Freight Dawgs
08-09-2008, 04:27 AM
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: EMB120 Left
Posts: 629
So,
I'm at the Elmendorf airshow last month and I run into a fellow FedEx MD-11 F/O. The show is pretty good and the F-22 demonstration is dramatic. The F-16 demo, and F-15 demo, and Thunder-chickens all performed. Arriving at an Aggressor F-16C from Fairbanks, I noticed my UPT classmate and Aggressor Squadron Commander (hah) "Juice" describing the jet from the pilot's seat. Using my influence as a former F-16 pilot and 2000 hour veteran, with over 30 combat sorties in Iraq and Afghanistan, I was sure I could get my non-military friend a seat in the Viper - no charge. I wanted to show off my obvious egotistic influence over the mere airshow crowd. Plus I knew the commander.
You guessed it. "Sorry, the seat is a hot seat and Air Force regulations require that a hot ejection seat be off-limits to civilians. I mean, dude, I could get in a lot of trouble for letting your friend up in the cockpit." Well, thanks anyway, Juice. Ego properly deflated, tail tucked, promise shattered.
Fast forward ... 400 feet away, "Maid in Japan" was sitting static display and the crew was answering questions about the C-36. The Air Force didn't come through with some air-stairs and when we walked up to the plane the crew explained that we couldn't go inside because the regular boarding stairs were unsafe for civilians. We explained that we were pilots for FedEx; that carried exactly NO weight. We couldn't get inside to see the interior. Again, I couldn't schmooze my way out of a wet paper bag let alone get into an airplane. It was "verboten" for me. My friend asked politely if we could just climb up and take a peek. "No, if we let you we'd have to let everyone, understand?"
My friend identified herself and queried the crew, "Do you know Ron and my Uncle Chuck?" They chuckled. Yeah, you can climb aboard, we didn't know it was you, wanna' take it for a spin around the pattern? Huh? What just happened? My proud fighter pilot ego was crushed under the weight of simple family influence. WOW.
Nice plane. Smells like diesel fuel and fried chicken though. Ah, the good ole' days.
Thanks for letting me ramble.
I'm at the Elmendorf airshow last month and I run into a fellow FedEx MD-11 F/O. The show is pretty good and the F-22 demonstration is dramatic. The F-16 demo, and F-15 demo, and Thunder-chickens all performed. Arriving at an Aggressor F-16C from Fairbanks, I noticed my UPT classmate and Aggressor Squadron Commander (hah) "Juice" describing the jet from the pilot's seat. Using my influence as a former F-16 pilot and 2000 hour veteran, with over 30 combat sorties in Iraq and Afghanistan, I was sure I could get my non-military friend a seat in the Viper - no charge. I wanted to show off my obvious egotistic influence over the mere airshow crowd. Plus I knew the commander.
You guessed it. "Sorry, the seat is a hot seat and Air Force regulations require that a hot ejection seat be off-limits to civilians. I mean, dude, I could get in a lot of trouble for letting your friend up in the cockpit." Well, thanks anyway, Juice. Ego properly deflated, tail tucked, promise shattered.
Fast forward ... 400 feet away, "Maid in Japan" was sitting static display and the crew was answering questions about the C-36. The Air Force didn't come through with some air-stairs and when we walked up to the plane the crew explained that we couldn't go inside because the regular boarding stairs were unsafe for civilians. We explained that we were pilots for FedEx; that carried exactly NO weight. We couldn't get inside to see the interior. Again, I couldn't schmooze my way out of a wet paper bag let alone get into an airplane. It was "verboten" for me. My friend asked politely if we could just climb up and take a peek. "No, if we let you we'd have to let everyone, understand?"
My friend identified herself and queried the crew, "Do you know Ron and my Uncle Chuck?" They chuckled. Yeah, you can climb aboard, we didn't know it was you, wanna' take it for a spin around the pattern? Huh? What just happened? My proud fighter pilot ego was crushed under the weight of simple family influence. WOW.
Nice plane. Smells like diesel fuel and fried chicken though. Ah, the good ole' days.
Thanks for letting me ramble.
OH and it is so loud that hand signals are used for v1 and v2. The C46 makes the DC6 look like a modern flying machine.
