A good race run...

The Better Half's aunt passed away the other night, just over a month past Birthday number 95. Not a bad run, all things considered. She lived independently up until last October, then dementia and a mild heart attack saw us put her in a nursing facility. After New Year's, the mental facilities slipped pretty drastically and toward the end it was a reversion back to infancy.

Might sound hard-hearted, but I do believe in dignity in life as much as possible. I'm glad she's free of this existence. I choose to think that she's gone off to a better place. If that isn't your thing, then she's just gone-but trapped in an old body with no mind...it's still a release.

The amazing thing is that if her obit was going to be in the paper, it would probably read 'after a brief illness'. As many of you know, illness and dementia are only 'brief' if you aren't the one dealing with it!

To use a rather ancient joke, I hope I die peacefully, in my sleep-not kicking and screaming like the passengers in my car!

yankeedog out.

More great monikers

Just one of those things. You live in a country where they don't speak your native language. Your parents give you a name which in your old homeland is a great and magnificent name-a name you can be proud of-only to find out that in your new country, your name is a joke. Happens all the time, both on a personal level and in product naming. I suspect some of us might have an English name that in some Urdu or Hindi or Malay dialect sounds like their word for 'Deflowerer of Young Male Goats' or some such.

And sometimes you get a name because your parents a) didn't like you or b) heard Johnny Cash sing 'A Boy Named Sue' one time too many and thought giving their kids some funky name will make them tough. Perhaps they should have thought this through. Those kids do, after all, pick their parents' nursing homes.

So let's see what names got dropped here, shall we?

Actually, this wouldn't be funny if it were in the Pinyin transliteration used by the PRC. Well, maybe it would...

When Star Wars fanatics have children! Strong the Force is in this one. Picked on mercilessly in school he will be...

You have to admit, this catches the eye when you're driving by.

And popular, with that much experience! Just like my rejoinder when in St. Louis and the drunken inbred Cardinal fans yell 'Cubs suck!'.

'Yeah? Well, the Cardinals swallow!'

Then we run as fast as the local gravity field will allow us to perambulate.

Only a Dick would do this to his kid.

I see this guy doing a variation of Hyacinth's routine from 'Keeping Up Appearances':

"It's pronounced Fuh-ZHOH!"

And her mother back in the old country showed her to friends and neighbors, saying "Would you like to see Mahboobeh?", blissfully unaware that in the English-speaking world, that remark would be followed by a snicker!

Didn't KISS do a song about this guy? 'They call him Mister Love...'. No, wait. That's 'Dr. Love'.

Sorry. With a guy named Mister Love, I don't want to link to Yello. I GOTTA link to Yello!!

She was in the first Austin Powers movie, wasn't she? Sure. Natal'ya Vagina! I remember her.

Actually, I think Natal'ya Vagina married former Twins and Tigers outfielder Rusty Kuntz. That'll take care of that silly maiden name!

I do remember Rusty. The name was pronounced 'Coontz'. You know he took a lot of crap anyway.

I'll vote for a guy named 'Loser'. It's the guy named 'Taxraiser' that would worry me.

What do you bet this guy has brothers named Dick, Percy, and Wally?

I think I'd change that last name to 'Abadass' if I came here to live.

I  appreciate the warning, and will tip large. Because I personally don't swing that way!

Now this guy, on the other hand, aced the whole name thing!

Batman bin Suparman: greater than Chuck Norris and Shatner in those Priceline commercials!

yankeedog out.

The Adventures of the Russian Spy...

...not our Natalia The Russian Spy, rather the honest-to-God real Russian spies we recently got hold of (at least one of which did indeed really sport that common feminine first name) and have just recently traded by back to the Empire for some agents we wanted.

Служба Внешней Разведки-Formerly the KGB. New name-same great service!

I find spycraft to be interesting. It's for the most part quite unlike the non-stop action and jet-setting made popular by Ian Fleming's James Bond. Spying for the most part seems mostly to consist of blending in, keeping your head down and your eyes and ears open, and not drawing attention to yourself, at least until the mission demands that you do otherwise. In a closed society, that's tough to do. In a free society, not so difficult, especially as this bunch was drilled well in American ways and indeed did quite well here-raising families, getting educations at some of our better colleges. Lived the dream of the country they quite likely grew up indoctrinated to dislike.

