Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Eyes On the Skies

Isaac certainly has everyone's attention...


I'm thinking a 50 cent per gallon increase in gas prices would be the least of our problems if stuff gets bad.  Our best thoughts go out to our friends on the Gulf Coast.

Speaking of... there's this:
Preparing for Isaac: Airmen at Air Force bases along the Gulf Coast continued making preparations for Tropical Storm Isaac on Aug. 27 as the storm worked its way up the Gulf of Mexico towards New Orleans after having passed between southern Florida and Cuba. Eglin Air Force Base in Florida's panhandle remained in hurricane condition three as officials prepared for winds up to 52 knots and at least a foot of rain through Aug. 29. F-16s from the base were relocating to Shaw AFB, S.C., while its F-15s were headed to Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., according to an Eglin release. However, the 19 F-35s of Eglin's F-35 schoolhouse would hunker down in hangars built to withstand hurricane-strength winds, said Eglin officials. MC-130Es from Eglin's Duke Field were evacuated to Fort Campbell, Ky., according to a Duke release. And, airmen at Hurlburt Field, which adjoins Eglin, on Aug. 26 evacuated the majority of the base's airplanes to Little Rock AFB, Ark., stated a Hurlburt release. KC-135s assigned MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa relocated to Pease ANGB, N.H., and McGhee-Tyson ANGB, Tenn., while F-22s from Tyndall AFB, Fla., on Aug. 26 moved to Sheppard AFB, Tex. Meanwhile, airmen at Keesler AFB, Miss., also remained under HURCON 3, as they prepared for Isaac, according to a base release.
That's from the Usual USAF Source.

And while we're on about things USAF... I raised my right hand and swore "... that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." 49 years ago today.  A few weeks later the lil blurb you see on the left appeared in a local SoCal rag.

Dang.  I'll celebrate my 50th-freakin'-anniversary the next time this date rolls around.  Un-bee-leeb-able.

17 comments:

  1. I have to laugh, ironically, whenever anyone says we'll see $4/gal. fuel.
    Yesterday the local stations posted $4.09 and $4.11. We'd be happy to see $4.00.

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    1. Wow. Gas was $3.41/gal in ABQ when I filled up Sunday. Still and even: over $50.00 to fully gas The Tart was a sobering experience.

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  2. Heh. Regular gas is $4.25/gal here. It's costing us $75 to fill the Jeep and close to $60 for my Acura (which is supposed to run on premium and has been getting mid-grade for 7 years now).

    I am gratified to read that people are evacuating along the gulf coast this time.

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    1. which is supposed to run on premium...

      Same with TGH. She gets by on mid-grade just fine. The Tart runs regular, and for that I'm thankful.

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  3. Great little Home Town News Release photo there. If you can remember what you were thinking as you sat there, imagine all that you did not know at that very moment. Humbling, isn't it?

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    1. It ain't hard to imagine... even today... what I didn't know back then. Shorter: damned near everything.

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  4. We've been dancing on both sides of $4.00 for what feels like years. You think I'm riding my bike all the time for my health? The environment? I'm saving a lot of money this way.

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  5. Wherein I highlight my ign'ance by saying "I didn't even know there were 19 F-35s anywhere yet."

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    1. Yeah, they're coming off the line, slowly but surely. The interesting thing is all these F-35s will have to undergo significant upgrades as the software matures.

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    2. The 33rd has flown over a hundred sorties so far. The Marine variant (vertical takeoff) has not flown other than delivery. Each F35 sortie is accompied by an F16 chase plane. It's cool to watch.

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  6. I wonder what the price here in NorCal would be if on of the major refiners ...oh wait, there are only major refiners ...hadn't tried to burn down Richmond?

    Ya know, what's most irritating about the California situation is the "air quality" rules that require a different blend than what's used elsewhere. Then on top of that, the darn stuff used in the summer can't be sold in the winter and vice versa. So there's always an artificial shortage keeping prices above what most of the rest of the country is paying.

    Of course the average guy driving down the road blames it all on Big Oil and the poor devil who takes his money at the gas station.

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    1. If I were a Californian I'd be PISSED at the asshat regulators (Thankya, CARB) that mandated the CA-specific blends. Yer right about "the average guy," too.

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  7. Our gas prices here in OK are probably about the same as NM. The other day I drove Toby's truck and had to fill it up since it was empty and the light was on. I passed out about the time the total hit $75. I will stick with my little cars from now on and let Toby fill up the truck.

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    1. I shudder to think how much it would take to fill up the RV these days. It was over $100 ten years ago...

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  8. ANOTHER one!

    Dan S. has left a new comment on your post "Eyes On the Skies":

    The 33rd has flown over a hundred sorties so far. The Marine variant (vertical takeoff) has not flown other than delivery. Each F35 sortie is accompied by an F16 chase plane. It's cool to watch.

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    1. You work in a very cool place, Dan. I'm envious.

      And I have NO ideer why yer comment went missing.

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    2. I sent it from my iPhone so I may have done it incorrectly. We don't expect to see. The F35 in the lab until 2014. I suspect that there was a rush to get it in the field. The AF is very cautious with it. No night flights or bad weather flights and always a chase plane. The facility that was built for the training is outstanding and state of the art. They train both pilots and maintenance here.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.