The season turns. . .
A mild day today...
a bit cloudy, temps in the 70s.
The forsythia bush has flowered...
golden yellow now.
Daffodils have pushed up and bloomed.
The robins have returned.
Ah, Spring.
__________________
Had a bad, bad night last night.
Could not lay prone without fluid
accumulating in my lungs.
Spent the night sitting up in my recliner.
I hate doing that.
I don't actually sleep...
it's more like cat-napping through the night.
My feet and ankles swelled too.
I have congestive heart failure, so I
knew what the root-cause of this
fluid retention was.
This occurred despite my taking the Lasix.
I was wondering what it was that
triggered this particular episode.
It came to me!
I'd gorged myself on Chinese food, twice, yesterday...
Chinese food = MSG (monosodium glutamate).
The key word here is sodium.
I'd brought it on myself.
-Fini
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
16 MAR 12
Nine days since word of Lex's death reached me.
Am still in shock.
Any serious attempt at writing here is not yet possible.
-Fini
Am still in shock.
Any serious attempt at writing here is not yet possible.
-Fini
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
07 MAR 12
Lex is dead!
In my opinion, "Neptunus Lex," is/was the best blog on the web.
Lex, in real life, was retired Navy Captain Carroll LeFon.
He'd been a fighter pilot.
He chafed at retirement.
Doing the 9 to 5, sitting in a cube, began to wear thin.
He did his best to adapt to civilian life... and succeeded, mostly.
BUT... that part of him that was a navy fighter pilot kept prodding.
He was offered, and accepted, a position with a military contracting
company that provided adversarial aircraft for USN pilots to train against.
His aircraft was the Israeli-built F-21 Kfir.
After an early morning launch this day, returning to base
at NAS Fallon, his plane crashed while landing, killing him.
After reading his daily blog these past seven years,
I felt as though he were a friend... though I'd never met him.
I weep for his passing.
I weep for his family... who I've come to know through his words.
He's left behind a wife, a son, two daughters.
(...and a dachshund.)
All I can say is... Damn!
Just Damn!
R.I.P. Captain.
You'll be missed.
Captain Carroll LeFon, USN (Ret.)
http://www.neptunuslex.com/
-Fini
PS:
I read Lex's blog only yesterday.
He was alive and articulate, as always.
He was well aware of the hazards of his chosen profession.
________________
From his blog, yesterday, 06 March 2012
"Streamer
By lex, on March 6th, 2012
I supposed it had to happen eventually, everybody has one in time. And I had mine yesterday.
It was a good hop, really. Raging around down low, hiding in the mountains, waiting for a chance to pounce on the unwary. Although this is graduation week at the (prestigious) Navy Fighter Weapons School, and there are very few unwary students left. Still, good clean fun, and your host can say “Copy kill” with the best of them.
Cruised on back to the field for the recovery with few cares, being very nearly the first to land. The students being further away from the field at the knock-it-off, and the instructors taking advantage of whatever fuel they had left to whirl and flail at one another in the best traditions of the service. A tolerably precise landing, there’s the seven thousand feet to go board, and at 150 knots indicated I pulled the drag chute lever aft, bunting the nose slightly out of the aero-braking attitude to ensure a tangle-free deployment.
Which is precisely when nothing happened.
Ordinarily you feel a pretty good tug on the shoulder harness as the drag chute deploys. Not like an arrested landing aboard ship, mind. But the sensation is unmistakeable, as is the effect, particularly at higher speeds. Which I was still traveling at, the chute having either failed to deploy or parted behind me, there was no way to know. Look, there goes the six board. Still about 150 knots indicated. I’ve mentioned to you before how much runway the jet takes up during the take-off roll with the afterburner howling behind you. It takes up a surprising amount of pavement at idle, too. Especially with no drag chute. Time to go.
The procedure calls for full grunt, and drag chute lever forward to cut the chute if it’s a streamer. It takes a little while for the engine to make full thrust from idle, time spent nervously watching the departure end come up. At least I was still going pretty fast, so there wasn’t that far to go to get to fly-away speed. And I was light.
