvas roof in the stowed position.  Even though Eduard’s 8t tool boxes were designed for the Trumpeter kit, with a slight modification, they worked just fine for Dragon’s.  Eduard’s 8t engine PE kit provided the engine side panels covers.  The rifles, MG34, and MP40 came from Italeri’s Accessories II kit.  Since I needed Luftwaffe license plates for my project, I turned to Peddinghaus-decals to provide them.   Dragon provided five different German Army plates – no Air Force.  Archer dry transfers provided German helmet insignias, uniform patches, DAK palm trees, German tactical symbols, and Sd.Kfz.7 instrument panels and generic lettering.  Verlinden Productions provided ration boxes, wooded barrels, military provisions, stowage cargo & accessories, bottles, crates, and German food supplies.  The Luftwaffe Anti-Aircraft Badge is a reproduction from Landser Outfitters based in California.

As for the base work; I used CelluClay for the base along with folk-art paint.  I most have gone through seven different colors before hitting the right combination to give a desert color.  I spread the plaster over wax paper in a cookie sheet.  Once dry, I broke into pieces and stacked to make the wall.  A 50-50 water/glue solution was used to set the wall in place.  Again, once dry I used folk-art paints again to paint it.

As for other news, Jim Melvin & I decrease the duck population around Corpus Christi again.  Both sons could not make it due to one being sick and the other having to work.  We each bagged redheads, buffleheads, and pintails. 

Day 1: we bagged our redheads early in the morning.  I managed to drop two in the first pass and couldn’t hit anything afterwards – had a chance at one or two more birds, but no luck.  Jim got one in the first pass and another later – then he couldn’t hit them either.  So we packed up for the day. 

Day 2: we were out for buffleheads & pintails.  Went to a different area and the blind was out in the middle of no-where!  Water everywhere and the land was only visible on the horizon.  We got our buffleheads early, but mine was a hen.  So Jim holds off shooting until a drop a drake.  I soon drop another, but once more a hen.  Finally after much waiting I finally drop a drake.  Then some pintails circle and it takes a lot of calling to get them to attempt to land.  We each drop one, but mind lands further out from the blind.  The only sad thing is that pintail I knocked down was hurt just enough not to get airborne again.  I must have chased him for miles!  I was in water up to my knees while he was about 50 yards or more away.  Although he couldn’t fly, he sure could swim and paddle his feet he did…I could never gain on him and by the time I turned to see how far I was from the bind, the bind was just a speck on the horizon!

We stayed on our guides property and were fed – and what a feast!  There was no lack of food for each meal!  First night was a Texas BBQ with ribs, sausage, brisket & duck.  Next night, duck gumbo with all the trimming; corn bread, mash potatoes, green beans, etc.  Lunch times always had leftovers which there was plenty of.

O’well I’ve written too much…so see you next month

Chuck here’s some pitures of actually artillery range finders…

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28. February 2010 by The Chuck.

I made the initial cut to 1000 for the 2010 contest.  Check out my latest data at http://thedragoneers.com

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13. February 2010 by Andy.

Ya, I know I’m a bit late…we survived the the BIG storm here is the Bossier City, LA…hope you guys back east are doing well inspite of the snow.

Well Jim Melvin and I went down to the Corpus Christi area to hunt ducks had a blast!  Both our sons couldn’t make it whether being sick or having to work.  We stayed in a cabin on our guide’s property plus food and WOW…the spread was great!  First night; ribs, duck, sausage and brisket – all smoked!  Yepper, a regular Texas size barbeque!   Second night we had duck & sausage gumbo with all the trimmings. 

As for the hunt; first morning; get out early, set the decoys and setup on this island of maingros.   We didn’t have to wait long a large flock of redheads circled the island and tried to drop in on our decoys.  So we light them up, Jim dropped one while I dropped two.  Yep, two shots two ducks.  So afterwards Jim bagged another and we were done…two redheads per person is the limit.

Next morning, they take us to another area to try and get buffleheads or pintails.  We were dropped off at the bind out in the middle of the bay…2 to 3 miles to land on either side of the bind.  The water was only 2-3 feet deep which made it good to walk around, set-p decoys and retrieve ducks.  Well when the ducks started flying, the redheads stayed up high and literally split up and went around our blind!  We never got a shot off on any redheads.  Meanwhile the buffleheads stayed low and actually dropped in on our decoys.  Jim bags a nice drake while I shot a hen.  Since we were after buffleheads, Jim held off shooting until a bagged a drake.  So the next one in I shot turned out to be another hen…Kevin, our taxidermist, kept calling me the hen killer!  About another hour or so, I finally bagged a drake bufflehead.

