Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Trailrider #896

Members
  • Posts

    8,149
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Trailrider #896

  1. Original Kingston Trio Chad Mitchel Trio Harry Belafonte Joan Biaz Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem John Wayne - America - Why I Love Her
  2. There are still some government agencies (DARPA?) that are looking at an Orion-type nuclear system in space, rather than being launched from Earth. The biggest obstacle is still political, as there is the "no nukes in space" treaty.
  3. In 1953, when I was in 4th grade, I came up with this "crazy idea" of using "controlled atomic explosions" to propel a space ship. My uncle, who had served as a naval officer in WWII, suggested I send the idea to the U.S. Navy, which I did. I received a nice letter from a Lt.Cdr. R.C. Truax, head of the shiplaunch branch of BuAir, encouraging me, a young boy. In 1962, following my 2nd year of college, I wrote to Truax, then a retire admiral, head of Advanced Development, at Aerojet-General, asking if my ideas had sparked any interest in what was announced as Project Orion. He wrote back saying he didn't thing so, but how would I like to come to work for him as a paid summer intern, which I did. We worked on concept of huge booster rockets (conventional liquid propulsion), called Project Sea Dragon. I subsequently graduated with an engineering degree, and spent my career with a tour as an Air Force missile maintenance officer, and civilian aerospace engineer. One never knows where ideas will take us! Ad Astra!
  4. What kind of propellant are they using? Almost smokes like black, but I know it can't be that...
  5. The change to ball powder gave the AR15/M16 fits. Messing up good rifles with bad powder or cartridge cases goes clear back to the M1868 Trapdoor Springfields! As for the AR15 and the Air Force, in the 1965 to '69 period, we never saw them at Malmstrom AFB. Our site security guards were issued M2 Carbines and a 15-round magazine....with 10 rounds.,. at least until I complained and they gave them 2 magazines!
  6. I don't recall seeing any purple or orange paint on fenceposts, but I recollect a sign on a rancher's property: "No Hunting, No Trespassing; Don't Ask!" Another sign read, "No Trespassing! This sign sighted in for a .300 Magnum. Survivors will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!" Standing behind the first sign was a herd of pronghorns!
  7. Had a TAC officer in AFROTC who showed his gun camera films from WWII. He was flying a P-51 on a strafing run. The view was near the ground due to the low level of his wings. He was going down between two rows of FW-190's, which, being tail-draggers put their noses above the line of sight! He told us one of his squadron mates came back with a gopher in his radiator air intake!
  8. A comedic genius. Thanks for the laughs. RIP.
  9. Just don't call me "Shirley"!
  10. Oh, wow! I, too, remember it from the '60's, but never knew what it meant. Obviously about a guy who had lost (broken up?) with his girl. About the same effect as "Lemon Tree" had on me at the time...long before I met my present wife of 58 years.
  11. Frankly, as cool as the Mare's Laige looked on "Wanted", with about a six-round capacity it was little better than a Colt's SAA with a 7-1/2 barrel, and, in my mind, not as handy. As far as a .45-70 version, I bought a M1886 with a 19" barrel and shotgun buttstock, and with some stout loads was all I found practicable for heavy game in dense brush.
  12. I believe $20 is what I paid to the DCM back in the 60's. Not sure, but the "unserviceable" designation may have referred to the fact that the headspacing was slightly out of tolerance. At the time, my Dad was still in the reserves and went on two-weeks active duty at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, about 15 minutes from our house. I took the carbine to the post ordnance armorer. He took the piece, and returned about two minutes later with an M-2 (round, rather than the flat M-1) bolt, and that was that! I foolishly sold the carbine some years later when they had not increased in value that much.
  13. That almost amounts to fraud. I wonder what government agency would look into that sort of money business?
