Trailrider #896
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Posts posted by Trailrider #896
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I can recall two Naval officers who were passed over twice for promotion. One was Adm. Hyman Rickover, who the Navy tried to get rid of, but Congress promoted him anyway. The other was Navy Capt. Levering Smith, who was engineering chief for Adm Red Rayburn's Special Projects Office (Polaris Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile). The AllNav (promotion list) came out on Friday and Smith's name wasn't on it for the second time, meaning he would have to retire. I was a summer hire intern on Polaris in 1961, at Cape Canaveral. The story we got was that Rayburn picked up the red phone that connected him directly to President Kennedy, and said, "Mr. President, if you want Polaris, I need Levering Smith." Monday morning an amended AllNav came out with Smith's name on it for promotion to Rear Admiral (lower half). In 1971, when I was working for Lockheed Missiles & Space, Adm. Smith was now in charge of he entire program (SP). By that time, Polaris had progressed to Poseidon and Trident I, with Trident II on the way.
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I don't know how it works now, but it used to be there were two classes of commissioned officers, regulars and reservists on active duty. Regulars had "tenure", and could plan on staying in for 20+ and possibly 30 years. Reserve officers, after fulfilling their minimum active duty commitment could elect to stay on, hoping to make 20 so as to get full retirement benefits, or go off active duty and either go active reservist or inactive reservist until the expiration of their total committment. In the event that a reservist on extended active duty gets caught in a Reduction In Force (RIF), and is forced off active duty as an officer, he/she loses retirement benefits, or, sometimes is allowed to reenlist as an NCO (E-5 or so).
In my case, I was committed to four years active (non-flying) from 1965 to 1969, with an additional 3 years commitment in some capacity, either active or reserve. When Sec. of Defense MacNamera decided as an economy measure, that if you weren't going "career reserve", and your date of separation fell in a certain window, you could get a six-month "early out". There were no openings in the Air Force Reserve in my specialty, where I lived, so I went on inactiive status for the next 3-1/2 years, partially reverting to my "permanent" rank of 1LT, until just before I was released from further obligation, when I was promoted back to captain (which I had been promoted to after 3 years while on active). After the seven year total commitment was up, they "ruptured my duck" (sent me my DD214), and that was that. Of course, I wound up, by choice, in the aerospace industry, so it wasn't like I didn't work on defense projects for the next 20 years.
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Per 'enery 'iggins, "In America they haven't spoken it (English) for years!"
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7 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:
It was called TMR, triple modular redundancy. And a lot of it was before you could do computers on a chip.
any wondering why try Soviets abandoned Buran? Left the orbiter to rust away after one unmanned flight.
The Soviets flat ran out of money to continue Buran. Pity because it had some features that Shuttle didn't have. Unfortunately, I can recall what they were right now.
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Rest In Peace, Ingenuity! You'll have to wait until Elon Musk lands with a replacement blade to fix you!
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Used to spread Kiwi on the shoes/boots, lit it with a match or Zippo lighter and then blow it out. Then spit shine!
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Lately, at two suburban PO's the most I've seen was two clerks for ten or twelve customers...that's if one clerk isn't looking for one customer's vacation-hold mail! At the rate the stamps for a First Class letter keep going up, they might as well charge $1.00 (currently 69 cents...or it was on Friday), and get it over with. As for shipping rates, I ordered a model railroad part on ebay and it cost about twice the cost of the item to ship it!
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Yeah, a thermonuclear hyperbole is worse than anything! Or as we used to say, back in the day, "Nuke the whales!"
But seriously, folks, we need to do something significant besides saying, "Don't." We've got enough Tomahawk cruise missiles and drones to take out Kharg Island's facilities. Also, as one representative suggested, there are some Iranian combat ships that would make a nice oil slick. Though I think they could be made to serve as some new fish habitat reefs! Regardless, a significant response is needed to let Iran and the rest of our potential adversaries that we will not sit by with umbrellas like that guy who proclaimed, "Peace in our time!" back in the 1930's!
