ABNA 2010

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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February’s Blog

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 Feb 2010 Ponch’s side of the story

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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Feb 11, 2010

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:

January 25, 2010	Submission period begins; up to 10,000 Entries will be accepted
February 7, 2010	Submission period ends
February 25, 2010	2,000 entries moving to Second Round announced at www.amazon.com/abna.
March 23, 2010	Top 500 (Quarterfinalists) announced at www.amazon.com/abnaPublishers Weekly reviewing Quarterfinalists full manuscript Amazon customers can download, rate, and review excerpts on Amazon.com, providing feedback to Penguin Editors about submissions.
April 27, 2010	Top 100 (Semifinalists) announced at www.amazon.com/abna.Penguin Editors reading Semifinalists manuscripts to pick the 6 finalists Amazon customers continue to download, rate, and review excerpts, and read Publisher’s Weekly reviews of Semifinalists’ full manuscripts
May 25, 2010	6 Finalists announcedAmazon customers vote to pick the winners
June 14, 2010	Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winners announced

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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Military Aviation, the Beginning

7. February 2010 by The Chuck.

American military aviation began almost 149 years ago, in the early days of the Civil War, when the Army for the first time employed balloons for military purposes. The French Army had used balloons for reconnaissance as early as 1794 and American balloonists primarily utilized them for the same purpose.

 

In April 1861, two members of Rhode Island’s 1st Regiment answered Lincoln’s call for troops–James Allen, a balloonist, and Dr. William H. Helme, a dentist, carried two of Allen’s balloons from Providence, RI to Washington DC. Then on 9 June, they made the Army’s first captive balloon ascent. It was stealthy for it’s day, as no one reported being able to see it on radar–no, not a one.

 

On 12 June 1861, John Wise of PA offered to build a balloon for the Union Army for $300. Maj. Hartman Bathe, chief of the Topographic Engineers, later told Wise to increase the size to 20,000 cubic-feet, and to use silk. Wise agreed but the cost skyrocketed to $850. This established the two great traditions of military aviation: late design modifications and production costs overruns.

 

21 July, Wise’s balloon tasked for observation duty in the Battle of Manassas. A ground crew walked the inflated balloon to Fairfax Rd, where Major A. J. Myer, Chief Signal Officer, fastened it to a wagon, and against the advice of Wise, made haste, snagging the balloon on roadside trees, tearing great holes in the bag. Thus, airpower’s first hasty decision by a non-Airmen, who ignored Wise advice.

 

Wise repaired the damaged balloon. Five days later, while being towed to Ball’s Crossroads, it was blown against telegraph wires, cutting the towropes, and the balloon floated away toward the Confederate lines. To prevent its capture by the enemy, Union troops shot it down near the Lee mansion at Arlington. Was this the first AAA fire (a.k.a. Arlington’s Anti-Aviation fire)?

 

Neither the Allen nor the Wise balloons were satisfactory, mainly because each needed to be filled with coal gas, from the city mains, and towed inflated to the area of operations. Wise designed a portable hydrogen generator to permit inflation in the field and widen the area of operations.  While he urged the army to construct a unit, leadership was more content to blame him for the disasters and he was fired.

 

So what happened to Wise? He returned to his home in Lancaster, raised a cavalry troop, and rejoined the army, but after several months of service his health failed and he was compelled to retire from active duty. Seems like a sad ending, but at least he pressed toward his dreams for as long as his health would allow him, which is probably the best any of us can do.

 

In May 1861 another aeronaut, John La Mountain, twice offered his services, two balloons, and a portable gas generator to the Union Army. The War Department ignored his letters, but on 5 June Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, with headquarters at Ft. Monroe, offered La Mountain a job as an aerial observer. John La Mountain was persistence, wasn’t he? Did you know persistence is one of the tenets of airpower?

 

I’ll talk more about the tenets of airpower in a later article, but for now let’s go back to the aeronauts of the Civil War.

 

La Mountain became the Army’s only free-lance balloonist. During his first military captive ascent in the Atlantic a stiff wind prevented him from reaching the altitude necessary for observation. But six days later (31 July 1861) he rose to 1,400 feet to observe a radius of 30 miles around Hampton and reported the Confederate forces were much weaker than previously reported by land reconnaissance.

