biobioprof said:
When I moved here I heard Tx Air National Guard Ags would use those hours to fly into Easterwood and get burritos at Freebirds.CanyonAg77 said:biobioprof said:
This is kind of interesting. I wonder if the blowup was because he was having an affair (an offense under UCMJ, I believe) not so much for using the plane.
These guys have to fly a certain amount every month to maintain currency. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with using those currency hours for travel. Instead of simply boring holes in the skies around the home field, why not do a XC?
Things have certainly changed in the last decades, but I have read accounts of John McCain, Chuck Yeager, and Robert Lee Scott (God is my Co-Pilot) who all used fighter and trainer aircraft to visit family and girlfriends. "Back in the Day" it was very common. Planes and fuel were cheap, and the military routinely allowed pilots to fly for personal use, to keep them in practice.
I think Yeager used to use military helicopters to take him to remote mountain fishing spots.
I was at Easterwood as a kid in the 1960s on a Saturday after an Aggie football game. There was a huge four engine prop transport on the apron, and it was firing up as we got in our plane. We were told that some Air Force brass were flying cross country, and "just happened" to need a fuel stop that coincided with the timing of that afternoon's football game.
My guess would be the affair. The brother of one of my Corps buddies was an F-16 pilot stationed at Eglin. His squadron commander's son was also in the Corps. They would fly formation to Easterwood routinely to visit and load up with jerky from the Dixie Chicken to take back with them.CanyonAg77 said:biobioprof said:
This is kind of interesting. I wonder if the blowup was because he was having an affair (an offense under UCMJ, I believe) not so much for using the plane.
These guys have to fly a certain amount every month to maintain currency. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with using those currency hours for travel. Instead of simply boring holes in the skies around the home field, why not do a XC?
Things have certainly changed in the last decades, but I have read accounts of John McCain, Chuck Yeager, and Robert Lee Scott (God is my Co-Pilot) who all used fighter and trainer aircraft to visit family and girlfriends. "Back in the Day" it was very common. Planes and fuel were cheap, and the military routinely allowed pilots to fly for personal use, to keep them in practice.
I think Yeager used to use military helicopters to take him to remote mountain fishing spots.
I was at Easterwood as a kid in the 1960s on a Saturday after an Aggie football game. There was a huge four engine prop transport on the apron, and it was firing up as we got in our plane. We were told that some Air Force brass were flying cross country, and "just happened" to need a fuel stop that coincided with the timing of that afternoon's football game.
I have a friend who used to fly in with his buddies for lunch at the chicken. He is a pilot for a major airline now. They called those "Taxpayer Appreciation Days".stetson said:My guess would be the affair. The brother of one of my Corps buddies was an F-16 pilot stationed at Eglin. His squadron commander's son was also in the Corps. They would fly formation to Easterwood routinely to visit and load up with jerky from the Dixie Chicken to take back with them.CanyonAg77 said:biobioprof said:
This is kind of interesting. I wonder if the blowup was because he was having an affair (an offense under UCMJ, I believe) not so much for using the plane.
These guys have to fly a certain amount every month to maintain currency. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with using those currency hours for travel. Instead of simply boring holes in the skies around the home field, why not do a XC?
Things have certainly changed in the last decades, but I have read accounts of John McCain, Chuck Yeager, and Robert Lee Scott (God is my Co-Pilot) who all used fighter and trainer aircraft to visit family and girlfriends. "Back in the Day" it was very common. Planes and fuel were cheap, and the military routinely allowed pilots to fly for personal use, to keep them in practice.
I think Yeager used to use military helicopters to take him to remote mountain fishing spots.
I was at Easterwood as a kid in the 1960s on a Saturday after an Aggie football game. There was a huge four engine prop transport on the apron, and it was firing up as we got in our plane. We were told that some Air Force brass were flying cross country, and "just happened" to need a fuel stop that coincided with the timing of that afternoon's football game.
When I went into the Army Reserve I flew with some Vietnam veterans for the first time. I have lots of great stories about those guys! One of them grew up on a ranch and we would fly there to visit his parents, land next to their house and have an amazing home cooked lunch.
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I have a friend who used to fly in with his buddies for lunch at the chicken. He is a pilot for a major airline now. They called those "Taxpayer Appreciation Days".