Tower cleared me to land on the left runway, which is a few thousand feet longer. Much to the dismay of a student whose need to land was at least as great as my own, the right runway being fouled by a drag chute, and hizzoner being low fuel state as he subsequently admitted under protest when he was asked to go-around and make room for me. But based on the timing he was now second in line for special handling. There’s a good man, wait your turn and ‘fess up first in the future. I hope you’ve learned something from this.
I was already pretty low on fuel myself, so I didn’t need to burn down gross weight. Flew about as slow as I could without risking a tail strike or hard landing, she does not like to fly slow. Still about 185 knots in the round-out. With no drag chute the book calls for aerobraking until 130 knots, and judicious use of the wheel brakes from that point on, balanced across the length of the runway remaining. You’re a long time holding the aero-braking attitude with no chute. You go by a lot of runway. Depending upon headwinds or tailwinds and runway length, one might even shut the engine down to reduce residual thrust.
I didn’t in the event, but the brakes – and anti-skid – got a pretty good workout. When I taxied back to the line the maintenance guys told me to go away for 10 minutes. Just in case the brakes might, you know: Catch fire. Which they didn’t, so no harm done.
It’s funny how quickly you can go from “comfort zone” to “wrestling snakes” in this business.
But even snake wrestling beats life in the cube, for me at least. In measured doses."
_____________________
PPS:
NTSB Identification: DCA12PA049
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Public Use
Accident occurred Tuesday, March 06, 2012 in Fallon, NV
Aircraft: ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES F21-C2, registration: N404AX
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On March 6, 2012 at 0914 pacific standard time, an Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir F-21C2 single-seat turbojet fighter type aircraft, registration N404AX, operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) under contract to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as a civil pubic aircraft operation, crashed upon landing at Naval Air Station Fallon, Fallon, Nevada. The sole occupant pilot aboard was killed, and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and fire. The flight had departed Fallon at 0752 the same day, and attempted to return following an adversary training mission. The pilot initiated two Ground Control Approach (GCA) radar approaches to Fallon and then attempted to divert to Reno but was unable to land there as the field was reporting below minimum weather conditions. The pilot then turned back toward Fallon and stated to air traffic controllers that he was in a critical fuel state. The pilot descended and maneuvered first toward runway 31, then toward runway 13. The airplane struck the ground in an open field in the northwest corner of the airport property and impacted a concrete building on the field. Weather at the time of the accident was reported as snowing with northerly winds of 23 knots gusting to 34 knots, and visibility between one-half and one and one-half miles.
( Fair winds and following seas, Sir. )
In my opinion, "Neptunus Lex," is/was the best blog on the web.
Lex, in real life, was retired Navy Captain Carroll LeFon.
He'd been a fighter pilot.
He chafed at retirement.
Doing the 9 to 5, sitting in a cube, began to wear thin.
He did his best to adapt to civilian life... and succeeded, mostly.
BUT... that part of him that was a navy fighter pilot kept prodding.
He was offered, and accepted, a position with a military contracting
company that provided adversarial aircraft for USN pilots to train against.
His aircraft was the Israeli-built F-21 Kfir.
After an early morning launch this day, returning to base
at NAS Fallon, his plane crashed while landing, killing him.
After reading his daily blog these past seven years,
I felt as though he were a friend... though I'd never met him.
I weep for his passing.
I weep for his family... who I've come to know through his words.
He's left behind a wife, a son, two daughters.
(...and a dachshund.)
All I can say is... Damn!
Just Damn!
R.I.P. Captain.
You'll be missed.
Captain Carroll LeFon, USN (Ret.)
http://www.neptunuslex.com/
-Fini
PS:
I read Lex's blog only yesterday.
He was alive and articulate, as always.
He was well aware of the hazards of his chosen profession.
________________
From his blog, yesterday, 06 March 2012
"Streamer
By lex, on March 6th, 2012
I supposed it had to happen eventually, everybody has one in time. And I had mine yesterday.