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Someone suggested we hit Kharg Island HARD, maybe wipe it clean. Why Kharg Island? Because that is where all their petroleum exports are sent to be taken by tanker. There are also other economic things that go through there., It would cripple their economy, and the "collateral damage" (personnel that work there) would be limited. It would be nice if the top dawgs at DOD and above were not standing/sitting around with their thumbs inserted while they figure out what to do that "won't start a wider war"!
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Another thing to consider: Iran just launched, apparently successfully, some satellites orbiting the Earth. Now that means they have the capability to launch an ICBM, but doesn't indicate whether they have solved the reentry problem...yet! (In point of fact, when Sputnik I was launched, it was assumed they had ICBM capability. As it turned out, after the Soviet Union went down, Korolov had NOT solved the reentry problem, but convinced Nikita Khrushev to allow him to orbit the satellite so as to scare the U.S., which it did...at least until we had solved the reentry problem and had ICBM's of our own,.) If Iran is allowed to develop a nuke, they have the capability of reaching Israel with what they have! I guarranty what would happen then.
I am not seriously advocating nuking Iran, but if we could locate their leaders, perhaps using bunkerbuster bombs on them and on their nuclear development facilities, it might enable the general Iranian population to stage a coup and bring back some form of democracy. Regardless, Biden and company MUST do something significant and soon, or we will have more casualties caused by Iran-backed agents! The WH spokespersons keep saying we don't want a war with Iran, but I wonder what would happen if Congress declared war on Iran (presuming that body could agree on anything...they can't even agree on a budget).
In the meantime, the death toll on U.S. forces is five, not 3. Don't forget the 2 U.S. Navy Seals!
RIP
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Instead of giving Iran $6 billion dollars for release of some hostages, we should contribute to major urban renewal. IMHO, that country needs some major land clearance. We should clear away those polluting oil refineries, and perhaps turn downtown Tehran into A TRINITITE PARKING LOT! Then turn around and go after the Houthis with as much ordnance as is available!
To those three troops KIA by an Iranian-backed drone, RIP! Speedy healing to those WIA by this cowardly attack!
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Interesting that the governor of N? Dakota, who has been mentioned as a possible VP candidate says she is ready to ship more razor wire to Texas. More power to her!
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Seem that Texas and the federal gubmint is having a discussion about who has the right to control who can put up razor wire or take it down. The governor of Texas is arguing it is a matter of states rights. I am NOT taking sides...that will be the job of the courts. But, didn't we have some difficulty along similar lines (though on a totally different situation) some 163 years ago? Hope it doesn't wind up the same way that situation did!
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Arrogance and "we know it all" attitude in the aerospace industry and elsewhere has gotten more people killed than engineering mistakes! I recall an incident that, fortunately, did NOT get anyone hurt, but could have. We were testing the strength of the forward deck fittings that held the Shuttle booster recovery parachutes. I was sent to the lab to observe. The test risers were stretched from the deck fittings up over a pulley that was welded to an I beam on the ceiling of the lab, then the risers went back down to the floor where they were being pulled by hydraulic mechanism. I remarked that I thought the pulley was only held up by linear welds from the pulley bracket to the I-beam, might not be strong enough under the 100K load. I was laughed at, and told to go up to the observation room. Several people of the test group had just left the floor area, when the pulley bracket welds broke and pealed away, sending the pulley like from a slingshot right through the metal stairs near the floor! I was suddenly recalled from observing the tests, and another young engineer assigned to observe further testing (after they re-attached the pulley). Guess they didn't like me being right!
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I don't care how much the FAA clears the 737-900 series, until Boeing gets their act together on the production line as well as their space stuff, I'm flying Air Bus!
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On 1/21/2024 at 5:49 PM, Iron Jim Rackham said:
Thank you. Ill look for an old model Vaquero. Do the Cimarron 7th Cavalry and Custer models have larger grips?
I have medium-sized hands, and have been shooting old model Vaqueros for all my time in CAS/SASS. I know some folks who swap the regular hammers for Super Blackhawks, but that would be up to you.
Best of luck and shoot safe!
