downed F-16 pilot update

CNN is reporting Maj Troy L. Gibert is now listed as "duty status whereabouts unknown." Searches have not turned up a body, but surveillance aircraft observed insurgents in the area of the wreckage following the crash. The emergency beacon in the ejection seat did not go off, so it appears that the pilot did not attempt to eject. Investigators are now conducting DNA testing on the wreckage.

Here's the military.com article.

f-16 down in iraq

I heard about this many times today, but have not heard many details. I did hear a nastly rumor that the pilot was being dragged around Somolia-style, but I have found nothing to that effect. Here's the links I can find, more to come as the situation is clarified. No where am I able to find anything about the pilot. Our prayers are with him, his family, and his unit.

Al-Jazeera story

Muthana Shakir, an Iraqi journalist in Baghdad told Al Jazeera: "We got credible news saying at 2pm on Monday a US F-16 warplane was downed in al-Garma neighbourhood near the western Iraqi city of Falluja."
"The warplane was downed over arable lands. Witnesses confirmed that the plane was fired on by gunmen's rockets when it was flying on low altitude."
William Caldwell, a US military spokesman, said he would be surprised if the jet was shot down as the F-16's fly very fast and have not encountered any weapons capable of taking them down in Iraq.

Fox News
There is no such thing as an F-16CG boys. That doesn't take much research. Google that stuff.....
WaPo makes the same mistake.

Apparently the Viper crash isn't that big of a deal. I cannot find much on it. Stay tuned.

chick fighter pilot cartoon

I have been looking for this forever!!! Thanks to the CFPA for posting it.

christmas decorating

My roommate and I took the weekend to decorate our humble abode for the Christmas season. How do you like the homemade wreaths and brand new tree?

gifts for pilots

Less than 30 shopping days until Christmas, so what to get for that pilot in your life? Here are some ideas for those of you in need:

Practical:

• Anyone just learning to fly could always just use the cash. Flying is an expensive proposition.
• The professional pilot is always in need of some nice threads to help him look good in that corporate or airline world.
• A good pilot always has to have an accurate time hack.
• Not the biggest Tom Cruise fan, but a pilot's got to look good.
• I'm no bomber pilot, but I like their way to stay warm.
  

Fun

• Make sure everyone knows you are a pilot.
• Something for the future pilot.
• For future pilots who like pink.
• My favorite t-shirt. This one is pretty good too.
• For the pilot who likes to play games. For the AF pilot who likes to play games.
  
• Chuckle with your cup of joe in the morning.
• Christmas cards for your pilot.
  

Reading material, my favorites

• The Few by Alex Kershaw (my own review coming soon!)
  
• Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith
• Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram
• Flyboys by James Bradley
• The Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose
• Fighter Combat by Robert Shaw (More technical)

Anyone else have any good ideas?

send a meaningful gift this year

Operation Gratitude is sending care packages to soldiers overseas. Here's their wish list. You know I will be sending some help.

Thanks to Wizbang and Michelle Malkin for spreading the word.

My other favorite thing to do for the holidays is Operation Christmas Child. This year's drive might be complete, but there is an EZ give function also, so you can donate and make Christmas for a child much brighter.

silly squids

Via SMASH

thankful

What I am thankful for this holiday:

1. Friends who are willing to include a lone single girl to celebrate Turkey Day with their family.
2. Crisp, cool autumn-winter air and leaves that crunch walking through them.
3. Phone calls to my best friend when I need to hear a familiar voice.
4. A job that I love. No matter how long the hours, or the fact that I have to fly with students, no matter what else is going on in my life; it still makes me happy when those wheels lift off the ground and I can leave my problems earthbound while I play on the wind.
5. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is not quite as magical as I remember, but it holds great childhood memories.
6. Then men and women in our nation's military who gave up their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to protect it for those who cannot or choose not to.
7. The freedom of speech and this medium in which we can all have an equal voice to be heard.
8. My health, not to be cliche.
9. My family that is just a phone call or plane ride away.
10. My faith that is a comfort, driving force, and guiding light that never steers me wrong or lets me down, even when I do myself.

The Pre-Meal Thanksgiving Safety Demonstration from Throwing Things

Welcome to this Thanksgiving meal, with non-stop service from passive aggression to outright yelling. This afternoon's meal will last approximately two hours and 14 minutes. At this time, please direct your attention to the head of the table for the pre-meal safety demonstration.

Emergency exits are located at the door into the kitchen and through the living room into the front hall. Please take a moment to locate the exit nearest you.

When the meal begins to take off, you must fasten your lips shut. To do so, insert an alcoholic beverage into a glass, and pull it to your lips for a long swig. We suggest that you keep your beverage glass full throughout the meal, as we may experience turbulence.