It was a good hop, really. Raging around down low, hiding in the mountains, waiting for a chance to pounce on the unwary. Although this is graduation week at the (prestigious) Navy Fighter Weapons School, and there are very few unwary students left. Still, good clean fun, and your host can say “Copy kill” with the best of them.
Cruised on back to the field for the recovery with few cares, being very nearly the first to land. The students being further away from the field at the knock-it-off, and the instructors taking advantage of whatever fuel they had left to whirl and flail at one another in the best traditions of the service. A tolerably precise landing, there’s the seven thousand feet to go board, and at 150 knots indicated I pulled the drag chute lever aft, bunting the nose slightly out of the aero-braking attitude to ensure a tangle-free deployment.
Which is precisely when nothing happened.
Ordinarily you feel a pretty good tug on the shoulder harness as the drag chute deploys. Not like an arrested landing aboard ship, mind. But the sensation is unmistakeable, as is the effect, particularly at higher speeds. Which I was still traveling at, the chute having either failed to deploy or parted behind me, there was no way to know. Look, there goes the six board. Still about 150 knots indicated. I’ve mentioned to you before how much runway the jet takes up during the take-off roll with the afterburner howling behind you. It takes up a surprising amount of pavement at idle, too. Especially with no drag chute. Time to go.
The procedure calls for full grunt, and drag chute lever forward to cut the chute if it’s a streamer. It takes a little while for the engine to make full thrust from idle, time spent nervously watching the departure end come up. At least I was still going pretty fast, so there wasn’t that far to go to get to fly-away speed. And I was light.
Tower cleared me to land on the left runway, which is a few thousand feet longer. Much to the dismay of a student whose need to land was at least as great as my own, the right runway being fouled by a drag chute, and hizzoner being low fuel state as he subsequently admitted under protest when he was asked to go-around and make room for me. But based on the timing he was now second in line for special handling. There’s a good man, wait your turn and ‘fess up first in the future. I hope you’ve learned something from this.
I was already pretty low on fuel myself, so I didn’t need to burn down gross weight. Flew about as slow as I could without risking a tail strike or hard landing, she does not like to fly slow. Still about 185 knots in the round-out. With no drag chute the book calls for aerobraking until 130 knots, and judicious use of the wheel brakes from that point on, balanced across the length of the runway remaining. You’re a long time holding the aero-braking attitude with no chute. You go by a lot of runway. Depending upon headwinds or tailwinds and runway length, one might even shut the engine down to reduce residual thrust.
I didn’t in the event, but the brakes – and anti-skid – got a pretty good workout. When I taxied back to the line the maintenance guys told me to go away for 10 minutes. Just in case the brakes might, you know: Catch fire. Which they didn’t, so no harm done.
It’s funny how quickly you can go from “comfort zone” to “wrestling snakes” in this business.
But even snake wrestling beats life in the cube, for me at least. In measured doses."
_____________________
PPS:
NTSB Identification: DCA12PA049
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Public Use
Accident occurred Tuesday, March 06, 2012 in Fallon, NV
Aircraft: ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES F21-C2, registration: N404AX
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On March 6, 2012 at 0914 pacific standard time, an Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir F-21C2 single-seat turbojet fighter type aircraft, registration N404AX, operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) under contract to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as a civil pubic aircraft operation, crashed upon landing at Naval Air Station Fallon, Fallon, Nevada. The sole occupant pilot aboard was killed, and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and fire. The flight had departed Fallon at 0752 the same day, and attempted to return following an adversary training mission. The pilot initiated two Ground Control Approach (GCA) radar approaches to Fallon and then attempted to divert to Reno but was unable to land there as the field was reporting below minimum weather conditions. The pilot then turned back toward Fallon and stated to air traffic controllers that he was in a critical fuel state. The pilot descended and maneuvered first toward runway 31, then toward runway 13. The airplane struck the ground in an open field in the northwest corner of the airport property and impacted a concrete building on the field. Weather at the time of the accident was reported as snowing with northerly winds of 23 knots gusting to 34 knots, and visibility between one-half and one and one-half miles.