  14. We made hotel reservations with a major chain, for three nights. We had stayed at this hotel before, and I called them on the phone back in March for April 22nd through the 24th. I was surprised when I received conformation on my credit card charging the whole amount, but because I was still recovering from surgery and a bunch of other stuff going on, did not question it, figuring I wouldn't pay it until after our stay. Our trip was for our annual wellness checkups at a major medical clinic, and we had appointments scheduled with doctors and for tests (everything came back okay for me and my wife). We received and emergency call from a family member to return a day early, which we did. We checked out the night before our departure and thought we were given credit for the unused day. It turned out that the reservation had been shifted to some "third party" outfit, which is why they charged the whole thing up front! But we never received notification except for a charge sheet with that outfit's contact info. After going round and round with the hotel chain's corporate headquarters, it turns out the hotel did give us credit for the unused night, BUT THE THIRD PARTY WILL NOT REFUND THE MONEY! The amount may seem trivial ($265.03), but being on a fixed income, it pays for about a week's groceries! The point is, if you make reservations by phone, be sure the hotel or airlines will not transfer the reservation to anybody else, and that you don't charge more than one day's fee (to be held by the reservation until 24 hrs. before you check in, which is reasonable in case you cancel right before check-in). If a full-price charge appears on your credit car, cancel it immediately, and contact the hotel again by phone to rebook. If they won't do it, go to a different hotel.
  15. I don't know. But if I was his girlfriend, she would be his ex instantly, and if she didn't call the cops, I'd be surprised!
  16. My go-to load for .44-40 with a 213 gr. hardcast bullet is 8.0 gr Universal. MV from a 7-1/2" barrel OM Vaquero with tight throats is 950 ft/sec. Would probably go to 8.0 gr. of Unique...if I could find either!
  17. If it was overseas, and depending on the provisions of the Statis of Forces Agreement with the country in which the crimes were committed.
  18. In 2003, I bought a Ford Expedition because they quit making station wagons and I needed both the hauling capacity and the passenger acommodations. I sold it in 2018 and bought a Ford Flex because the Expedition was a bit high off the ground for us old codgers to climb into, and I wanted the cargo space and the ability to haul at least 5 pax. They call the Flex a "crossover" vehicle. Crossover from what? No it ain't! It's a station wagon! And they quit making them a couple of years ago. (Did they come from Canada?) And if I decide to get a new car for my 90th birthday in 7 years, what will I be able to buy?
  19. My wife and I and our school-age daughters visited Lexington and Concord some years ago. Although Concord Bridge was impressive, I still get chills when I think about standing on Lexington Green, and imagining what it must have been like just before the unknown shot "opened the ball"! As Ben Franklin said to the lady who asked what kind of government had been created, "A republic, madam...if you can keep it!"
  20. I don't recall being early or late, but as my birthday is July 24, had my c-date been much later, I might be four years younger or on-existent, as Pearl Harbor happened only a couple of weeks afterward! Who knows what my folks would have thought about bringing a child into the world with a war commencing? As it was, by the time I was born, my Dad was commanding an Army service battery (coast artillery company) in Puerto Rico. He couldn't get leave for ten days to see me and Mom (who had some complications), and she refused to name me until he was there. So I was just "baby" until then. A year or so later, Dad was reassigned to the 42nd ID (Rainbow Division), via updated artillery school at Ft. Sill. He went overseas with the Rainbow in February of '45, and came home after VE day.. So regardless of whatever else you may call me, I'm a Son of Rainbow!
  21. Benjamin Franklin was asked, as he came out of the meeting of Congress, "What sort of government do we have, Dr. Franklin?" Replied Franklin, "A republic, Madam, if you can keep it!"
  22. "We have met the enemy and he is us!" Walt Kelly's Pogo Possum.
  23. Yes, but had problems in the ETO at high altitude due to not having heat in the cockpit! Also, when you got into a dive from higher altitudes, some pilots experience "compressibility" problems that rendered the controls immovable! Sometimes the pilots couldn't pull out. P-38 did much better in the Pacific, where temps were warmer. Long range (once Lindberg showed them how to lean out the mixtures) enabled the -38's to get Yamamoto!
  24. Back in the summer of '64, at AFROTC summer camp, we were given a mini-survival school in the woods off the end of the runway at Richards-Gebauer AFB. They didn't want us to mess with live rattlers, so they gave us cans of rattler. Tasted like chicken...once you scraped off the cream sauce they put in with the meat!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.