The swap takes one back to the 'good old days' of the Cold War. One only needs a foggy night somewhere in Central Europe, both sides staring each other down across the bridge between Freelandia and Cabbageslavia or across Checkpoint Charlie as the spies cross over into their respective spheres of influence, to complete the image.

I suppose their mission was to simply worm their way into American society, get as far up the ladder as possible, and wait for further orders. A well-placed asset can do a lot of damage that way-ask British Intelligence or the people who caught the Walkers or Aldrich Ames. None of these people were close to any high-value military locations-but there are other things worth picking up-industrial secrets, technological advances, research, financial records, information itself.

I wonder, though, if some of this bunch didn't 'go native' a bit, since a few of them raised children here. It does add to their 'cover'-just a normal American family and all that-but what if you get caught? There is love of country, and love of family One wonders if these people are thinking on a certain level "What the hell did I just do? I had family. I just deprived them of a decent life". Maybe not. Only they know.

These people lived double lives and not only endangered themselves but put their own children at risk. You get caught and eliminated in the espionage game-well, nobody gets conscripted into spy school. Adding the extra dimension of raising children in 'enemy territory'? They didn't ask for that disruption in their lives.

And what do we do with some of these spies' children? How much do we trust them? Do we watch them for the rest of their lives? They were born here. They are American citizens. The Russians have no right to ask for their custody and little inclination to do so. Some of the kids are in their teens to 20 years old. How much do they know about their parents' other lives? Are they loyal to Russia or the United States? Can they be subverted by the SVR using blackmail or threats on their parents' lives? I honestly don't know. I don't know if anyone knows, probably most of all them. It must have been something for those kids. They come home from school and someone says 'Sorry, kid. Your parents aren't really from here and were performing activities against the United States. We'll need to ask you a few questions as well.'

And what of the reception these spies will get back in Russia? I don't know how the Empire handles failed spies. The previous bunch found suitable jobs for them, I suppose-lots of work in Siberia to do, after all-or they were simply eliminated. I'm pretty sure Tsar Vladimir (I know, Medvedev is prime minister. Putin is the Man In Charge there, though) isn't any too happy with them, although being an old alum of KGB University I'm sure he understands the game, and that these things happen. It isn't personal, after all. It's just business.

I shouldn't be terribly surprised if some one or two of them has an accident on the Ring Road or gets hit by a car or has a giant kettle of borshch fall on their head. Someone has to pay for this pretty good-sized mistake.

If His Majesty isn't thinking that, some of the Russian street is:

"They obviously were very bad spies if they got caught. They got caught, so they should be tried," said Sasha Ivanov, a businessman walking by a Moscow train station.

Doesn't look like there's going to be sympathy or parades for them in Moscow. They might be dusting off that great old Russian saying from the days of Big Joe: Смерть шпионам. Smiert' shpionam. Death to spies.

I know I personally wonder why people like Ames and the Walkers are in the Graybar Hotel. You do that much damage with your treasonous actions, there's only one punishment. Capital punishment. At least this bunch was working for someone else and weren't born here.

This whole affair will make for some interesting reading if/when it gets declassified.

I'll leave you with this little gem of 'Spy' music. Probably not one of McCartney's best.

Oh, very well. I'll leave you with this little gem of 'Spy' music. A little bit better effort from Sir Paul. I never get tired of this particular piece.

yankeedog out.

QC Air Show-Finally, the end!

Thought I'd finish up with some of the jets at the QCAS.

The big fast jet display was put on by the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The big cousin to the F-18, I have to say, was pretty darned impressive. The pilot put the Hornet through its paces (spins, stalls, four-point rolls, and the ever-popular Pugachev Cobra) and it handles surprisingly well for its size. It even did good in some unstable manuevering, which tells me that its flight control software is pretty solid.

You know, I have to remember to take the videocamera to airshows. It's just too damn hard to try to focus and click in time!