Then some pintails circled and were trying to land on our decoys.  After so long moments, calling on our duck calls, they dropped in close enough to shoot.  All three of us down one.  But the one I shot was not hurt bad enough, because when I start to get him he starts paddling away.  I must have chased him for miles but never gained any ground on him…sad but he managed to live another day.

Anyway here’s some pic from the hunt…next year it’s a goose hunt!

Also check out the website…one of my wood duck pictures was published on the Delta Waterfowl site…

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/pix/index.php#id=february2010&num=3

 Unitl Next time,

Andy

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11. February 2010 by Ponch.

Chuck,

 We got our snow tuesday, although it was mixed with wet sloopy rain, and alot of it.  Global warming has broken out all over the SoCal area with record low temps and large amounts of rain.   The water was running in all the streets and gutters along with a few houses transported by copious amounts of mud.  The mountains are packed with snow right down to the valley floor…very beutiful.  I would enjoy it allot more by skiing however I tried to recapture my youth and do allot of running when I was up at Beale.  The running tracks up there were so buetiful and inviting and the weather was perfect, unitl my knee got screwed up trying to run faster then an old man should :-(  Damn the old age…. 

Now for more fun and interesting news.  We are pretty well along into the great 1 meter telescope production.  We accomplished a huge milstone about two weeks ago by accomplishing first light.  The first light through a scope is a big event as what was once all theory, design, sparks and sawdust becomes reality.  You hope that the optics will function and the weight and balance works ect ect.  It was a big celebration as all worked as advertised. Tomorrow I am scheduled to take the scope down to Inca Corp. A Dr. George Roberts fomerly of NASA, wants to see what we have done so far.  His company is building the lower transport cradle and rocker box out of aluminum.  What we have designed and built is the “mock-up” for the actual scope, however the good Dr. Genet plans to utilize the wooden mock-up as a functioning telecope as soon as we get another mirror.  We will then network the two scopes together for some very interesting science.  Dr. Roberts is one of the founding fathers of the JPL in Pasedena and was personaly involved with the U.S. moon effort from Mecury to Apollo.  It was his research that determined the calcium bone loss due to weightlessness in space.  He is good friends with most of the current and former astronauts.  How I know this is because my buddy Dr. Genet introduced me to Dr Roberts as an Edwards test pilot were upon both of them began to tell pilot jokes and personel experiences with such guys as Chuck yeager and the like.  I had to quicky qualify my meager existance as a Global Hawk tester.  No record breaking space flights for me …yet.    

Cheers

Ponch 

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10. February 2010 by The Chuck.

The date doesn’t look real to me.  How has so much time passed?  Sorry I took a break for a while there, guys.  I think I’m back now.  At least for now.

I changed companies.  The new company really likes me, at least that what the paycheck tells me.  In addition, I’m helping usher in the new Global Strike Command.  Even dealing bomber issues.  I’m liking this stuff a lot, the only thing better would be having my books published on a regular basis, putting in 40 hours a week or so on the keyboard.  That’d be nice.

You probably remember the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest I’ve entered the last two years.  I’m back in for round three.  While my writing is better than previous years, I’d imagine the world is getting better at the same time.  Here’s my opening paragraph:

Pain, gnawing emptiness, hunger so loud it dominated all thoughts, not mine–even though I could feel it–it came from them.  To them, two girls in a chariot must have seemed like easy prey.  I prayed they were wrong.

The essential question is, “Would you read the next paragraph or put the book down and look for something else?”

Here’s the schedule for the contest:

While my first novel is locked into this contest until they cull me from the herd, so I’ve started work on book number two.

But enough of that.

Anybody getting snow?  Probably not Ponch.  Rumor has it we’re going to get 4 to 6 inches of global warming tomorrow evening in crawdad town.  That’s just cool.

I could bore you, or depress you with woes of things less than perfect, but all things considered, it could be much worse.  I’m a lucky man.

I pray this 11th finds the lion’s share of you warm, fed, in good company, as free of pain as a bunch of old warriors can hope to be and with a jingle in your pocket.

Until the next time, stay strong my brothers.

The Chuck

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