 

On 3 August 1861, La Mountain’s balloon was moored to the transport ship Funny, which towed it into the Potomac River where it made the first ascension from a boat. This was not the birth of Naval aeronautics, as the Army owned and operated the Funny. Army boats? Why yes, during World War II the U.S. Army operated over 127,790 ships and watercraft.

 

La Mountain and the Union Army failed to keep General Magruder’s Confederate forces from burning Hampton, but La Mountain did escape, along with many thousands of Union troops.  La Mountain and his large balloon Saratoga transferred to the Army of the Potomac where La Mountain tried to build support for his services by giving General officers rides. Nothing like that is done today.

 

In October of 1861, La Mountain made free ascensions, via prevailing east wind to fly over Confederate forces, and a west wind at higher altitudes, to return. After observations, he jettisoned ballast, the balloon rose to the eastbound current of air, carrying him back to his own lines; then he’d release gas to land. Using maneuver, a principle of war, he increased the balloon’s effectiveness.

 

La Mountain had little control during landings. On 18 October, after returning to the Union lines, he descended in the area of operations controlled by Brigadier General Louis Blenker’s German Brigade, and was welcomed with a volley of shots, riddling the lower part of the balloon, foreshadowing the German AAA of WWII, or maybe not.

 

On 16 November La Mountain’s Saratoga was blown from its moorings and lost over the Confederate lines, leaving him with only the less capable Atlantic.  After failing to beg, borrow, or buy a replacement balloon, on 19 February 1862, General George B. McClellan dismissed La Mountain from the service.

 

John La Mountain was one of the first to make significant aerial observations for the Union Army. As a result of his observations, Confederate General Beauregard ordered his division commander, General Longstreet, to employee camouflage, since the deception of dummy guns could not be assured under the eyes of the federal balloons. There’s an idea that caught on.

 

Thaddeus S. C. Lowe had planned a transatlantic balloon flight, but changed his focus after a 20 April 1861 flight in his Enterprise from Cincinnati to Unionville, SC. The war posed difficulties, but eventually he was permitted to return by way of Columbia, SC, and Louisville, Kentucky. Convinced the war would be long, he decided to organize a balloon corps and offer his services to the Union.

 

With a little help from editor Murat Halstead, Lowe met with Lincoln on 11 June. 7 days later, Lowe sent the first telegraphic message ever from a balloon, using a wired key in his balloon via a line to the Alexandria telegraph office to the White House. Others messages were sent to the War Department.  Lowe leveraged technology for operational advantage, a hallmark of airpower ever since.

 

On 26 June 1861, Lowe was asked to submit a report on his proposed operations and an estimate of the cost of constructing another balloon at $500. Soon afterwards, however, the order for a government balloon was given to Wise, who underbid Lowe by almost $200. Remember him? Cost overruns pushed the actual cost to $850, after the Army modified the design.

 

Though Wise beat him on the bid, Lowe continued to give demonstrations near the Smithsonian Institution. Meanwhile, General McDowell, preparing to advance into Virginia, expected Wise and his balloon but when on July 17 he had not reported, Captain Whipple ordered Lowe to join McDowell’s Army.  As Lowe inflated his balloon, Wise arrived and his balloon was sent forward instead.  Imagine Lowe’s frustration.

 

When Lowe learned Wise’s balloon was out of commission, he took the initiative to go to the front with his own balloon.  Before he could get there, Gen McDowell had been defeated and on that afternoon of 21 July, Lowe met the retreating Union Army and returned with it to Arlington. Aerospace power can’t save an Army if it’s not used.

 

On the 24th, Lowe flew from Fort Corcoran to investigate rumors of a march on Washington by the victorious Confederate Army. His report calmed fears at the Capital–no force was approaching. Having defeated the Union soldiers, many Confederates had thought the war was over and they could go home. Little did they know, it had only just begun.

 

So there we have the first two months of military aviation, interesting how aerospace power has progressed so far in the last 149 years, but can still relate to those fledgling years. 

 

You might have noticed, I haven’t been writing much lately.  I needed to write something, and the beginning of military aviation history was a great place to start.