The now-venerable F-15E Strike Eagle made an appearance as well. Though the Eagle design is almost 40 years old, it's still an impressive sight as it goes through its paces. It certainly looks to me like the Eagle can still handle itself on the modern battlefield.

A Heritage Flight of (top to bottom) a P-51 Mustang, the F-15E Strike Eagle, and that airshow favorite, the A-10 Warthog. This is a great formation to watch, but something of a challenge: the Mustang has to go full out and the jets have to fly at about as slow as they can without stalling!

Yes, the Warthog Demo Team showed off the big tank-killer as well:

The Hog is great fun to watch-it's big and slow and at certain angles has an uncanny resemblance to an old B-25 Mitchell bomber. But it can turn on a dime and give you three cents change, carry a massive load of weapons, and is tougher than 10-year-old dried turkey. It made the long low pass over the field on a strafing run, the 30mm Gatling gun flashing at the nose and a loud 'BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP' and a long gout of dust. Quite the machine!

Look! A baby Raptor! All it needs is some food, water, and the tender loving infusion of several million defense dollars, and it'll grow up to be a Big Fighter!

Ah, there's a Hornet up close. This example is from the Navy's VFA-211 (Fighter/Attack Squadron 211) which either just came off or more likely to be attached to USS Enterprise. VFA-211 is known as the 'Checkmates' (When you're out of Checkmates, you're out of fighters!). The folks in the tent were selling T-shirts with the squadron logo on them. The proceeds will probably go to the squadron's slush fund or for a few rounds of beer at the next port of call.

Now those are causes I'll gladly donate to! I'd rather buy a squadron T-shirt than the gear the regular vendors sell. This will go with my VS-32 Maulers shirt.

And that is that. You readers are probably saying 'Thank God! You do go on way too long when it comes to planes!' I'm going to try to get to Rockford at the end of the month. I'll see if I can get vids of the BUFF and some of the planes they can't get here.

Thanks for your patience and forbearance!

yankeedog out.

QC Air Show Part 3 of whatever-Giving Props

Back to the airshow after a break. I thought I'd show everyone the craft with props and rotors that were there.

This is, of course, the C-47 (Dakota to the Commonwealth), the primary Allied transport of World War II. The C-47 served in the US Army Air Corps and Air Force into the Vietnam era, and there are quite a few still flying, a few still serving as military transports in some Third World countries, still more with small airlines and charter services. The plane was designed some 65 years ago, so the guys and girls at Douglas did a good job. This example is supposedly the oldest C-47/DC-3 still flyable. It's owned by the Ozark Aviation Museum. I'd guess this plane served in the Israeli Defense Forces by the camouflage scheme and colors-it's the scheme the IDF called 'cafe-au-lait'.

Kind of a favorite of mine-the P-38 Lightning. I like the center 'pod' for the cockpit and weapon bay. It isn't a bad arrangement, though I'm told the cockpit could get cold on long flights, since there's no waste heat coming back from the engines. The Lightning had good speed, decent manueverability (though a bit tricky to handle), and long range-qualities required for long flights over the Pacific or doing bomber escort into Germany. Although the Mustang and Thunderbolt supplanted the Lightning as the primary USAAF fighter by 1944, the P-38 still served as a photorecon bird until the end of the war. The Germans referred to the Lightning as 'Der Gabelschwanse Teufel' (the 'Fork-Tailed Devil), showing their respect for the plane's abilities.

The TBM Avenger, primary torpedo bomber of the US Navy after Midway in 1942. The Avenger was a tough design and well-liked by its crews. The primary mission of the Avenger was to carry a torpedo to destroy enemy ships, but the big roomy hull and crew of 3 allowed the Avenger to be converted into an anti-submarine plane (which would be what those underwing rockets would be used for-hopefully catching an unwary U-Boat charging batteries and relatively helpless), ground support, Carrier Onboard Delivery (transport), and even as some of the very first radar-equipped Airborne Early Warning planes. The Avenger was replaced by the Douglas Skyraider in US service, but during the war the TBM served with the US Navy, Royal Navy, France, and New Zealand.

A look inside the TBM. This is the radioman's position. Above him would be the rear gunner and, forward and above, the pilot. The weapons bay is directly in front of the seat. The radioman doesn't get a great view of the world from where he's sitting.

