ORIGINAL: Hossfly
mcmcintyre
I am thinking T-33
You be thinking very very good.
That seat pack 'chute should say a "LONG TIME AGO".
That was my "gung ho" photo just before graduating from USAF pilot tng. I wish it had been an F-4 or something like that.
My long story is I predicted an accident, it happened within 3 days, a number of higher rankers in the staff had poo-pooed my prediction, they got supervisory errors, the general was embarrased and removed me from being #2 for a fighter assignment for which I was continually sending "Volunteer for SEA' requests. I was stuck in a dead-end job with a great sounding name as punishment, however while checking out as T-38 instructor pilot, I looked in the paper, Jan 1966, and there was an ad for United pilots. History was made.
Someone asked if I flew heavier than the 727. Only as a first officer in my very favorite airliner the DC-8. I flew all versions from the short-8, freighter, stretch and super stretch plus the finest of all, the DC-8 62. Now that my friends was a flying machine. Trouble was that each was a protype with most switches in different places. Sme fun. [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]
When the airline finally started moving, I got a 727 Captain bid. very comfortable as I started in that machine as 2nd Officer, lots of FO time in two bids, and though I could have done the 767.757 for some 6 years, I let it pass on. I was living in Houston, commuting to Chicago, and I preferred good life to working and a few $$ more. Being on top of the seniority list does have good things for airline pilots. In the first 15 years, I bounced whereever the money was. I grew out of that with bass boat and RC airplanes to play with.
For exciting stories, ask those fighter guys like chad32u. They live the glamorus lifves with all the dollies clinging on to them.