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Presuming your .44 Mangle-em Bisley is an old model Vaqueo, you can find a .357 Magnum cylinder and have it rechambered to .44-40. A .44 Magnum cylinder could also be rechambered to .44-40 as the base diameter of the .44-40 is larger than the .44 Magnum. A number of years ago, when I was having problems with the original .44-40 cylinder's chambers (finally replaced by Ruger, although with the .425" throats...which I keep, and use hardcast .430" bullets), I found a Super Magnum .44 Magnum cylinder which I had fitted to the gun. Later, when SASS went to 2 sixgun events, I bought a .44 Magnum OM Vaquero, and luckily found a .44-40 cylinder with the tight throats that I had fitted to the .44 Magnum gun. As a result, I have a pair of convertibles. You will most likely have to have the alternate cylinders fitted and timed to the gun. Probably needs to be done by a 'smith who knows his/her business. Best of luck with the project.
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Unfortunately, the Navy never paid her a red cent for the use of her patents. And, yes, we use frequency skipping for virtually all modern electronics today.
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Either, both! Although I rode mostly Burlington and Northwestern passenger trains as a kid and into my teens, and am an ardent model railroader, I can identify with "The City of New Orleans"! As a kid in the '40's and '50's I went to school with a Steve Goodman in Chicago, I doubt it was the same person. Just conincidance...maybe... RIP.
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She is especially interested in research for pancreatic cancer, since her mother died of same! As to whether USAFA grads go to pilot training less than, say AFROTC grads, the Air Force needs pilots badly! As for her having her pilot's license, that may or may not insure graduating from Undergrad Pilot Training (UPT). In 1965, I had a light twin rating and had passed the FAA instrument written when called to active duty. I could legally fly planes that some of the T-37 and T-38 jocks couldn't (outboard single-engine out training versus centerline thrust), and, along with a bunch of other guys who had prior flying time, wound up "flying" blue trucks maintaining Minuteman missiles in Montana. (30% washout rate among the UPT bases)! You go where they need/send you. As it is, she could be more of a PR asset to the Air Force than burning holes in the sky!
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3 hours ago, Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 said:
My college roommate has a Rambler with laydown seats, its a miracle the population did not explode.
Imis
It wasn't me, but I did have a 1962 Rambler station wagon, with the seats that went down. All ya needed was a girl that...never mind.
It had an inline six, and pushbutton shift. At 22,000 miles the head (cast iron, not aluminum) cracked across the #3 cylinder! Fortunately, was covered by the 3-year 30K mile warranty. Kept it for three more years, and bought a '65 Ford Ranch Wagon.
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Not as bad as ball turret gunner on a B-17!
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Tang was around before NASA used it. Velcro came from some guy (in Switzerland, I think) observed cockleburs sticking to his dog's fur! The Boeing SST project was cancelled when Congress passed a law prohibiting supersonic flight by commercial airliners over the continental U.S. That basically insured the economic failure of the Concord. The interesting thing about the X-59 is it has no forward windscreen! Much like the Star Trek Enterprise, the pilot will have to depend on a forward TV. Great idea aerodynamically...unless the T.V. goes out! Ejection seats anyone? "In the event of failure of the view screen, passengers are instructed to sit up straight, grasp the armrests and pull up sharply!
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18 minutes ago, Rex M Rugers #6621 said:
This post about cold reminds me that twice in my life (so far) I have been living in a town that had the low for the nation on a particular day.
Oddly enough , both times the low temp was -40 F. The first time was in Havre , MT in 1973 , the second time it was here in Vernal , UT in 1978.
That winter in Montana was also the only time I ever witnessed a Chinook. In about two hours time went from around 10 degrees to 70 degrees.
What a mess.
Rex
And I saw it go the other way in about ten minutes time up there! No matter what the weather was when we drove out the base gate, we were equipped for sub-zero and blizzard conditions. In the Judith Basin country there was nothing between you and the Great Slave Lake in Canada...but a barbed wire fence!
We used to say, "Colder than the North end of a Southbound missile maintainer!"
Powder Burn Rate question
in SASS Wire
Posted
One word of caution: DO NOT LOAD LIGHTER THAN THE MINIMUM LOADS LISTED IN RELOADING MANUALS! This can cause delayed shotstart, that can result in a bullet jumping out of the case and lodging in the barrel forcing cone, and then much higher pressures. Best thing is to use the middle loads listed, regardless of powder, unless you are trying to get higher velocities.