Chant du Départ

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Gonna Be A Busy Week...

Google Street View

So The Nuke drove up from DC.

The WSO flew in from California (yes, her arms are tired, thank you for asking).

Not sure how much blogging will get done this week.

I have granddaughters and granddogs to spoil. No doubt the progeny will spoil me.

I will leave you with this.

(Heck, everyone is posting this, I don't wish to be thought of as "uncool." Heavens to Betsy, no. Not me!)

I spent a day at sea on the Ike, had Christmas dinner onboard back in the day when The Nuke was assigned to her.

Yeah, I like Ike.

She's a fine ship with a fine crew.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Operation Tasman Sea After Action Report

So, There I was* Forced by my cruel family and friends to take a vacation and visit Australia and New Zealand. The things we do to keep peace and tranquility in our home. I can feel the sympathy from you readers just FLOWING through the Internet. /Sarc

Flew into Sydney and spent 4 days on the ground there. The Family had been there in 06 for a week, but Mrs. Juvat and Little Juvat had a conference to attend. The Beautiful Daughter (TBD) and I had a blast exploring the town. So, for all intents and purposes, this was a first time visit for all but she and I. Rented a very nice B&B in Watson’s Bay which was quaint, quiet but conveniently close to a water taxi so getting around was easy.

By the second day, both other couples had arrived and we were doing the turista thing.

The Taronga Zoo was quite enjoyable and the day trip to the Hunter Valley Wine Region was fabulous.

We brought Professionals with us to drink wine

Day 4 had us boarding the Solstice at Circular Quay.

Mrs Juvat and I sprung for a cabin on the back of the boat, and the extra deck space allowed for all 9 to consume some Champers whilst taking in a view that “didn’t suck.”

No, This view didn't "suck".

A day at sea, and awoke the next morning in Hobart Tasmania. Strolled around for a bit, visited the Cenotaph overlooking the harbor.

Quiet Contemplation

Followed with a visit to a local Whiskey distillery. (Most of us would call it a Scotch distillery, but I was corrected. Since this was not Scotland, this was not Scotch I was drinking.) The liquid nectar of the gods was excellent, but at $160 US for 500Ml, it was priced above my comfort level.

Whiskey, Not Scotch!

Left Hobart, and spent two days crossing the Tasman Sea, arriving at Dawn at Milford Sound. I’m pretty sure I know where Heaven is. Words don’t describe.

Milford Sound, Lord, you did well here!

Other Ports included Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Tauranga and Bay of Islands. Finally, we offloaded in Auckland. All completely different. All beautiful beyond words.

View from the table at lunch
(Russell, Bay of Islands NZ)

There were a couple of very special side trips we took that will be included in future posts. However, there were some big lessons learned, that I wanted to share.

We arrived at Sydney just after dark theit time which corresponded to about 1AM body time, a VERY long day. Cleared Immigration, grabbed our bags and joined the Taxi Queue. Got to the head of the line and asked the supervisor for a van which he quickly hailed. Loaded our bags, got in and I sat up front. Gave the driver (I’ll name him Vlad the Mad Serbian) the address and watched him enter it into his GPS. I did the same thing. And We’re Off!

Now, I like Speed. 700K @ 100’ no problem, bring it! However…

Suffice it to say, I’d like to blame my hysterical laughing on excitement about being in Australia, but I must confess to sheer terror. We managed to arrive at the B&B in one piece, but there is probably at least one motorcyclist who is still cleaning out his pants.

In any case, we’re offloading our bags and I put my backpack down on the back of the taxi to help with the conga line. The family is moving bags into the house as they are offloaded. We get the taxi unloaded, I turn and all the bags are in the house. Pay the cabbie and head inside.

Only to find that my backpack didn’t make it into the house.

Lesson #1. Don’t move the bags until all are unloaded. Everyone accounts for all their luggage, then the cabbie gets paid.

Lesson #2. Cell Phones have cameras. Take a picture of the Cab, and especially the phone number.

Why was this important? Fortunately, when we’d cleared immigration, I had stuck the passports in my pants pocket, so that problem was avoided. However, my backpack had my iPad, Tablet and Camera in it. Bad, but replaceable.

But…My backpack had my medications in it. Medications I can’t afford to not take for 2-3 weeks.
.
Stayed up for about 3 more hours calling Taxi companies that had that type cab. No joy.

The next morning as we head to breakfast, I notice a mom and pop pharmacy and stop in. I explain my circumstances and ask their advice. Well….they can’t sell me the meds without a prescription and my Doctor isn’t licensed in Australia, so I’ll have to make an appointment with an Aussie Dr and have him write the prescriptions. Oh Sierra Hotel!

We decide to go back to the airport and see if we can talk to the Cab Supervisor and see if they might have any ideas on which company we used. As we exit the train, I see a cop off to the side and ask him directions to the cab queue. He gives them to me and asks why I need a cab (we’re still in the train station). I explain my lost backpack and he says “Mate, you’re unlikely to get that back.” “I know, but it’s the meds that are in it, I’m worried about.”