In the event of a sudden pressurization of the dining room's atmosphere, various members of the family may drop insults that they don't actually mean. Remain calm. Pull the defensive psychological mask that you have constructed over your face and breathe normally. Insults will continue to flow even after the mask is in place.

In the event of water flowing from eyelids, please remember that your Walgreen's Thanksgiving print paper napkin can be used as a tear-soaking device.

This is a non-smoking meal. Tampering with, disabling, or destroying the smoke detectors located in the bathroom is an offense punishable by substantial yelling and cursing.

At this time we ask that you turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices. Please make sure that you have stowed away all painful memories and disappointments in preparation for the meal.

For complete information on meal safety procedures, please review the email provided to you by your cousin Joe detailing which family members are not talking to which other family members and which subjects are prohibited.

Thank you for choosing this side of the family for your Thanksgiving meal. At this time, you may sit back, relax, and enjoy the fight.

Here's what Michelle Malkin thinks journalists should be thankful for this year.

The very wise La Shawn Barber has the right perspective this Thanksgiving: Christ. I am thankful for Him too!

Thanksgiving wishes from Blackfive.

Charlie from OPFOR who is deployed has this to say:

For me, deployment is a comfortable disconnection from the reality of life. Everything is simpler in the Army world. You wear the same uniform, eat at the same place, do the same job, and live with the same people all day, every day. Thanksgiving is just another day, another report filed, and another small victory when everyone comes back in the wire safe.

Lest I get you down during this festive season, I remain thankful. I'’m thankful for my great country. As I've said before, when this deployment ends, I'’ll get to go home. The people here won'’t, and so it is my job to keep them safe while I'’m here.

And from Richard:

Our lives are utopian, yet most Americans never stop to think about the hundreds of thousands –- millions - – of brave young men and women who are standing at the gates, guarding our nation: the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are fighting, bleeding and dying in foreign lands so that we may remain free.
***
Let us not forget the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom; and let us all take a moment to remember the mothers, fathers, wives, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters of these heroes. Let us all mourn their losses.

Happy Thanksgiving,
~chicpilot

10 reasons to marry a female fighter pilot

10 REASONS TO MARRY A FEMALE FIGHTER PILOT

10. Don't have to spend hours in the mall looking for accessories. The life support shop provides everything she needs.

9. Arguments are a lot shorter because you both use acronyms to insult each other.

8. She insists on buying a stroller with a gold plated canopy and the baby's name and callsign stenciled on the side.

7. A conversation about boom vs probe-n-drogue refueling turns into a night of dirty talking.

6. Her occupation takes her from 0-600mph in 18 seconds.

5. She brings you souviners from deployments in the travel pod. Everything was frozen but its the thought that counts.

4. She looks gorgeous in an evening gown or in a flightsuit.

3. You would never be tempted to cheat because you know she can put a GBU-10 through the bedroom window.

2. If she ever shoots down an enemy jet, you can spend the next 10 years telling everyone you meet "That was my wife!"

And the number one reason to marry a female fighter pilot:

1. She followed you into the men's room at the bar

From the Chick Fighter Pilot Association.

jets, getting rid of the military, and silencing your critics the russian way

Another busy week that began with a cross country and ended with a Saturday fly day, and my body has decidedly quit on me. I had no time this week for anything other than work, food and sleep. Now is my time to catch up, so as I watch Fox News and surf, here's what I meant to write about this week, but passed out before I got to it.

Out on cross country I saw a brand new Pilatus. I must say it was glorious, and I was a bit jealous of the new owner who flew it from Switzerland himself. But pretty soon, I'll have one of my own jets with Pilatus engine to fly on a daily basis. I can't wait for GPS!

Apparently a group in California, the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County, wants to get rid of the US Military. The admonishes Quarterly asks them this question:

If the United States had no military at all, the following would be more likely to occur:

(A) Peace on earth for every man, woman, and child.

(B) A hellish nightmare in which brutal dictators scheme to destroy the prosperous West and steal its riches unimpeded, bringing untold misery to billions of people.

Now, that should be a simple question to answer, we think. And, if you answered (A), congratulations: You’re officially a complete imbecile. You’re so dumb you ought to ride the short bus to school and never take off your helmet, even though you’re not on the team.

They are encouraging servicemen to just get out of the military, they even offer "Military Counseling." I hate to tell them this, but we have a volunteer force. I doubt that many of them who chose their profession voluntarily need counseling about getting out of it. Via Wizbang!

It looks like the long arm of the Russian law, or lack of it, is reaching for its critics even as far as London. Alexander Litvinenko, a former colonel in the Russian secret service, met with a journalist we claimed to have information about the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who was murdered last month. I smell a conspiracy. Via Instapundit.