This plane is the Nord 3202, a postwar trainer built by France. It's recognizable by its landing gear with 'knees' on them. I personally think the nose art is awesome!

Our last prop plane is the Pilatus PC-9 (T-6 Texan II in USAF service). This bird is down from the Canadian Air Force (Canada usually has a presence at the airshows around these parts. I suppose it isn't very far for them to come.). The Texan II is an advanced trainer for the USAF (before pilots get into jet trainers). Many air forces use the PC-9 as a trainer and light attack aircraft, and I believe the PC-9 is the primary mount of the RAAF Roulettes aerobatic team. Plenty of plane for most pilots to have to deal with!

We leave the prop planes and go to the helicopters.

Here's the big MH-53 Super Stallion helicopter from HS-14 (Helicopter Squadron 14) of the US Navy. The Stallions are essentially a derivative design of the 1960's era Sikorsky Skycrane, with a proper fuselage instead of the skeletal design of the Skycrane. The Super Stallion is used primarily for mine-clearance, troop transport, and cargo transport, and can be found primarily on board amphibious assault ships.

The vintage CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The design dates to the early 1960s, but they're still the backbone of the Army's transport copter fleet. Several nations fly the Chinook, including Israel, Britain, and I believe Australia (one of you will correct me if I'm wrong). This example came clear from the National Guard base next to the airport-a flight of some 700 feet. I've seen a lot of these flying around the area. Again, got the nose art, which I believe is the Miller Beer Girl from the Miller ads from around the turn of the last century, and the name of the 'copter is 'Magic Bus'. Probably a good name for the Chinook!

And finally, a helicopter that has been in service since 1984, but I've never seen up close! Odd since I've been to a lot of airshows. It's the AH-64 Apache, which has replaced the venerable HueyCobra in Army service (though the Marines still like the Cobra for their attack helos). I used to play Gunship on the old Commodore 64 back in the day. That was a pretty good simulation of the Apache, at least for the mid-1980s. Here you get a good view of the 30mm chain gun and sighting/targeting systems. These are connected to the helmet of the weapons officer, so basically he/she can shoot what he/she is looking at. The system worked so well that the Soviets used helmet sighting on the MiG-29, and now it's fairly standard to the current generation of fighters. This Apache has the standard weapons loadout of 8 racks for the Hellfire anti-tank missile, and 2 19-round unguided rocket pods (this loadout can be adjusted to 16 Hellfires or 4 rocket pods as required).

The Apache has served well in the Middle East. It has taken its share of losses in addition to inflicting them. Helicopter warfare is a nasty business. Helicopters are inherently aerodynamically unstable in addition to having a lot of the propulsion system and drivetrain exposed. Landing an unpowered helicopter (autorotation, which is a procedure involving disengaging the rotors from the gearbox, letting them spin free, then pulling the nose up for lift) is dicey at best and depending on conditions might not be possible at all. Unfortunately, that's the nature of the beast.

Good to be able to get an up-close-and-personal with the -64. Quite impressive.

Reckon we'll finish up here with the fast movers, including the A-10. Hope y'all enjoyed.

yankeedog out.

That sense of...Enterprise

Welp, another 4th of July has come and gone. We celebrated by going to the River Bandits game, and being treated to a 4-1 loss to the visiting Burlington Bees (Note to Bees' management-have Vuvuzuela Night sometime this year. It's a natural!). The Bandits looked a bit lackluster, and both sides had some baserunning gaffes. It is A ball, though, and the kids are there to learn. Substellar play is the name of the game at that level, sometimes. After that, fireworks, which were OK but not quite up to the level of years past. Not a bad evening, all in all.

Today my dad's getting his gallbladder removed, which should go fairly easy-it did with my mom earlier this year-so part of my off day will be spent at the hospital. While I do that, I'll leave you all with this.

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As this is written, a chapter in naval history is coming to a close.

The carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world's first nuclear-powered naval vessel, is being prepared for what will most likely be her last deployment.

Here Enterprise is seen in 1961 as part of the first wholly nuclear-powered task force, along with cruisers Long Beach (center) and Bainbridge (top)...