( Fair winds and following seas, Sir. )
Sunday, March 4, 2012
04 MAR 12
Things that go "Bang" in the night. . .
Was awake and sitting in my recliner at 5, this AM.
Suddenly... there was a staccato series of bangs out
in front of the house, accompanied by the sound of a car
revving it's engine. I jumped up to look but couldn't see
a thing in the dark.
Later in the day, I went down to fetch the paper and
found both the doors on my mailbox had been blown off.
Looked up and down the street... the neighbor's boxes all
showed signs of damage too.
Putting it together... some miscreant had been out this morning,
blowing up mail boxes with cherry bombs.
Can't close the front of my box now...
gonna have to spring for a new one...
about 100 dollars.
Damn!
_____________________
"What would you do if I sang out of tune. . ."
There once was a woman who friended me on facebook.
She was very nice.
She always had nice things to say about my postings.
Then one day. . .
we came to loggerheads.
The subject of our disagreement
was a particular facet of military training.
She thought it barbaric.
I deemed it necessary.
I called her argument. . . "Silly."
She said I was inflexible.
She unfriended me!
I remained ever polite.
(She's still a nice lady.)
Sunshine Friends. . . they can be found anywhere. . .
and everywhere.
( C'est la vie. )
-Fini
Was awake and sitting in my recliner at 5, this AM.
Suddenly... there was a staccato series of bangs out
in front of the house, accompanied by the sound of a car
revving it's engine. I jumped up to look but couldn't see
a thing in the dark.
Later in the day, I went down to fetch the paper and
found both the doors on my mailbox had been blown off.
Looked up and down the street... the neighbor's boxes all
showed signs of damage too.
Putting it together... some miscreant had been out this morning,
blowing up mail boxes with cherry bombs.
Can't close the front of my box now...
gonna have to spring for a new one...
about 100 dollars.
Damn!
_____________________
"What would you do if I sang out of tune. . ."
There once was a woman who friended me on facebook.
She was very nice.
She always had nice things to say about my postings.
Then one day. . .
we came to loggerheads.
The subject of our disagreement
was a particular facet of military training.
She thought it barbaric.
I deemed it necessary.
I called her argument. . . "Silly."
She said I was inflexible.
She unfriended me!
I remained ever polite.
(She's still a nice lady.)
Sunshine Friends. . . they can be found anywhere. . .
and everywhere.
( C'est la vie. )
-Fini
Saturday, March 3, 2012
03 MAR 12
"Hooray For Hollywood. . ."
I'm starting to really believe that Hollywood is peopled by cretins.
Consider my, already offered, opinions on Hollywood writers.
Now... Hollywood publicists are pushing a trailer for the movie,
"Brave," touting the archery duel featured in the movie...
It's ANIMATION folks!
Anything is possible in an ANIMATED film!
The heroine could bounce an arrow off the moon, if that's
what the director wants.
(Does anyone seriously think that Wile E. Coyote, after a thousand-foot
fall to the canyon floor, could just walk away rubbing his sore butt??)
If I remember correctly... they touted the gymnastic stunts in the
animated version of a Sinbad movie a few years ago too.
It was stupid then... it's stupid now.
Got my curmudgeon on today.
________________________
From an earlier facebook posting:
FEB 26
Hollywood writers are mostly dipshits.
Just watched a bit of "The Mentalist."
A bad guy opens fire with a sub-machine gun...
turning in a circle, spraying the whole area with gunfire.
Nobody dies, nobody is even hit.
Cops enter and arrest him.
Head cop explains that the gunman's ammo had been
replaced with blanks... in case he slipped surveillance.
Anybody who has ever fired a weapon knows...
Blank ammo looks different than the real stuff.
Blank ammo feels different than the real stuff...
it's not as heavy.
Blank ammo cannot be fired, on full auto, from an
automatic weapon without an adapter being attached
to the muzzle.
Demonstrates lazy writing.
