airshow!

I'll be at the Luke Days Airshow this weekend with my T-6. Come on out and enjoy the Thunderbirds, the USAFA Wings of Blue, the F-22 demonstration team and an A-10 demonstration team. Should be a good time. See you out there!

what kind of gun are you?

These are kind of silly but....

I am a: Glock Model 22 in 40 cal

What kind of handgun are YOU?

...hey, its what I want!

scary....

Neptunus Lex highlights this article. Things in the Air Force are not looking that great as it is...

The word within the U.S. Department of Defense
is that the White House wants to collect six to eight "scalps" -- major program kills -- in this year's Quadrennial Defense Review.

Some of the cuts already are being considered as Defense Secretary
Robert Gates rewrites the 2010 budget. You can expect to hear a lot of rumors about which programs are being targeted between now and when the Pentagon releases details of its budget request in April. But while most of the military services are scrambling to protect programs, at least one is getting ready to offer up a signature weapons system. The U.S. Navy will propose removal of one aircraft carrier and air wing from its posture, dropping the number of carriers to the lowest number since 1942.

I wonder what it is the Air Force will have to give up? A friend thinks the F-35 is already too far along to stop production, which is good news. But aircraft are big ticket items. I can imagine the numbers of requested F-35's will most likely shrink.

What really scares me is what will happen to existing weapons systems. First there were problems with the F-15C, then it was the F-16s, followed by the A-10, and now the mighty C-130. What's next?

The United States has enjoyed air superiority since for the most part since WWII. If the current administration allows numbers in aircraft and personnel to dwindle even more, who can guarantee that we will continue to control the skies?

Go here for the state of aircraft around the Air Force, put together the president of the AF Association.

My colleagues and I joke about buying our own office supplies and toilet paper in the next fiscal year, but what will our Air Force look and act like with an aging fleet and pilots flying less training hours due to budget cutbacks? In my opinion, not good.

tax day protests

So I'm diggin these Tea Party Protests. There will be a big push on April 15th, tax day of course! If there's one in Northern Mississippi, I'll be there.

I highly encourage anyone, no matter what you believe, to either show up with your own sign or watch the action, maybe have a lively discussion. I'll try to post video and photos after the fact.

You can go here for more info on the movement or planned protests in your state.

conservative dissidents?

Instapundit linked to this a few minutes ago, saying that those who once called dissent the "highest form of patriotism" and now labeling conservative protesters "domestic terror wannabees."

I guess its all in what you dissent against....

I've been wondering what would happen if conservatives started giving Mr. Ayers and his cohorts a taste of their own medicine?

Our intention is to engage the enemy, to wear away at him, to harass him, to isolate him, to expose every weakness, to pounce, to reveal his vulnerability.
Our intention is to encourage the people, to provoke leaps in confidence and consciousness, to stir the imagination, to popularize power, to agitate, to organize, to join in every way possible the people's day-to-day struggles.
Our intention is to forge an underground, a clandestine political organization engaged in every form of struggle, protected from the eyes and weapons of the state, a base against repression, to accumulate lessons, experience and constant practice, a base from which to attack.

Now I have my answer.

dubya vs. barry

An interesting video. I think it says less about the Marines' feelings toward each man and more about each president's feelings concerning how he should be treated.



One wanted to be among those riflemen, the other, to shake hands with the brass. One among the people, one above. I'm sure you can imagine which illicits more respect from those men and women in uniform.

From Roger Kimball via Instapundit.

i wanna come too

I'm looking through all the photos from the Tea Parties around the country. I am totally impressed and I wish I could have gone to one. Michelle Malkin has a good round up and Instapundit has a ton of links.

I was thinking about what I would put on a sign if I went. Searching for quotes on socialism, I found some hum-dingers. Some of my favorite people, Churchill, Reagan, were in the search. Some other guys that I hadn't thought of, Sowell and de Tocqueville, have some great quotes too.

Here's a Sowell one I liked, but it wouldn't really fit on a sign...

“The assumption that spending more of the taxpayer's money will make things better has survived all kinds of evidence that it has made things worse. The black family- which survived slavery, discrimination, poverty, wars and depressions- began to come apart as the federal government moved in with its well-financed programs to 'help.'”

What would you put on a sign? Any good ones you have seen?

the future of flight

With a bad economy, the airline industry always teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and gas prices threatening to rise to astronomical levels, flying looks like a risky business to get into. Add the fact that flying can be less than enjoyable at times (ok, most of the time), and we can all agree that there is a lot of room for improvement in commercial flying.

Instapundit posted this article from Wired about Finnair's vision for the future of flight. While there are some interesting concepts, I think some of the them are definitely flights of fancy.

Should everyone have their own aircraft?
In the last three years of being an instructor pilot in the Air Force, I can say that not everyone is meant to be a pilot. We have enough trouble teaching students that already have experience flying. Think of all the bad drivers you know and then give them a third dimension in which to control their vehicle, while they are required to talk on a radio and look inside at some sort of control panel to monitor airspeed, direction, maybe a GPS. In 2008 there were 147 aircraft accidents and 876 deaths. Can you imagine what that number would be if that jerk who just cut you off while talking on his cell phone was allowed to fly? While the dream of every one having a "family jet" a la the Jetsons is great, it is totally unrealistic and, I would argue, very unsafe.

Will flights be more enjoyable?
Finnair envisions flying cruise ships where "personal flight attendants, pre-flight yoga lounges, sleeping pods and meals featuring something called 'eco-food'" are available. They even describe aircraft that are practically flying cities, complete with beauty parlors and a gym. Now don't get me wrong, this sounds great, but this isn't that much different than what's available to the ultra rich these days anyway. And how many flights are long enough to allow people to enjoy these perks if they are available? International flights definitely, but if air travel gets faster, as it inevitably will, most flights will take less time anyway. While I do often wish I could get up and take a walk about half way into a two hour flight, I don't think going for a run is really in the cards. Air travel isn't about the journey, its about the destination.

So call me a skeptic, but I'll believe this stuff when it when I see it. Air travel will just suck less in 2093.

looking to save some money?

Then don't waste your food. Whether its that banana with the brown spots or the last bit of cereal in the bottom of the box, Americans throw away an average of a pound of edible food a day. I would be interesting to see what the study considered edible, but I believe that number. I'm defiantly guilty of letting food go to waste.



Linked from Mark's Daily Apple.