...and in the mid 1990s, after several alterations and refits.

Enterprise will be 51 years old when she pulls into port for the last time and her colors are lowered for the last time. She will have served on all the oceans of the world and visited the ports of most of the nations that have a coastline.

But...as stated above, she is over a half-century old. Her systems are not the most modern available. She is propelled by eight older-model nuclear reactors, as compared to two in the Nimitz class and derivatives. Parts and components are getting difficult to find. Her design is not the most optimal for the aircraft used today. It's probably time for Enterprise's retirement. To rebuild her from the keel up would likely cost as much if not more than building a new ship.

A lot of sailors and ex-sailors in this country spent a stint on board a ship named Enterprise. This carrier is the sixth ship in the fleet to carry the name. The first was a schooner. She was famous for firing the first shots in the Barbary Wars against the city-states of Tripoli and Algiers in North Africa (ye gods, we've been fighting these people a long time!).

The second, third, and fourth Enterprises served in the mid-to-late 1800s, which was something of a low period for the US Navy. Generally the fleet was neglected in favor of the Army during the country's westward expansion, with the brief exception of the Civil War.

The fifth Enterprise (CV-6) was the carrier of World War II fame.

CV-6 served in the Pacific from the first day of the war right up to the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay, fighting in most of the major campaigns along the way. The 'Big E' was the most decorated ship of the war, and possibly should have been preserved as a memorial instead of being scrapped in the late 1950s.

Which brings us to CVN-65 and her long service and retirement, and our Navy's policy of naming our carrier fleet. The latest carriers have been named for politicians, some of which deserve the honor, some of which...deserve a ship named after them, but not one of the carriers. Let's go through the list, shall we?

Nimitz. Commander of US Navy Forces in the Pacific during World War II. OK, I'm good with that.

Eisenhower. Commander US Forces Europe during World War II. 34th President. An Army General, but OK-worthy name.

Carl Vinson. Senator from Georgia in the 1930's. Instrumental in gearing up to bolster the fleet in the days before WWII. Worthy of a ship-but not a carrier.

Theodore Roosevelt. The first president of a 'world-power' United States. Sent the 'Great White Fleet' on a round-the-world showing of the flag. OK.

Abraham Lincoln. 16th President. President during the Civil War. Defeated the Confederate States and kept the Union together. No-brainer.

George Washington. Leader of the Continental Army in the Revolution and the first President of the United States. Definitely.

John C. Stennis. A long-serving senator from Mississippi. Not much to do with the Navy. I wouldn't have named a ship for him.

Harry S. Truman. 33rd President, in office at the end of WWII. President during Korean War. Had a reputation for being a no-nonsense guy. OK, though his Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, wanted to abolish Naval Aviation and put it in the hands of the Air Force.

Ronald Reagan. 40th President. Won the Cold War and probably responsible for the US resurgence of the late 20th Century. Advocate of a 600-ship Navy. OK.

George H.W. Bush. 41st President. President during First Gulf War. Naval Aviator during WWII aboard USS San Jacinto. Friend of the Navy, but really, probably a destroyer named after him would be more appropriate. We named destroyers/frigates for Winston Churchill and Harold Holt, after all, and I'm not sure Bush 41 did more than either one of them (certainly more than Holt and nowhere near as much as Churchill.).

Not a bad list with a couple of exceptions. However, the first of the new carrier class currently building is to be named (CVN-78) Gerald R. Ford.

Gerald R. Ford? I don't know about this. I think we're scraping here. Ford, like Bush 41, flew off a carrier during WWII (USS Monterey), and served as a long-time Congressman from Michigan. He was the 38th President, but only to finish Nixon's term, and was voted out in 1976. Destroyer for him too.

Who next? Millard Fillmore? Grover Cleveland? The senator who votes for the most money for naval appropriations in the defense budget?

I don't know. But I do know this. If/when we build CVN-79, it has to be named Enterprise. Traditions must be maintained, after all.

The possibility exists that the supercarrier may go the way of the battleship. The great expense to build them, along with the ability to field unmanned combat aerial vehicles and V/STOL manned craft (although I'll be extremely surprised if the F-35 does all the bullshit stuff they say it will) may render the big 1000 ft long ships obsolete and irrelevant.