_____________________
(For the sake of realism, Hollywood movie weapons have adapters permanently installed inside the barrel. Blank ammo CAN be fired, at full auto, with these modified weapons.
Real ammunition cannot be fired at all.)
-Fini
I'm starting to really believe that Hollywood is peopled by cretins.
Consider my, already offered, opinions on Hollywood writers.
Now... Hollywood publicists are pushing a trailer for the movie,
"Brave," touting the archery duel featured in the movie...
It's ANIMATION folks!
Anything is possible in an ANIMATED film!
The heroine could bounce an arrow off the moon, if that's
what the director wants.
(Does anyone seriously think that Wile E. Coyote, after a thousand-foot
fall to the canyon floor, could just walk away rubbing his sore butt??)
If I remember correctly... they touted the gymnastic stunts in the
animated version of a Sinbad movie a few years ago too.
It was stupid then... it's stupid now.
Got my curmudgeon on today.
________________________
From an earlier facebook posting:
FEB 26
Hollywood writers are mostly dipshits.
Just watched a bit of "The Mentalist."
A bad guy opens fire with a sub-machine gun...
turning in a circle, spraying the whole area with gunfire.
Nobody dies, nobody is even hit.
Cops enter and arrest him.
Head cop explains that the gunman's ammo had been
replaced with blanks... in case he slipped surveillance.
Anybody who has ever fired a weapon knows...
Blank ammo looks different than the real stuff.
Blank ammo feels different than the real stuff...
it's not as heavy.
Blank ammo cannot be fired, on full auto, from an
automatic weapon without an adapter being attached
to the muzzle.
Demonstrates lazy writing.
_____________________
(For the sake of realism, Hollywood movie weapons have adapters permanently installed inside the barrel. Blank ammo CAN be fired, at full auto, with these modified weapons.
Real ammunition cannot be fired at all.)
-Fini
Thursday, March 1, 2012
01 MAR 12
It'll be two years. . .
... tomorrow, since my step-son, Tommy, died.
The shock of his untimely death, at age 46,
yet reverberates through the family... it's felt by all.
http://jmawelsh.blogspot.com/2011/07/06-mar-10.html
____________________
Tax Man. . .
Had an appointment with the accountant today.
Completed all the tax forms and filed everything.
Done! ... 'til next year.
-Fini
... tomorrow, since my step-son, Tommy, died.
The shock of his untimely death, at age 46,
yet reverberates through the family... it's felt by all.
http://jmawelsh.blogspot.com/2011/07/06-mar-10.html
____________________
Tax Man. . .
Had an appointment with the accountant today.
Completed all the tax forms and filed everything.
Done! ... 'til next year.
-Fini
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Comments (Atom)
Been thinking on this... it's hard to get past.
A US Army Staff Sergeant kills 16 civilians in a fit of rage... to include women and children.
Am currently reading,
"Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades," by Sean Parnell.
It's his account of his tour in Afghanistan, as a platoon leader, with the 10th Mountain Division.
A quote from his book:
(An IED has just destroyed a HMMWV while on patrol.)
"The villagers watched the entire event. In his turret, Chris Brown saw Cole die and unleashed a barrage of obscenities at the villagers. They knew the bomb had been planted; that's why they'd come outside. They wanted to see what happened. Nobody had warned our platoon, despite the fact that we'd been bringing aid supplies to the village all summer long."
There's no love lost here...
not when it seems that we're fighting their war for them.
Just as it once seemed in Vietnam.
The same cultural, and political, dynamics that had much to do with the My Lai massacre are in play with this incident.
Watching friends die for no tangible reason warps thinking and builds rage.
Seeing whole villages of local people who remain either detached or hostile towards your efforts... something's gotta snap.
(Also contained in this book are tales of Taliban atrocities being committed every day and not being reported on by any media... or the ISAF officials in charge. Why is that?)
Just my $.02 worth.
PS:
Also... don't think that I'm for allowing the SSG any kind of break on this...
I don't advocate that at all.
It's just that the analyst in me wants answers as to the "Why?"...