Now, for all you non-flightline-types, 781s? Anyone, Beuler, Beuler …

Dude, WHERE do you see 781s? And, if the 781s are out, in flight, I’d be pretty dang worried!

(sorry folks, this is relative to a thread Tim is on over at Amy Proctor’s blog. there’s some good readin’ over there regarding Al Ja-slime-ahh and the Dems sellin’ out the US of A!)

Ya know, I did notice there’s one guy, back right, that is all in black garb. If you look carefully, you can see him preparing his mylar-lined helmet.

Hmmm … they’re everywhere, I tell ya!!!

Once our girls have grown, then maybe I can get back into target shooting. My want is a bolt action target pistol. I had a 7mm Magnum target rifle I bought at the Rod ‘N Gun Club on Rhein Main AFB. I miss it. It was a wonderfully balanced and accurate gun.

Enjoy!

Hey Buck, I think I can relate! Your #1 Son and I have the “bug”. There really is NOTHING like working on the birds, from my perspective. I really do miss the days and the missions. When I had a great night, I was fixing 3-4 tail numbers a night. I’d “cann” from one bird to the other, looking for Red-X’d birds from which to “borrow” a functioning Nav Unit to get a Red Ball/Red Streak mission off the ground.

Plus, even though I complained about the augmentee duty, once I was out there and involved with the SPs, I never complained again. There was a bond ya just can’t break out there … theirs was obviously tighter, but I made a few good friends out of a few - they nicknamed me Hollywood. Being from CA, wearing reflector lens sunglasses, wearing an FMS cap (that scared the DAYLIGHTS out of them until they knew and worked with me), and walking around with live rounds …

Ahhh, the days …

If I woke up, my bag at the foot of my bed, and the bus was leaving in 1 hour — knowing what I know — I’d jump up and RUN to the bus station!

There are a few things AFTER the Air Force I’d like to have done different. I may have even pulled a full 20. But, to be where I am now, I’d do the exact same things.

“Stay away from airplanes.”

Anyone who has ever worked a flightline understands the wisdom of those words. I tried to tell my oldest son that same thing, but he’s a glutton for punishment and wouldn’t do anything else… for love nor money.

And frozen butts, too, at least those on the line at Minot and Grand Forks. Of all the AFSCs in the AF, those guys get the least respect and pull some of the toughest duty, in a lot more ways than one.

To all, I would have just accepted the extra ear protection (bunny ears). Those that do not need to communicate have colored headsets (usually red, blue, or yellow), and OMS/FMS/AMS (old AMS, like the Radio or Instruments Shop) that work on preflight or engine runs, etc, usually have a headset with a mic and a GIANT chord.

Now, SPs, as Kelly points out, usually on the flightline when I was active, rarely used headsets. They still needed to hear other things and had to bear down on the whole noise thang. That sucked. But, I’m glad they could hear more, ’cause that made me more safe! Thanks you guys! Especially the SPs at Offutt and Beale - they had to keep a very close perimeter as well as a larger “control” around our aircraft. I bet the Buff SPs (guarding B-52s, not muscle-guys) had some trashed ears! That’s one NOISY bird!

Dang, Buck got the drop on everyone. Seems like I need to find another photo puzzle.

And I never was a flightline type, but I raised one!