The Navy is also investing in the America-class LHA (Landing Platform, Helicopter, Amphibious).  This class is an offshoot of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, and although it's designed to carry a Marine batallion into harm's way, the Wasps and Americas can serve as a 'light' carrier if necessary ('light' being a relative term as they are nearly the size of a World War II-era fleet carrier).

The first ship will of course be named USS America (LHA-6). If the supercarrier becomes a relic along with the trireme and the ship of the line, I wouldn't have a problem with the next America class ship being USS Enterprise (LHA-7).

There are some famous names besides Enterprise available for our carrier fleet: Lexington, Hornet, Valley Forge, Coral Sea, Yorktown, Franklin, and Intrepid come to mind. Let's use those before someone decides we need to name the next symbol of American power and prestige USS William J. Clinton or USS Robert Byrd or USS (insert name of Senator who has a shipyard in his state but doesn't know a deck from a bulkhead).

Also, people a few centuries from now will be counting on us to keep the name Enterprise alive:

No bloody -A, -B,-C, or -D!

yankeedog out.

234 years...and we still together!

Sunday brings the 234th birthday of the USA. We're sputtering a bit, but...we're still going, still around, still relevant!

We've done well, our little experiment in a federal republic. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll be here for a while longer-saving damsels, slaying dragons, and being a pain to all the other nations of the world, we prickly, annoying Americans.

But instead of extolling the virtues of America and getting into the big pissing match with the rest of the world that usually ensues, I figured we'd put it aside and I'll just invite you all to YD's Virtual 4th of July Party With Musical Selections.

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Hey! Welcome all! Nice of you to show up-glad to have you here. Like the red, white, and blue bunting on the side of the house? I stapled it on myself.

Yeah, I know. It'll leave holes. Reckon I didn't think that through.

You got here just in time-we'll be able to see the fireworks from here. So, make yourself at home. I've got the grill fired up. Burgers, anyone? I've got corn on the cob (first local batch of the year) on as well. Salad with vegetables from the garden, and of course apple pie for dessert. Be ready in a bit-tell you what, grab a cold Sam Adams from the ice chest, or git yo'self a shot of fahn Kintucky bourbon, or a bottle of Coke. Pull up the lawn chairs. Talk amongst yourselves, or just listen to some tunes.

Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Bakersfield

Oh, heck yeah, got a huge yard here. We certainly can get a pickup game of softball going! It'll have to be the 16 inch slowpitch, though. What say we US against you Australia/New Zealand? All right! I'll keep the tunes going.

New York, Alabama, California, West Virginia

Whew! That was close! You guys would've won if Bangar hadn't dropped that fly ball out in right field! You can't field the ball AND hold onto a full can of beer! Looks we took the game 22-21-typical for a 16 inch softball tilt. Better luck next year! Burgers are done-dig in while I reload the music.

The Rivers, The Railroads, The Automobiles

Hope everyone enjoyed the picnic! Not much left, you bunch of vultures. I see the sun's starting to go down a bit-what say you guys help me drag some of that deadwood into a pile and we'll get a bonfire going.

Well done! It's a beaut, and the smoke will help keep some of those bloodsucking mosquitoes away. Pull up the lawn chairs, and relax a spell while we wait for dark, and fireworks.

Ah. I see you found my secret stash of firecrackers. Don't throw them in the fire, guys. Guys! Not in the fire! No, no...

Muskogee, Memphis, Lodi, Las Vegas

Nice one! Cooking off all my firecrackers in the bonfire. Appreciate it. There were some pretty good bangs happening there, I gotta admit.

What do you know? It's dark, and I believe the fireworks are commencing now! Some great pyrotechnics-the sky's being lit up in all colors with everything from boomers to showers! Great how they have the show synched up to music, Sousa, of course. The Armed Forces Medley. The 1812 Overture-because nothing shouts 'America' like a work by Chaikovskiy. Go figure.

So. Looks like a good time was had by all! Hope you enjoyed the bash. Do it again next year? Y'all come back now, y'hear?

yankeedog out.