“Mate, that happens all the time. There’s a doctor on the third floor of the terminal. She’ll write you the scripts right there.”

$80 AUS later, I’ve got my scripts. Turn them in to the pharmacy, pick up the meds and pay for them. Holy Socks! The following morning, I’m back on my regimen and things start to smooth back out. Now, if I can just figure out how to get reimbursed by TriCare…That was an EXPENSIVE lesson.

The next evening, there’s a knock at the door, and there’s Vlad with my backpack, with the iPad, Tablet, Camera and Meds.

Next lesson.

Travel to Sydney is a 19 hour non-stop from Dallas or Houston. We didn’t want to experience that. Having done it once we recognize that the trip is not for the faint of heart.

Side note: I’m pretty sure that the Old in OldNFO is a direct result of the numerous times he had to make the trip. Chronologically, he’s probably 40 something. As the adage goes, it’s not the years, it’s the miles! 16,875 give or take, out and back.

in order to avoid 19 straight, we decided we’d make a stop each way in Honolulu. Just a one night stay to break up the flight. Good idea, but would have been better with two nights each way. We were too spun up and worrying about the early wakeup the next morning to get much useful sleep.

Finally, the Daughter In Law had to be back Monday which dictated flights and airlines. Since we left last Friday US/France time, we picked a terrible day to fly on Emirates. Took off from Auckland, no problem. Landed at Brisbane and although we had been screened in Auckland and never left the secure portion of the international terminal, we were all ushered into a separate room and rescreened. Mrs. Juvat had bought a bottle of water in the international terminal in Auckland (after screening there). It was in her purse. Alert! Alert!

Ah well! Such a world we live in.

*SJC

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Long Ago, When the World Went Dark

Arlington, At Dusk

Some of you may be wondering how I, a self-proclaimed historian, had not remarked on what happened on this day, 52 years ago.

Believe me, I know what happened, it is a date that was seared into the soul of a ten year old boy. It's one of those "where were you" dates.

For me, my world went from being a safe place, where all is goodness and light, to a very dark, dark future.

Vietnam followed not long after.

The riots and turbulence of the '60s here in the U.S. were another symptom of those dark, dark times.

But to a young boy, the events were overwhelming. Why would anyone want to kill the President? What dark powers walked the Earth that would make possible such a thing?

I have not forgotten those dark days and I never will.

Rest in peace Mr. President. Some of us remember.

The WSO's Ride

VFA-2 Rhino, about to trap aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)

This pic was sent to me by the Big E, father of a Rhino pilot who was a squadron mate of The WSO back in her VFA-2 days.

If you look closely, that WSO is The WSO.

Yup, that's the Sarge's baby girl at work.

At least BTM* is pretty sure that's her.

Looks like her.

Hey, Dads know these things.

*Big E's son's callsign. Short hand for Big T!tty Mike. Oddly enough, BTM's name isn't Mike. How did he get that callsign? You'll have to ask him.

What's That You Said?

(Source)

Nothing
Nichts
Ничего
Nada
Nic
Rien
沒有
아무것도
Niets
Wala
Intet
Tsis muaj dab tsi
Ingenting
Kahore
Ոչինչ
Nimic
Nieko
कुछ नहीं
Ekkert
無
Nenhuma coisa
Τίποτα
لا شيء
Нищо
Ei mitään
Semmi
K có gì
Nič
Waxba
לא כלום
কিছুই
ไม่มีอะไร
Nekas
Niks
Ní dhéanfaidh aon ní

There you have it, 35 ways to say nothing.

I see that the Irish are perhaps the longest winded when saying nothing. Japan though, is the soul of brevity when saying nothing. As are a few others.

Don't know if you can tell, but I just ain't feeling it today.

Seems I have high blood pressure, seems I need to take medication for that. It's going to take a while (methinks) to adjust to the new meds.

Make me drowsy it does.

Getting old ain't for sissies.

So yeah, I got nothing.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Hank Caruso's Aerocatures

(Source)

I mentioned in Speaking of F-4s... and in Rhinos, that I remembered seeing that "cartoon" (actually it's a caricature) above, a long time ago. As you can see by the date, it was drawn in 1983 by the very brilliant Hank Caruso. An engineer and an artist (to me those are sometimes one and the same, toss in the word "wizard" and we're talking old school!) he is also an honorary naval aviator! (#27 as a matter of fact.)

Somebody told me that the pilot above is a dead ringer for Virgil Xenophon. I scoffed at the suggestion, Virgil is taller. (But if ya squint real hard, that WSO could be Juvat's twin!)

Hat tip to my old boss Russ, he posted a version of this on my Facebook page (yes, I do Facebook, don't judge me). Through the magic of "the Google" I found the source. I tried hard to find a source for old Air Force Flying Safety magazines on the Interwebz, but no luck. (Juvat swears he saw Phantoms with rhino heads on 'em in that mag and I'm inclined to agree with him. I used to read that magazine in my salad days. Ha! Like I eat salad.)

Anyhoo...