 

It just makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I’m way cool now!…the FAA says so

26. January 2010 by Ponch.

All,

Well its about time.   If you haven’t heard the FAA is now allowing former, and current military instructor pilots to take credit for their training and receive a CFI CFII MEI rating…following a simple written test.   YES…no FAA examniner rat tied to your face for a day of abuse and brow beatings.  I did the press to test on this and low and behold it works!!!  I took the test with the help of Sheppard Air gouge test prep….excellent  course that was spot on!  Yesterday I went down to the FSDO and made it official.  Now the FAA certifies that I’m cool! Only problem is they would not punch my Single Engine ticket because I never taught in a single engine aircraft in the Air Force.  I can’t figure how an F-16 dude gets to teach in a C-172 and I have to be in somthing that has more then one engine.  No worries though cause the SE add on is a local checkout with a DPE.  Then I can be just as dangerous as the viper dudes!!!

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Ponch

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Twas the Night before Healthcare

24. December 2009 by The Chuck.

Twas the day before Healthcare and all through the land,
The socialists was trying to stick it to da’ man.
The bribes were all counted and written with care,
For the senators holding out for their share.

The citizens were oblivious out spending some cash,
Not understanding the scheme to take their stash.
Bundled with coats, jackets and sweaters of wool,
Some thought the earth was too warm and not cool.

When inside their mailboxes there came such a stuffing,
When the taxes were paid, they were left with nothing.
Don’t worry they were told by their neighborhood mommas,
When your money’s gone you can have some of obama’s.

But don’t blame that kenyan for what he has done,
He couldn’t have made it without help from quite a sum.
Now Nancy! now, Harry! now, Franken and others of scorn,
and don’t forget the myriad of votes from Acorn.

It’s a mess that is waiting to be cleaned up soon,
When this season is over I may have to swoon.
No more apologies for things I haven’t done,
The clean-up’ll be harsh and with flashes of fun.

In years to come later, our children might say,
How could you have been so stupid back in the day?
We’ll smile and remember the day we cleaned-up,
And bust their chops and scream, “You can shut-up.”

We’ll CHANGE to a culture that doesn’t give passes,
without merit to thugs, thieves, and dumb-lasses.
We’ll have HOPE in our freedom above everything else,
Because our primary provider is really ourself.

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If Reed can break ranks…

17. December 2009 by Andy.

then so can I…Merry Christmas everyone!

Reed:  Glad to hear things are going well with GH training.  Yea I remember Lokoweed too, a bit too cocky in my books!  And thanks for the words about how we learned, trained and fought…as for your telescope; if you have haven’t gotten it patented, licensed, or whatever the legal term is, you better.  I’d hate to see all the work you and Chris did get stolen or “pirated” without any proper recognition or royalties.   Be careful…

As for the Blooms; Heather made another film over in Monroe, “Flag of my Father” or “Flag of Our Father” or something like that.  It’s not a follow on to Clint Eastwood’s “Flag of our Fathers” which was about the flag rising on Iwo Jima during WWII.  This one is about a Vietnam Vet and his kids when they’re all grown up.  Anyway, Heather plays the wife of John Schneider (one of the sons) and William Devane, from “Knot’s Landing”, is the dad.  Yes, I did say John Schneider who played Bo Duke from the “Dukes of Hazzards” TV show.   Yep, she had a blast filming on this set too…

As you saw, I did make the Fine Scale Model publication’s on-line Reader’s Gallery with my Tet Offensive diorama.  Although it took a long time to build, I had fun with it.  I finished the M1A1 with markings from the 2^nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 3^rd Battalion, 69^th Armored Regiment, 1^st Brigade, 3^rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) while serving in Iraq in April 2003.  Wow that was a mouthful and I thought the Air Force was bad on listing units!  The Army takes the cake and then some!  Anyway, I added the Bedouin and camel for a bit of color.  I have the gunner trained on him with the 7.62 mm M240 machine gun just in case he decides to take a pot shot at the crew.  I didn’t realized it until I photographed it, but the camel has a mean look to its face.  As for the German 88, it’s on still on hold.  The half-track came in but I’m dreading the build…over 800 parts!!!!

     

          

Been duck hunting with Jim Melvin and his son, bagged a few ducks and got poison ivy which I’m still battling since 14 November!  We’re planning on taking a trip down to Corpus Christi for another duck hunt there next month.

O’well…until next time…

Merry Christmas!

Andy

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Merry Christmas

15. December 2009 by Ponch.

All,

A very merry Christmas!