And a little fun for you fellow bloggers out there, via La Shawn Barber's Corner via Michelle Malkin.

stuck in montgomery

Last night during the first sortie of a last minute student cross country, my RMI bearing pointer decides to crump on me and the fuel quantity was acting kind of fishy, both indications of an AC power issue, so I decided to land at Montgomery Regional. Not too far from home so the maintenance guys came to fix it this morning and we're back on our merry way. Never fun having aircraft malfunctions at night though. So here I am waiting in the FBO so I can get another night sortie. Ah, teaching the next generations of AF fliers.

While I've been waiting I had the chance to do my daily surfing.

Jay Tea at Wizbang! sees his state go from red to blue and is not very happy about it.
Bill at Eject!Eject!Eject! has some encouragement after the election, and a challenge:

The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at
any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the
get rich quick theory of life. -- Teddy Roosevelt
***
To those who have written me in anger over the years, I say sincere
congratulations to you on a big win, and I genuinely hope it will remove some of
the bitterness in your hearts and restore some belief in a system that was never
broken.
As for me, I pledge to re-enter the fight with more energy, not less,
and to continue to try to make the case I think needs to be made. I'll start on
that tomorrow.
"Americans can always be counted on to do the right
thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." -- Winston
Churchill
Welcome to the process of exhausting all other possibilities. This
is where we separate the men from the boys. Pick a line and stand in it.

LGF asks why no Democrats have attempted to counter our enemies show of support for their party.

i've been interviewed

My first interview over at Money for Military. Military Money asks, "Your blog is titled 'Chic[k]pilot'; so naturally everyone must wonder, how do you apply make-up while you are flying an airplane?" Swing on over to find out.

its ok to insult soldiers

In a world where so many of our politicians strive to be politically correct in everything they say and do, the thing that confuses me the most about John Kerry's military comment last week is why he did not immediately apologize for the fact that he might have offended anyone. If he would have said the same thing about auto workers, plumbers, the Hispanic or black communities, women, or any other group of people in this country he would undoubtedly been denounced and attacked exponentially more than he has been in the media. Or would he? Are groups in the mainstream media downplaying Kerry's statement due to the fact that they agree with his policies, his statement, or the group it was addressed to, maybe a combination of the three? It seems as if we are spring loaded to cater to any minority group other than the military. Most pundits understand that the military is more conservative than the general population; more servicemen come from red states rather than blue states. Other than this blog and some general discussion about specific laws and policies that are important to me, I generally try to not involve myself with politics in everyday life. I think it is important that the military is as impartial as it can be and will always answer to the Commander-in-Chief, no matter his or her political affiliation. As long as no one in my chain of command asks me to do anything illegal, I will be proud to serve whoever holds the office of President of the United States. The outcome of the yesterday's election will determine whether or not Senator Kerry's statement and lack of appropriate apology will effect the election. For my money, I think he has ruined his chances at a Presidential bid, and lost any remaining credibility he had with military members, their families, and their supporters.

Powerline blog
Hugh Hewitt weighs in

crazy kid

I ment to publish this last week, but things have been fairly busy. A good friend of mine who is in my squadron participated in the Marine Corps Marathon on 28 Oct. It was his first marathon, and he finished 6th overall and he was the first military member to cross the finish line. We are all so proud of him. Great job Ben! I can ask him for autographs if you want...

tomorrow is a big day

Voting day. This weekend I was out on yet another student cross country, eight flights in four days, so I missed a lot of the election coverage, but I got a chance to read some today. This election is particularly important to me because it could have a dramatic effect on my profession and those I know and love. Stay or go in Iraq? Tax cuts gone? Medicare, social security.... the list goes on, and it never seems to get any shorter. I found an interesting article from the Telegraph in the UK. It is always good to see a critical view of yourself from another perspective.

Until very recently, the term "working-class" was never used in American political discourse: everybody was middle-class except the "poor", who were usually unemployed and regarded as having special problems. So the advent of a wealthy liberal elite that holds middle-class concerns and values in contempt is quite a new phenomenon. Even the old Democrat aristocrats – the Franklin Roosevelts and the John Kennedys – would not have spoken with the undisguised disdain for the Middle-America, Bible-belt constituency that the contemporary liberal establishment uses now.

The change must have come in the 1960s, I suppose, when moral outrage became the common currency of political life, and a general licence was issued to every educated person to detest openly all those who did not subscribe to the unimpeachable world view that was handed down at university.

In effect, what America has now is a social divide that is more like Britain's, in which the "enlightened" class is frankly contemptuous of what it regards as populist politics.