The WSO and The Nuke will be in town this week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Nuke will be bringing her pups (Bear and Kodi) and The Sea-lawyer will be flying in Wednesday, he's still in school until then. Of course, Big Time is still out at sea but The WSO is bringing two of my four grandchildren along. (The other two will be in California with The Naviguessor and The DIL. They're not traveling this year. I know the feeling, it's important to start your own traditions too. Still, I will miss them.)

I am off work next week, (yes, Ebenezer, I'll be wanting the entire week) but plan to blog as much as possible. Right now to stop blogging would be to stop breathing. I like this gig, though the pay be low (in truth, it's non-existent, so Tuna, Juvat, quit asking for raises, m'kay?)

Before I forget, need a little something for that special aviation-nut in your life? Visit Mr. Caruso's site (here) and pick up his new 2016 calendar. It has Naval Rhinos on the cover! It's available now and is but a mere twenty Yankee dollars. I plan on getting mine soon, very soon. (I bought a new toy yesterday online, so I need to lay low for a couple of days, perhaps I can convince the progeny to "surprise" me with that, ya know, for Christmas. But after Thanksgiving. Stop looking at me that way Suldog and Skip.

'Twas a beauteous day Friday, had a doctor's appointment first thing, then a dental appointment. Man, do I know how to schedule! (No, no, I don't, but that's my point innit?) While between appointments I cast my gaze over my vast tracts of land (okay, some of it belongs to the neighbors) and took some pictures. Sometimes something will catch my eye and if I have the time, I roll out the Canon and blast away.

Like I said, a very lovely and mild day. (I'm waiting for my California friends to start reminding me of all the snow in my future, sigh...)

What the heck, one more Caruso masterpiece to entice you to visit him and spend money. (No, I don't get a cut, I just love cool stuff and buying it keeps the guy making more cool stuff. It's the Sarge Theory of Economics. Buy cool stuff to keep cool stuff in circulation.)

(Source)

I like to call that one, "Bye bye Ivan!" (Oh wait, are they our friends now or not? Gee, it gets confusing sometimes for this old Cold Warrior!)

Oh yeah, two new fellows up in the header. One flew "Spads" and I don't mean the ones that Eddie Rickenbacker flew in WWI, I mean Skyraiders. I wrote of him once upon a time. The other guy flew with Rasimus and was suggested to me by my buddy Murph. I will be writing of him, soon.

First Lieutenant Karl Richter. Killed in action at the age of 24. Damn.

RIP Sir.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Rhinos

(Source)

Okay, today I want to talk (again, sort of) about Rhinos. (Note the capital letter, that's a clue that it's not that big fella in the opening photo!)

I should have subtitled this post "...and other odd aircraft nicknames" but I didn't because of this...

Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-279-0950-09 / Bergmann, Johannes / CC-BY-SA 3.0 (Source)

Now that bad boy in the snow was a German World War II tank destroyer which packed a version of the (in)famous 88mm dual purpose gun. The Germans initially nicknamed this vehicle Hornisse, which is the German word for hornet. Later it was called the Nashorn, which is, you guessed it, the German word for rhino. You can read more about that beastie here.

So a rhino isn't necessarily an animal or an aircraft.

Huh Sarge? An aircraft? (Well, if you had read the comments from yesterday, you would have seen that my straight man, er, co-blogger, Tuna started this conversation...

So of course, I answered the question (sort of) and decided to post (blog about) it. Why not, I am ever a sucker for suggestions from the readers. (Tuna's not just a co-blogger, he reads this stuff as well. As does Juvat. Hmm, not sure what, if anything, that says about them.)

Anyhoo...

My son-in-law Big Time flies the Rhino I mention in my first response to Tuna. That would be the F/A-18E (or Echo, as I like to call it) and my daughter, The WSO rides the back seat in the F/A-18F (or Foxtrot, as I like to call it). What's that? Pictures? You wanna see pictures? Heck, why not?

An F/A-18E of VFA-136, Knighthawks, launching from USS Enterprise in 2011. Heh, that could be Big Time in the cockpit, it's the right time frame. (Source)

An F/A-18F of VFA-2 about to trap aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (Wrong boat, wrong time frame for The WSO. Sorry kiddo, couldn't find a good one with you in it.) (Source)

Now how did the Navy's Rhino get her nickname? I've heard that it's because of...

(Source)

Do you see that bump just forward of the pilot's windscreen and above and to the left of the side number, 135? I've heard that these birds are called Rhinos because of that bump on the nose. The more mundane story is that they're called Rhinos because...

The Super Hornet is informally referred to as the "Rhino" to distinguish it from earlier "legacy" Hornets and to prevent confusion in radio calls. This aids safe flight operations, as the catapult and arresting systems must be set differently for the heavier Super Hornet. (The "Rhino" nickname was previously applied to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, which was retired from the fleet in 1987.) W

Hey! Did someone mention F-4s?

A U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II (BuNo 155880) of fighter squadron VF-161 Chargers making an arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CV-41) in 1 March 1985. (Source)