Well it’s time to update you all on activities in the Estrada household.  I have been away from home over the last month or so for my initial qual training for the RQ-4 Global Hawk.  I was up at Beale AFB for the training and staying south of base in a suburb of Sacramento called Roseville.  The training at Beale AFB and the accommodations in Roseville were all beyond excellent.  The GH squadron is in the same building as the 9^th Recon U-2 squadron.  The attached 1^st SQ is the FTU for GH so I reported every day to work at the 1^st.  I had to walk through the 9^th SQ spaces everyday so I saw a few folks I recognized from prior days.  I ran into Luke Lockawich the first week.  That was uncomfortable as he and I were crewed together at the 20^th BS after I got back into the Buff in 2000.  He is typical of allot of the younger kids that were in the Buff community about this time and was pretty impressed with himself and completely unimpressed with the old man (me) who was assigned as his AC.  We clashed on quite a few ideas on how to do all things in the Buff.  However instead of talking them out and sharing some ideas, and maybe learning something from someone who had done way more in the Buff then he would every dream about, he chose to beat a path to the squadron commander’s office on the sly and stab me as many ways possible.  Of course it didn’t help to have “woodcock” as the SQ CC.  Either way “Loco” succeeded in getting me booted from the crew over on Diego.  So we ran into each other in the Sq halls and he was at least civil.   I suppose living well is the best revenge cause I’m loving life in my current job and making twice what “Locoweed” is making and hang’in around with a bunch of superior aviators who value my experience and flying style.  As for the other folks in my group (superior aviators),  most of them are fighter pilot types with a variety of military experience.  Two are former F-117 pilots two navy pilots, one F-18 an A-6 time the other P-3 time. One AF F-4 pilot and one marine Harrier pilot.  The program manager is a former F-4 nav and our pilot manager is a former Navy F-4 driver.  Of course our big boss (Northrop Test Pilot Manager ) is Troy Johnson, a former B-52 and B-2 pilot.  How’s that for cool!  We are still hiring folks (4 more slots).  Everyone is motivated and we are gelling pretty well as a team.  Northrop is a great working environment and everyone enjoys the work.  Even though we are attached to the 452^nd flight test squadron and work with AF rules and regs (sorry AFI’s) and are under supervision of the AF squadron commander,  The Northrop side is way layed  back and a big boy attitude.  We are pretty much left alone to make our own decisions and work at our own pace.  The attitude is “find a way to make it work”.  The program is pretty new so allot of the stuff is being developed as we do it.   So far I’m through with the academics and have accomplished 5 sims.  It’s kinda strange that the sims are just about as real as it will get.  My recent B-52 experience flying with laptops with falcon view has helped immensely.  The flight displays use Falcon View as the backbone and many of the commands and functions are the same.  

Now for the other part of my life.  As you all remember my son and I got interested in astronomy back at Castle AFB.  We purchased a ten inch telescope in Merced and have traveled all over the country with it.  Just about everywhere we have lived we made it a point to get involved with the local astronomy community.  California is no different , we joined a local group called the Central Coast Astronomical Society.  The group has many professional and armature astronomers.  Because it’s California, and folks do everything here is a big way, we soon found our ten inch scope was not big enough to meet our needs or desires.  So we spent some time and allot of money and recently built a large alt azimuth telescope.  We must have done something right with the design and construction because when we debuted the scope at one of our monthly meetings we generated allot o buzz in the local astronomy community.  So much so that a PHD type from CAL POLY in San Lous Obispo came by one evening and looked over the telescope very carefully and asked a lot of questions.  Well one thing led to another and now we are “head over heels” involved with helping to build a very large research telescope for a group called the “Alt Azimuth Initiative.”  Turns out that the PHD type, a Dr. Russell Genet, is the brain child behind the group with the intent of revolutionizing the astronomy world by building inexpensive portable research grade telescopes for universities and colleges around the world.  It appears that time is right for the fusion of new computer based technology and CCD cameras with the low cost of home built telescopes like we made.  We are about a third of the way towards completion of this telescope.  It has a one meter diameter mirror and will eventually be used for binary star and proto planet data collection.  My son and I are providing the majority of the labor involved.  We are supported by a worldwide group of armature telescope builders and professional engineers and astronomers.  We are working with the engineering department at CAL POLY and with several corporations who would like to produce the later versions after we work out the design details.   My son Chris has already gone a step further and is working with Dr. Genet on some binary star data and research and hopes to publish a scientific paper on their results this year.  This is great news as he is applying to universities this year to finish his degree in bio chemistry.  All the PHD types we have met so far, say that having a published paper is “HUGE” for college boards!  Just last week we received an invitation from the director of the Mount Wilson observatory to bring both telescopes to the observatory north of Los Angeles for a week of observing and data collection.  He also offered us some time on the historic 1.5 meter Hale telescope.  Knock on wood, life is good!!    

Well I’ve used too much space boring you with my life.  I hope all of you are well and have a Very Merry Christmas!!

 

Cheers

 

Ponch

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A Pleasure Serving with You!

11. November 2009 by Andy.

It’s been a pleasure serving with you folks!  For us, freedom just isn’t a word but holds so much and is so dear that any attempts to do so would not do it any justice.  True, we haven’t made the ultimate sacrifice, but so many others before us have. 

My dad was stationed in Germany during the 70s and I was able to take the troop train into Berlin as part of Boy Scout outing.  We even stood on the platform overlooking Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall…side note.  Anyway we traveled at night and were told not to wave at any guards.  So after our weekend stay we’re heading back to West Germany and there was this guard standing on the East German side.  Well the tension was so great you could have cut it with a knife, so I decided to wave.  The guard made an ever so slight a nod in recognition of my “hello”.   The word Freedom took on a whole new meaning for a kid of 18. 

I found this scrolled on our jet when we were getting ready for a mission during Desert Storm; “Freedom for those who fought for it has a special meaning the protected will never know”.

I hope you had a chance to reflect on today’s importance and if someone hasn’t said it to you, thanks for serving our country!

Until next time, fly safe!

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11 October Ponch

12. October 2009 by Ponch.

Chuck. 

 

All,

11^th again already.  Allot going on in the Estrada world these days.  As I reported last time, I’m in transition to a new job at Edwards AFB.  Transition is a good description.  As all of you know to well–With all things government and Air Force– there is a whole lot of hurry up and wait.  I was hired as a Global Hawk pilot last month… now I wait to get training.  The Air Force approved my training last week — one month – now they have to wade through a mile of paperwork to get me a slot at Beale AFB to do the initial qual.  So far the dates range from November to December to maybe I’ll stay here and do a local.  It would be better to go to Beale as the pilot shop here is very busy and short handed.  The best part of all this is I’m sort of on the ground floor of the start up of the group of test pilots here. Production of the Global Hawk is ramping up and they are expanding their pilot shop big time.  Draw back is there is no training path…they are making it up as we go along.  Sounds like they need a guy who knows training and building lesson plans, training folders, ect, ect…oh wait that’s me!  Life is good!  Also they are throwing flight time at me like crazy.  This is real familiar…just like the ACE program back in SAC.  We have to stay FAA current with our commercial instrument time.  Just like ACE there are folks who have to be chased and beat’n into getting there currencies.. and just like ACE there are those that can’t get enough flying time so the green light is on to use and abuse as much as possible.  So far I seem to be the only one who would fly everyday if I could, but you all knew that before I took this job;-).   Meanwhile I’m still working at Plant 42 on the B-2.  Go figure…they hired a new guy, and I’m the only qualified test director that functions as a test director on the program….long story I’ll relate on another day.  So my former manager…who was not too happy I got the flying job…long story again…worked a deal with the GB guys for me to switch hit and do B-2 stuff when they are busy testing.  This goes on at least till I can escape to Beale. The new guy I am training is an engineer….need I say more… and it’s all I can do to keep from dissolving him is a vat of sarcastic acid every day.  More and more I’m left with the impression that the folks we worked with in the Air Force..mostly aviators… were a special breed. Even the slowest students and EW’s I (sorry EW’s you know your own) were light years ahead in smarts and motivation compared to some of the folks I’ve worked with in the civilian word.  We truly lived and worked in a rarified atmosphere were only the best got to strap on military jets. So I bite my tongue every time I have to show the guy, over and over again..and over again, the basics of running test equipment, support equipment and the computers that support testing on the B-2.  Well on the other part of my life,  I think I mentioned my son and I built a very large alt/azimuth telescope.  We finished it a few months ago, and we are waiting for the primary mirror to be finished up in
Oregon.  We got a loaner mirror from the optician that is working on our mirror and we debuted our telescope at our monthly star party out in the San Louis Obispo area were we are members of the local astronomical society.  Well turns out that there are allot of important movers and shakers in the astronomy community that work and live in the area.  Some of them come to our meetings.  One in particular, Dr. Russ Genet PhD in astro physics ( he’s the guy with the gramps popeye beard in the pic) and director of several observatories took a special interest in our telescope.  He spent hours going over the design and workmanship taking notes and asking questions.  Finally he asked my son and I if we would help him construct a new telescope he has been planning.  We were totally blown away!!  WOW what an honor…especially for a armature hack like me.  Well we are a month or so into the project and we started cutting and welding on the mirror support cell this week end.  Turns out that the telescope project is a world wide effort with design and production support from a large group of engineers and scientist.  We are part of just one group.  My son and I are designing and producing the mirror cell, mirror box and altitude bearings.  The end project will be a fully transportable 1 meter research telescope designed to do planetary and close binary stellar data collection.   Dr. Genet’s thesis is that telescopes need not cost millions of dollars and occupy expensive observatory sites to contribute to meaningful research.  If successful , this design will be made available to colleges and Universities around the world to allow more access to and gather much more data then was though possible using the few large telescopes in use today.  Once complete we will participate in publishing a white paper on the results along with the design fundamentals and cost analyses.  Turns out that Dr. Genet started his career…go figure..in the Air Force. He worked in missile guidance and design in the early days of SAC and is the father of the networked simulator concept that is now part of the military mainstream training and war fighting process. Well I’ve blathered on more then I have time for…until next month.Cheers

Ponch

PS:  anyone needing a job please contact me!!!  There are hiring pilots NOW!    Im tired of the Navy goons filling the slots!!!!   

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Rough Weekend!

12. October 2009 by Andy.

Sorry for being a bit late…the 11 Oct was a bit rough; my daughter 23 was laid up in the hospital this weekend.  It started Saturday morning, got her to the emergency room by 5pm, and ran several tests to rule out kidney stones and appendicitis.  But it was her gall bladder that was the culprit – inflamed & infected.   So by 2am Sunday she was admitted to have an operation around 10am Sunday to remove it.  She doing well and should be released today.

In other news, Heather finished filming this weekend – and WOW does she have some stories to tell!  I told her she needs to write everything done, because they’re too many and too rich!  Things like an extra asking if he could sneeze when the director called “action” but was politely told “no” so he coughed instead.  When they said “cut”, Heather pipes up; “I’ve been upstaged by an extra” and everyone laughs because Heather is the one who should be coughing because it’s her character – in fact Heather dies in this film.  The director gave Heather great praise for bring her “A” game every time.  So much that she was given an actors dream – to improv (ad-libbing) a scene with her young (about 6-8) son to establish a relationship with him because there was nothing in the script.  The script did establish relationships with all her other “family” members before she dies, but not with the young son.  So without anything to go on or guidance/direction, she pulls it off to the point that when they finally call “cut”, there in not a dry eye in the place!  I wish I could tell you what the dialogue was because it would choke up anyone, I mean I’m getting choked up just thinking/writing about it – but because of movie confidentialities, I cannot – not until it’s released – sorry.  O’ and her death scene, when they finally finished filming, the director said she literally “died” on camera!  She dies from what we’ve gathered is tuberculoses.  She evens got to cough up blood as part of her sickness leading to her death – kind of what Val Kilmer does in “Tombstone” as Doc Holiday.

Yea, I was given a chance to go on set and follow her around for a day; met everyone, took a few photos and had fun watching her and the cast!  I’d post a few images, but was given strict guidance that I couldn’t…again not until the film is released.

Anyway, if it doesn’t show, well…I’m pretty proud of her!

My son is heading off to St Louis later this month to record a demo-CD so his manager can “shop” it around in the music industry.  In the meantime he waits tables at a high-end restaurant that opened last month – good food!

Still working for Rockwell, but there is a great temptation to go over to Global Strike Command – they are throwing a lot of money around and sucking up all former B-52 crewdogs.  I had to put my German 88mm Flak gun, somewhere in North Africa 1941-43, on hold for the moment.  I needed the half-track that towed it but it’s still in production from Dragon/DML – it was supposed to be out last month but for some reason it was delayed until this month – we’ll see.  So I began work on an Army M1A1 used in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

O’ BTW…I like the BoB Blogging…not much into Facebook yet.  Glad to hear about Chuck & oldest daughter!  And let me know when you do get published, I’d be first in line to buy your book(s)!

Until next time, fly safe!

Andy

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